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SE Asia Includes Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, plus Indonesia
Photo by Helmut Koch, Vivid sky with Northern Lights, Yukon, Canada

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  #1  
Old 26 Dec 2015
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Getting to SE Asia on a budget
- Sorry if a similar question came up recently, I couldn't find any. -

So I'm researching possible routes for our 2018 (possibly 2017) campervan tour.

I'm wondeiring whether there is any way to get from Central Asia (e.g. the Stans) to SE Asia without spending ridiculous amounts of money for organized tours in order to cross China and/or Myanmar. So I'm thinking of possible alternatives:

1. Ship the vehicle from e.g. Iran to SE Asia. - Wouldn't come a lot cheaper than a organized China tour as far as my findings go. But has anybody done it?

2. I understand a guide in China is mandatory for self-driving travellers. Would it be feasible to have our van loaded on the back of a truck and shipped through China? I really don't know whether this is doable and whether it would yield any cost savings at all. What are your thoughts?

3. Cut the time spent on the guided tour as short as possible. I've mostly seen trip durations of 20-40 days. Can a trip say from Kyrgazstan to Laos be done quicker?

Don't get me wrong, I'd much prefer to really travel China, rather than rush through it. However, we will be on a budget and also I don't exactly sympathize with the idea of being "forced" into this organized tour scheme.
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Old 27 Dec 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbxberg View Post
I'm wondeiring whether there is any way to get from Central Asia (e.g. the Stans) to SE Asia without spending ridiculous amounts of money for organized tours in order to cross China and/or Myanmar. So I'm thinking of possible alternatives:

1. Ship the vehicle from e.g. Iran to SE Asia. -
No shiping vehicles is allways a waste of money. Rather sell your old one, fly to SE Asia without a vehicle and rent bikes there. Its soooooo cheap and you get all the spare parts if needet without haveing to ship them throught customs. A nightmare:

http://schoene-motorradreisen.de/?re...ok&design=dark
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  #3  
Old 27 Dec 2015
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A trip from Kyrgizstan to Laos through China can be done in around 20 days. But then you wont have any time to sightseing and to enjoy whatever there are to enjoy in China. I rode through China last year doing the above mentioned route. We used 30 days and had around 5 rest/sightseing days. And some days the ridden distance wasnt all that long. So it could be done in 20 days but without any time for sightseing and such.

If you choose to go through Myanmar I have talked to persons who paid as little as 1000 USD for guiding and accomodation through the contry. Maybe a better alternative for you?
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Old 28 Dec 2015
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We're at a very early stage of planning our trip, so the route is still completely open.

We usually travel slow, and I think even 30 days won't do the country justice. So I figured we might as well hurry and save some money.

Myanmar would mean crossing Pakistan before. Whether we feel comfortable doing so will totally depend on the current political situation.

Another option would be to store the van and fly to SE Asia. Maybe it's not all that important to have an own vehicle there. We might rent scooters, as ta-rider suggested.
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  #5  
Old 28 Dec 2015
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Hi,
I want to Central Asia this summer and I have to tell you it was very cheap to do it. Of course China is a different story.
More about it you can find here:

Motorcycle Adventure Central Asia, best Book 2016

I hope this will help!
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  #6  
Old 8 Jan 2016
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Just curious: Has anybody ever shipped their vehicle from Vladivostok to SE Asia?
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