*These are indicative prices and are subject to change over times*
WHAT ABOUT LAOS
Capital: Vientiane
Largest city: Vientiane
Official language: Lao
Population: Over 6,7 millions as of 2016
Religion: Mainly Buddhism
Political system: One-party Communist state
Currency: Kip
Time zone: UTC+7
WHAT ABOUT TRAVELING LAOS
Wet season: May to late September
Best season to travel: October to late April
Visa: There is a one month visa on arrival that costs around 30$ USD for most countries. Make sure to check out the latest info on the Immigration Website.
Hostel: Usually as cheap as 2€ to 4€ (2.5$ to 5$ USD) for a bed in a dorm. It does not make sense to recommend a hostel for each destination. Prices change on a daily basis. Make sure to check out the latest price on Booking, Agoda or Hostelworld.
Food: Usually as cheap as 1€ to 2€ (1.5$ to 2.5$ USD) for a basic streetfood meal (Fried rice and fried noodles). Unfortunately, Lao is a country where food specials are slightly more expensive than basic meals
Food specials: Khao Niaw, Larb, Tam Mak Hoong, Mok Pa, Naem Khao Tod and many more!
Motorbike rental: Usually as cheap as 4€ to 5€ for a semi-automatic scooter (5$ to 6$ USD). Expect to double the price for a fully automatic scooter.
Transportation: Buses are usually as cheap as 7€ to 12€ (8.5$ to 14.5$ USD). There is no train in the country yet.
Bargaining: Low to Medium. There is not so much of a bargaining culture out there. However, you can bargain as long as you feel you are not paying the right price. Use your common sense!
Budget: From 500€ to 650€ for a month (600$ to 800$ USD)
LAO BASICS
Hello: Sabaidee
Thank you: Khãwp Ja̖i
Yes: Jao
No: Baw
Goodbye: La khãwn
TRAVEL APPS AND WEBSITES
GPS: An amazing offline GPS application that highlights hostel, food and even the tiniest hiking paths in your area (Maps.me )
Hostels: Use filters to sort out the cheapest price of the day. There is usually no need to book in advance. You might find cheaper accomodations on-site. In some remote areas, these are not advertised online. (Booking, Agoda, Hostelworld)
Currency converter: Highly useful for your first few days stepping in a new country (XE Currency, Easy Currency Converter)
Meeting people: Couchsurfing integrate a new ‘people around me’ feature. You will usually meet plenty of people at your hostel but it does happen sometines that you are the only one there. Tinder is not ‘only’ what you think! More and more people use it to meet locals or travelers to explore a destination (Couchsurfing, Tinder)
Money sharing: If traveling by group, Tricount is an amazing application for organizing group expenses (Tricount)
TRAVEL TIPS
Backpack: Pack as light as you can. Ten kilos should be a maximum. You won’t need these 15 tshirts and 5 pairs of shoes, will you? Remember that you will carry all this weight on your shoulders. There is one more thing. Checking in with a carry-on luggage only is way cheaper!
Cash: Always keep a 50€ or 50$ USD banknote in your wallet. You never now what might happen. It can be really helful in case your credit card get blocked for a few days. Never ever wait to run out of cash before withdrawing in a local currency! Before leaving a country, try to get rid of coins and small banknotes. You won’t be able to exchange them later!
Toilet paper: Yeah, you can laugh at this one. However, be aware that most Asian countries do not use any. You better get one roll in your backpack!
TRAVEL ITINERARY
