I am lost in booking a destination for next December in Asia. I have never been to any Asian country and would choose to see them all. I'm leaning towards Southeast Asia, but fear that seeing Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam is too much to fit into 2-3 weeks. Any advice for the novice?

Hello!!! Well, there are people who knows a lot in all asia countries. In my opinion (I´m not an expert, but I´d like to help) it depends on how many cities you want to visit in each country; but from Bangkok you can easily go either to Siem Reap and Hanoi. I mean, you can take planes.

Good luck! If you have more details better for the people to help.

You're right, three countries in two or three weeks is too much. Asia lends itself best to slow travel. If you have two weeks, you should limit yourself to 3 locations, in three weeks 4 locations would be fine. By location, I don't mean a whole country!

So for two weeks on the ground in Asia, you might visit Bangkok, a location in Northern Thailand and a beach location (this is a frequent first itinerary to Thailand). Or, if you are more interested in culture and less interested in a beach, you could opt for either the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia or Luang Prabang, Laos in place of a beach location. Since it's your first trip, I'd suggest you stick to one country or two, don't try to do a "sampler" as you'll not have time to absorb any of the culture before moving on to a different culture.

If you can manage three weeks, I'd encourage you to do so. In three weeks, for instance, you could opt to see three regions of VN (north, central and south). Or you can plan a more in-depth visit to Northern Thailand.

A picture can be worth much more than all of these words. I invite you to take a look at our photos from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, VN, (other countries) at www.marlandc.com This may give you a better idea of which areas interst you most.

For two weeks, you should have a maximum of three locations. I suggest, Bangkok, Siem Riep in Cambodia and a beach destiantion. For three weeks, you could add a fourth destination, e.g., Luang Prabang in Laos.

December is a great time to visit Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. We will be glad to make suggestions concerning hotels, activities and guides. If you provided a budget range, we could make specific suggestions.

we all suggest thailand first as it is easy to get to from almost anyplace and has a superior tourist infastructure...

lots of english help is available except maybe in the smallest town..

it is reasonable in cost....all levels of hotel are available...

it is very hot, but december tends to be the coolest time of the year..

try to go as early as you can in december, as it gets quite expensive and crowed during christmas/new years...

Five years ago we spent two weeks in early December visiting Bangkok,Angkor, Chiang Mai and Railey Beach.
The weather was great and we never ran into big crowds .
It was easy getting around on our own and I would highly recommend this trip. I would recommend staying on the river in Bangkok, the river transportation is quick and cheap.

Hi there...Asia is very interesting, the golden triangle Cambodia-Thailand-Indonesia is a golden journey. The three different ancient kingdoms in Asia which used to control the south east Asia. Friendly people and beautiful environment. Java is the most recommended place to visit. the most fertile island in Idonesia with its colorful culture & history. I bet you won't regret traveling there...

deasy, I love Java, but please stop advertising! Advertising is not allowed in the forum.

i see air asia does fly to solo through either jakarta or kuala lumpur...

posted on wrong thread sorry...