Budget for gap year

12 quid a day would be really pushing it in SE Asia, although it is possible.

I haven't spent long enough in Myanmar to really comment, but out of the others (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia), costs are broadly similar. Singapore is the obvious exception where many prices are similar to the West (although food can still be a lot cheaper). If you're a drinker, Malaysia will be expensive but food and accommodation are similar in price to the other countries.

12 pounds is roughly 800 baht, so to give you some idea of typical costs in Thailand:

Cheapest accommodation say average of 200 baht (as little as 120-150 baht in the north of Thailand, more like 400-500 baht on some islands in the south).

Meal at a street vendor 20-40 baht, meal in a guesthouse restaurant 40-100 baht, Western food 100 baht+, top restaurants and big tourist resorts can be a lot more expensive.

Large beer in a 7-11, 40-50 baht, in a guesthouse bar 60-80 baht, in tourist areas or resorts 100 baht++.

Internet from 15 baht per hour in Chiang Mai, to 5 baht per minute on some of the islands.

Motorbike hire (Honda Dream) 100-200 baht.

2 hour bus journey in aircon bus 100-120 baht

Work all that into your budget and you'll probably find you don't have much left over. It is certainly POSSIBLE to do it, but as a budget traveller I would recommend allowing 1,000 - 1,200 baht (or equivalent) per day. Watching every penny will seriously curtail your enjoyment of the travelling experience!

handsheldigh. OBVIOUSLY when talking about a budget, its for spending on the road not for preparing your trip.

I'd step it up a bit to 15-20 quid a day. Plus theres more than just daily expenses and flights. What about passports, insurance, injections, clothing and pack, etc? And then there's transport on the road, splurges when you just can't resist that (insert trinket here) and emergency money. I'd be looking at 5000+ pound all together, and at least 4000-4500 for on-road daily expenses.

I'm just working on what the OP said:

"Including money for excursions etc and all travelling costs APART from flights,would £12 a day be reasonable, or would that be pushing it a bit too much?"

He says including excursions and all traveling costs apart from flights.

Nobody ever includes their cost of their passport, vaccinations, clothes etc in the travel budget. A budget, insofar as it is customary to discuss a travel budget, is how much you plan to spend DURING your travel. It is clear to me that you have misunderstood the OP.

Just to clear stuff up, I didn't mean including vaccinations, clothing etc, this is just for "the daily spend" if you like. Anyway, now that I've decided that I'm finishing my trip in China instead of Australia, I've got more money so will probs be looking at around £16 a day. Thanks for the replys :)

I think you should calculate 20 quid per day, with the goal of spending 15. It's always better to have more than less. Some of the best things (like visiting Tibet in China, taking a boat to some semi-uninhabited islands in Laos or renting a motorbike to go to off the beaten track temples in Cambodia) will really make a difference and are worth that extra 5-7 quis a day. Unless you just plan to visit backpacker hangouts, sharing beers with hundreds of backpackers and go everyone has been, which is also possible, cheaper and the desire of many.

FWIW, I got by on about $400 THB/day (8-9GPB at the time?) for living expenses in coastal Thailand (Krabi, Phuket, Koh Tao), staying at the Phuket Youth Hostel and otherwise in a private room w/ shared bathroom, or setting up a longer-term rental for a private room with ensuite if I was sticking around in one place for a while. Activities were usually significantly more and a realistic budget for cheap travel is about 750-1000THB/day (minimum to enjoy yourself), recognising that some days you will spend 2000 and then spend three or four days snorkelling on a beach and doing cheap things.

If you are hiring a motorbike (a great experience, well worth the cash) expect to pay upwards of 250THB/day. These are a great way to get around and see some harder to reach areas - Phuket is a good place to rent one, Krabi is also good because it lets you get deeper into the Karst type environment and away from the tourist troop.

Malaysia was more expensive but not hugely. Can't remember the figures but I think accommodation was about 30MYR.

Rule of thumb that worked for me was to add 20% to Lonely Planet (and Thorntree) estimates to allow for the fact that I was an inexperienced traveller. I still do this because it allows me a surplus from which to draw if exciting things appear. If you're travelling for a while, you will find experience in a culture makes things easier and cheaper.

Have a great trip!