I am starting to put together some thoughts for a trip to South East Asia in 2009. I want to visit several countries and take the time to enjoy them without breaking the bank, so to speak. While I spent some time in Indonesia a few years ago, I have not been to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam, and 2009 will probably the only time I will be able to go as I tend not to re-visit places (there are so many to see in the world!).

I have been reading almost non-stop the past few days on this site and it has been tremendously helpful. I have learned so much.

So, here I am, open to input as I put this trip together. I will be traveling alone, and will be 60 years old by then (yikes!), so I have to keep in mind that I need to limit some of the more adventurous things I might have done a few years back. But this is sort of a retirement / 60th birthday gift to myself so I want to include as much as I can without over-doing it.

I am assuming I would fly in and out of Bangkok and would want to see and do some things in Thailand (not sure what yet -Bangkok, Chang Mai / Chang Rai, Phuket?). But Cambodia / Angkor Wat is a must-do. And I have read so much about the The Ponheary Ly Foundation that I want to help with that while I am there as well as see the sights.

After reading of others' experiences in Laos, I am also fascinated with the idea of seeing parts of Laos. And I am sure that there are some sights in Vietnam that I should put on my list.

I would like to engage Tong in Bangkok and Ponheary in Siem Reap as guides as they sound wonderful.

I am open to the time of year to best combine all these - any thoughts on that? And length of stay is flexible to a point.

I am encouraged that I can put this trip together without succumbing to a package tour. Any advice, recommendations, etc. welcome at this point.

Thanks!

How long will this trip be?

I am flexible on how long I can be there - perhaps 4-6 weeks.

For four weeks, you can easily see BKK, Angkor Wat, Northern Thailand and Luang Prabang. If you add a week, you can also see Vietnam.

You will be flying in and out of BKK, so I would plan a few days there at both the beginning and the end of the trip.

I would check the flight schedules to see which other destinations can be flown to without backtracking through BKK.

For thr Thailand, Cambodia and Laos portions of the trip, the best weather is late november through the eand of February. This is the high season, so you will need to book hotels and guides early.

i would also add that as soon as you have firm BKK dates book Tong. She gets booked up over a year in advance and she REALLy is worth meeting.

You could do all the places in six weeks. I would suggest you do it in November/early December or mid January thru Feb. The november/early December time period would be my choice. Since you only want to come to this area once, I would focus on the areas/places that define the countries/cultures and are most unique. Which means I would skip Phuket since a beach is a beach is a beach.

Start and end in Bangkok.
Bangkok - 6-7 days total
Chiang Mai- 3-4 days
Northern thailand - 4 days
Siem reap - 4-5 days
PP - 2 days
Luang Prabang- 4 days
other parts of Laos - 4 days
Vietnam - 10 days

Thanks! Glorialf, Smeagol and Gpanda - I really appreciate your suggestions.

I was thinking of going mid-January through February 2009 since I am not planning to retire until the end of December 2008. Or I would have to wait until November 2009 to go, which would give me lots of time to plan and book Tong!!

I am not sure how interested I am in spending a lot of time in Thailand - is it worth it to do Chaing Mai and northern Thailand if I am going to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam?

I printed off Femi's account of "Passage to Indochina, or, how I learned to slow down" and want to read that - I have traveled with ATJ before (a phenominal trip to Indonesia - Irain Jaya, Komodo, Bali, Borneo, Java, etc.) and really like their services and I liked the places on Femi's itinerary : Siem Reap, Mekong Delta, Hanoi, Sapa, Luang Prabang. Not sure how long that trip was - maybe I can figure it out by reading Femi's account.

Again, this message board is tremendous!!

Hi Wanderlust,
My trip lasted for 23 days The pace was perfect, some busy days, lots of 'down' time.

Working with ATJ was great, nothing beats a customised tour of course. You can schedule yourself to be as busy (or not) as you'd like. It really helps to know yourself i.e. your tastes in hotels, interests, etc.

Laos was my favorite Indochinese country. Much more laid back and friendly.

I found Chiang Mai/Rai to be just ok. Looking back, I probably should have made the effort to visit the less developed/touristy areas in the region.

My last (3rd) visit to Bangkok was my best yet, because the ATJ guide was much better than those I've had in the past. For the first time, I actually have a yearning to get back to Bangkok!

You're in a great position; your trip possibilities/permutations are endless and planning is almost as much fun as going on the trip

P.S. I'm off to Nicaragua for a couple of weeks, so I'll be missing in action for a while.

Have a great time, Femi!

wanderlust, I like Gloria's ideas for you. The one caution I would give you is that if you can only travel for four weeks, don't try to do it all. Establish a slower pace that allows for all of those unexpected experiences.

I agree that planning is much of the fun! Femi - have fun in Nicaragua. I love the idea of Laos -and I was really inspired by your fabulous trip report.

And Kathie - thanks for the reminder not to try to cram so much in a short period of time. I really am looking forward to having more time in retirement to enjoy my destinations instead of feeling rushed to get back to work.

I am working on another trip right now for September (Turkey and Greece) so am sort of going back and forth between forum destinations.
Once I get that one finalized I will be back here...

Timming,

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