kristyc3

Hey there, me and my friend are planning a backpacking trip in SEA for 1-2 months long and we were looking for some idea on routes to take to make sure we see everything we want to see. We are both avid nature lovers and hikers but want to experience a little bit of everything. Main places we wanted to go were Thailand (Chiang Mai specifically but also other places), Vietnam (some where with Rice Paddies and other places), Indonesia (Bali specifically but also others) and if time would also like to go to Cambodia and also maybe even to the Philippines. Also we are open to other suggestions. We are new to the travel world and females so safety is consideration for us but we basically want a general route to go and then kinda make it up as we go along that route. Any tips or tricks would be welcomed as well!!

Thanks

Kristy & Amy

Kathie

What country's passport do you travel on? Most SE Asian countries require a visa. While most visas are inexpensive, VN's visa for Americans is rather pricey. And you need to look at how long you can stay in each country. Also many countries require that your passport be valid for 6 months beyond your travel dates.

Consider your time. If you have a month, you could visit maybe two or three countries, but you wouldn't get much depth. If you have two months, you would have the option of really getting to know an area.

No one can tell you what you want to see/do/experience, you'll have to figure that out yourselves. SE Asia is a remarkably safe area of the world if you exercise routine precautions. Pick up some good guidebooks and see what appeals to you most. Once you start researching, you'll find lots you want to do and see, so prioritize - you can't see it all.

What time of the year will you be traveling? Not only weather considerations, but smoke from burning crops will be an important factor.

I'd suggest that you separate out the mainland SE Asian destinations, Thailand, Cambodia and VN from Indonesia. Indonesia is about a 4 hour flight from Bangkok, whereas getting from one country to another in Mainland SE Asia will be an amour at most in the air. Air Asia is a good budget carrier, but there are others as well. The Philippines is also an outlier, so think about the flow of your trip.

Happy Planning!

MmePerdu

To come up with any sort of plan, even a general one, you'll need to commit to a time frame, then we can help you decide which countries will comfortably fit into the time you have. OR, which countries you will definitely visit, therefore how much time you'll need. Right now there's not much on which to advise.

My best idea at this point would be, in general, give yourself 7-10 for each major destination, which might include a stop or 2 between cities, or day trips once you're there. So maybe a week+ each Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Vietnam (2 weeks), Bali (2 weeks). That will easily fill your 2 months.

kristyc3

we are from Canada and we are leaning towards 1.5 months but are flexible to more or less to get to see everything we want. And we want to travel between school semesters so between May-Aug sometime

kristyc3

any reccommendations on books to get to start planning more in depth.

MmePerdu

I'm a big fan of Lonely Planet guides, not to say there aren't other good ones. They have a new (Oct. 2016) edition of 'Southeast Asia on a Shoestring' which might be a good one to get you going. Do be sure to get a recent edition of any you decide to buy.

kristyc3

okay thank you

its so hard to figure out where to start the planning so im just trying to get the basics underneath me so i can decide what i want

Kathie

Typically, the least expensive city in SE Asia to fly into is Bangkok, VN is almost always more expensive. But check for yourselves.

I agree that Lonely Planet has lots of good information. In the past, SE Asia on a Shoestring was far too general to be of much help - one really needed the individual country books. But since they have a new addition out, it's worth looking at. Go to your local library and see what they have. That way, you can look before you buy.

MmePerdu

Yes, the guides for individual countries will be best, once you know which those might be. I also buy LP guides for countries I'm considering, as it can be a good way to help with decision-making. The 'SE Asia' was suggested only as a place to begin.

Libraries often don't keep up with new editions of guides but do see what they've got, then buy the newest of ones you'll use.

CaliforniaLady

I like to use guidebooks with lots of pictures, so my favorites are the DK Eyewitness Books, the Insight Guides, and the National Geographic books. I also like the Rough Guides for hotels. You don't necessarily need the latest editions for your initial planning, as ancient sites will be the same as they were ten years ago, but the hotels will have changed. There are also lots of blogs on the internet, and people generally post some nice pictures.

Since you like nature, have you considered East Malaysia (Borneo)? I went there last year, and I was dazzled by the caves, animals and plants that I saw.

marmot

May-August is a good time weather-wise in Bali and most of Indonesia. July-August is high tourist season and rates go up. In Bali you could split your time between the southern beaches and the inland area around the town of Ubud.

In addition to Bali you might want to look at Lombok for laid back beaches and Central and East Java for nature and culture. For more adventurous travel, consider Torajaland in Central Sulawesi and the islands east of Bali -- Komodo, Sumba, Flores and Sumbawa. I think Periplus guides are the best for Indonesia.

I would note that the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan will begin around May 26, followed by 2 weeks holidays at the end of June. Bali is Hindu and won't be directly affected, but June wouldn't be a good time to visit Muslim Indonesia (such as Java).

The Ubud Food Festival takes place May 12-14. If you're interested, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn about (and eat!) Indonesian and other Asian cuisines. If you're not interested, avoid Ubud during that time.

You can enter Indonesia visa free and stay 30 days. You do have to make sure that you leave the country from an airport that offers the visa free facility.

AirAsia is excellent for inexpensive flights, in Indonesia and most of Southeast Asia.

You should make sure that you're covered for emergency medical evacuation. DAN -- the scuba organization -- offers a reliable, inexpensive plan.

Jhon_Carter

If you are visiting South East Asia first time, try to remember few things……

1) Needed visas and their fees.
2) Make a scan copy of the passport and other travel documents and send it via email.
3) Plan to cover longer distance by plain.
4) Don’t exchange currency at the airport, and always count the exact change.
5) Always carry more than one debit and credit card.
Some of the solo travelers say that South East Asia is one of the safest and least threatening places to visit for woman. There is large emphasis on respect for females.

crellston

Timing - the problem with going between May and August is that te weather is not great in whole swathes of SE Asia. Malaysian Borneo will be should be good as will parts of Indonesia. A good, easy to use website for guidance when planning is http://www.selectiveasia.com/borneo-holidays/weather just select the country and then the time of year. Travelling during the wet season in some countries can work to your advantage - accomodation rates fall as do airfares and there are less tourists around. Also, it rarely rains all day and everything is greener.

Guidebooks and websites - for me the best set of guidebooks out there are Rough Guides. Their website also has a lot of basic but useful info ( when to go for example) for free. Another excellent site for backpacking is https://www.travelfish.org . They have some really useful itineraries which would be a good place to start planning and, if you pay a fairly reasonable fee, you can download their guides in PDF format to take with you. Lonely Planet, I feel have lost their way in recent years and are often full of inaccuracies and out of date ( even with the most recent).

Where to go - as other have suggested above, don't spread your time too thinly. Far better to explore a smaller area in more depth than to spend a lot of your time in transit from one place to another.

Planning - can be daunting when you are facing a blank sheet of paper and my personal methodology is to identify a few key sights/places/experiences that I would like to enjoy and then take it from there. Sometimes, indeed, most times, it is not possible to fit it all in so you have to prioritise.

Budget - set yourself a daily budget and stick to it but not at the expense of foregoing some of ten amazing experiences out there. Travel and accommodation costs are cheap in most of Asia so you should not have to miss out on too much. www.booking.com www.hostelworld.com etc are great places to source accomodation at all levels. www.airasia.com is grea for flying around the region. Sign up for there newsletter now to take advantage of sales etc.

LancasterLad

Let a guidebook be a good friend, but not a Bible.

General information is usually fairly reliable, town maps are handy, but get passport/visa requirents from your own government travel advice website. The advice for SE Asian countries on Trip Advisor forums is usually kept up to date, and due to the sheer number of postings each day is a dynamic resource

There are usually far better accommodation and places to eat than those you'll find in any guidebook, which after all are commercial publications.