If you don't mind, how much does this type of thing cost? The backpacking, not the flashy places.
If I go traveling I'll be able to make my dream of having an interesting Facebook wall come true.
It really depends on where you go, and whether you go in season or not, but you'll be able to stay in decent type places for pretty much pennies. It was a few years ago, but we were essentially paying a few quid per night, and haggling at that. We went right as the rainy season was about to start and ended up having an amazing holiday full of sunshine, empty beaches, cheap "hotels" and I think it rained maybe twice. Other people I've spoken to have had much worse luck with the weather around that time though, so your experience may vary. It was something like £5-8 a night, and that was for places which seemed pretty much alright. We weren't sharing, had our own bathrooms etc and it was okay.
The best tip I can suggest for hotels and whatnot when you're backpacking is this: book the first night in wherever you're going to next in advance online somewhere. Doesn't matter if this is at home or while you're out there, just make sure you've got somewhere that is close to wherever you want to be (whether it's the beach or whatever) sorted for that first night. Try to find somewhere reasonable, but bear in mind it's pretty tough to find actual decent places online when there are so many around. Then, as soon as you get there, drop your bags off at your room and go wandering around exploring the area and check how much the hotels are around there. You won't want to do it while carrying heavy backpacks after travelling to get there (at least my girlfriend didn't) and you'll get a much better deal if you don't look like you need the room. If you're flustered and carrying bags you'll be offered (and agree to) a much higher price than if you've had a rest, you're enjoying yourself, you look like you're just wandering down the beach and sizing up your options and you know you don't have to say yes to whatever they say.
If you're there for any decent length of time you'll quickly get a hang of how much things cost and what you want to spend for a decent room. Always pack half as much as you think you need and take twice as much money though. The food there is amazing, and really really cheap, but it all adds up. Especially if you're tuk tukking around to places and going on trips and that. Plus you'll buy clothes while you're there. Also you should go get yourself a suit from the New Boston tailors on the Khao Sahn road in Bangkok. I went there the first time I went, loved the suit so much I went back and got another a few years later and the guy who was working there remembered exactly what we'd bought just by looking at us when we came in. Incredible stuff. And the suits are great.