TIPS FOR A TRIP TO SOUTHEAST ASIA (AND DON'T SCREW IT UP)

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The first great adventure we told in the blog was a 9-month trip through Southeast Asia between 2011 and 2012. It was then that we fell in love with this continent. Since that time has passed, but without thinking we have taken it customary to return at least once a year. And it is that Asia has something special, that has caught us without knowing why. If you also have a great trip like this (or one of a few weeks), we will give you a few tips for a trip to Southeast Asia (and not screw it up).

Obviously it depends on the time you have available. If you can only travel for example 3 weeks, take your mind off knowing many countries. For a first trip we recommend starting in Thailand, it is one of our favorite countries and it is very easy to explore it. In this post we recommend a 3-week itinerary to Thailand.

You can always shorten the weather in Thailand a bit and include some getaway. The best are northern Vietnam (based in Hanoi), a week in Bali, Angkor temples in Cambodia or take advantage of a multi-destination flight to pass through Singapore. The ideas of routes are almost endless: it is best to think about what you like (beach, cities, gastronomy ...) and set up your perfect itinerary. To help you in this post we tell you what are the 20 essentials for a trip to Southeast Asia.

Now, if you have left everything and want spend a long season In the SEA, the perfect plan to reduce costs would be to try to cross land borders. An optimized itinerary would start at Myanmar with entry and exit by plane. Then continue on Malaysia Y Singapore, after which we could cross north towards Thailand. Here we would visit some island first, to end in the north and move on to Laos crossing the Mekong. We would leave this country in the south to enter Cambodia. And then continue on the south of Vietnam and travel north. In Hanoi we should look at flights that take us to Indonesia, and finally end up in Philippines.

In general, Southeast Asia is a subcontinent with a humid and warm climate, where there are usually two seasons: dry and wet. There are many countries where these stations coincide, being the best time to visit them between november and april, although each one has its peculiarities. That is why we have prepared this article, where we explain the best time to travel to each country in Southeast Asia. For now we leave you this summary table:

Always look at the weather forecasts. In case of risk of cyclones or heavy rains it is necessary to increase the precautions and if the thing is wrong, avoid those destinations. These websites indicate cyclones: severe.worldweather.org and tropicalstormrisk.com

To enter all the countries of Southeast Asia you need some visas (sometimes you have to apply in advance and others can be obtained directly upon arrival). We tell you here what are the visas for Southeast Asia for Spaniards.

Although not to charge us with responsibility (ahem), it is best to see the updated info How? We always go to wikipedia: Write on Google “VISA POLICY [COUNTRY NAME]” and you will have the article.

Always remember to travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months, as many countries demand it.

As a general rule we always recommend do not make reservations for land transport (which are basically by bus). The ideal is to go shopping with an advance of one or two days. You arrive at the station of a city and, before going to the accommodation, book the next section.

If this is not possible, you have the option of using the local travel agencies, which for a small fee make things easier for you. The same is true for ferries.

Finally, and for those who are more forward-looking and want to wear everything tied, it is possible book online Many sections in several countries. There are two websites where you can do it, they are:

12go.asia (the one we use)
Baolau

Although there are others that focus on specific countries, such as:

Easybook, for Malaysia and Thailand.
Myanmarbusticket, for Myanmar.
Vietnambustravel, for Vietnam.
Camboticket Y Bookmebus, for Cambodia.
Traveloka Y Redbus, for Indonesia.

IMPORTANT: in the buses, do not leave anything of value in the backpacks that get in the trunk.

For reservations of flights, we always recommend comparing prices on skyscanner and booking the most interesting option. In general, in Asia, ticket prices are quite cheap, although there are some routes that either do not exist, or are only made by expensive airlines. Keep it in mind before closing your itinerary. You can take a look at our article of the best low cost airlines in Asia.

As for transport within cities, you can use apps fromUber or Grab. Although we believe that, contrary to other countries, there is usually a bit more expensive here than taking the taxi with meter (yes, you save discussions!).

On our first 9 month trip, we did not take the reserved accommodations, except the first in Kuala Lumpur. Why not book them is interesting? First because in most cases you can haggle and get better prices. Second, because you can see the state of the rooms before booking. And third because you will search in the area of the city that you like the most.

Why is it interesting to book them in advance? Because if you do not, you lose a lot of energy going from one place to another, haggling, going up to see the room ... And in the end you will realize that you have stuck two hours like chicken without a head, after getting 17 hours Night bus, to save you € 2!

Therefore, we recommend not taking a reservation only for those who go with a very tight budget and are on a backpacking trip of several months. If you cannot afford to waste a lot of time (or efforts), it is best to book.

Doing the search with something in advance. In Asia, the websites of Booking Y Agoda. Airbnb is also a good option to get new apartments in condos with swimming pool, gym, etc., in cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

There are also ways to get free accommodation. How? Check out our article on how to get free accommodation on your trips.

Do you need to get vaccinated to travel to Southeast Asia? In general for Spaniards there are no mandatory vaccines, only recommended depending on the duration of the trip and the destinations.

For a long tripFor several months, it is advisable to get these vaccines:

Rage
Hepatitis A and B
Typhoid fever
Tetanus-Diphtheria
Anger
Japanese encephalitis

You can self-generate the advice on the website of the Ministry of Health.

For a short trip, in a two or three week vacation plan, we do not recommend any vaccination.

The most important thing is that you go to your GP or the Department of Traveler Medicine in your city and inform them of the trip. If you need several vaccines you will have to go to an International Vaccination Center. Do it at least a couple of months before the start of the trip.

Refering to malaria and the malaria, at the moment there are no vaccines (for malaria there is a preventive treatment, the Malarone, but it is a pain to take it and it has quite a few side effects). As these diseases are spread by mosquito bites, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you take precautions to avoid bites: wear a good repellent (we usually use Goibi or Relec), ask for mosquito nets in the accommodation, dress with long clothes and impregnate it with repellent equally and avoid the most intense moments of mosquitoes (at sunset and sunrise).

In Asia there is no risk of contracting yellow fever, but some countries like Malaysia require the certificate of vaccination of this disease if you come or have traveled almost all of South America. Get informed!

You can read these two articles from the Ministry of Health before going on a trip:

International travel and health
Medical consultation before the trip

In general, private hospitals are usually in good condition. However, there are countries like Laos or Cambodia that are somewhat more backward where they probably have many limitations (so you know, you don't even twist your ankle here). We had to go to hospitals in Thailand and Indonesia and we have no complaints.

At this point, the best advice we can give you is that hire good travel insurance. Health is not played and is one of the essential expenses for such a trip. We have trusted Iati for many years, and they have always behaved phenomenally (here you have a 5% discount if you hire from that link). If you plan to do some risky sport, diving, etc., we recommend the sure Iati Backpacking.

But we always say that you review the market and see options, this is what you have to consider to choose the best travel insurance.

The main thing is that don't load with a lot of luggage: With the passage of time we have realized that the "just in case" are not friends of the backs of travelers, especially backpackers.

In Southeast Asia it's hot, so you won't have to wear heavy clothes, just a windbreaker / raincoat and light long pants for transfers and air conditioners butt. The rest will be summer clothes! Another thing is that you want to do some mountain trekking or visit high areas.

In any case there you can buy everything you need (there are cheap markets and shopping centers with western stores, although somewhat more expensive than in Spain).

Of course, there are certain things that we we always carry Every time we travel to Southeast Asia:

Earplugs (especially if you plan to sleep in hostels)
Towel for various uses: to dry yourself and to use on the beach.
Power Bank (we use this Xtorm brand and it gives us 4 or 5 full charges)
Universal plug adapter like this (better if you also have USB sockets)

As for the first aid kit, this cannot be missing:

Anti mosquitoes (Goibi or Relec)
Analgesics and anti inflammatory
Antibiotic (beware of this)
Anti diarrheal (Fortasec)
Against dizziness (Biodramina)
Tape, gauze, betadine and a digital thermometer.

We know from experience that in the end they will use less than half of what we carry, in addition, in almost anywhere there are pharmacies.

It depends on how you want to ride it, of course! On our first trip we went backpacking and spent very little (on average between € 10 and € 13 per person per day, not counting round-trip flights). Here you can see what we spent in Asia for 9 months.

In the following visits we spend a lot more, especially in accommodation and food. We believe that a budget of about € 20 per day / person It is quite correct.

It is usually an important headache. These are the options you have, from less to more recommended:

1. Change money in your bank before the trip. Not recommended for high commissions.

2. Get money at the ATMs of the destination, with the cards of our usual bank. Before doing so, first inform yourself in the bank and in the contracts of your cards, because they will surely charge you a paste. There are two concepts to consider:

Commission for getting money at another ATM. It can be a percentage or a fixed amount
Exchange rate. If they apply an official table or "swell" these exchange rates to make them unfavorable.

3. Bring cash and change it there. You will have better exchange rates and avoid commissions. The bad thing is to carry large amounts of money. If it is your solution, avoid changing at the exchange offices of the airport and do it in banks or exchange houses of the city. Compare and decide.

4. Make money with special cards. There are cards that allow you to withdraw money abroad without commission and applying the official exchange rate. Here we tell you more about these cards. After analyzing it well, we use the Bnext card as the first option to get money, and we also carry the N26 card To make payments. Both are free and complement each other perfectly.

To top it off, we make you 4 warnings:

Take several cards, if you only have one and it fails, you'll be in the shit!
When you take money from the cashier, always cover the keypad when putting the PIN and check that the plastic part where the card is inserted is not an additive.
Make money at shopping centers or at ATMs within bank offices.
Check the movements of the card every so often through the apps. If you find any strange movement, analyze it and if it is a robbery, notify the bank as soon as possible and lock the card.

Wait, because we still have a few tips for a trip to Southeast Asia. Read and take note:

Be a responsible tourist. Unfortunately, in this part of the world it is not uncommon for animals to be used in shows as a tourist attraction (surely the Tiger Kingdom or even the “elephant recovery centers” sounds like you). Nor are several ethnic groups escaped from this "circus," such as giraffe women from northern Thailand. It is best that you inform yourself and do not contribute financially to these bars continue to exist. Here we give you more tips to be a responsible tourist.

And of course respect the local culture. Dress in a way according to the places, adapt to local customs, be respectful of images and religious places ... In short "wherever you go do what you see."

make photos to important documents (such as passport, medical insurance, etc.) and also send them by e-mail. Also point out the Telephone numbers travel insurance and embassies in your country in the places you visit. To find this info and many more recommendations, use the country files of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Never leave the passport as a bond in hotels or when renting a motorcycle.

To the rent a motorcycle, check the status of it before leaving the business, take photos or videos of the damage in front of the owner and note the bumps, scratches, etc. Many times they ask for an amount for damages that were already there.

Take off the international driving license. It is done at any time in any DGT in Spain (or traffic office in your country). Of course, make an appointment. The procedure costs about € 10, you will have to take a recent photo and the card is valid for 1 year.

Don't be afraid: he Southeast Asian it's very safe and the people are very nice. Of course, there are areas that are recommended not to visit such as northern Burma or some islands of the Philippines. Find out before, but don't travel with fear, do it with common sense.

What you do have to know is that in the vast majority of Asian countries the laws are something very serious and you should never go against them ... Especially in drug issues: Do not consume any illegal substance or you may have serious problems.

One of the first things you will have to do when you arrive in a country will be to buy a local SIM card. Cards and data plans usually have very good prices. Although if you want to take it from home, check out the cards Holafly (they have an Asia Multi Country).

The gastronomy It is one of the things we enjoy most and in Asia you eat very, very well. Of course, if you are careful with ice, peeled fruit, raw vegetables and drinks that may have been made with running water. And the street food It's delicious, but don't abuse it. It is best to take Fortasec with you, as it is very likely that you will put something on your stomach. But it is not a rule, also if you follow these tips to eat cheaply (without screwing your leg down) you may save yourself hehe.

Do you need to have outbound flights to visit a country? On some occasions, at the time of check-in at the airport of departure, or at the border, they ask you to book a flight out of the country. This can be a problem, to the point of not letting embark. A trick that many use is to use the services of pages like bestonwardticket or gomosafer where you can "rent" a flight, without actually buying it. It's a bit of a paripé, but it can work If you more or less know your itinerary, book an outbound flight that you see very cheap and can serve you (and if you lose it, don't upset your budget), or they can even be worth bus reservations (which you can even cancel later).

Learn to bargain, especially if you want to buy something in clothing and / or souvenir markets. It is an unwritten law, everyone does it and the same sellers expect you to do it. Of course, do not be rude or offensive: we have seen people haggle for 10 cents to a poor lady who sells fruit on the street. Here you have a bargaining guide.

Eye to scamsDo not buy anything that looks like a bargain (they don't give four pesetas hard) and always pay attention (you don't have to be paranoid either). If they tell you that an attraction is closed because it is a holiday or things like that, be suspicious.

Sometimes they occur robberies in the rooms. We recommend carrying a lock and tying the zippers of the backpack with it, so that it cannot be opened. Put everything of value inside the backpack that is tied and left in the accommodation.

If you work online and / or need internet do not worry: except in rural areas Wi-Fi generally works well in AsiaIn fact very good!

If you want to travel to Southeast Asia but nobody wants to accompany you, go alone! It is a very easy area to travel and, in addition, it will not take long to cross with other lonely travelers and join them (if you want and want, of course).

Y returnsIt is one of the best tips we can give you: Southeast Asia is one of the most interesting and culturally rich places in the world. It is a jewel for every type of traveler ... we are already looking at flights!

We hope these tips for a trip to Southeast Asia (and not screw it up) you have been useful. Of course, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave us a comment: we would love to try to solve them!