By tighttravellers, May 2026
Ey up!
We just spent 6 months budget backpacking through Asia. From cheap eats in Thailand, to free car camping spots in Japan!
Here’s what we budgeted as tight travellers on a 2 year gallivant around the world.
How We Set a Budget
It started with a lot of research! We looked into the many countries we knew we wanted to visit and the daily average for things like: accommodation, food, transport. Then we took that total and, in true tight traveller fashion, knocked a bit off.
We settled on £50 each per day, knowing full well we would try to stay under that!
Check Out Our Daily Average / Country
- Thailand £20 each
- Laos £20 each
- Cambodia £26 each
- Vietnam £24 each
- Japan £43 each
Cheap an’ cheerful so far!
With a budget of £50 per day, we knew we needed around £36,500 for our 2 year backpacking trip.
We were in for some hard graft!
How We Track Our Spending
We use the app TravelSpends to track all of our spending. Pretty easy to input everything, we just have to remember to add as we go so we don’t forget!
You can then get daily averages, category and country totals to make sure you’re sticking to that budget.
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How We Split Spending
Every travel couple will do this differently. We chose to split everything equally, but if we bought things for ourselves paid for it ourselves. For example: clothes, haircuts etc.
Daily Average / Country
Let’s Have a Proper Gander
Thailand
We were in Thailand for 30 days and spent exactly £1041.03 (between the two of us). This works out as £20.02 per person per day.
Laos
We maxed out our visa in Laos; if we’re paying for 30 days, we are staying for 30 days. We spent £1256.67 in total. This is £20.27 each per day. Slightly more expensive than Thailand, but we did have to pay for our visa.
Cambodia
We spent 21 days exploring Cambodia, from the popular Angkor Wat to the beaches of Koh Rong. We spent £1155.18 in total / £26.25 each per day. Slightly more expensive, but we did spent Christmas and New Year here!
Vietnam
We spent 31 days in Vietnam, and spent £1489.78 / £24.03 each per day.
Japan
Now Japan. Where the prices made our eyes water a bit. We spent 72 days in Japan and that cost us £6399.26 / £43.24 each per day. About double the cost of Southeast Asia, but we did also spend double the time there.
Where We Could’ve Been Stingier
Let’s start with the big one, Japan. Known for being expensive, yet we spent double the time there. Our own fault really, but we were enjoying oursen too much (and when it seemed like it was getting expensive, we compared prices to the UK to justify). Us tight travellers managed to stick under budget, so that’s a win! Check out our tips!
10 Free Things to Do in Tokyo
10 free things to do and see in Japan to help you stick to your budget. From shopping streets to beautiful gardens, Japan seems to have it all!
Budget Guide to Tokyo: Under £50 a Day Each
Tokyo on a budget? Aye, it’s possible! Here’s how two Yorkshire tight-arses explored one of the world’s most exciting cities for £50 a day each. Where we stayed, how we got around, what we did for free, and where we ate without spending a fortune.
Thailand, know for cheap scran, budget hotels, an’ bargain tuk tuk rides. Right?
Yes, but it ain’t as cheap as it used t’be. What started off as £8 per night accommodation, quickly turned to £18 per night when we booked last minute and everything was sold out. We did travel to the North of Thailand during the popular Yi Peng Festival, so what did we expect?
Read more about our Thailand adventures here, including how to avoid the tourist prices at Yi Peng.
Ultimate Guide to Northern Thailand: Bangkok to Chiang Rai
Our slow travel route through Northern Thailand. From Buddhist festival, to artsy workshops, to viewpoints without the crowds; this route has everything.
Our Southern Thailand Route – What We Loved, What We Didn’t & What We’d Skip
We spent three weeks in Thailand — proper buzzin’ from all the new sights, food and downright ridiculous moments. Below’s how it all panned out, where we stayed, and the bits that were great (and not so great) along the way. Bangkok — The Chaotic Welcome We flew into Bangkok because it was the cheapest way in — no…
Now then, if hindsight were a thing, we’d ‘av saved a fortune on transport in Cambodia. We’d heard a lot of great things about Koh Rong Island, and its neighbour Koh Rong Samloem. Alas, they weren’t our cuppa tea, and transport to and from cost an arm and a leg!
Activities across countries have added up, but we have no regrets! From paramotoring in Laos to the Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit Japan we did it all!
Making Money
A lot of tight travellers dream of earning money while travelling; that way, you never have to stop! In our effort to do this, we’ve been using Travelpayouts to monetize out travel content and wanted to share it with you.
Sign up here: https://www.travelpayouts.com/?marker=592651
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you. Thanks for taking the time to read and helping us keep the blog going!
