Travelling to a new place is daunting, especially when it’s completely different to what you are used to. Therefore, it’s important to do some informative research, and learn the do’s and don’t’s of where you are going!
You have to take into consideration the type of countries you are visiting, the culture, people, weather, foods, visas, communication, and even stuff like the data you use on your phone, the list sometimes feels endless! There really is a lot to consider when you are travelling!
On the internet there is so much information on the best ways to do it, top tips for travelling, the do’s and don’t’s and so much more – it can get really overwhelming!
Here, we have created the best comprehensive guide to planning your travels for South East Asia. This will show a start to finish planning guide of how we would go about travelling- so that you can get the most out of your travels!
*This post includes affiliate links where we might earn commission, however all opinions are genuine and our own.
Where shall I go to, and how long for?
I mean this is really step one once you have decided you want to travel, and it’s probably the hardest decision… if you are still unsure, we have made a post (linked here), that can help you on those hard questions! Like we say, there is such much to see and do in South East Asia, it’s easy to get lost in all the information provided out on the internet!
When researching, it is best to see the Visa situation for each country in South East Asia (that you are considering), as you may not be able to visit them all. We planned to visit India but once out there, found out that getting an Indian Travel Visa whilst being British is very unlikely (and time consuming). This led to shortening our travel experience, and missing out on India and Nepal entirely.
Unless you are looking to stay long term, people’s travel length is usually determined by their budget. So it’s important to take this into consideration when deciding where to go, and how long for. Some countries like Singapore are a lot more expensive than the cheaper countries like Thailand and Vietnam!
You really need to look at the motives on why you are going. What’s the reason for the travel, and what do you want to get out of it? It is important to not set expectations on travelling – but rather use this information as a guide to figuring out where you want to go.
For example, if you are looking to immerse yourself in culture, you may be looking to visit different places than if you were to go to party or looking to work.
We have split some of the most popular reasons people travel and put them alongside the best countries in South East Asia for this category:
Work
– Bali- It’s the most popular ‘influencer’ hotspot as it’s build up and has a lot of digital nomads out there, currently living and working.
– Thailand (Bangkok) – It’s a cheap location for all living and has good internet access due to being a major city.
– Vietnam (Hanoi) – Another cheap place to live with good internet access.
Culture
Asia is full of culture so it’s hard to pinpoint countries, as they are all rich in history, and all have their own highlights.
Ones we would recommend would be India, Cambodia & Thailand but most of the countries would fit the bill in South East Asia.
Party
Bali – It is the obvious one where a lot of people go to party and enjoy the nightlife.
Thailand (Phuket and islands including Phi Phi) – has an array of nightlife where many travellers enjoy. It is also home to the famous full moon parties.
Philippines (Cebu city and some party islands) – This is an unusual pick for some, but through our experience a lot of hostels and cities are big for clubbing!
Volunteering
– Sri Lanka
– Thailand
– Vietnam
If you would want to see a more in-depth blog of the best places in South East Asia for each of these reasons, do let us know!!
When deciding, you may want to experience a bit of everything; so it’s probably worth looking into places that are also not popular for your reason to travel. Who knows, the most unpredictable place may be your favourite!
What to do in each location?
Now, you have decided on where you want to go (or at least an idea) and you have a rough timeframe, it’s good to look into each location thoroughly, to fine-tune your route and activity list. Refer back to the reasons you are visiting each country to figure this out.
My personal reason to travel was to learn about new cultures, and to experience new things. I really wanted to see what the world has to offer. I mainly focused on what would push me outside my comfort zone. To date I have volunteered abroad with a wildlife sanctuary, climbed mountains, eaten local cultural foods, and embraced new cultures to name a few!
Write down some activities you would like to do, no matter how crazy they seem – now see where you can do them! The countries in South East Asia have an array of activities and experiences so there will always be a place to do what you want!
It’s important to allocated your time efficiently when travelling to Asia so you can get the most out of the travelling experience. You will need to make time for all your crazy experiences but also downtime to recover – this is something not many people account for!
Whether you are going for 3 months or 1 year, you need to set aside time for travelling between places (more time in some countries), and resting between busy periods. You can then maximise your energy and time in each location (and avoid the burnout of travel, because it does happen).
Timeframe!
A lot of travellers are trying to fit everything in such a small timeframe that they end up missing out on some really cool experiences, or they get too overwhelmed with not having enough time.
When visiting to South East Asia, it is important to look at the best time of year to go. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in floods in monsoon season in Phuket for the worst one they have seen in 50 years…like we did!
As a rough guide, mainland South East Asia and Philippines are dry between November to April and Indonesia & Borneo are better from April to October. So take this into consideration! We will soon be releasing a full in-depth travel guide for South East Asia, which will include a travel calendar!
In reality, all travellers should create a tiered itinerary for their travels.
For us, this will be split into 3 tiers as shown below:
Tier 1: Must see and Do’s
This tier is the activities and places you MUST visit – the non-negotiables if you will. These are the parts of your travel that cannot be negotiated!
This could be visiting an Elephant sanctuary, or getting a Thai massage or maybe climbing to base camp of Mount Everest. Whatever this may be, you need to figure out how long each activity will take, and include this in the timeframe you have set out. This will give you a good guide to how much time you have remaining for the travelling and any further activities you want to do!
Tier 2: Cool things to do
Now, this is a step down from tier 1, and would be all the activities you would like to do across the period. Again, these could be any activities. I would say the plan is to include upwards of 50% of these activities if you are able. However, this all depends on how much time you spend in each location, and how much spare time you have.
Tier 3: If we have time!
This tier is the least important, and one you will add things to do if you have a little spare time. This would only be used when in location’s where you have no tier 1 or 2 options left, but still had a day (or even half a day) to kill.
This method of splitting the activities into tiers will show you a breakdown of priorities, and will make it easier when planning each location.
For instance, if you are planning the south of Thailand (check our recommended guide here) you may have island hopping and visiting elephants as tier 1, visiting a national park and going to a market as tier 2, and finally going snorkelling as tier 3. If you are only in the South Thailand for 5 days then you will prioritise island hopping and the elephants, with maybe finding time for 1 of the tier 2 activities. I would ALWAYS keep your tier 2 and 3 lists, even if you don’t have time to do all activities. When you are travelling, a lot can change and you may be in places for longer/shorter, or even end up returning! The last thing you want to do is have some time free but don’t know what to do.
Booking, Packing + Essentials!!
Now, you have your motive for travelling, the countries you are to visit and when, and the activities you want to embark on. But nothing is booked or sorted yet. This is the stage you start making this real… Scary right??
It’s time to start looking at flights, purchasing your travel bag, and all other travel essentials. Now it’s a good time to look choose a starting point that fits in well with the countries you are looking to visit. A lot of people start in the Philippines or Indonesia, and make their way north through Thailand and Vietnam, or vis-versa! This way, your travel flows better and you will maximise your time travelling and doing activities, and not spending time in airports or on boats, moving between places!
When we travelled, we started in Philippines, down into Bali then across to Singapore, Thailand and finishing in Vietnam, working our way South to North in both Thailand and Vietnam.
There is no right or wrong place to start, but it does help to start somewhere which fits your route!
You have your flight booked- before you freak out you need to get everything ready! We would recommend buying/bringing cheaper clothes, as they will be in many different situations; whether it’s a sweaty city, on the beach, up a mountain or anywhere in-between- the clothing will wear down. But don’t worry if it does, there are many places out there where you can by clothing for 1/10th of the price you do back home!
For the travel bag, our personal preference would be to pack as small as possible. When we travelled, we took an 80L +20L backpack which was waaaaayy too big for what we needed it for. We would recommend for first time travellers to go for a 60L backpack- we have found a budget option on Amazon here, or a highly recommended/ socially recognised one here, but this comes at a premium. The only benefit for me for having such a large travel bag is that it came with a 20L smaller bag, which you could take when you go on boat or day trips.
When we researched the ‘essentials’ to pack when travelling, there were so many places stating we needed electrolytes and nutrient bars etc, but in reality none of this is necessarily required. These were purchased and packed, and just rotted at the bottom of my bag as the food and shops (even in the most remote places) had the basic amenities. We would still pack supply of nutrients (or emergency medication) for the worst case scenario but these won’t be used daily, probably not even weekly or monthly.
For travelling, we would recommend visiting a medical professional, and finding out what injections you will need for each country you plan to visit. We would highly recommend doing this to protect you from any foreign diseases, or any uncertain medical issues, as the medical care in most Asian countries are a lot less reliable than most other countries.
Overview
The thought of travelling is daunting, we get it! There’s a lot more research and planning than meets the eye. Well, you can just book a flight, pack a bag and just go, but it can definitely backfire and lead you to missing out on some amazing experiences!
We believe that if anyone follows this step-by-step process for their travel planning, they will be well equipped to make the most of this amazing leap of faith you would ever be taking.
No matter what, you will gain irreplaceable memories and experiences, ones you would never forget. We would always recommend for people to travel and gain the life experiences that come with it.
If anyone is looking to travel and would like some advice or support, do reach out to us and we would be happy to help in any way! We use instagram daily, so follow us here, and DM us!
We really do hope you enjoyed this blog, and that it has given you the necessary steps to start your travel journey!
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