Backpacking Southeast Asia

[MelonBoy]

Decided to take a adventure and do something I wouldn't normally do! Currently planning my solo backpacking trip to southeast asia. Would love to hear any tips, destinations, foodie places, and anything I could possible want to know.

Date
July/August 2018

Destinations
- Thailand: Koh phangan, Bangkok, Changmai
- Laos: Vientiane, Luang Prabang
- Cambodia: Some Reap (if weather permits)
- Vietnam: Central area
- Malaysia: Penang, Kuala lumpur
- Singapore

Not sure whats the best way to plan the trip. I think i have 2 options for flights
1) Get a round trip for Bangkok and move around each country but catch my flight home in Bangkok
2) One-way YVR to Bangkok, One-way Singapore to YVR

Ill have to research a bit more on pricing. Might go to a travel agency to see what they think is the best option.

I have a bit of concern regarding VISAs and needing proof of future travel.. As Im not sure when ill be moving around to each place. Its kinda hard to show proof of future travel..

Also if I have a round trip to bangkok but its more then a month apart. Would that affect/incur extra charges for the visa? I believe its a 30day max visa.. (I wouldn't actually be there the whole time though)



side note - parents think its a horrible idea and believe I may get murked over there lol

[CivicBlues]

You didn't mention how long you were going for? I assume July/Aug means 2 full months? If so, it's doable but barely enough time to do all on your list IMO. You'll probably need to fly around a lot but lucky for you there are a multitude of cheap budget airlines to choose from.

I don't think your visa worries are going to be an issue. Unless things have changed drastically since 2011 when I did this, no one really scrutinizes you about onward travel proof. In which case, your ticket out of BKK or SIN would be sufficient for Mr. Immigration official.

Another non-issue: You get 30 days on arrival in Thailand, and you'll get another 30 days if you re-enter the country again, which you will be doing.


Congrats on doing this, it will be an amazing experience for you no doubt! Let me know if you need any other tips!

[twitchyzero]

will be doing palawan, sabah and those two on your malaysia list in feb...will try to report back

[MelonBoy]

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

You didn't mention how long you were going for? I assume July/Aug means 2 full months? If so, it's doable but barely enough time to do all on your list IMO. You'll probably need to fly around a lot but lucky for you there are a multitude of cheap budget airlines to choose from.

I don't think your visa worries are going to be an issue. Unless things have changed drastically since 2011 when I did this, no one really scrutinizes you about onward travel proof. In which case, your ticket out of BKK or SIN would be sufficient for Mr. Immigration official.

Another non-issue: You get 30 days on arrival in Thailand, and you'll get another 30 days if you re-enter the country again, which you will be doing.


Congrats on doing this, it will be an amazing experience for you no doubt! Let me know if you need any other tips!

I'm giving myself 2 months at most but as I've only planned out Koh phangan & bangkok so far.. I don't know if ill need the full 2 months? (Not a beach/lay around do nothing kinda guy. So I expect to be moving around fairly quick lol)

I think my travel route/transportation will be a mixture of flights + bus + trains. Ill try to cheap out on transportation when I can haha

[GabAlmighty]

Tell your parents to go pound sand. You're gonna have the time of your life.

I went to thailand for a month last january. Personally, I hated Bangkok, it smelt like shit and was waaaaaaay too busy for my liking. After 3 days I had had enough. Chiangmai is really nice, a lot of day trips to do from there. Go to Pai, it's stereotypical hippy central but very cool.

I did a couple days in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) and I highly recommend it, very big contrast with Thailand. I would say go to the killing fields, I wish I could've gone as it is such a big part of the history and didn't happen so long ago...

[Gerbs]

Pretty much a repost from my SEA backpacking trip last year.

Where did you go?

I have never left Canada before, let alone been on a plane as a 20 year old.

Last year, I went to South East Asia in the summer for 10 weeks (Needed 4 - 6 more weeks to do it right), right after my first-year of post secondary. I went with the intention to learn to socialize as well as find myself in a way. I touched 6 countries but only fully explored two (Thailand & Vietnam). I also stayed at over 30 hostels (Ranging from 4 bed dorms to even 48) but also went to a hotel when I needed to reboot and be a hermit. I have taken 12 flights total this whole trip with the most expensive being Vancouver > Bangkok ($904 roundtrip) and Bangkok > Hanoi being the cheapest at $7USD.

I started off in Vancouver to Hong Kong before heading straight to Bangkok for my first stop in Thailand. I Began the trip alone for the first 6 days, and traveled with two of my friends before one of my friends split off to do his own things 4 weeks in. Afterwards it was just me and one other friend for the rest of the trip, however we always met people along the way and traveled with us to different cities.. We were all comfortable with splitting up at anytime when we rather see a different city or do a different activity.

Thailand (4 Weeks)

Bangkok
- Ultra Thailand 2016
- Khao San Road
- Tons of roof top bars
- Mall ratted all the big malls they had

Chiang Mai

-Went through a 52 course Zipline course
-Tried all the local hole in the walls street foods (Midnight fried chicken was my highlight, it opened from 11pm - 5 am. Bunch of people lined up to eat here after a wedding)
- Went inside a cage with a bunch of tigers (not sure why they weren't sedated)
- White water rafting
- Swam in a huge canyon
- Climbed a sticky waterfall (Friend almost died)


Koh Samui

- Super Touristy, in my opinion it wasn't as fun for backpackers. They have really good bars and clubs for partying but it wasn't cheap.
- Scootered the whole island. Saw a lot of import cars which was cool.
- Saw the the penis rock
- I'd avoid this island.

Koh Tao


- This island is regarded as the best place to ScubaDive
- I'd consider doing a test dive here or potentially getting your PADI license as its only about $300 dollars and comes with accommodation and food for 3 days.
-Super beautiful island, nice hike to the top to see the view of the three islands.

Koh Phangan

- Full moon party. Nobody told me the full moon party consisted of a whole week of partying. There was four major parties that lead up to the actual hyped full moon party. By the time the full moon party arrived, I couldn't wait for it to be over as my liver could not take anymore liquor. The actual full moon party lasts till sunrise (7ish). So I suggest staying till up for that.
- Party Island, lots of drunk tourist scooters.
- Would not recommend if you don't like partying.
- You will eat a lot of toasties.

Vietnam (3 weeks)

I had to rush Vietnam but I covered:

Hanoi
- Halongbay Castaway Tour, and did a regular luxury boat tour.

Phong Nga
- Has massive 10km caves. My Favourite was the dark cave, where you had to zip line, swim, and hike a bit before reaching the mud pit at the end. The big mud bath deep inside the cave could fit about 20 people. You couldn't drown in the mud and you would float no matter what. Such a cool feeling would recommend you to go.

Hue
- Home of bun bo hue apparently

Da Nang
- Mainly scootered throguh the whole city. There's a nice view from the top of the marble mountain that overlooked the city.

Hoi An
- Home of the tailored suits and clothing
Dalat
- Go to the bakery. Ask anyone and they will know.
- They had a bar where it was like a huge maze. https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserR..._Province.html

Here's the owner of the hostel putting a helmet on his dog instead of his daughter before grabbing ice cream.


Mui Ne
- Sand dunes
- Ride ostriches

Ho Chi Minh/Saigon
- I had a friend that came back here and never left and he showed me around.

After that I was running out of time so I rushed through Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and Killing Fields. Partied a lot there at the mad monkey hostel all throughout Cambodia. I headed to Kuala Lumpur after Cambodia for a two day layover before my last stop in Indonesia.

I ended the trip in Bali since a good majority of the people I met are stopping there as there last trip. When I arrived I didn't realize that island was massive and that there was no way I was going to meet up with everyone. I found that there was 80% girls to guy ratio in the hostels in Bali. I pretty much beach bummed with all the people I met and learned to surf here. Bali was definitely the most boring part of my trip but I was glad that I had time to recover after all the partying. If you had to do one thing in Bali, I'd suggest you hike up a volcano for sunrise.


How was it?

After this trip, my mindset of the world has changed. I guess I didn't really start living till after this trip. It was a hell of a ride and I met, connected and partied with hundreds of people. A ton of them were also from Vancouver/Toronto. I didn't take many photos but the memories are mostly in my head.

Would you do it again?

The days consisted of cultural things / activities during the day and partying with your hostel friends at night. I plan to do it again after 3rd or 4th year, ideally alone since you are going to meet more people this way. This is because you are put outside of your comfort zone and are forced to socialize. My first day in Chiang Mai as an introvert was scary as fuck, as I felt alone sitting on the bed on the first day and had nobody to talk to. But you realize everyone at the hostel is there to socialize and are super friendly.

This upcoming summer i'm considering Australia/NZ, South America, or Southern Europe where I will do Italy > Greece > Spain > Portugal.

Recommendations on destinations? (I'm very open as long as it's female friendly)
I'd say South East Asia is pretty easy as a first trip. All the locals spoke some English. I met tons of solo travelers from Vancouver, Toronto, L.A and but they mostly seem to be girls. I tried to avoid touristy places as I had the most fun in the less known cities.

How much did the whole trip cost you?ou?[/B]
The whole trip costed about $4700 all the flights included.
I spent about $1000 on alcohol and about $300 replacing my phone that I smashed while drunk 6 days in lol.

A year later i'm super sad I won't be able to experience South East Asia for the first time again. Glad I went on this trip rather than buying my first car. I have the money now to buy the car but not the time to leave for 3 months again. Or until I finish school and quit my job . In the last year or so I've had about 5 friends who I met on the trip visit me in Vancouver who I also plan to visit in the future.

[twitchyzero]

any airlines to avoid in terms of safety?
is a flight pass worthwhile or just look for individual fares (ph and malaysia but might try to go for chiangmai again)
airasia's rules screwd me over quite badly last time...but I didn't have travel insurance then

get travel insurance...totally worth it

sry for the threadjack

[MelonBoy]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

any airlines to avoid in terms of safety?
is a flight pass worthwhile or just look for individual fares (ph and malaysia but might try to go for chiangmai again)
airasia's rules screwd me over quite badly last time...but I didn't have travel insurance then

get travel insurance...totally worth it

sry for the threadjack

Steal away. I had the same thing in mind!

Currently looking a Hong Kong airline flight, yvr to bangkok for $750 (cheapest so far). Wondering if anyone has experience flying with them?

Air malaysia - avoid 100% their plane crash/missing accidents are one to many lol

Air China - I heard is shitty as balls and i saw a video of someone recording a in flight experience. The pilot went on the speaker and told them all to pray for a safe land... like WTF. Aside from that ive heard nothing but shitty things. I guess you get what you pay for?

I plan to double up on travel insurance (my credit card has it but I feel like paying for second coverage might be good lol)

[blkgsr]

best decision you'll every make....allow for as much time as you can...you won't want to come home

[bluejays]

I did a month in Thailand this time last year; fucking awesome trip.

The #1 thing I would suggest is buying a SIM card at the airport so that you can use uber. It was like 25 CAD for 20 days of data. First time ever using uber and it was so easy (they only have it in Bangkok and Chang mai)

My partying days are behind me so koh phi phi and kophagnan weren't my cup of tea at all. I booked all my hostels in advance on expedia and later cancelled them all when I got there, hotels weren't much more expensive and after a few nights in a hostel I was ready for my own room.

Koh Tao and Chang Mai were my fav parts of the trip. Make sure you book at Elephant Nature Park in advance; it's a elephant sanctuary so no riding them.

[stewie]

Was there last year in Thailand and Vietnam and I nerded out by buying this at a book store and bringing it with me.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg

amazing book! tells you everything from local scams in each city, best restaurants to go to, best hostels, how to get to each city on bus and major places to go visit. Traveling on a budget I wasn't on a budget but this book helped a LOT. If you're unsure of where to go it's even got a small section on how many days you'll be there and it'll give you examples of an itinerary to suit the time frame to max out your experience on an amazing budget!

[blkgsr]

ya the lonely planet book is key

[MelonBoy]

Originally Posted by bluejays

I did a month in Thailand this time last year; fucking awesome trip.

The #1 thing I would suggest is buying a SIM card at the airport so that you can use uber. It was like 25 CAD for 20 days of data. First time ever using uber and it was so easy (they only have it in Bangkok and Chang mai)

My partying days are behind me so koh phi phi and kophagnan weren't my cup of tea at all. I booked all my hostels in advance on expedia and later cancelled them all when I got there, hotels weren't much more expensive and after a few nights in a hostel I was ready for my own room.

Koh Tao and Chang Mai were my fav parts of the trip. Make sure you book at Elephant Nature Park in advance; it's a elephant sanctuary so no riding them.

I was debating on going to Elephant nature park ($100) or Elephant Jungle Sanctuary ($50). Both are no riding and tricks but apparently elephant sanc pokes at the animals sometimes to help tourist get a better pic/selfie.. which is bad i guess.. BUT its half the price lol

Originally Posted by stewie

Was there last year in Thailand and Vietnam and I nerded out by buying this at a book store and bringing it with me.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg

amazing book! tells you everything from local scams in each city, best restaurants to go to, best hostels, how to get to each city on bus and major places to go visit. Traveling on a budget I wasn't on a budget but this book helped a LOT. If you're unsure of where to go it's even got a small section on how many days you'll be there and it'll give you examples of an itinerary to suit the time frame to max out your experience on an amazing budget!

I picked up this version!

[welfare]

The wife and I went to kanchanaburi couple years ago to see the elephants. I believe it was elephant haven.
It was great! My god man, they're so huge yet you can't even hear them come up behind you. They're really quite graceful. Amazing creatures.

Stayed in kanchanaburi for only couple days. She just wanted to see the elephants. And I have to say it was worth it for sure.

Started the trip landing in Saigon. Then stayed in bien hoa. Then flew to phu quoc. It's an island just off the southwest coast of Vietnam. Very beautiful.
From there, flew to Can Tho to visit her family. Stayed couple days there. Beautiful city right along the Mekong Delta.
From there bussed it to Saigon and flew to Bangkok. Then bus to kanchanaburi.

After that, flew to Hanoi. The wife's first time visiting the North. Very interesting city. Everything is very narrow and tall! Very nice tho. Went on halong Bay tour. Checked out the caves.

Then from there, flew to Manila. Then to Palawan. Bussed it to El Nido. Very beautiful place. So many great island hopping tours in Philippines. Beautiful water and reefs.
From El Nido, took a boat to apulet island. Another beautiful island with excellent boat tours and diving. Lots of activities there.
Was a little scary at the time tho since we were hearing reports of the airport security planting ammunition in travelers bags and then demanding payment to leave lol.

Price wise, I found Philippines to be most expensive. Food was typically the same cost as here. But with the enormous number of islands and reefs, it's well worth it. Nice thing there is that they're very big on preserving the land. They shut down areas for certain months to keep foot traffic down.

Vietnam is quite the opposite right now. They're undergoing huge foreign developments everywhere now. I noticed a big difference from when I was there in 06.
Honestly tho, Vietnam is still my favorite. The people are just so nice. Away from the city I mean.

The wife and I may go again in January to scout some land. There are a few little islands off the southwest coast. One of which has just received a transmission line. Seriously thinking about setting up a small resort.

You're gonna love it. I'm excited for you dude. I'd never been further than Seattle outside of Canada first time I went. You get off the plane and the atmosphere, the humidity, everything, it just hits you like a punch in the face. Oh and the driving! Hahaha.
Feel free to update this thread when you get back, please!

[The_Situation]

@Gerbs great post. I did a similar trip around that time. First time backpacking and wow was it the time of my life. Real eye opener on what kind of life you want. Planning on moving to thailand now for a couple of years. and holy shit is your friend ok? Can you say more about that fall if you dont mind?

[Gerbs]

Originally Posted by The_Situation

@Gerbs great post. I did a similar trip around that time. First time backpacking and wow was it the time of my life. Real eye opener on what kind of life you want. Planning on moving to thailand now for a couple of years. and holy shit is your friend ok? Can you say more about that fall if you dont mind?

Maybe we crossed paths during that time haha I did meet like 7-8 people from Vancouver. It was in the summer of 2016. There's so much to say about the trip I was too lazy to write anymore. The fall was at the sticky waterfall in chiang mai, we went with two girls we met from Toronto who suggested it. We were like 3/4th of the way up the waterfall but he ran into a small patch of seaweed and was super slippery so he fell backwards off the waterfall but broke enough branches to cover his fall. There's like no hospitals or ambulances within two hours so he probably woulda been in a bad situation had he fell to the bottom

[twitchyzero]

your friend got lucky...holy smokes

[The_Situation]

Originally Posted by Gerbs

Maybe we crossed paths during that time haha I did meet like 7-8 people from Vancouver. It was in the summer of 2016. There's so much to say about the trip I was too lazy to write anymore. The fall was at the sticky waterfall in chiang mai, we went with two girls we met from Toronto who suggested it. We were like 3/4th of the way up the waterfall but he ran into a small patch of seaweed and was super slippery so he fell backwards off the waterfall but broke enough branches to cover his fall. There's like no hospitals or ambulances within two hours so he probably woulda been in a bad situation had he fell to the bottom

oh shit forgot its 2017 this year lmao. I went this summer. Your friend is so lucky. That fall looked horrific

[MelonBoy]

Originally Posted by welfare

Feel free to update this thread when you get back, please!

Will do! Ill try upload during my trip. Probably have a few lonely days being alone haha

[twitchyzero]

chiang mai experts, what's the best way to get to chiang rai?

is renting a scooter/car viable, rather than getting a van ride or day tour?

all the day tours stop at mainly tourist-traps that I don't care about...I just want to see white temple...I guess long-neck tribal village would be neat but the Internet says it's unethical haha

[Tr1ll]

Originally Posted by Gerbs

Maybe we crossed paths during that time haha I did meet like 7-8 people from Vancouver. It was in the summer of 2016. There's so much to say about the trip I was too lazy to write anymore. The fall was at the sticky waterfall in chiang mai, we went with two girls we met from Toronto who suggested it. We were like 3/4th of the way up the waterfall but he ran into a small patch of seaweed and was super slippery so he fell backwards off the waterfall but broke enough branches to cover his fall. There's like no hospitals or ambulances within two hours so he probably woulda been in a bad situation had he fell to the bottom

Would flip flops be okay for that 'hike' or would you suggest sandals.

[Gerbs]

The long neck village is dumb lol they play on their phones behind the tents to keep it authentic. Probably my least favourite thing the whole trip

[chinook79]

Travel solo if you haven't already tried. It is an amazing experience to put yourself out of your comfort zone. Do keep that in mind to stay street smart. Be cautious of scams in SEA. Whether you are a Caucasian or Asian, they can tell that you are a tourist, and many will try to rip you off. A boat ride that costs $5 for local, they would try to charge you $100 for it. Also, understand the corruption level of authorities on the countries you visit and act accordingly. In Thailand, the cop will catch you to ticket you for anything they can find, just because you are a tourist. In Philippine, many cops will be the one kidnapping/killing you for ransom, or if any altercation occurs between you and local, they will always side with locals no matter what and later demand a ton of money as a bribe to be released from jail. In Indonesia, some tourists area have tourist dedicated cops to help you with. If the cops in Thailand catches you to fine you, never get angry and more often than not, just pay small bribery that they demand as it is not worth the trouble. In Philippine, avoid any contact with cops and try to resolve the matter without cops getting involved else it will get very expensive. In a case where cop's involvement is absolutely necessary, call embassy to let them know where you are and do make sure that cops know that you have contacted your embassy. In Indonesia, tourist cops are usually safe and will try to help you in case of altercation with locals.

If you are planning on activities like river rafting, sandals, if not, flip flop was enough for me. Avoid cotton t-shirts. It is so hot and humid, you will need to take shower multiple times in a day. On a hot day in Phuket, without air condition, I was sweating as I was coming out of shower trying to dry myself.

Do all your foreign exchanges in Singapore airport if you are planning on visiting Singapore as beginning of your trip. Buy Starhub simcard from airport with roaming for $15 Sing$($13.50 CAD) to get 2gb of roaming data for 30 days. Can't get cheaper than that! Download Grab taxi(SEA version of Uber) to avoid taxi scam.

If you have Aeroplan points, there are ways where you can set up a "mini round the world trip" for cost of a single trip. Go read ton of articles on flyertalk forum. I used this and flew all business class multi-city trip for 150,000 points. By the way, avoid Air Canada and fly Asian based as they don't charge you extra taxes and provide much better services.

Most locals are extremely friendly and kind, but ones that are fluent in English, be cautious. As someone suggested above, buy travel insurance and make sure that you understand terms and conditions as some insurance will not cover you unless you contact insurance in case of emergency prior to expenses.

[DragonChi]

True about the tourist thing. If anyone offers to help you, generally they're going to try and get some money out of you. I've had a motorcycle taxi be an excellent guide though, so it really comes down to who you meet.

I've never ran into trouble with the police. Can you give details on the situation or context that brought you to the position where you had to bribe police?

[chinook79]

I have done multiple SEA, from budget backpacking to luxury travelling. I spent many nights on $5 hotel as well as $1300 a night Villa with private pool and butler. After years of travelling in both style, it is really budget backpacking style travel that I enjoy the most. When you are travelling in luxury style, you are missing out a lot on their cultures, and as a matter of fact, I can't tell difference whether I am in SEA, or Caribbean as the bed you sleep in, food you eat, people you see are basically same.
However, when you travel in budget style, you would naturally be out of "safe" zone and experience a lot more. Safety should always be everyone's #1 priority as if something goes wrong only once, that could as well be end of everything.
As for bribing police, I had few run ins at Mexico(I know, not SEA) and Thailand where they stopped me for nothing and asked me to pay "fine" in cash to them immediately.
Particular offense they put on me in Thailand was not having proper international driving permit. I actually did have valid internal driving permit with me when they "fined" me for not having it, and they claimed that it is not valid despite it clearly stated on the license that it is permitted to drive with it in Thailand. Naturally when I argued with the cop, he just says "no English" and demand to pay immediately. Despite trying to reason with the cop, the situation didn't get better and I could sense annoyance and tension building up. I ended up paying the "fine" and got out of the situation before it got any worse. After that day, I did quite a bit of research and found out that paying the bribery was the best decision I made as there were cases where corrupted cop put some travelers in jail for years without properly providing any reasons.
Philippine is my next planned destination. Although it is not my first trip, it will be my first backpacking style trip. Naturally, when I did some research, I came across many articles about their corrupted cops. Just earlier this year, police captain in Philippine set up a kidnap ransom cases which ended up getting the kidnapped businessman killed at the end. This was not an isolated incident, and as a matter of fact, many countries advises you to contact their embassy in a case of any altercation or involvement with the cop immediately and let the cop know that your embassy is aware of your situation and expected to be in contact next day. This is to reduce chance of you being jailed for crimes you did not commit for years in some situation or being extorted for "bail money".