24 Days in SE Asia - Christmas 2011
 

Hi there!

Brand new to this forum!

I'm presently planning a trip to SE Asia over Christmas and have a few questions that maybe someone can help me with?!

I'm a 20-something, female, solo backpacker. I like museums, temples, gardens, beaches, cities, markets, hikes - really I'm fairly easy-going when it comes to activities so there isn't any one thing I would have to do or anything I would hate doing.

I have 24 days with which to see these countries and am thinking I will probably focus mainly on Thailand but would love to make it to Cambodia, Laos OR Vietnam as well.

I have never been to Asia so I'm not entirely sure how much I should try to see/do. I will most likely be flying into/out of Bangkok (BKK) and am interested in seeing the following places (of course, not all on this trip!):

Thailand:
Chiang Rai (specifically Wat Rong Khun)
Chiang Mai
Bangkok
Kho Pha-ngan or Phuket

Cambodia:
Siem Reap/Angkor Wat
Kampung Khleang
Phnom Penh

Laos:
Vientiane
Luang Prabang
Xieng Khouang Plateau/Plain of Jars

Vietnam:
Ha Long Bay
Haiphong

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Keeping in mind I intend to focus mainly on Thailand, with a possible trip to another country (flying if it's easy/cheap/convenient) what would be a reasonable itinerary? Is it fairly easy to travel south and north in Thailand?

Should I expect fairly high prices over Christmas/New Years? Should I book hostels etc. well in advance for this time period? How much should I budget for 24 days (not incl. flight)?

Thanks so much for any help!!

Hi Jen,

Welcome to Fodors... congrats on your trip

www.journeywoman.com good site to review

www.virtualtourist.com good local info

Have done a fair amount of your journey in the past

Best usually to fly into BKK be footloose and fancy free

www.sawadee.com fav backpacker places

Chang Mai/Rai

Koh Tao(diving snorkel beach)

Angkor largest temple complex in Asia www.theangkorguide.net

Other areas if time 3 weeks seems like a lot but it is not

cheap hotels hostels everywhere usually do not book

better deals boots on the ground... but hostelbookers.com

asiarooms.com www.otel.com 3 great sites to book if needed.

Stay flexible for best experience in my experience.

columbusdirect.com quotewright.com trip ins a must for me

Under $25 per day exclusive of xport if I am careful.

Happy Travels!

if you intend to concentrate on thailand primarily, i think i would choose just one other country to visit.... if you are on a budget and flying seems the most efficient use of your time i would rule out laos and cambodia for this trip as flying there can be very expensive.... vietnam on the other hand can be reached very reasonably using air asia from bkk.

vietnam.... hyphong does not hold anything of any interest imo. i spent 4 days there. hanoi is a fabulous city however so i would not miss it... we really liked hoi an as well.

and yes the week before and the week after christmas are the most expensive times of the year in thailand.

hotel sites:

www.agoda.com
www.sawadee.com
www.asiarooms.com

You mentioned Kho Pha-Ngan or Phuket. I would pick Phuket as I know for sure that weather this time of year is beautiful. I'm not so sure about KPN weather. Phuket prices will be at their highest, but it would appear that you are not looking for top end hotels, many of which are already booked out. I would look for something maybe a block off of the beach, on Kata or Karan Beach. You might enjoy Patong Beach, because of your young age, but it is way too busy for me. I prefer a little bit more laid back... altho Kata is also pretty busy. Patong has too many pushy touts for me. Kata, not so much of that. It is easy to hop in a taxi or climb into a tsongtau (pick up truck with benches in the back, for passengers) to get to Patong for a look around. Patong is the longest expanse of beach. It will be packed!!

My family will be in Bangkok and the beach at Hua Hin for about 3 weeks over the Christmas/New Year holidays. We stay in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok (on soi 8 at the Adelphi Suites). I think you could easily find something reasonable in this neighborhood. There are many very simple/clean/cheap hotels from which to pick. And this neighborhood has lots of options for shopping and dining and nightlife. It is easy to meet fellow travellers from around the world here! And the people watching from the outdoor dining terraces is fabulous (if you are into people watching).

I'm sure you will have a great time visiting Asia!

Thank you everyone! Great advice, I'm going to go read up on those websites! Once I pin down a general idea/itinerary, I'll probably be asking for a little more help - I'm definitely a flexible traveler and while I like to plan things out, if things change or I end up on an entirely different adventure from what I planned, that's fine by me too :)

nomadic, you sound like my husband and me. We don't mind a different plan than what we 'thought' would be happening. It's always go with the flow for us. So much less of a hassle than having everything in place and then just one little change can cause panic... ugh... I can't travel like that!!

hostelworld.com is a great booking site for budget travelers. My daughter used it on a five month trip through Europe and SE ASia and said the write ups are usually very accurate and booking, even last minute is easy.

If you do choose to go to Cambodia, I'd fly to Phnom Penh, (much cheaper than flying to Siem Reap) and take a take a bus to Siem Reap.

You got a really great line up and I hope you'll have fun. It's a festive time of the year so expect more people. You might find that there are quite contradicting prices around. Some stuff would cost more; some would be cheaper.

Thailand and a neighboring country would be best. You would exhaust yourself with any more!

Sawasdee kha!

I've been to Kophangan and absolutley loved it....small, laid back and peaceful with some nice beaches.

Rent a small motorbike and your set!

Other than that, in my opinion.....

4 countries in 24 days is tooo much

We are doing just Cambodia and Vietnam in 32 days(Dec/Jan) and it's already involving 4 air flights within Vietnam just to get things done.

Also.....

Ha Long Bay is supposed to be a great place,however, weather there in December is really risky for rain.


Happy Travels!!!