Comfort and Low Cost in Indonesia

Indonesia is one foreign destination where student-style travelers should still be able to travel comfortably on $15 to $20 per day, according to Bill Dalton, author of “Indonesia Handbook” (Moon Publications, $25). Dalton adds, “That’s including transportation, but not taking flights.”

Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands stretching between Malaysia and Australia; 922 of them are inhabited. It’s a region that’s home to 17% of the world’s bird species, 16% of the world’s amphibians and reptiles, and 40,000 species of flowering plants. A portion of the country is within the South Pacific’s volcanic Ring of Fire.

The “Indonesian Handbook” began in 1973, when Dalton mimeographed four pages of his travel notes, including what he describes as “crude maps, funky gypsy information” and details on the cheapest hotels and where to crash for free. “I became kind of a clearinghouse for information on Indonesia,” Dalton recalls. The handbook has since grown to 1,351 pages.

For backpackers and budget travelers heading for Indonesia, Dalton advises: “I would definitely try to learn a couple of hundred words of Indonesian. They would get so much more out of their trip if they were to speak the street Indonesian or market Indonesian. Armed with the language they could head off for the southeastern islands. It’s a premier travel adventure area because it’s untouristed, and because of its diverse ethnic groups, cultures and customs.”

He adds that the hundreds of scattered islands are served by an efficient ferry system. Ferry trips cost less than $10 and average two to four hours. For example, crossing from Bali to Lombok it takes three to four hours and costs $5. “You can just meander your way with your 60-day visa all the way to Timor.” This is the region where you can see the sole survivor of Asia’s carnivorous dinosaurs and the largest monitor lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon, in its habitat.