I wil be starting an online master degree that would requires me to have projects done every week. Basically Im looking for a unique one week quickie trip jam packed with culture and need help picking one country and one city or two (I dont know). Central America, South America and then Aus/NZ and the South East Asia. Chiang Mai I wanted to know whats your recommendation regarding the monsoons- But its more of a preference than dont do it this way. Depends of course on your travel style, where exactly youll be staying (as theres differences per area within countries, e.g. All the information you have provided has really helped me in preparing for my upcoming SE Asia adventure. I am gong to travel south my boyfriend for probably 3month and your modified banana trail have me great ideas amthought we are climbers so we are mixing it with the places to rock climb. Itll be a whirlwind tour but it could of course be done, if youre OK with spending no more than 9 days in each country. Hi Marek, Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. Beginning to plan my travels from September-August, so Ive a full year. we want to go to the philippines ad heard the best season is january feb, we are leaving on the 17th for bangkok and will stay i SEA for 4 months, following the circular route bangkok, north thailand, laos,vietnam,cambodia, south thailand My sister and I will be traveling through Thailand and Cambodia together for three weeks. Bangkok Siem Reap Koh Rong (Sanloem) Ho Chi Minh City. Hi Marek, thanks for these nice tips! Thank you Marek I am a planner by nature so am already starting on a 6 month trek in 3 years I have gone to many of your pages and all are so informative. Keep up the good work. Was thinking the following number of days in each country: Nice article. Your web site is amazing and gonna be very usefull I know that helps (even though I might get private rooms to start when I have the opportunity bc I feel more secure that way for now.) hi marek you have a pretty good trip planned by the looks of it, Im planning on heading over for 2 months at the start of janurary and just wondering if you know how hard it would be to find hostels or rooms that arent full or if you have to pre book them? What advice can you give me? In case you were wondering, the Banana Pancake trail was named after the guesthouses that were all starting to sell banana pancakes back when hippies were trailblazing around this region in the 1970s. Would something like the Osprey Farpoint 40L be sufficient, or would the Farpoint Trek 55 be more suitable and better to hike longer distances with? Dzieki Marek i gratuluje za piekny blog! Thanks so much for the kind response, Marek! We are hardy travelers (South America, Europe, Africa) and dont mind a bit of rain or sweat, but we also want to make the most of our trip, weather-wise. Im going to be on a very tight budget but Im sure I can manage, I dont want to plan a huge ammount as i want to be open and easy to string along with other travellers that i meet out there. Do you want to include Vietnam, or are you just thinking about it because fights go there? The Laos situation is quite frustrating. Do you wish you could travel more but can never find the time or money? Then you can get to spend 3 full days in each and get a proper taste. The island city offers some of the best street food in Asia as well as opportunities for hill walking, beaching and cultural exploration. Southeast Asia offers more adventure than you can shake a stick at, and for the most part, its incredibly inexpensive too. If you go for basic accommodation and eat the local food, 200 GBP each per week will definitely see you through. The Vietnam visa page really broke my brain when I wrote it Good luck on your trip! excited but I have the interesting fortune to really play around with my It was my first time and it took my breath away. Having a rough plan is very useful, but for your day-to-day decisions on a longer trip like this, its nicer to just go with the flow. Im especially interested in nature things like hikes and jungle, and the temples (and meeting locals ,discovering new cultures, but I cant imagine the rain would interfere with that to the same extent). The countries that are normally considered part of Southeast Asia include Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Im at tammy.salomon@gmail.com
Its nice to see the landscape slowly change and to get a glimpse of the locals living along the river. Monsoon rains are intense but they can also stop very quickly, so you could try to work your way around the weather and visit places like Ho Chi Minh City, the temples of Angkor, etc. I may travel a bit like you. Great article. I could rush each location and minimize each visit to 1 week, but I want to explore and not be rushed. Im now trying to figure out whether to leave out Southern Vietnam. No matter if youre looking for advice and tips for round the world travel, a once in a lifetime holiday or if youre looking for inspiration, Gone Travelling is where to come for advice written by travellers for travellers. I do remember the first few days in Bangkok were like whoaaa so I spent a lot of time cooling off in the pool or otherwise hiding from the heat. Do you think our plan is too ambitious? Just want to bounce some ideas with you.
A neat loop through northern Thailand and northern Laos will give you the best of two worlds. Not sure if it makes most sense to start in Bangkok and do a loop or would you recommend starting somewhere else? also how easy is it to withdraw money? But they have a great reputation, and Ive used them myself for a long time and had an easy time making claims through them, so theyre easy to recommend. This stuff gets subjective very quickly but intuitively Id say your first plan might feel slightly too rushed and your second plan just slightly too open. Ill check out the price difference for one way and a return from a different airport. 6 months is plenty so no reason not to add the Philippines! Three questions for you and the community: Really what my question is, Im hoping you may be able to shed some light for me why i would choose world nomads over any other backpacker company. Just a few that pop to mind hope it helps! But if you can spend a week or just under in one place, and another, and top things off on a Thai island, youll be less rushed. Hope to hear from you! You just inspired me to go for that South East Asia route. Thank you. Thanks for all of the great info. And from the US would you fly into BKK and also out of there, or do a open jaw ticket? Escape to less touristy places if you find that youre running a bit low at the end. In cities I like to see things outside, like buildings, rivers, markets and shopping streets, and not so much malls or museums. Your best bet is probably to make a visa run. Myself & my partner are flying to Bangkok in January for 8 weeks. You might be able to find some flights from Vietnam too, but not sure. The Cameron Highlands are a nice detour from the hustle bustle of Penang. (Maybe leave Australia early to do some more of SEA). Matt. is there something Im missing here? Was considering SEA as my first go, but Im open to other countries/routes as well. Take the train (or fly if you prefer) to Surat Thani or Krabi and head to the islands. I consider Vietnam a somewhat underrated destination, the reason for which I explain in these guides. We should be hitting that region around mid-Feb. Were a bit daunted by the whole thing and am struggling with where to start. Backpacking can be super social if youre hoping for romance, you can let things come to you naturally.
Readers often ask me if, say, three weeks is enough to see Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In the rainy season it doesnt typically rain all day usually, its some intense showers in the morning or late afternoon, but dry in between. You could trek Mt Rinjani in Indonesia and spend the rest of the time on Lombok or Bali. We generally enjoy nature, street food, snorkeling, easy transportation, hiking, seeing animals in nature and connecting with friendly locals.
From Ho Chi Minh city, I took a boat trip via the Mekong into Cambodia which was very nice. A mask and computer for the diving, and a compact camera and GoPro to record this all. Great article!! I was thinking Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam but wasnt sure if thats stretching things our too much. Tough to say actually. Backpacking Southeast Asia is easily one of the best things you can do simply as its one of the worlds best regions to travel independently. You could consider going to Koh Chang to break up the journey a bit if youre going overland. Then again I met a traveler in Asia who got that bag on my advice and could just barely fit everything in (he really wanted to bring more gear). Now, these places are definitely worth visiting, but they are usually also rammed with tourists and drones, and selfie sticks.
I going with my significant other in mid December. It would be great to hear your thoughts on this. I look forward to reading about where you travel next! If things stabilize again one day, dont hesitate to go there. Laura. Its become quite an expat haunt in recent years, with all the trappings of a modern cosmopolitan metropolis. Im recommending you to all my friends. Ive done that exact trip and it wasnt hectic at all chilled out in Thailand for a week and spent the other week in Cambodia. My partner and I are thinking Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia with the most time spent in Indonesia of the three. Its very measured and you could even add in another place or two. It always depends on the person, but what I can say is that backpacker hostels in Southeast Asia are extremely fertile grounds for making friends. But could you share with me any male predominant routes, activities, camps, classes you recommend along my first backpacking journey where I could join/participate to increase my odds of meeting more traveling men? Would it be wise for me to travel solo? What did you do about this or what would you recommend? Im a big fan of Indonesia, which is best known for the crowd-pleasing island of Bali, though there are numerous other islands to consider. What would you do? Siem Riep (>> Fly to Bangkok) Hey! Ticking off all the bucket list sights is all well and good, but honestly, you dont HAVE to go to Angkor Wat if you dont want to. For budget airlines Air Asia, Tiger Air and the rest all offer dirt cheap fares.
Its nice to see the landscape slowly change and to get a glimpse of the locals living along the river. Monsoon rains are intense but they can also stop very quickly, so you could try to work your way around the weather and visit places like Ho Chi Minh City, the temples of Angkor, etc. I may travel a bit like you. Great article. I could rush each location and minimize each visit to 1 week, but I want to explore and not be rushed. Im now trying to figure out whether to leave out Southern Vietnam. No matter if youre looking for advice and tips for round the world travel, a once in a lifetime holiday or if youre looking for inspiration, Gone Travelling is where to come for advice written by travellers for travellers. I do remember the first few days in Bangkok were like whoaaa so I spent a lot of time cooling off in the pool or otherwise hiding from the heat. Do you think our plan is too ambitious? Just want to bounce some ideas with you.
A neat loop through northern Thailand and northern Laos will give you the best of two worlds. Not sure if it makes most sense to start in Bangkok and do a loop or would you recommend starting somewhere else? also how easy is it to withdraw money? But they have a great reputation, and Ive used them myself for a long time and had an easy time making claims through them, so theyre easy to recommend. This stuff gets subjective very quickly but intuitively Id say your first plan might feel slightly too rushed and your second plan just slightly too open. Ill check out the price difference for one way and a return from a different airport. 6 months is plenty so no reason not to add the Philippines! Three questions for you and the community: Really what my question is, Im hoping you may be able to shed some light for me why i would choose world nomads over any other backpacker company. Just a few that pop to mind hope it helps! But if you can spend a week or just under in one place, and another, and top things off on a Thai island, youll be less rushed. Hope to hear from you! You just inspired me to go for that South East Asia route. Thank you. Thanks for all of the great info. And from the US would you fly into BKK and also out of there, or do a open jaw ticket? Escape to less touristy places if you find that youre running a bit low at the end. In cities I like to see things outside, like buildings, rivers, markets and shopping streets, and not so much malls or museums. Your best bet is probably to make a visa run. Myself & my partner are flying to Bangkok in January for 8 weeks. You might be able to find some flights from Vietnam too, but not sure. The Cameron Highlands are a nice detour from the hustle bustle of Penang. (Maybe leave Australia early to do some more of SEA). Matt. is there something Im missing here? Was considering SEA as my first go, but Im open to other countries/routes as well. Take the train (or fly if you prefer) to Surat Thani or Krabi and head to the islands. I consider Vietnam a somewhat underrated destination, the reason for which I explain in these guides. We should be hitting that region around mid-Feb. Were a bit daunted by the whole thing and am struggling with where to start. Backpacking can be super social if youre hoping for romance, you can let things come to you naturally.
Readers often ask me if, say, three weeks is enough to see Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In the rainy season it doesnt typically rain all day usually, its some intense showers in the morning or late afternoon, but dry in between. You could trek Mt Rinjani in Indonesia and spend the rest of the time on Lombok or Bali. We generally enjoy nature, street food, snorkeling, easy transportation, hiking, seeing animals in nature and connecting with friendly locals.
From Ho Chi Minh city, I took a boat trip via the Mekong into Cambodia which was very nice. A mask and computer for the diving, and a compact camera and GoPro to record this all. Great article!! I was thinking Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam but wasnt sure if thats stretching things our too much. Tough to say actually. Backpacking Southeast Asia is easily one of the best things you can do simply as its one of the worlds best regions to travel independently. You could consider going to Koh Chang to break up the journey a bit if youre going overland. Then again I met a traveler in Asia who got that bag on my advice and could just barely fit everything in (he really wanted to bring more gear). Now, these places are definitely worth visiting, but they are usually also rammed with tourists and drones, and selfie sticks. I going with my significant other in mid December. It would be great to hear your thoughts on this. I look forward to reading about where you travel next! If things stabilize again one day, dont hesitate to go there. Laura. Its become quite an expat haunt in recent years, with all the trappings of a modern cosmopolitan metropolis. Im recommending you to all my friends. Ive done that exact trip and it wasnt hectic at all chilled out in Thailand for a week and spent the other week in Cambodia. My partner and I are thinking Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia with the most time spent in Indonesia of the three. Its very measured and you could even add in another place or two. It always depends on the person, but what I can say is that backpacker hostels in Southeast Asia are extremely fertile grounds for making friends. But could you share with me any male predominant routes, activities, camps, classes you recommend along my first backpacking journey where I could join/participate to increase my odds of meeting more traveling men? Would it be wise for me to travel solo? What did you do about this or what would you recommend? Im a big fan of Indonesia, which is best known for the crowd-pleasing island of Bali, though there are numerous other islands to consider. What would you do? Siem Riep (>> Fly to Bangkok) Hey! Ticking off all the bucket list sights is all well and good, but honestly, you dont HAVE to go to Angkor Wat if you dont want to. For budget airlines Air Asia, Tiger Air and the rest all offer dirt cheap fares.