Withourcombinedknowledge,whichequatestooveradecadeofliving,workingandtravellingthroughtheregion,plustheexperiencesofourFacebookcommunityof20,000+travellers,we’vecompiled85ofthebestSoutheastAsiatraveltips!
Disclosure:Somelinksonthispageareaffiliatelinks.Wealwayswriteourarticlesbeforecheckingifaffiliatelinksareavailable.
Contents
Ifyouwanttostaylonger,you’llneedtogetalongervisainadvance,ordoborderruns(althoughthesearen’talwayspossibleinsomecountries).
Overstayingyourvisaisapunishableoffence.Insomecountries,it’llbeasmallfinebutinothers,itcanbejailtime.Knowwhenyourvisaexpires,soyoucaneitherextenditorleave.
“Keeptrackofyourvisaenddate.IrecentlyhadtoextendoneofminebecauseIlosttrackoftime,whichisveryeasytodoinSoutheastAsia!’’–Laura.
“Ifyoulikeaplace–staythere.Thenumberofplacesisnotasimportantasgettingthemostoutofplacesyoulove.”–Samantha.
Makesureyouritineraryisn’tsetinstone.You’reboundtomeetpeople,hearaboutcoolplacesorwanttohanginchillspotsforalittlelonger.Aflexibleitinerarywillhelpyoumakethemostofyourtrip!
“Don’tplantoofaraheadanddon’ttrytoplaneverydetail.Travelismorefunwhenyoudon’tknoweverythingaheadoftime!”–Cassy.
MostcountriesinSoutheastAsiarequireyoutohaveatleastsixmonthsvalidityonyourpassport.They’llalsowanttoseeseveralemptypages.Ifyourpassportisnearingtheendofitslife,replaceitbeforetravelling!
Keepingcopiesofyourpassport,insurancedocuments,flightticketsandrelevantmedicalinformationisimportant.Ifyoulosetheoriginals,havingcopieswillspeeduptheprocessofreplacingthem.
Werecommendprintedhardcopies,adigitalcopyonyourphoneandabackupversioninthecloud!
Hopefully,you’llneverneeditbutyou’llregretnotbeinginsuredifyouwinduprequiringhelp!
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“JoinsomeFacebookGroups!Chattingtopeoplebeforeyoutravelandsharingyouritineraryandideaswithotherscanreallyhelptoeaseyournervesbeforeyousetoffonanadventure!”–Stephen
You’llneedthemwhengoingacrosslandbordersandarrangingVOAs.Whileyoucangetpassportphotosontheroad,they’llbemuchcheaperathome!
“Getlotsofpassportphotosbeforeyoutravel.YouwillneedthemformanyvisasinSoutheastAsiaanditwillsaveyoutime/hassle/moneytryingtogetthemdoneineachcountry!”–David.
Let’sfaceit,travellingain’teasybutthesetipsforbackpackingSoutheastAsiawillprovideyouwithagoodbasetostartfrom!
SoutheastAsiaisawonderfuldestinationbutmanyofthemostpopularspotsfeelverywesternised.Tourismhasbroughtatonofmoneytotheregionandsomeplaceshavelosttheir‘authenticity.’Toexperiencethe‘realAsia’getoffthebeatentrackalittle.
Whilegettingoffthebeatentrackisamazing,don’tstressaboutspendingtimeattouristspotsorinhostelsfullofwesterners.Themostpopularlocationsarepopularforareasonandrefusingtovisitbecausetherearetoomanytouristswillbedoingyourselfadisservice.Balanceiskey!
Plus,whodoesn’tlikepizzafromtimetotime!
Meetingothertravellersisoneofthebestpartsofbackpacking.Chooseahostelthat’sknownforlivelyeventsandagoodatmosphereforthebestchanceofmeetinglike-mindedtravellers!
Travelcanbestressfulandburnoutisarealthing.Toavoidgettingoverwhelmed,planfor‘daysoff’Whetherit’sanightawayfromdormsoradayinfrontofNetflix,budgetfortimetorecharge.
“Travellingistiring!Don’tfeelpressuredtotrytoseeeverysinglethingineachplaceanddon’tbeafraidtotakedaysoffandjustdonothing.”–Laura.
Learning“hello,”“please,”and“thankyou”willgoalongway.You’llgetagreatreceptionifyoucansayafewlocalwordsorphrases.Learnsomenumbersandifyoudon’tlikespicyfood,masteraskingforfoodwithoutspice–maipedkrap!
“Learnabitofthelocallanguage.IwishedthatIhadlearntmorelocallanguagesbeforeIleftforAsia.Imissedoutonsomanymorepossibleinteractionswithgreatpeople.”–Jason.
Whetherit’saccommodation,toursortransport,readingreviewswillgiveyouagoodideaofwhattoexpect.Reviewsfromothertravellersarebetterforyouthanreviewsfromlocals.They’llhavesimilarneeds,desiresandexpectationstoyourself!
Templeburnoutreallyisathing.SoutheastAsiaisfullofmagnificenttemplesbutifyou’renotcareful,theystarttofeelverysamey.Ratherthanvisitingeverytempleyoucan,budgetacoupleofdaysaweektoseethem–ormaybeprioritisethemostimpressive.Thiswayyou’lltrulybeabletoappreciatethem.
“Don’tworrytoomuchabouttheweather.BeforeIlefthomeIwasfreakingoutaboutthefactthatpartofmytripfellintotherainyseason.TurnsoutIlovedthehugedownpoursandcoolertemperaturesintheafternoonsandaslongasIplannedmydayaccordingly,IwasstillabletodoeverythingthatIwantedtodo.Don’ttrytoavoidit,justgowiththeflow…”–Donna.
Whetherit’srainyseasonornot,aplasticponchowillbeyourbestfriend.They’recheap,packableandweighalmostnothing!Plus,theyprotectalmostyourentirebodyandkeepyourbackpackdry!
“Buyaponcho.SoutheastAsiaispronetodownpours.Doasthelocalsdo.”–Jane.
Guidebookstakeupatonofspaceinyourbackpackandyou’llalwaysfindmoreup-to-dateinformationontheinternet.Plus,hostelsusuallyhaveastackforcommunaluse!
“Don’ttakeaLonelyPlanetGuidebook.Theyareheavyandoutdatedandoldguidebooksareateveryhosteltoflickthrough!”–Nathan.
Everybackpackingtripisapersonaljourney.Ifyoureallylikecarryingaguidebook,goahead!Wewon’tjudgeyou!
Pricesgouparoundtheholidays–especiallyinverytouristyplaces.Ifyou’regoingtobeabroadduringthistime,planahead.Bookyouraccommodationinadvanceandavoidtakinglongbusjourneysorflights!
“Avoidtravellingduringfestiveseasons.AtChristmasandNewYearthepricesforaccommodationandtourscandoubleortriple!Avoidtouristyplacesduringthistime.”–Lynn
TransportinSoutheastAsiaisn’talwayssmoothsailing.TheseSoutheastAsiantransporttipswillhelpkeepyoumoving,evenwhenmoraleislow!
“Inflatableneckpillowsarecrucialforovernightbusesandlong-haulflights.”–Phil.
Makesureyouknowhowmuchataxicostsineachnewcityorcountry.Arrivinginanewplacetiredanduncomfortablemakesyouaprimetargetforunscrupuloustaxidrivers.Knowinghowmuchyoushouldpaywillpreventyoubeingrippedoff!
Alwaysagreeonthepriceofaridebeforegettingintoataxiandneverputyourbagsinthecaruntilthisissorted.Ifyou’renotcomfortablewiththeprice,walkaway.There’salwaysanothertaxi.
Doyourbittosavetheplanet(andyour$$$)andusepublictransport!It’sbyfarthecheapestwayofnavigatingaroundSoutheastAsia.Sure,itcansometimesbeuncomfortableandstressfulbutyou’llgetsomeofyourbesttravelstoriesfromusingpublictransport!
“Learntodriveamotorbike.It’sonlyscaryforaday,butitwillshowyoumoreofSoutheastAsiathananytravelblogevercould.”–Tyler.
Ifyoudon’twanttorideamotorbike,don’t.TheroadsinSoutheastAsiacanbehecticandit’spossibletotravelthroughouttheregionwithoutascooter.It’syourtrip,don’tletanyonedictateit!
“RegisterfortheGRABApp.SoutheastAsia’sequivalentofUberwillbeyourbestfriend.”–Sean.
“Ifyouwanttobooktransportinadvance,12Go.Asiaisahandywebsiteforreservingtrain,bus,boatandflighttickets.”–William.
Moneymakestheworldgoroundandthatappliestoyoutoobackpacker!.ThesefinancialtipsforAsiawillhelpyougetthebiggestbangforyourbuck!
Whenitcomestomoney-savingtipsforSoutheastAsia,choosinglocalbeerisamongthebestwecangive.Notonlyarethesesignificantlycheaper–oftenlessthanhalftheprice–butthelocaltipplescan’tbebeaten!
Youdon’thavetobefanaticalinstickingtoitbuthavingatravelbudgethelpsensureyourtriplastsaslongasitshould.Toomanybackpackershavebeenforcedtobailearlybecausetheyblewtoomuchmoneyinmonthone–budgetingwillhelpyouavoidthis!
“Learnhowtohaggleappropriately.Itisn’trude.It’sallpartofSoutheastAsiancultureanditwillsaveyouafortunealongtheway!”–Ian.
Sure,they’reoftenuncomfortable,theA/Ciscrankedtoohighandyou’reliabletogetstucklisteningtocrappymusicovertinnyspeakers,butnightbusesareagodsendforbackpackers.They’recheap,coverlongdistancesandsaveyouhavingtopayforabed!
Aswithmuchoftheworld,theclosestthingtoauniversalcurrencyinSoutheastAsiaistheUSdollar.Youwon’tbeabletospendtheseeverywherebutyou’llcertainlybeabletoexchangethemonthebackpackercircuit!Stashacoupleofhundredsomewheresafe,soyou’vealwaysgotanemergencysupply!
CashisstillkinginSoutheastAsia.Whetheryou’rebuyingfromastreetfoodvendor,marketstallorpayingfortours,cashisoftentheonlywayofpaying.Makesureyouhaveplentyonyouforday-to-dayexpenses!
Youneverknowwhenyou’llloseabankcard.Havingatleastonebackupisvital.Havingtwoisevenbetter.
WerecommendcarryingatleastoneVisaandoneMastercardbecausesomeplacesonlyacceptoneofthese.Thisalsoprovidesanotheroptionintheeventofapaymentproviderfailure.
It’snotuncommonforATMsinSoutheastAsiatogiveyouyourmoneybeforereturningyourcard.Waitforyourcard–don’tjusttakeyourmoneyandleave!
“RemembertopickupyourcardfromtheATM.Unlikeinothercountries,whenusinganATMinSoutheastAsia,thecashcomesoutfirst,followedbyyourcard.Lotsofpeoplearesousedtogettingtheircardfirst,thattheyforgettopickitupafterwardsandlosetheircards.TrytouseATMsthatareconnectedtobankswhilethey’reopen.”–Ian.
Ifyouloseyourphone,you’llneedawaytogetintoyourbankaccount.Keepusernamesandpasswordssomewheresafe,soyoucanloginfromanydevice.Trytokeepahardcopyandacopysavedintothecloudsomewhere–justmakesurebotharesafeandsecure!
I’venevermetatravellerwhoregrettedspendingabigchunkofmoneyonagoodtourortrip.ButI’vemetplentywhoregretturningdownanopportunitytodosomethingamazingbecauseoftheprice.You’llonlyeverbeinthesameplaceatthesamemomentonce,don’tturnopportunitiesdown!
“Neversayno.Alwaysdothespontaneousthingsthatyouneversayyestobackhome.Andspendthemoney.Isawtoomanypeoplesaynobecausetheythoughtitwastooexpensive.Well,whocares,justgoforit!”–Simon.
ThesepackingtipsforSoutheastAsiantravelwillhelpyouavoidthestressofcramminginthatfourthpairofshoes!
Getyourbackpackwellaheadoftimeandmakesureyoucangeteverythingin!Youmayneedtorethinkyourtravelwardrobeorgetabiggerpackforallyourgeartofit.
Adaypackwillbewithyoualmosteverydaywhiletravelling.Idealforbothday-to-dayessentialsandkeepingyourvaluablesclosetohand,youshouldmakesureit’scomfortableanddurable!
“Packingcubesareamazing!Thebestwaytoorganiseallofyourclothesandtoiletriesinyourbackpack.Ipackedallmytops/dressesinone,bottomsinone,underwear&bikinisinanotheretc.Theypackdownsmallandfitinthebagperfectlyeverytime!”–Gemma.
StuffischeapinSoutheastAsiaandit’sbettertotaketoolittleandbuystufftherethantaketoomuchandhavetothrowstuffaway.Plus,laundryissupercheapacrosstheregion,soyoucanaffordtogetyourclotheswashedasoftenasyoulike!
“Don’tpacktoomuch.YoucanshopforeverythingyouneedinSoutheastAsia.”–Yogi.
OneofourfavouritepackingtipsforSoutheastAsiaistotakeasarong.They’recool,lightweightandcanbeworninallmannerofways!
“Addasarongtoyourpackinglist!Blanket,pillow,cover-up,headscarf,skirt,sun-towel,washingbasketanddressallinone!”–Jenny.
Whileyoucanalwaysfindcheapsunglassesonalocalmarket,there’snoguaranteethey’llbeanygood.SunglassesshouldalwayshaveagoodlevelofUVprotection–UV400isthegoldstandard.Cheapsunglassesrarelyhavethislevelofprotection(eveniftheysaytheydo).
Werecommendbringingapairofgood-qualitysunglassesfromhome–youreyeswillthankyou!
Stuffgetstrashedwhiletravelling.Leaveyourbestclothesathome.DespitewhatInstagramwantsyoutothink,noonecareswhatyoulooklikeontheroadanyway!
“Don’tpackclothesthatyoureallycareabout.Niceclotheswillgetruined.”–Phil.
You’reboundtowanttodosomeshoppingasyourtravel.Leavesomespaceatthetopofyourpacksoyoucanfitinyournewpurchases!
“Leavespaceinyourbackpack.Don’toverpackandleavespaceinyourbackpackforbuyingnewthings.Themarketsareamazing,soyou’llwanttoshopwhenyougethere!”–Jess.
Booksaregreatbutthey’reheavyandtakeupabunchofspace.Ane-readerismuchlighterandcanstorehundreds,ifnotthousands,ofbooksatatime!
“PackaKindle.Ilovethesmellofbooks,butKindlesaremuchlightertocarryandsoconvenient!”–Sarah
Don’trelyonfindingwell-fittingwomen’sunderwearorswimwearinSoutheastAsia.Everythingaffordableistiny,uncomfortableandcoveredinridiculouspatterns.Makesureyoubringwhatyouneed!
“Bringunderwear/swimwear.SizesinSoutheastAsiacanmaketheskinniestgirlsfeelfat!Don’twaituntilyouarriveinAsiatobuyabikini,itisdamnnearimpossible!Andbringenoughknickers,unlessyou’reafanofreallytight,polyester,grannystyleknickerswithcartoonson.”–Lisa.
Asmallpadlockhasabunchofuseswhiletravelling.Fastenyourbagonbuses,secureyourgearinhostels,orinsomeplaces,evenkeepyourbedroomdoorlocked!
Healthandhygieneareunderrated.ThesetipsforstayingsafeandwellinSoutheastAsiaarearguablythemostimportanttraveltipswecangive!
CheckwithyourdoctoraboutwhichvaccinesarerequiredandrecommendedfortraveltoSoutheastAsia.
“Embracethebumgun!Youwillneverlookback.”–Stu.
You’reunlikelytofindsquattoiletsinyouraccommodationbutwhiletravellingthroughoutAsia,youwillseethem.Learningtouseasquattoiletwillensureyoucanrelieveyourselfanywhere!
AcrossmostofAsia,tapwaterisano-gofortravellers.TapwaterinMalaysiaandSingaporeisthesafestbutit’sstillrecommendedtoatleastboilitfirst.WealwaysrecommendusingawaterpurifierwhentravellingacrossSoutheastAsia.
“Buyafilteredwaterbottle.Saveonplasticasyoutravelandbeabletodrinkfromthetapwithoutfearofgettingsick!”–Conor.
“Bringsanitaryitemswithyou.Ifyou’reatamponuser,bringenoughwithyou.They’reincrediblytoughtofind(dependingoncountry/city)andoverpriced.”–Jess.
Thebeautyindustryhasalottoanswerforandthat’sjustastrueinAsiaasanywhereelse.AlotofAsiancosmeticswillcontainchemicalstowhitentheskin(akableach).Bewareofthiswhenbuyingskinproducts.
“Watchoutforthewhiteningtoiletryproducts!Deodorant,facewashandevenshowergeloftencontainwhitenerinAsia.Makesureyouavoidanyoftheseproducts!”–Tyler.
Toiletpaperisn’tasreadilyavailableinpublictoiletsasyou’reusedtobackhome.Carrysomewithyouatalltimes.Evenifyou’reabumgunmaster,it’snicetopatyourselfdry!
“Carrytoiletpaper.Bepreparedforthattimethebumgunisn’tworkingandthere’snotoiletpaper!”–Jess.
SuncreamisexpensiveinAsia.Bringasmuchfromhomeasyou’reallowedtosaveyourselfsomemoney!
“Buysuncreamathomebeforeyouleave!ItissoexpensiveinSoutheastAsia!AboutthreetimesthepricethanintheUK.”–Katie.
ThesetipsforaccommodationinAsiawillhelpyougetagoodnight’srest!
Whileold-schoolbackpackerswillsingthevirtuesofneverbookingaccommodationandjustshoppingaroundwhenyougettoadestination,that’snotreallytheworldweliveinanymore(although,itisstillpossible).
Thebestaccommodationbookingtipwecangiveistocheckallthesites.Booking.com,HostelworldandAgodaareallsuperpopularinSoutheastAsia–shoparoundtofindthebestprices!
“IUseBooking.comtobookhostels.AlloftheaccommodationIbookiscancellablethroughBooking.com,soIcanalwayschangemyplans–whichIoftendo!”–Lindsey.
Thisisespeciallytrueifyou’realightsleeper.Dormroomscanbenoisyplaces.Peoplesnoring,leavingearly,arrivinglateorgodforbid,gettingupcloseandpersonalinthebunkabove…Earplugswillhelpyousleepthroughmostactivities–theymightnothelpifyourbedisrockingthough!
Havingeverythingdownloadedmeansyouwon’tbestuckifyourtaxidriverhasn’theardofthehostel,orifyouraccommodationcan’tfindyouintheirbookingsystem.KeepingitofflineensuresalltheinformationyouneedisreadyatyourfingertipsratherthanneedingtofindWiFi!
Thereareplentyofdifferenttypesofhostel.Somearepartycentralwhileothersaremuchmorechilled.SomehavegreatWiFiandarebuiltfordigitalnomadsandothersareaimedatspecifictypesoftravellerslikeyogisorsurfers.Shoparoundtofindtheperfecthostelforyourneeds!
Noteveryonewantstobeonlineontheroadbutifyoudo,thesetipsforstayingconnectedwhiletravellingareanimportantread!
“BuyalocalSIMcardineachcountry.InsteadofhuntingforWiFiallthetime,SIMcardsarecheapandeasytorechargeandthecoverage(3G/4G)isprettyincredibleeveninsomeofthemostremoteplaces!”–Brad.
WiFiisgenerallyreliableforbasictasksbutifyou’relookingforahigh-speedconnection,itmighttakesomehuntingout.
IfyouusealotofsharedWiFinetworksinSoutheastAsia,you’llwanttoprotectyourselffrompryingeyes–especiallyifyou’redoingonlinebanking,makingbigpurchasesorworkingwhileyoutravel.AVPNalsoallowsyoutoaccessgeo-blockedcontent,soyou’llstillbeabletowatchTheApprenticefromthepool!
Whileveryfewbackpackersdowrongoutofmalice,manyofushavemademistakesfromignorance.Don’tletthatbeyou,checkoutthesetipsforhowtotravelethicallyinSoutheastAsia!
Itshouldgowithoutsayingbutwe’llsayitanyway;avoidTigerTempleanddon’trideabloodyelephant.Butitgoesfurtherthanthis.
Avoidtourswhereguidesareknowntofeedthewildlife.Don’tdrinksnakewineandavoidany‘sanctuaries’thatofferphotoopportunitieswithanimals.Posingforaphotoisn’tnormalanimalbehaviour.Ifsomethingseemsunnatural,itprobablyis.
“Avoidanimaltourism.Don’trideelephantsorgodiving/snorkellingwheretheyfeedthemarinelife.”–Rosa.
VisitingSoutheastAsiaforthefirsttimedeliversamassivedoseofcultureshock–thingsaren’tthesameasbackhome!Thereareplentyofthingsyou’ddobackhomethatjustaren’tokayinSoutheastAsia.Hereareafewimportantones:
“RespectthelocalcultureofSoutheastAsia.Don’tthinkthatallofSoutheastAsiaisanenormousbeachwhereyoucanshowyourbellyandyourlegseverywhere!”–Rosa.
Food.IsthereanygreaterjoyinlifeTheseAsianfoodtipswillmakesureyourtastebudsarehappyandyourstomachsatiated!
Ifyou’relookingforcheap,deliciousfoodinSoutheastAsia,streetfoodistheanswer!Don’tbeputoffbythetinyplasticchairsandquestionablehygienestandards,abusystreetfoodvendorwilloffersomeofthebestfoodyou’veevertasted!
“Eatatthesametimeofdayasthelocalsdo.Atlunchanddinnertimestherewillbeahighturnoveroffoodwhichwillmeanthatyourfoodisasfreshaspossible!ThisisespeciallyimportantatlocalstreetfoodplacesinIndiaandSriLanka.”–Tim.
BewarnedthatSoutheastAsiaisahotbedofspices!Ifyoudon’tlikespicyfood,refertotip18andlearnhowtoaskforfoodwithout!
Asiaisgenerallyaprettysafecontinentbutthingsstillhappen.ThesesafetytipsforSoutheastAsiawillhelpyoubeinformedandavoidunnecessaryrisks!
Alwayssplitcashacrossdifferentbags.Thisway,ifsomethinggetslostorstolen,youwon’tloseeverythingatonce!
“Stashyourmoneyindifferentplaces!HavingallthecashyoujusttookoutoftheATMinyourwalletisrisky,especiallyontraveldays.Hidingsomeindifferentplaces(bra,shoes,socks,twowalletsetc)makesabigdifferenceifyou’rerobbedand/orloseyourbag.Thistiphashelpedmealotseveraltimes!”–Kerri.
Evenwithalltheknowledgeyou’vejustgainedfromtheseSoutheastAsiatraveltips,don’tbesurprisedifyoustillfeeloverwhelmed.SoutheastAsiaislikenowhereelseonearthanditcantakesomegettingusedto.
Buttrustus,afewdaysofnervouslytryingtounderstandhowtheregionworksisanacceptabletrade-offfortheweeks,monthsorevenyearsofjoyitcandeliver!
SowhatareyouwaitingforInthewordsofRussellfromUp,“AdventureIsOutThere!”
DoyouhaveanamazingSoutheastAsiantraveltipthatcouldhelpotherbackpackersLetusknowinthecomments!
Afteralife-changingmotorcycleaccident,TimdecidedlifewastooshorttostaycoopedupinhishomecountyofNorfolk,UK.Sincethen,hehastravelledSoutheastAsia,walkedtheCaminodeSantiagoandbackpackedSouthAmerica.Hisfirstbook,FromParalysistoSantiago,chronicleshisstruggletorecoverfromthemotorcycleaccidentandwillbereleasedlaterthisyear.
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