Aerial view from a viewpoint over Nong Khiaw village, the muddy river bend, and surrounding limestone mountains in Laos.

Journeys · Prices

What a long, slow journey costs, and why

We quote every journey per trip, after we know your dates, party size and hotel level. This page shows what goes into that number, the third-party fares we can source, and how a cheaper quote is usually built.

Plan my trip

Why every price on this site says 'On request'

A private trip of 18 to 35 days has more moving parts than a five-day package: twenty or thirty hotel nights, half a dozen train or boat legs, three or four private car days, and guides on some days but not others. Party size changes the cost of every shared component. A single 'from' figure would be either too low to honour or too high to be useful.

So we quote per trip. The quote lists every hotel by name and room type, every leg by mode and class, and every guided day. You can compare it line by line with any other quote, including one you build yourself.

What goes into a quote

Component	How it is counted	What moves it
Hotels and guesthouses	Per room per night, breakfast where served	City, season, room type; the widest range is in Hanoi, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap
Trains	Per berth or seat, by class	Class (soft sleeper, hard sleeper, soft seat) and whether you buy a whole compartment
Boats	Per ticket, or per boat for private hire	Public or premium slow boat; private hire on short crossings
Road legs	Per vehicle per day, or per coach seat	Private car versus coach; border days need a vehicle on each side
Guides	Per guided day or half-day	Number of guided days; language
Planning and support	Built into the trip price	Length of the journey and number of borders

Visas, international flights, travel insurance, lunches and dinners, entrance tickets and tips are not in any quote. We explain why below.

Third-party fares we can source

Leg or item	Published fare	Source
Hanoi–Saigon, soft sleeper, whole line	About VND 1,026,000–1,758,000 per berth	Seat 61, Vietnam
Huay Xai–Luang Prabang, public slow boat	About 300,000–500,000 kip	Backpackers Wanderlust
Huay Xai–Luang Prabang, premium slow boat	About USD 250 per person	Backpackers Wanderlust
Luang Prabang–Vientiane, fast train, 2nd class	About 330,000 kip	Seat 61, Laos
Phnom Penh–Siem Reap, coach	USD 13–15	Seat 61, Cambodia
Phnom Penh–Kampot, train	USD 9	Seat 61, Cambodia
Pakse–Ban Nakasang minibus	About 50,000 kip	Backpack Adventures

Check before you travel

These are published figures from independent guides, not our prices, and the operators can change them at any time. Fares change, and the kip in particular moves. We confirm each one when we book.

Sources: The Man in Seat 61 — Vietnam (updated 10 Jun 2026); The Man in Seat 61 — Laos (updated 6 Jun 2026); The Man in Seat 61 — Cambodia (updated 6 Jun 2026); Backpackers Wanderlust, slow boat guide (updated 24 Aug 2026); Backpack Adventures, 4000 Islands guide (modified 29 May 2026) · checked 2026-10-03.

What moves the total, roughly in order

Party size. Private cars, guides and boats cost much the same for two people as for four, so the per-person cost falls as the party grows. A solo traveller pays the most per head.
Hotel level in the three big cities. Hanoi, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have the widest spread of rooms. The river towns have a narrow range, so choosing a higher level changes less there.
Coach or private car. On a 30-day route there are four or five long road days. Private cars on all of them is a real difference.
Season. Hotels in the dry months and around Tet charge more; some river stretches are quieter in the rains.
Guided days. We put guides where they add something. Adding more is possible and adds cost directly.

What is not included, and why

International flights. You will find the fare and routing that suits your home airport better than we can.
Visas. Each country runs its own official portal and the rules for land borders change. You apply; we send a checklist of what each border on your route needs.
Travel insurance. It needs to cover you personally, and we are not an insurer.
Lunches and dinners. On a long trip people want to choose where and when to eat. Fixed meals are what make a month feel like a tour.
Entrance tickets. Prices for sites such as Angkor change; we give you the current figure before you go rather than build an old one into the quote.

How a cheaper quote is usually built

If you have a quote that is well below ours for the same route, it is worth checking for these:

Hotels described by star rating rather than by name.
Coach seats on every road leg where we have quoted a private car, or the reverse left unclear.
Hard-sleeper berths in a six-berth compartment rather than a four-berth soft sleeper.
Rest days removed so the same route fits fewer nights.
Guided days that turn out to include shopping stops.
Border days without a vehicle arranged on the far side.

None of these is wrong if you choose it knowingly. Some travellers prefer coaches and hard sleepers; we quote those too. The point is to compare like with like. See how to book for what happens after the quote, and the overland legs table for leg times.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Why is your quote higher than another one I have?

Usually because ours names the hotels, books four-berth sleepers and private cars where we said we would, and keeps the rest days. Ask the other company for the same detail and compare line by line.

Is there a deposit?

Yes. The amount and timing are set out on the payment page and in your booking terms before you commit to anything.

Can we lower the price?

Yes: coaches instead of private cars, a lower hotel level in the cities, fewer guided days. We show what each change saves.

Do prices include visas?

No. You apply for each visa yourself on the official portal or at the embassy. We send a checklist for the borders on your route.