The cost was $4,493 for a daily cost of $60 in my 76 days of travel.
- $1,184 for Travel and Tour costs.
- $1,915 for Food costs with a daily cost of $25 per day.
- $1,394 Lodging costs for 71 nights with a nightly cost of $20.
Travel Costs
International Flights
I used 85,000 Alaska Airlines mileage points on a partner airline— Qatar Air— voted the best airline in the industry in 2024. The price for this flight was $2,220. This flight was from January 10 to March 27, 2025. I had a quick stopover in Doha, Qatar on the way to Bangkok, but on the way home, it was a 9 hour layover there. The fees for this flight were $145.
I paid $139 for two flights for travel from Thailand to Vietnam and return.
Travel Insurance
My Travelguard Insurance for this 76-day trip was $107 since my reservation and upfront costs were $760–-for advance hotel reservations in Bangkok and Hanoi, Vietnam eVisa, Alaska Air fees, and 2 flights to and from Thailand and Vietnam.
I lost my sunglasses so I filed a claim for $76 and had my front tooth veneer repaired for a claim of 5,595 Baht—about $158.
- On April 10th Travelguard informed me that my sunglasses claim was denied because sunglasses were under this exclusion: “No benefits will be paid for:…(d) loss of, or damage to, artificial prosthetic devices, false teeth, any type of eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, or hearing aids;…”
- However, they did approve my dental claim and are sending me a check for $166.77. The difference in amount of US Dollars is from the change in exchange rate.
Tours and Travel
These expenses were $1,184 with the following tours and travel modes making up the bulk these expenses:
International Flights
- $145 for Alaska Air fees and taxes, and 85,000 points for my round trip flight from Seattle to Bangkok, Thailand via Doha, Qatar on Qatar Air.
- $139 for two flights to Vietnam and return to Thailand.
Travel Insurance
- $107 for Travelguard Insurance.
Tours
- $220 for the three day tour of Halong Bay.
- $67 for the Phong Nha and Paradise Caves tour.
- $70 for the Ba Na Hills tour including the Roller Coaster.
- $22 for the Hoi An Memories Show.
- $11 for the Chiang Mai Cabaret Show.
Park and Temple Fees
- $33 entrance fees at 7 temples, parks, and the sky walk.
Trains
- $30 for the triple bunk sleeper train from Hanoi to Dong Hoi.
- $9 for the 3rd class night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
- $60 for Bangkok Sky Train, and Airport train rides.
Buses
- $20 for the Phong Nha, Vietnam VIP Sleeper bus to Hoi An.
- $28 for minibus from Chiang Mai to Mai Hong Son.
- $32 for 7 bus rides from 2 to 4 hours distance in Thailand.
Boats
- $8 for 4 ferry boat rides to and from Ko Samet.
- $5 for 12 Bangkok canal and river boat rides.
Moto-Taxis, Tuk-Tuks, Songthaews, and Minibuses
- $55 for 16 rides in Thailand and Vietnam.
Delightful Food Choices
My biggest trip expense was food at $1,915—about $25 per day.
When I am at home, my daily food cost for groceries and dining out is $13 per day. For the 76 days of my travel, I spent about $900 more on food—about $12 more per day.
Here are some of the meals I enjoyed:
Breakfasts
My early morning 7-11 breakfast with heated ham and cheese sandwich.
Thai Dinners
Western Style Dinners
Spirit Offerings
Drinking Water
Many travelers and locals buy and use plastic water bottles. I don’t like to see such a waste of resources with the bottles just going into landfill or being recycled. I continue to use a SteriPen along with a wide-mouth leftover 28oz plastic bottle. The recharger cable for the SteriPen had a USB connection The purification process was quick—-about 1 1/2 minutes of UV light and no chemicals.
I had no intestinal problems during the trip. I figured on this 76-day trip, I must have saved over 100 liters of bottled water by using my steripen
Lodging Costs
Lodging costs averaged $20 per night I booked through https://www.agoda.com/ or booking.com, usually a few days before I arrived at my next place. It is important to read the customer reviews on these sites, and check the map for the location before booking so you have a better idea of what you are getting.
With the high temperatures and humidity, I almost always get A/C rooms. Other features I usually get include: hot water showers, hot pot, security safe, and location near attractions or city centers. Most rooms have TVs but few with English language channels.
Blue Ocean Guesthouse in Ko Samet, Thailand
Guesthouse Clubeena in Mae Hong Son, Thailand
Pearl Cruise State Room, Halong Bay, Vietnam
Tien's Cozy Homestay, Phong Nha, Vietnam
Country Visa Expenses and Changes
Thailand now offers most tourists a 60 day on arrival visa whether I entered by air, land, or sea at no cost.
Vietnam has an eVisa process that is quick to get, is good for 90 days, and cost just $26. To apply, I had to give them the place I was first staying at so that is why I made a reservation in Hanoi.
COVID-19 Restrictions Are Gone
This was my 10th international trip during the COVID-19 era. There were no COVID-19 documentation requirements at the border crossings. Mask-wearing was almost non-existent except for medical staff taking care of patients. On public transportation only about 5% of passengers wore masks this year. Even fewer people wore them while on the streets and in the stores.
Getting Money
Before leaving the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, I used an ATM machine to get Thai Bahts I needed for travel and replenished at one of the many ATMs found everywhere. Many restaurants charge an extra 2-3% when using credit cards. The 7-11 stores only let you charge if you spend more than 200 Bahts and add no extra fee.
In Vietnam, ATMs were plentiful and the many travel booking offices offered money exchanges, usually with a higher cost of exchange compared to ATM machines. Here, most places added a 2-3% fee for using credit cards.
Getting Bank Fees Back
When I travel internationally I always take about $300 in USD and rely on ATMs for replenishing funds. I used a Schwab ATM card which reimburses customers for all ATM bank charges and exchange fees.
For this trip, Schwab reimbursed me $67.18 on these charges for the 10 ATM draws of 10,000 Baht which they added for each draw a 220 Baht processing fee—$6 USD. In Vietnam, I did 2 ATM draws and they added a 50,000 dong processing fee—$2 USD.
Daily Walking
For years I have tried to walk at least 3 miles per day for my health and enjoyment. During my 76 days in Thailand and Vietnam, I walked over 400 miles with an average of 5.5 miles per day ranging from 2 miles to 11.5 miles per day.
Weather
As usual, the weather in Thailand was very hot and humid with temperatures ranging from 80 degrees early mornings and 93 to 96 degrees by late afternoons with a humidity of 85% which made it feel even hotter. It only rained 2 times and one time it was at night and the other was early morning. When it rains here, it pours and then clears out this time of year.
In Vietnam it rained every day until I got to Hoi An. In Hanoi and Phong Nha, the temperatures ranged from 50 to 65 degrees. Much colder than I expected. I even turned on the heat in some of the rooms. It warmed up to 70 to 85 once I got to Hoi An and stopped raining.
I much prefer this warmer weather in the wintertime compared to the weather in Seattle where it has been averaging in the low 30 degrees accompanied by rain and some snow with continuous gray days where I had to bundle up to stay warm.
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