Hey guys,
I'm doign my first overseas trip and wanted to see what you guys recommend doing for travel money while overseas?

Travel Money for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia.

How long will you be on holiday? You don't want to schedule too many places to visit if your time is limited. Otherwise you will be spending too much time on buses, planes, taxis and trains instead of just relaxing! Check out a map and see how far apart these countries are located. Indonesia being the furthest away. From Thailand you can easily visit Laos and Cambodia overland. You could even take a train from Bangkok to Malaysia and on to Singapore if you want. Flights between local countries are not that expensive. Indonesia being the most expensive to fly to. But Bali is very popular with female tourists.

Any visa requirements will depend on what passport you will be traveling under. Some visitors, for instance, can enter Thailand without a visa and be stamped in for 30 days for free. Other countries or for longer stays you will probably have to pay for a visa. What country passport will you be using?

Plan a budget out and see how much you can afford for your hotel per night. Then if you need any hotel suggestions include that price too. Unless you have unlimited funds you should know how much you can afford per day for your holiday and try to stick to that budget.

If you had planned on flying into one country and then flying back home from a different country - run the figures comparing a one way flight against a round-trip flight. Some big airlines charge almost the same for one way flights as round trip. You can fly between various Asian countries pretty cheap.

Different tourists means different spending habits. Some tourists, like young backpackers, especially young males, don't mind staying in hostels and cheap guest houses and eating cheap food, even from street vendors. Other tourists choose expensive hotels and prefer to eat in more pricy restaurants. That is why you must plan a budget out and see what funds are available and then try to stay within that budget.

If you go very basic in all countries you can eat cheap. Maybe the place will not be a fancy restaurant but if you keep it simple the meals are reasonably priced. You can survive on fried rice in all of the countries you want to visit.

Thailand is very tourist friendly. Thailand uses Thai baht only! In Thailand you can even change travelers checks very easy compared to other countries in that area. You can also use debit and credit cards in ATM's. All of the countries will accept cash for currency exchange. For Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos US dollars are also used in many transactions but you should still get some local currency for smaller transactions.

Buy an Asian Travel guide like Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring if your funds are limited. Otherwise, Frommers and Fodor's if you have more money to spend. They will give you some ideas on prices and hotel suggestions. You can also check those books out from a library too.

I keep a credit card or two available for emergencies that come up. For me, different countries different currency procedures. For Thailand cash, travelers checks and debit cards. For the other countries I use cash. I haven't used debit cards in the other countries on your list but Jakarta and Bali will probably not be any problem. You must notify your bank that you will be using their card(s) overseas. Do not rely only on one debit card because that card could be lost, stolen or damaged.

How much would you spend on a holiday in your own country, for food, hotels, entertainment and transportation? Use that figure for a starting point in Asia. Most people can go cheaper in those Asian countries on your list. (Singapore, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong probably more expensive to visit, unless you are from one of those countries.) A Google check will also give you some rough estimates on how much money to have on a trip.

Good luck.