Best route through India, Nepal, Thailand and Cambodia?
 

Hello,

A friend and I intend to fly to Mumbai in January 2016, trek to Delhi, trek to Nepal, fly to Thailand and then arrive in Cambodia in late March.
Baring in mind we're first time travellers, we'd like some advice regarding the trip and we have a few questions to ask:

1)What is the safest, cheapest and most picturesque route between each of the locations?
2)Are options to camp out on these routes plentiful?
3)Is camping in a tent dangerous?
4)How much can we expect to spend on living costs per day in each country?
5)How much can we expect to spend on travel costs per day in each country?
6)How much can we expect to spend on entertainment per day in each country?
7)Would we need any specialist equipment on the route?
8)As first time travellers, is it likely we've failed to consider something important? If so, what?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Love,

Jake and Dom

You have a lot of research to do! We are fellow travelers here so are glad to give you tips and information, but you'll have to do your own research. Do you have guidebooks for all of these countries? If not, start by checking some guides out of your library and start reading.

India is fascinating, but travel in India is rougher than travel in the other places you have mentioned. In many countries, you cannot just camp anywhere. Indeed, I would make the assumption that you won't be camping anywhere on this trip.

You say you want to trek from Mumbai to Delhi... literally? You are going to walk? That alone is almost 900 miles. I'm guessing you mean you just want to get from one place to another without flying. India has a good train system take a look at www.maninseat61.com for info about trains.

Arriving in Cambodia in March is not such a great idea. April is the absolute hottest month in Cambodia and Thailand. Yes, it is hot year round, but it's REALLY hot in April.

Have you looked into getting the immunizations you will need for these places? while no immunizations are required for entry to these countries, you will want to talk appropriate health precautions. Take a look at www.cdc.gov/travel and check each of the locations. The UK also has a good resource http://fitfortravel.nhs.uk For a trip of this length you should consult a travel medicine specialist.

The budget questions you ask are impossible to answer. This really depends on how you will travel.

You ask, "As first time travellers, is it likely we've failed to consider something important? " The answer is that I'm sure there are all kinds of things you have failed to consider. You'll have to get well into your research before you'll know what questions to ask.

are you nuts??

hospice type lodgings are available everywhere..

trains, buses and other methods are the usual method to get around for budget travelers.

you will need to be very careful about what you eat and only drink bottled water--no exceptions...

Oops - I'm guessing Bob's auto correct turned hostel into hospice...

in this case hospice seems most appropriate

lol, Bob, it does sound like a "killer" trip!

Only one train in Nepal, but it won't get you very far. This excellent link also gives you a good idea about getting from India into Nepal and onward to Kathmandu...

http://www.seat61.com/Nepal.htm#.VaXt719Viko

Only one train in Cambodia. It's a bamboo one, which goes all of 12km on a single track. If another trains comes in the opposite direction, both trains stop, and by an established gentlemans' agreement one of the trains is dismantled to allow to proceed, and is then put back together. Watch the video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbElLRkDXIA

Plenty of trains in Thailand. I often use them, much safer than road travel, and also a great way to mix with local people. You can get the train [6 hours] from Bangkok to the Aranyapraphet on the Cambodian Border. 3rd Class only, and a memorable trip...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBm7IVOY37o

I'm sensing you are "budget travelers." Maybe it's camping out in tents (not the luxury ones) that leads me to that conclusion.
If so, in addition to the what you read here--starting with the advice to do some basic homework! --you should enquire about the India segment of your journey at the Indiamike web site.
Happy planning!