Im thinking about going in a trip next summer to asia for the first time.
I made 927347 different itineraries and the more i see the more i want, i guess that might happen to everyone. Since i have to pick and after i read a lot of forums, travel guidebooks and seeing TV series and documentaries about the zone i think i decided what i want for my first time.
I'll be traveling in and out thailand, then north in a night train as i think it would be a nice experience. I first looked at the mae song loop but as it will be rainy i decided i would leave that to another time. I would see Chiang mai for a couple of days and then i would take a slow boat to Luang prabang. Then go north for some trekking, going down to vang vieng and finally Vientiane. Then i want to to back to Bangkok, maybe by train. I would take a flight through Air asia so i skip all the border challenges to Phnom phen, take a bus to siem reap and go back to Bangkok. Is there a better itinerary between the places i want to go?
I'll be traveling cheap, hostels and eat locally. What time and how much money should i need to mais this jorney? I'll be going with my boyfriend.

its impossible to make a money estimate. it all depends on how much you will need to spend

Your itinerary looks reasonable. If you are traveling cheap take a look at Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, both the books and the web sites. The LP web site has cost estimates, which will help you with budgeting, and the books have suggested itineraries which will help with your question about time. The Thai trains are good.

Thailand is the only one of these three countries that has trains. So your idea that you would take a train from somewhere in Laos to Bangkok is not happening. You can take a train to/from a border area, but you will need bus/taxi transport as well. I'm not sure why you think a night train would be a nice experience. The Thai trains are pretty good, but you are still unlikely to get much if any sleep. Also, the train journey to Chiang Mai - the trains don't go any farther north - is over 12 hours, the cheap flight on Air Asia is an hour.

This is a reasonable itinerary. How long? As long as you can. I wouldn't try to do this with less than three full weeks on the ground, but you could take three months and not get bored.

For once, I disagree with Kathie. I have ridden Thai night trains several times, and while third class is absolute misery, second class is quite comfortable and I have always slept well. Unlike in most countries, the trains in Thailand have the berths parallel to the side of the train, with curtains, providing much more privacy.

There is now a train from near Vientiane across the border, although I have never bothered with it as you still have to change trains in Thailand. I take a bus and tuk tuks between the station on the Thai side and Vientiane. See: http://www.seat61.com/Laos.htm#Bangkok%20to%20Vientiane

(There is (or at least was) also the Bamboo Express in Cambodia, although that is for fun rather than transport.)

Thanks for all your answers. I needed an idea of the time just so i could buy the tickets, i was thinking about 4 weeks but im afraid it will be too much in such a short period of time.
@thursdaysd, the price of the flight and the train is about the same, do you think is a good experience or just not a bad one? Heard a lot of nice things about the jorney and i was Exciter to do it, just not sure people were talking about the night one.

I know about the train not crossing the border, i said it so you would understand, i dont mention tuktuk drives in my itinerary...

I will consider time in Battambang for sure if i got time in the end of my jorney, that and possibly a side trip from siem real to ser some villages and maybe tonse lake even though the thing about the fake schools and kids with snakes doesnt really look so good.

I think my main worry is that since its rainy season i get stuck somewhere in Laos. Its always a risk but i think i will take my chance.

mariana - you should lay it out on a calendar - plenty of free ones on the net to print off.

I enjoy the train rides, but you don't see anything after dark.

If you want to do something to help kids in Cambodia, look at this wonderful charity www.theplf.org

I didn't like Tonele Sap, but I think it's a fine idea to go a bit farther afield.

crossing the border at vientianne was a pain by road..

Bob - in what way?

Having done the BKK - CM train trip several times now, I would recommend it. 1st class is ok, you get privacy but the beds are not that comfortable and are at righ angles to the direction of travel. 2 nd class is better, if less private. If it is a nice day then there is something special about arriving in Northern Thailand as dawn breaks. The other way into BKK, not so much!

The slow boat to LP is a bit overrated and if you want the best trekking, head north to Muang Sing and Phongsali in far northern Lao but only if you are feeling adventurous!

Budget travel still pretty cheap in SE Asia. The two of you could stay in some nice places, eat occasionally in good restaurants and generally not stint on too much for $100 per day. As you indicate you are happy to stay in hostels, eat locally could do it for a lot less, around $50 per day for the two of you if you are happy eating in markets, hole in the wall places ( usually where some of the best food is to be found!) and staying in dorms rather than private rooms.

www.hostelworld.com is a good place to start to get a rough idea on room prices but it is nearly always cheaper just to turn up and do a deal on the spot, especially as you will be travelling in the low season.

You can reduce costs by staying longer in Lao and Cambodia which are generally cheaper than Thailand and, IMHO probably more interesting, if more challenging to travel around.

Thursdaysd, what do you mean about laying it out on a calendar? make a itinerary day by day to have an idea of the time i'll need?

Kathie, thank you for the link of your website. It is legit? I heard some really bad stories about some schools made for tourist just to take money from them that didn't really teach anything to the kids and that were receiving tourists while hiding their iPads... Don't want to contribute to that kind of stuff. Do you know this school?

Crellston, have you done the slow boat to LP? Do you know about another journey i could take instead that was shorter but also pretty or should i just cross that off my list? I guess the idea of the boat might be more romantic than it really is. Might consider taking a bus.
Thanks for the website, only knew the hostelbooker. But yes, my idea is just to turn up there and choose.

rhkkmk, i heard some stories recently of problems crossing the border as well but I thought it was unusual. Can you share your experience or give me a place to read some trip report you might have done?

Thank you everyone

"make a itinerary day by day to have an idea of the time i'll need?"

Exactly. Make sure you include travel time.

The PLF is not my website. It is a charity started by a Fodorite who now lives most of the time in Siem Reap. It is indeed a legit charity and a registered 501c(3) in the US. The Ly family owns a guesthouse in Siem Reap, and you can support the cause by staying there.

I do know the charity, which supports a number of schools, many students and a number of teachers. Lots of people who post here have volunteered at the PLF, and man more donate to the PLF. Take a look at some of the videos. You can contact the PLF if you'd like to volunteer for a day while you are there or even if you just want to learn more about what they do.

You are quite right to be cautious about "charities." The cruise ships that ply the Mekong are known for stopping at "schools" and soliciting donations that go into the pockets of the organizers.

By the way, when Thursdays says to include travel time, she is warning you that getting from one place to another will usually take much of/all of a day. I never expect to get to do/see anything on a travel day, then figure anything I manage to do/see is s bonus. So two nights in a place is just one full day. It takes four nights somewhere to get three full days.

1 2 bangkok
3 flight to chiang mai
4 5 6 chiang mai
7 chiang mai bus to chiang rai
8 chiang rai
9 bus to chiang khong croos the border and bus to luang namtha
10 11 12luang namtha, muang sing
13 bus to luang phrabang
14 15 16luang phrabang
17 bus to vang vieng
18 19 vang vieng
20 bus to vientiane
21 22 vientiane
23 cross the border, train to bangkok
24 flight to phnom phen
25 26 27phnom phen
28 bus to siem reap
29 30 31siem reap
32 tuk tuk to the border, train to bangkok
33, 34 bangkok
35 flight home

what do you guys think?

2 days in Vang Vieng is two days too long. Overnight there if you wish, but that's about it.

I wonder if you can fly from Vientiane to Phnom Penh. I think it is worth checking, as it will save you some time.

You don't have just enough time in Siem Reap to see the major temples. You'll need more time if you'd like to see some off the beaten track ones (or id you want to see what the PLF is doing). Get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples to prepare for this part of your trip. You likely won't want a tuk tuk for the multi-hour trip to the border - take a taxi.

Overall, your plan looks good. We all have different interests and preferences, and there are places I'd stay longer or shorter, but your plan is sounds and you can make adjustments as you go.

Have a wonderful trip!

I'll move one day from Vang Vieng to Siem Reap, you're right, I'll want more time there and maybe not so much in Vang Vieng since I'm not really keen of partying.

There is a vietnam airways' flight for about 200$, I think it's a bit too much for me since I'll be short of money but I don't really like days 23 and 24.. I haven't yet found a better way but I'll look for it. If it doesn't come i might consider, if it's really a pain crossing the border, to fly.

My itinerary is just a sketch so I can place my flying dates in and out Bangkok. If I don't like somewhere I'll just leave sooner and add one more day in another place.
What would be the places from my itinerary you would stay longer?

Thank you so much for your help!

Personally, I'd stay longer in Bangkok, Luang Prabang and Siem Reap.

Days 23 & 24: It isn't so much that it is a pain to cross the border as it is that you waste two days to avoid taking a $200 flight. Once you get there you might find a Lao Air flight. (Beware: there is a fake Lao Air website that will take your money but won't deliver tickets, so don't book this one online.)

You could take the night train on day 22, I don't actually know if there is a day train, I've only taken the night train, which gives you most of the day in Vientiane, and also saves a hotel night.

Not wishing to add complications to your planning, but have you thought of travelling overland through Lao either North to South or vice versa. We have done this a couple of times in both directions and had a great time seeing places that are not too often visited but still have a reasonable tourist and travel infrastructure. With the time you have available, this would mean spending a little less time in places like BKK and CM but, IMHO would be worth it. From north to south you could take this route:

BKK
Chiang Mai
Chiang Khong
Cross to Lao head north to Muang Sing, Phongsali, Luang Namtha ( say 5-7 days)
Bus to Luang Prabang for a few days,
Fly to Vientiene (maybe spend 2 days there)
Head south via Pakse by bus stopping off at Tad Lo and the Bolavens plateau and maybe Wat Pho
Further south to Si Phan Don ( the 4000 islands area in the Mekong ) some really relaxing, land back places o stay here)
Cross the border by boat at stung Treng\Kratie, a nice overnight stop before getting the bus to-
Siem Reap ( abouth 10 hours from memory.
Sound complicated but there are plenty of bus/boat combo tickets to get you from Kratie to Don Khong island in Si Phan don or vv without too much problem.
This is a lot of travelling and may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is a great way to explore more rural and less visted parts of Laos and Cambodiia.
Once in Siem Reap it is easy to fly or bus to Phnom Penh which is one of my favourite cities in the region and worth a couple of days at least before heading off to Bangkok.

I note from your last itinerary that you are missing out the boat down the Mekong - good move!

Another site which is good for budget minded travellers in the region is:
http://www.travelfish.org/