3 weeks - first time SEA
 

hello!
im planning on going to SE asia next april with my boyfriend. i really want to see the most i can during my time there, cause i dont know if im going again any time soon! so i'll probably be taking flights from place to place.

this is my itinerary so far!

Thailand
4 days - Bangkok (day trips: Ayutthaya e Phetchaburi) (night train to chiang mai)
2 days - Chiang Mai (day trip chiang rai??)
5 dias - island hopping (phi phi, ko tao, krabi, khao phingkan, ko poda…) thought of sailing for a couple of days. are there good companies? any tips?
sukhothai: is it worth going?

Laos
1 or 2 days - Luang Prabang

Myanmar
2 days - Yangon (daytrip Bago)
2 days - Bagan + Monywa
Mandalay: is it worth going to?

Cambodia
2 days - Angkor/siem reap
1 day - Phnom Penh (day trip Killing Fields) - im thinking of taking PP off my itinerary...

Singapore
2 days - Singapore (voo)

Malaysia (if there's time)
1 day - kuala lumpur (15km to batu caves)

what to you guys think? im a missing any important place? would you change anything?
unfortunately, im gonna leave vietnam, indonesia and phillipines to my next trip.

thanks a lot! ;)

I think that people differ in their reaction to the (inevitable) realization that one can't see EVERYTHING. Some people choose to see a little bit of lots of places. In contrast, that realization makes me want to maximize the time I have to actually see and experience the places that I choose to see, while minimizing the time spent traveling between places (unless, of course, the point of the journey IS the time in transit). Rather than skimming the surface and spending time getting from place to place, I choose to skip some places entirely, even if I am sure I would enjoy them. I’m most likely to skip or skimp on places that have international airports, because those are the ones that I can most readily visit again. I’ve also realized that if I can return to a region, the LAST thing that I am likely to want to do is spend my time re-tracing all that extra travel time so that I can go back and finally see the things I skipped the first time. In fact, I might end up not returning specifically because it would mean wasting so much time going from place to place! JMO!

The only place you mention that I have visited it Singapore; you might find some information of value in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...a-and-bali.cfm

Hope that helps!

I will be frank and say that, unless your priority is to see the inside of airports, aeroplanes, taxis and buses, you will not enjoy this trip. I would estimate that around 50% of your time would be spent asleep or in transit. Travel anywhere, usually takes longer than one expects, in Asia, much longer. Spend less time flying around and more time seeing stuff. Believe me, you won't regret it.

You seem to have around 23/24 days which is enough to see the highlights of maybe two countries.

Firstly, Bath Caves are a waste of time so cut out KL.
LP is fascinating but really needs a min of two full days which is three nights.
Not sure what "voo" means but unless you have a specific reason for Singapore, I would cut it out. It is very expensive and, IMHO, one of the least interesting places in SEA.
I haven't been to Myanmar, but iam sure that those that have here, would tell you that it warrants 15 days rather than 5.
Island hopping is great IF you can find a boat to take you around. Doing it piecemeal on public boats just won't work as it would mostly take a whole day to get from one place to another.
April is the burning season in Northern Thailand most years so you can expect lots of smoke pollution. For that reason alone I would cut CM and CR.

Depending upon your interests I would consider splitting my time between Thailand (Bangkok and beach) and either Myanmar or Cambodia. All of these places will be very hot in April.

When planning, remember that 2 nights only gives you one full day of sightseeing in a place. Plan on spending at least half a day getting from place to place.

Sorry if theis comes across as brutal, but I wouldn't want anyone to spend their cash and not get to see what they were expecting to see because of lack of time.

If I had 3 weeks and wanted to have a decent experience, I'd spend all 3 weeks in 1) Thailand. OR 2) Myanmar. OR 3) Luang Prabang, Cambodia & Singapore including travel days between.

Your current proposed itinerary is, I think, undoable. Or no fun, even if you managed to pull it off.

April is the hottest time of the year in many of these places. It will be miserably hot.

You already know you can't visit all of these places in the time that you have. But are you aware that when you write "2 days" that requires three nights in a place?

Your idea that you can do a day trip to Bagan from Yangon is totally out of touch with reality. And Monywa is a long way form Bagan.

You have some wonderful places on your list that you won't see because you are moving around too much. I'd say that unless you can spend at least 4 nights in Siem Reap (that is 3 days) don't go. And unless you can dedicate at least 10 days to Myanmar, don't go.

Start over. Choose the two or (max) three countries you want to see most and start planning from there. Right now you have 6 countries and you won't see any of them.

Happy Planning!

Thank you very much for your replies!!

I knew i was doing too much for 3weeks. I will probably stick to : thailand, myanmar and cambodia.

But moving on from how many days i need in each place..... are the destinations i picked good or would yoh change something? Am i missing something?

I saw in another post that phuket was tourist trap! Are there any other tourist traps??

@kathie thanks for the tips! How would you go from yangon to bagan? Bus is the best option?

What's your budget for the trip excluding your in and out international flights?

If you decide to include Cambodia then don't exclude PP.

I think that bus travel between Yangon and Bagan is usually a very long overnight journey in order to avoid being stuck in an uncomfortable tin can during the heat of the day. Fly, but you aren't giving the country long enough to do it justice.

Bagan and Angkor on the same short trip is temple overkill. For that reason I'd drop Myanmar.

Have you also considered Vietnam. It's diverse, has an excellent tourist infrastructue, and is v.good vfm.

You will probably want to fly from Yangon to Bagan. And rather than Monywa, go to Inle Lake. Flights within Myanmar are about US$100 per flight. I have three trip reports here on Myanmar, from 2009, 2011 and 2015. Photos are at www.marlandc.com

Personally, I would absolutely go to Myanmar. The country has only opened fairly recently to tourism, so it is changing rapidly. In 5 years, Cambodia, VN and Thailand will pretty much be the same. Myanmar will not.

Not all of Phuket is a tourist trap. But you will want to choose a beach based on exactly when you are going. Can you change the dates of your travel? This is my favorite part of the world, but no way would I go in April! If you can go earlier, say Jan/Feb/March (best time) or later, say June/July/August you will better off.

<<<In 5 years, Cambodia, VN and Thailand will pretty much be the same.>>>

Hmmm!

Yes!! i am definitely going to myanmar! soo excited!
vietnam im planning on going next time. since it is a big country, id rather focus on thailand and myanmar this time.

unfortunately this was the only time i managed to get my tickets.. so april it is!

many people exclude PP from their trips… i was in doubt if it is really that great.