3 Countries, 4 Girls, 5 Days with Less than ₱10k Budget Each

Contributed by ashshian

I have always loved making itineraries, whether it’s for a day trip or a long trip somewhere. It gives me a sense of excitement and imagination of what would happen. Now making the itinerary for this trip is a very special one for me since it will be the first out of town, out of the country trip with my college besties.

Who would have thought it was possible for me and my friends to gather up and pack our bags? What started out as a plan on paper became a reality last April 2017 when we took on the challenge to visit 3 countries in a 5-day itinerary. Later, you’ll see how we were able to visit Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia and spent only less than ₱10, 000, excluding airfare (I didn’t include airfare in this write up since prices tend to vary). Impossible? Nope. Definitely not.

Also read: A Three Day Singapore Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

Itinerary

Day 1: Singapore

Little India (Breakfast)

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

Masjid Abdul Gaffoor Mosque

Arab Street and Haji Lane

Masjid Sultan Mosque and Kampong Glam

National Library of Singapore

Singapore National Gallery

Chinatown (Lunch and souvenir shopping)

Anderson Bridge/ Merlion Park

Marina Bay Sands/ Gardens by the Bay

VivoCity Mall (Dinner)

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This unexpected experience to start off the day. Special Thanks to fellow Filipino and Captain of Jetstar Airlines!

Also read: Vietnam One-Week Itinerary: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City & More

Saigon Pearl

Ho Chi Minh City Hall

Saigon Opera House

Saigon Post Office

Notre Dame Basilica

Park near Notre Dame Basilica

Coffee shop visits

Nguyen Hue Walking Street

District 2/ Saigon River Tunnel

Food trips

Ben Thanh Market (souvenir shopping)

Accommodation (3-floor Airbnb apartment)

Day 3-5: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Quill City Mall

Batu Caves

Petronas Tower/ KLCC Suria Mall

Merdeka Square

Kuala Lumpur City Gallery

Pasar Seni- Central Market (souvenir shopping)

Lake Gardens

The Face Suites (where we stayed)

Expenses

Also read: Backpacking Southeast Asia: 10 Days in 5 Countries with Just ₱25k (All-In)

Some tips before the trip

• If you’re a citizen of any ASEAN nation, then travelling to Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia will not require you any Visa. So all you need is your passport, extra valid IDs, pocket money and itineraries.
• Before our trip, we exchanged our money to Singapore Dollar and Malaysian Ringgit. We bought US Dollars to buy Vietnamese Dong since no local foreign exchange offers the money. We exchanged our US dollars to Vietnamese Dong upon arrival at the airport in Ho Chi Minh.
• Buy a travel adapter. Do some research on the power sockets of the country you’re visiting. To be honest, we forgot about this and we’re just thankful we had our power banks with us and the airports have USB charging stations.
• Plan your entry and exits points ahead. For us, we flew to Singapore from the Philippines and took a midnight flight that saved us a night in a hotel. Our exit point was our last stop, Malaysia.
• Pack lightly and bring a good backpack. All of us brought only 1 huge backpack plus a small bag to carry with us while going around. We wore mostly dresses during the trip to save on space and weight. We were able to save hundreds from baggage allowance.
• Instead of buying a new Singapore EZ link Card, borrow from your friends/relatives who went to Singapore. The EZ link Card will get you around Singapore through train, buses and even allows you to use it in some stores like 7/11. Since there’s a non-refundable fee of SGD5 when you’ll buy a new card, borrowing will save you money. The cards have a lifespan of 5 years.
• If you want to save money on accommodation, consider sleeping at the airport. Aside from trying to save money, we did this out of curiosity, experience and practicality (our flight to Vietnam was early morning the next day). We did so at Changi Airport and we didn’t feel ashamed or what since there were lots of travellers doing the same thing. Plus, what better airport to do this than in the world’s best airport, right?

Last month, we embarked on a journey we never thought would happen. After months of planning, budgeting and finding ways to earn extra (haha) we finally got to check one thing off our bucketlist before turning 30: travel with mammiez 👯Here’s a short vid of our exhausting, exciting and ecstatic visit to SG-VIET-KL. Enjoy!

Nai-post ni Sheena Belleza Fernan noong Linggo, Mayo 7, 2017

Hope you somehow find this article helpful. And I hope I somehow inspired you to book that flight and take that trip. ☺