rjbriskin

My 2 kids, ages 17 and 21, are planning a 1 month trip to Southeast Asia this summer. They were thinking of going to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and possibly Viet Nam. They also want to know if they should try to include Hong Kong and/or Japan??? We would love some advice as to an itinerary. They are in the early phase of planning their trip and any help would be greatly appreciated. They intend on statyng in hostils so any recommendations on that would also be helpful.

Kathie

Travel in SE Asia is best taken at a slow pace. You have to allow for the heat, how long it takes to get from place to place and for taking time to experience each place.

That said, even a Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and VN plan is quite ambitious. I highly recommend they not add Hong Kong or Japan unless they want to spend all of their time in transit and never see/do/experience anything outside of planes, trains and busses. Also, Hong Kong and Japan are much more expensive than the SE Asian countries mentioned.

If they really want to visit all four of the mentioned countries, they will need to strictly limit the number of places in each country. That is, they won't "see the country" but will see one or two places in each country. Another way to do this is to choose two countries and get a better overview of each country.

I'd suggest they start by sitting down with guidebooks for each country and prioritize what is most important for them on this trip.

They will be able to find low-cost guesthouses in all of these countries, no ned for dorm-like hostels. Indeed, depending on their budget, they may be able to splurge on better accommodations in some places.

crellston

Totally agree with Kathies comments. For one month, and given the age of your kids I would suggest limiting the travelling to 3 countries, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos- 2 weeks in Thailand and a week in each of Lao and Cambodia. IMHO they should forget about Japan and Hong Kong for this trip. Having finally decide on the countries, hit the guide books and decide where in those countries they want to go.

Finally, I suggest they visit Lonely Planet's Thorntree which is geared to younger travellers. For budget accommodation in Asia (guesthouses as well as hostels) I have always found www.hostelworld.com and wwww.hostelbookers.com to be very good and the reviews on the sites to be pretty accurate.

Gpanda

Skip HK and Japan. They will have a great trip in Southeast Asia. There are lots of young people traveling and your kids can easily find them. In Bangkok, Khao San Road is young person central. There are many services and accomodations geared toward the younger crowd. Lonely Planet, the forum and guide book target this segment.

rhkkmk

in one month trying to do all those places would mean lots of days on the road and less enjoying each place....

i would try to keep my visits to 4 countries max...