Over the course of our travels, Cazzy and I have spent, combined, more than a full year backpacking Southeast Asia.
And below I want to share with you what we believe to be the absolute ULTIMATE 4 month itinerary to follow.
This route is built from all of our personal experience.
Cutting out unnecessary stops and highlighting as much time as possible in the most breathtaking of locations.
4 months will never be enough to backpack every country in Southeast Asia, but below is what we believe to be the ideal way to squeeze in as much adventure as possible.
Whether you’re a beginner backpacker, or experienced traveler, this itinerary is perfect for everyone.
Let’s get straight into it …
Southeast Asia has been a top choice for backpackers for decades. And for good reason.
This region is packed with everything an adventurous traveler could dream of: sun-drenched beaches, bustling cities, ancient temples, incredible street food, and some of the friendliest locals you’ll ever meet.
Imagine a journey where one moment you’re exploring hidden waterfalls in Laos, and the next, you’re sharing stories with travelers in a cozy hostel in Thailand. The next you’re watching the most epic sunsets imaginable over the beaches of Bali.
Southeast Asia is not just a destination; it’s a rite of passage for travelers worldwide.
But there’s more than just beauty and adventure here—backpacking Southeast Asia is also affordable. This region is incredibly budget-friendly, especially compared to backpacking South America or Europe.
It’s a place where you can indulge in amazing meals for a few dollars, stay in unique guesthouses or hostels for next to nothing, and get around with inexpensive, local transport.
If you're looking to stretch your money while ticking off bucket-list experiences, Southeast Asia is unbeatable.
And, of course, the diversity is unmatched. Within just a few hours’ travel, you can go from the neon-lit skyscrapers of Bangkok to the ancient temples of Cambodia, from Thailand’s turquoise beaches to Vietnam’s lush rice terraces.
Each country has a unique charm, a fascinating culture, and enough experiences to last a lifetime.
So if you’re looking for a backpacking adventure that will inspire, challenge, and leave you with unforgettable memories, Southeast Asia should be at the top of your list.
I just wanted to quickly mention a brand that we have grown to love in recent years since our backpacking adventure began … SafetyWing.
A lot of people still don’t use travel insurance (which is just stupid!) or they struggle to find one that is well suited to backpackers (which has been us plenty of time!).
They are, in our oh so humble opinion, the best option for travel medical insurance out there for backpackers. Due not just to their range of features well suited directly to backpackers but also their very straightforward pricing structure.
As well as the fact that they work on a rolling monthly basis.
Meaning that you can maintain your cover only for the months that you travel, but then just keep extending or cut short depending on how your trip progresses.
Many people begin a 4 month backpack adventure to somewhere like Asia, add on a month in Australia, a few months in South America; and before you know it has been on the road for 2 years!
SafetyWing offers you that kind of flexibility that old-fashioned travel insurers simply can’t offer. So I strongly recommend checking them out before beginning your trip.
We have had to limit the duration of our adventures in the past simply due to limitations of our travel insurance.
As mentioned at the start, this itinerary is based on bringing together the best adventures we have had across multiple trips to Southeast Asia.
For every place mentioned, I have included a link to our matching blog post on that destination, so you can understand it further and plan that part of your stay more in-depth.
Of course, you may want to mismatch this itinerary, remove some things, swap things around … go for it!
It’s important to look at your planned dates for visiting different regions and see when it is best to visit each specific country.
For example, you may find its monsoon weather in parts of Thailand at certain times, or that you wish to be in Vietnam for a particular festival.
The great thing about Southeast Asia is that “internal” flights within the region are very affordable, so you can customize this to suit you.
Let’s get started with …
Indonesia is one of those places that feels like a dream come true for any backpacker. With so many islands to explore, every day brings something new.
Whether it’s snorkeling with turtles off the Gili Islands, heading up Mount Bromo for unreal sunrise views, or getting lost in the bustling streets of Bali.
**Quick embarrassing note: Bali is the first place I ever properly planned to travel as a friend from university wanted to go there and surf. Up until shortly before I got there, I always thought Bali was its own country … doh!
Once that was cleared up and we got to Indonesia, I soon realized you can live large here without breaking the bank. Cheap, tasty street food, budget-friendly guesthouses, and easy local transport make it a breeze.
But beyond the landscapes, it’s the people who make Indonesia special.
Locals are incredibly warm and welcoming, always happy to share their culture or invite you to join a family meal. So, if you’re looking for four weeks of pure adventure mixed with local charm, Indonesia is an absolute must.
Indonesia really is huge, and it has so much history! If I had to whittle things down to just 4 weeks, here’s how I would recommend doing it …
We’ve visited Bali 3 times now for almost 2 months in total - and we still never saw it all!
The same goes for anywhere on this itinerary. So rather than focusing on seeing everything, instead enjoy time in each place to relax and enjoy it for what it is and then see whatever key sites most take your fancy.
Thailand is often seen as the ultimate backpacker’s playground. At least that’s how I feel, and what I always thought of before I visited.
It’s the country in Southeast Asia I seem to hear most about backpacking and traveling to. And yes I did enjoy parts (listed below). But certainly not all of it.
It is great in that it does have a bit of everything—vibrant cities, stunning beaches, ancient temples, and wild jungle landscapes.
But I also found that because it’s SO well trodden and traveled to, many of the most popular places have lost some of the charm that less traveled destinations have. The locals are better set up to exploit or try to squeeze money out of you, so just watch out for that here.
That being said, with “just” three weeks and so much to see, you can experience the full range of what this amazing country has to offer.
Start with the lively chaos of Bangkok … then get the heck out of there!
Head north to Chiang Mai for temples, mountain views, and maybe even a jungle trek. And of course, no trip to Thailand would be complete without island-hopping in the south, where you’ll find some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.
Thailand is perfect for those traveling on a budget, too. Street food is delicious and dirt cheap, hostels are everywhere, and getting around is easy and affordable.
** This may sound quite full on, and it is! But the Thai islands really are stunning and it’s great to enjoy as many boat rides between them as possible. You may wish to remove one or two of these if you want more of a chilled out experience. I recommend Cazzy’s guide on island hopping in Thailand to help better understand this part of your trip.
This region is so different from southern Thailand, it’s colder, more mountainous and more humid. But just as scenic, in its own wonderful way. It might be worth catching an internal flight up here rather than a VERY lengthy bus ride.
Alternatively, do what we did and visit here after Laos.
If you look at a map of the region, you’ll see that Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos form a circle and you can take a clockwise or counterclockwise route through them all.
I recommend starting in Bangkok as it’s the biggest hub in the region from flights, then you can end back there at the end for your next flight onwards.
More info: 3 week in Thailand itinerary
Next up, we have Cambodia. If you follow on from southern Thailand (like we did) then it’s the next logical stop along your route backpacking through Southeast Asia.
It may be small compared to other countries in the region, but it packs a punch when it comes to unforgettable travel experiences.
In just 10 days, you can dive into the country’s rich (and very sad) history; explore vibrant cities, and relax on beautiful, quiet beaches.
Start with the ancient temples of the infamous Angkor Wat, where sunrise over the ruins is nothing short of breathtaking, and are easily one of the best spots anywhere in Southeast Asia. Then, head to the bustling capital, Phnom Penh, to learn about Cambodia’s past adversity and resilience.
Finally, ending up relaxing in Kampot, a beautiful city in the south, which is great for unwinding, exploring, and preparing for the next country on our list.
When we first backpacked Southeast Asia, we visited Thailand, Cambodia Cambodia Laos, Vietnam and Bali (not the rest of Indonesia just yet, that came on a later trip).
And after this trip, I named Vietnam as my favorite country to visit!
Why?
Well, I wrote a whole post on it!
But in short, it’s cheap, beautiful, well laid out, has so much history and the people are super friendly.
I was fascinated not just by the natural beauty and locations, but also the countries rich, and of course in parts very sad history. I found it amazing to be traveling somewhere that was so destroyed just a few decades before but bore very little marks of that horrific time.
Instead, it is just unending beauty.
Something that also stands out in my mind is the quality of the buses between stops were unmatched by any other country.
Many of these overnight buses had beds to sleep in and, maybe it’s just me, but I came to dread those long internal bus journeys after a few years backpacking the world.
Anywhere, here's a route I thoroughly recommend following.
It would take too long to give an intro to every place above, I genuinely loved each and every stop so much! So take a few minutes to read that, or for another glance, read my in-depth 3 week Vietnam travel itinerary here.
Another great thing about following this itinerary through Southeast Asia is that it works its way perfectly the whole way up through Vietnam. Leaving you just a short hop (or bus or flight) across into Laos!
Now, Laos is a reasonably large country, but its shape is rather odd, kind of like a palm tree right in the heart of Thailand and Vietnam.
We made 3 stops in Laos, laid out below.
Offering a brief but enjoyable look into what Laos holds for backpackers. It is of course possible to travel further south into the country, but with so much else to see and do elsewhere across the region, we limited our time here to just 10 days.
If you do decide to visit more spots in Laos, I would be keen to hear about your experience, so please drop a comment down below.
Either way, this is the route we followed, and offers a chance for a lot of nature and sightseeing; coupled with river tubing and ziplining through the jungle!
Best of all, it’s all so cheap!
Remember earlier where I said Vietnam was my favorite country in Southeast Asia? Well … don’t tell Vietnam I said this but I think The Philippines stole this position after our visit here!
I absolutely fell in love with the Philippines.
I adore it.
Again, I feel like a broken record saying how friendly everyone is, but it’s so true for this country.
People are wonderfully down to earth and friendly. Couple this with the most stunning waters and snorkeling I have ever seen. Every island we visited was a sight to behold. With daily boat cruises, snorkeling, rum and lounging around being what sits high in my memory.
Again it’s very affordable as well and, with so many islands to explore, there are endless opportunities for adventure.
If you’re a fan of being in water, enjoying sunny weather, drinking rum, and eating fresh fish then you will never want to leave The Philippines. You heard it here first, folks.
Honestly, there really are so many incredible things to do in The Philippines that it simply must be on your itinerary.
For an even better rundown of the above, check out my guide on the ultimate 4 week Philippines itinerary.
In total, there are 11 countries in Southeast Asia. And not mentioned above you have the 5 below.
Now, I would never say that these aren’t equally worthwhile to visit. But with only 4 months to explore, you will have to make some sacrifices.
And I will say that the 4 months backpacking route I gave above truly is an epic adventure into the best Southeast Asia has to offer.
We have spent a total of more than a year exploring the 6 countries outlined above, and still haven’t had a chance to work in these other 5.
We fully intend to do so and I will update this itinerary accordingly once we do.
But for your limited 4 month time, I can strongly recommend the route highlighted.
Again, if you have been to or choose to visit anywhere else not listed, drop a comment below and I would love to hear about your experiences and add them to our own Southeast Asia bucket list!
Here’s a few common questions people have when planning to backpack Southeast Asia …
For all accommodation booked in Southeast Asia we used Booking.com, Agoda, and Airbnb.
We predominantly use Booking.com all around the world, but for much of Southeast Asia Agoda is actually the cheaper choice.
They offer a handy credit back scheme for bookings where it makes it even more affordable than Boooking.com or going direct.
For some more unique/quirky experiences, be sure to check Airbnb. But for the sake of most backpacking hostels, Agoda will sort you out.
Hostelworld may also be useful, however we personally just have less experience with this.
We were actually working while traveling this region, earning just enough every day to keep us going. We found that by doing some online copywriting and earning $30USD per day, we were very comfortable to keep traveling indefinitely in the region.
So I would say that (excluding your flights to and from Bangkok/another hub in Southeast Asia) you are looking to spend $1000 per person per month to have a comfortable level of backpacking.
This includes staying in hostels or cheap hotels where paying for a double bed is usually cheaper than 2 beds in a hostel.
We ate out every night and most lunches, and found that breakfast comes included with a lot of stays (though it is limited). Most experiences are quite affordable. But if you plan on doing some pricier bucket list experiences, like paragliding, then you will need to budget more.
If you follow the itinerary given above, you will find getting around Southeast Asia is very straightforward. The trail is well trodden by generations of backpackers, with bus routes within countries very affordable and easy to book. I recommend using 12GoAsia as your predominant booking site for this.
For internal flights within Southeast Asia, Skyscanner is always our go-to tool. And then Uber / Grab / Gojek are useful and affordable companions for airport transfers. For most sightseeing in destinations we would rent a moped for less than $5USD per day and drive ourselves around.
For more tips on this, here are some individual country guides we produced:
I have nothing but fond memories of our entire time spent in Southeast Asia.
If you are a first-time backpacker then it really is the ideal place to break into your stride and learn your way as a traveler.
It’s the perfect mix of wonderful experiences, beautiful destinations and immersive culture shock.
You will come back for your 4 months here feeling (hopefully) lustful for more adventure and a little more appreciative of the world around you (as corny as that sounds).
Now over to you …
Do you have anywhere you feel like I missed from this 4 month route backpacking Southeast Asia?
Or do you have any other questions you would like addressed?
Just drop a comment below and I will be happy to help!
Other guides you may find useful:
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