Things To Do in Asia
The continent where a month costs what a week costs elsewhere, and where the overland routes are so well worn you can follow them without a plan. Thailand to Vietnam, Japan in cherry blossom, an island in the Philippines nobody has heard of.
25
Countries
€12
A day in Southeast Asia
€45
A day in Japan
30
Days on most visas
The continent
Cheap, easy, and bigger than it looks
Asia is where budget travel was invented, and the infrastructure has had fifty years to mature. Overnight buses, sleeper trains, ferries and thirty-euro flights connect everything, hostels are everywhere, and the routes are so established that you will meet the same faces four countries later.
What surprises people is the range. Southeast Asia runs on ten to fifteen euros a day if you want it to. Japan and South Korea cost three times that and feel like a different world. The mistake is planning them as one trip and budgeting as if they average out.
Distances are the other thing to respect. Bangkok to Tokyo is six hours in the air. India alone is the size of Europe. Pick a region, do it properly, and leave the rest for the next trip rather than spending the whole month in transit.
Read the full Southeast Asia backpacking guideYour money lasts
Ten to fifteen euros a day covers a dorm, street food and local transport across most of Southeast Asia.
Routes that run themselves
Sleeper buses, night trains and cheap flights link everything. Most of it is bookable the day before.
Never alone unless you want to be
The banana pancake trail is a genuine social network. Hostels here are built around meeting people.
Country guides
Start with a country
Every country page carries its cities, what a day costs there, when to go and the hostels we would book ourselves.
Thailand
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Phuket · Krabi
40 guides
Vietnam
Hanoi · Ho Chi Minh · Hoi An · Ninh Binh
16 guides
Japan
Tokyo · Osaka · Kyoto · Hiroshima
31 guides
Indonesia
Canggu · Ubud · Uluwatu · Gili Trawangan
11 guides
Cambodia
Siem Reap · Phnom Penh · Koh Rong · Kampot
7 guides
India
Goa · New Delhi · Mumbai · Rishikesh
15 guidesSoutheast Asia
The cheapest month you will ever spendEast Asia
Expensive, orderly, worth every euroSouth Asia
Intense, ancient, cheapCentral Asia
Empty, mountainous, barely travelledThe Middle East
Short flights, deep historyOr start with how you travel
Same continent, filtered by tripHostels
Where to stay while you do it
The Asian hostels travellers rate most highly. Prices and availability are live on each property page.
The One Hostel & Rooftop Pool Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam
Dorms from €4 a night
See dates and book
Kloem Hostel
Bangkok, Thailand
Dorms from €9 a night
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Guesthouse toco.
Tokyo, Japan
Dorms from €19 a night
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168 Chiangmai Guesthouse
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Dorms from €3 a night
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Hanoi Oldtown Nomad Hostel & Pub
Hanoi, Vietnam
Dorms from €12 a night
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Barn & Bed Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
Dorms from €15 a night
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Quality Hostel K's House Tokyo Oasis
Tokyo, Japan
Dorms from €20 a night
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Green Sleep Hostel
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Dorms from €11 a night
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Queen Cafe Hotel & Pub
Hanoi, Vietnam
Dorms from €6 a night
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PanPan Hostel
Bangkok, Thailand
See dates and book
Nui. Hostel & Bar Lounge
Tokyo, Japan
Dorms from €17 a night
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Non@Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Thailand
See dates and book
When to go
Two monsoons and a lot of sunshine
Asia has no single season, because it spans the equator twice over. Southeast Asia is driest from November to March, Japan is at its best in April and October, and the Indian monsoon runs June to September. Chasing dry weather across the whole continent in one trip is not possible.
November – February
The dry season
Best overall
Southeast Asia at its driest and coolest, which is when almost everyone goes. Northern India and Nepal are clear and cold, Japan is quiet and cheap.
- Book Thai islands early
- Tet and Chinese New Year close things for a week
- Nights are cold in northern Vietnam
March – May
Hot season
Shoulder
Building heat across the mainland, 40°C in Thailand by April, and the cherry blossom in Japan and Korea. Prices drop everywhere except Japan.
- Songkran mid-April
- Japan books out for blossom
- Hill stations stay bearable
June – September
Monsoon
Cheapest
Rain most afternoons rather than all day, and half the price. Indonesia and the Philippines have their own timing, and Japan gets typhoons in August.
- Afternoon downpours, not washouts
- Ferries cancel in rough seas
- Best hostel rates of the year
October
The gap
Quiet
The rain eases, the crowds have not arrived, and the countryside is green rather than burnt. The most underrated month on the continent.
- Japan in autumn colour
- Clear skies in Nepal for trekking
- Everything still at low-season prices
Costs
What a day actually costs
Daily budgets below cover a dorm bed, food, local transport and one paid activity. They assume street food and public transport, which is how most people travel here and also how the food is best.
The spread across Asia is wider than anywhere else. Laos and Cambodia can be done on ten euros a day without trying. Japan and Singapore will not go below forty. Nothing in the middle behaves predictably, because a beach island charges three times what the town an hour inland does.
Region
Dorm bed
Per day
Mainland Southeast Asia
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos
€6–10
€18–28
Island Southeast Asia
Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia
€8–14
€22–35
South Asia
India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
€5–9
€15–25
East Asia
Japan, South Korea, China
€20–32
€45–70
Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
€8–14
€25–35
The Gulf
UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia
€25–40
€60–90
Indicative dry-season figures for a traveller staying in dorms and eating where locals eat. Islands and dive towns run well above their country average.
Getting around
Sleeper trains, night buses and €30 flights
There is no Interrail for Asia, and you do not need one. Overnight buses and trains cover most of the distance for the price of a meal, and budget airlines cover the rest — AirAsia, VietJet and Scoot run routes that cost less than a taxi to the airport.
Japan is the exception worth planning around. Since a steep price rise in 2023, the nationwide Japan Rail Pass only pays for itself if you cover long distances fast; for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka alone, individual shinkansen tickets or a regional pass usually work out cheaper. Everywhere else, book as you go. Overland border crossings in Southeast Asia are routine, and the visa is usually issued on arrival or online in advance.
The banana pancake trail
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Hanoi, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh. The route everyone does, because it works: cheap, social, and entirely bookable as you go.
6 stops · 3 countries
Japan end to end
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, then the ferry to Miyajima. Shinkansen, no rush, and the most efficient country on earth doing the work for you.
6 stops · 1 country
Islands and diving
Bali, Gili Islands, Flores, then across to El Nido and Coron in the Philippines. Slow ferries, cheap dive schools and no cities at all.
5 stops · 2 countries
What's on
Worth building a route around
These are also the dates that fill every bed in the country. Both facts are worth planning around.
Staff pick
24 Sep – 4 Oct
Andong International Mask Dance Festival
Andong, South Korea
Experience the mesmerizing fusion of tradition and artistry at the Andong International Mask Dance Festival in South Korea. Delve into the vibrant socio-historical and…
Staff pick
25 Sep – 4 Oct
Colombo International Book Fair
Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Colombo International Book Fair is one of the country’s largest and most popular literary gatherings. With a history dating back to 1999, the…
Staff pick
3–4 October
Simchat Torah
Tel Aviv, Israel
Simchat Torah in Tel Aviv, Israel, is a lively celebration where communities gather to mark the completion and immediate restart of the Torah reading…
Staff pick
11–25 October
Dashain Festival
Kathmandu, Nepal
Dashain Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, is the most significant Hindu celebration in the country, drawing families together at historic sites like Hanuman Dhoka Palace.…
Staff pick
11–21 October
Mysore Dasara
Mysore, India
Mysore Dasara, a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated in the city of Mysore, India. With a history dating back to the 15th century, this cultural…
Staff pick
17–21 October
Durga Puja
Kolkata, India
Durga Puja, the vibrant Hindu festival celebrating the goddess Durga, is a stunning spectacle of elaborate decorations, traditional rituals, and cultural performances. Held annually…
Staff pick
31 Oct – 3 Nov
Daidogei World Cup
Shizuoka Prefetcure, Japan
The Daidogei World Cup in Shizuoka, Japan, transforms the city’s streets into a stage for world-class street performers and artists. Spectators can enjoy a…
Staff pick
31 Oct – 29 Nov
Dubai Fitness Challenge
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Dubai Fitness Challenge transforms the city into an open-air gym, encouraging residents and visitors alike to embrace active lifestyles. For an entire month,…
From the blog
Asia guides
Written by our travel writers and the travellers who host them.
Things to do, city by city
Short itineraries you can follow as written, in the cities most routes pass through.
Getting around
Sleeper trains, night buses, ferries and the flights worth booking ahead.
Eating your way across
Street food, night markets and what to order when you cannot read the menu.
Doing it cheaply
What things cost, where the money goes and how to make a month last two.
Everything we have written about Asia
Filter by country, city or the kind of trip you are planning.
Asia travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How much does a month in Asia cost?
In mainland Southeast Asia, €600 to €900 covers a month including beds, food and local transport if you stay in dorms and eat street food. Japan or South Korea will cost closer to €1,500 for the same month, and islands run above their country average everywhere.
When is the best time to go to Asia?
November to February for mainland Southeast Asia, which is the dry season. April or October for Japan. The Indian monsoon runs June to September. There is no month that suits the whole continent, so pick the region first.
Is Southeast Asia safe for solo travellers?
Yes, and it is one of the easiest places in the world to travel alone — the routes are established and you will rarely be the only backpacker in the room. Ordinary precautions apply: watch your drink, use the hostel safe, and be careful on rented scooters, which cause more traveller injuries here than anything else.
Do I need visas for Asia?
Most Southeast Asian countries give at least 30 days visa-free or on arrival to EU, UK, US and Australian passports. India needs an e-visa in advance. Vietnam gives 45 days visa-free to UK and many EU passports and an e-visa to everyone else. China lets most EU, UK, Canadian and Australian passports in visa-free for 30 days until the end of 2026, but US citizens still need a visa. Check each country before you book, because the rules change more often than in Europe.
What is the banana pancake trail?
The well-worn backpacker route through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, named after the pancakes sold along it. It is popular for a reason: cheap, sociable, and easy to follow without booking anything more than a night ahead.
Can I travel Asia overland?
Across Southeast Asia, yes — buses and trains cross most borders and most visas are available on arrival or online. Between regions it is harder: Myanmar's land borders, the India–China frontier and Central Asia all need planning, and most people fly those legs.
Is Japan too expensive for backpacking?
It is three times Southeast Asia, but it is not out of reach. Dorms run €20 to €32, a convenience-store meal is under €5, and the shinkansen makes long distances quick. Two weeks in Japan costs roughly what six weeks in Vietnam does.
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