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itineraries for me average 3-6 weeks about 3 times a year, like:
mexico (lots) 1-3 weeks
cuba one month
belize-colombia-mexico 5 weeks
philippines-thailand-burma-singapore two months
all told i've usually probably been at about 50-100/day.
>Mainly:
>Flight
skyscanner.com, usually 6-7 weeks out for supposedly best pricing. longest flights out to asia from LA for me have been in the 1000-$1400 RT range and are direct to/from manila, 14 hours. i chill with fam and then bounce throughout the region via hub cities like singapore on airasia and other lower-cost regional airlines that show up on skyscanner versus other ticket search engines. those short flights are often $50-125 one way.
my longest, furthest trips with multiple countries push $2000 in airfare.
>Room/Board
i sublet my place to folks in my circles usually with the landlord's ok so i offset that there. i also use couchsurfing.com for stretches and stints for free.99 housing (also great for real locals' knowledge and occasional debauchery). i'm hosting a funk dj from osaka, japan at the moment. i hosted a j-pop singer in the fall, and she was fun!
otherwise it's airbnb, hotels and sometimes hostels (some of which are pretty dope nowadays via review/booking sites).
cuba has a cool homestay system that many people use ($20-50+), and its now on airbnb too. i found a sick apartment in a 1920s building in central havana blocks from the water last summer for $10 a night. unreal. like most it's now $25/night.
>Transportation within the city
public transit, uber, taxis. i haven't rented cars. i'll do low-cost trains and buses over long distances no problem because time isn't usually a problem.
>Food
i ask locals for the dope spots depending on what i need. i have no problem rocking fruit and bomb local/simple fare a lot of the time, or cooking, like with hosts.
>Misc. based on the location, such as shots, tablets, or other
>necessities
local sim card and minutes for my old out of contract iphone (cuba: $30-50)
baggage, visas, visa renewal, and country exit fees need to be kept in mind (varies but some airlines and countries can add $50-100 or more). visas aer often not a same day process either.
i scuba dive so in the cheaper areas like mexico/se asia that still comes to about $100 a day plus related expenses
i try to do chill/fun shit like art-making in print studio in havana, take spanish classes in mexico, take capoeira class in bali, catch djs/concerts like dj krush in bangkok dance class in colombia, 4-6 scuba dives, do photo shoots, UNESCO sites, and hollahollaholla at girls as opposed to crazy shopping/spending.
burma and cuba forced me to bring all my loot into the country as cash because ATMS/global banking barely operates, so access to cash can be a consideration. bringing a wad of crispy $100 notes (maybe in a waist wallet) might be a good idea because you can shop around for a money converter with a decent rate when in country and also not get hit with ATM abroad fees.
wikitravel is a great site to prep, and the people i meet abroad via couchsurfing are awesome too.
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