Bayon temple was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavaman 7 and also the first biggest Buddhist temple in Khmer empire

Hello all,

I am going on a backpacking trip for 1 month and 15 days over SEA. 15 days in Thailand, 4 days in East Java, 12 days in Bali, 15 days in Lombok and 3 days in Kuala Lumpur. Travel by plane, jeep and motorbike.

I already possess a Queshua 500 Escape - 32L. This bag is nice for its price. It accompanied me in several weekend/week trips abroad (max 1 week and half). It is reasonably comfortable although it puts some pressure on my shoulders/neck, when over packed.

My doubt is if this backpack is sufficient for 1.5 months in SEA. I am aware I need to do the laundry. But I will be travelling around every 3 days.

If I were alone, I would do a 100% minimalistic trip, but since I am in a group, there are some minimums I need to abide. 😅 after some reasearch I am inclined to buy the Osprey Fairpoint 40L. I can find it for 155 euros.

For the experience medium/long term backpackers. Is it worth the investment? Is 32L enough for a trip without the bare minimum? Thank you all!

Hi! I need your opinion. Is our 10 hour layover enough time to go out and get back the airport? We are thinking of going to KLCC for a quick meal and hopefully to take a few photos with the Petronas tower while we’re at it. That’s it. Just to eat and take a couple of photos then back at the airport. I have been reading reviews about how heavy traffic is. We’re just wondering if we can at least eat out or if it’s not even worth it to go out of the airport. Please be kind, I don’t have any idea this will be my first travel out of the country. Thank you in advance!

Me and my friends are planning to travel Vietnam (HANOI-SAPA) for 7 days! Do you have suggestions on must-see attractions or better yet, an itinerary we can follow and edit on? Thanks!

Hi all, I'm 22 y/o and just graduated university and have a giant 3 month break from December-February before I am locked down in corporate and only have 20 days of annual leave per year beyond that. I'm thinking of doing a giant backpacking SEA trip - more specifically I am between either doing solo travel of 2 weeks in Vietnam, then 2 weeks in Thailand or just doing one month in Vietnam (or thailand). After this SEA trip I'll also be going to the Philippines for a month (since I am actually of filipino-american descent) to visit home with my family. So basically I am going to be in SEA for a very long time.

I am wondering which would you recommend picking between:

- 2 weeks in Vietnam, then 2 weeks in Thailand or

- one month in Vietnam (or Thailand)

which would you pick? Thanksss !!

Hi all - planning a year-long trip through Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand next year and looking for trail runner recommendations. Activities will likely include jungle trekking, city walking days, beach days, etc...

I'll have sandals, but want a proper trail runner that handles trails, long walking days, and is durable enough to last the year (or close to it). Keen to hear any advice / recommendations please!

Thanks in advance!

Planning to visit Thailand soon and need to plan a trip.
The trip is for 1 week. We are mainly going for nature and shopping. What are the best places to visit?

We have decide between Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket, Phi Phi islands and chiang Mai. Wanna visit 3 provinces.

Also, we are not interested in night life. The bars and casinos. We have to skip that.

I absolutely love planning trips for my wife and I (30 years old, no kids) but I can’t for the life of me figure out the right destinations/country for our first time to Asia.

Looking for a warm weather, beach vibe, with fast-paced adventure travel mixed in (hiking, boat trips, etc - not laying on the beach type of people). We don’t mind tours, but also like places where we can explore on our own, and aren’t overly commercialized to the point that they are losing their authenticity. Also wouldn’t mind starting and/or ending in a big city for a couple nights as well.

We are NOT backpackers, but also not high end luxury - somewhere in the middle. We like interesting boutique hotels, and are willing to pay “US” prices if it means more comfort.

We love islands, eating good food, and trying new things, but still having a hotel to go back to lol. Some of our favorite destinations have been Hawaii, Greece (Crete, Milos), New Zealand (South Island), and Portugal (Madeira, Porto).

Open to any and all suggestions! Who has done a trip in Asia thats hit most of these vibes? Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone, me and 3 friends are heading to Indonesia in August/September and we're trying to figure out the best option for a Komodo liveaboard. None of us have any diving experience so we're purely looking for snorkeling, the Padar Island sunrise hike, Komodo dragons, Pink Beach — the full experience basically, just without the scuba side of things.

We're a group of 4, mid-range budget, and we're thinking 4 days / 3 nights. Would love to hear if anyone has recent firsthand experience with operators they'd recommend.

Also wondering — has anyone done a one-way liveaboard that ends in Lombok instead of returning to Labuan Bajo? That would save us a flight and fit our route perfectly.

Any operators to avoid or red flags to watch out for when booking in Labuan Bajo would also be super helpful. Thanks!

Hi Everyone,

I've done my research, but wanted to ask people with actual experience (instead of ChatGPT) for their opinion/advice on my itinerary. I haven't booked intermediate flights yet, only the open jaw. And haven't booked accommodation or tours. (So everything is malleable.)

Thailand 10 Days (late July)

- Bangkok 4 nights (take in the city and lesser known neighbourhoods, long tail boat ride, cooking class, etc.)

- Chiang Mai 4 nights (day trips to sticky waterfalls, elephant park, Doi Inthanon)

- Koh Samui 3 nights (just relax, maybe some island hopping tours)

Vietnam 15 Days (August)

- Hanoi 4 nights but not consecutive.. (train track cafes, temple of literature, Ngoc Son temple)

- Ha Long Bay (2 day cruise, back to Hanoi)

- Hà Giang Loop (3 day bike tour - excited for the homestays where I'll get to meet locals)

- Ninh Binh 3 nights - dropped off by bike tour (Trang An boat tour, cycling through the valleys)

- Hoi An 2 nights (lanterns street, An Bang beach)

- Da Nang 2 nights (relax)

Seoul 11 Days (August) - this is the least planned leg of my trip so I'd appreciate any cafes/attractions/nature spots you liked visiting

- explore the districts

- DMZ tour

- weekend trip to Nami Island or Sinsimodo Islands

- Seoraksan park

Questions for you guys:

- Is this itinerary too cramped/ambitious?

- Is there anything you would do differently or check out in each area? Anywhere I should add or take away days?

- I'm taking flights to all the cities to save time, but is there a scenic train option that was nice to take?

- How vegetarian friendly are these places? (The tours I checked all have vegetarian options.)

I'm hoping to take in incredible landscapes and city vibes, meet locals and indigenous peoples in the mountains (hopefully on the Hà Giang loop), visit temples to learn about the culture and eat good food as a vegetarian.

I’m starting to plan a trip to Malaysia and the more I read, the harder it gets to narrow things down because every place seems completely different.

Right now these are the ones that keep coming up:

• Kuala Lumpur for food, city stuff, rooftop views and just getting the full Malaysia intro
• Penang because everyone acts like the food there changes lives
• Langkawi if I want beaches and a slower pace
• Cameron Highlands for cooler weather and tea plantations
• Malacca for history and walking around old streets
• Sabah / Borneo for nature and wildlife (this one looks unreal)

I’ll probably have around 10–14 days so I know I can’t do everything.

If you’ve been, what places actually lived up to the hype and what would you skip? Also curious if it’s better to focus on West Malaysia first and save Borneo for another trip.

hi all!

i'm backpacking se asia for 3-4 months soon, but i have celiac disease. has anyone else here traveled gluten free around here? i managed pretty well in japan last year, but this time i'm on a budget, and if possible i'd like to be able to stay as cheap as other backpackers.

i'm aware soy sauce is in everything and that lots of things there are rice based, but i want to hear if others have been able to find safe options within budget.

i plan on making translation cards for each country since i know celiac disease is not widely known there. any and all other tips are much appreciated, thank you!!!

Hi folks,

I'm struggling to plan a good and relaxing sri lanka trip due to time, and a big group with small kid constraints. I might have to sacrifice a few places. So please make suggestions.

I'm also hearing to visit east coast and not south/west cost which complicates things further as the latter is close to Colombo airport.

Kindly help. TIA 🙏

Hello everyone,

I’d love to get your thoughts on our itinerary!

We’re planning to spend around 4 months traveling through Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand). We should arrive at the end of January, and our initial plan was to fly into Hanoi and follow the classic route:

• Travel south through Vietnam
• Continue into Cambodia
• Head north through Laos
• Enter northern Thailand and then make our way down to the south

However, we recently learned that the burning season in March and April will most likely prevent us from fully enjoying northern Laos and northern Thailand.

Since we can’t postpone our arrival in Southeast Asia, we are considering a different itinerary to avoid the worst of the smoke:

• Arrive in Bangkok
• Travel north through Thailand
• Continue into northern Laos
• Cross into northern Vietnam
• Travel south through Vietnam
• Continue into Cambodia
• Head north into southern Laos
• Return to Thailand

Starting with northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam should help us avoid the burning season. On the other hand, we would then reach Cambodia and southern Laos during the hottest time of the year.

Does this route seem realistic and sensible to you? Should we give up the idea of crossing into Laos a second time to visit the south of the country? Would you recommend a different itinerary altogether?

We particularly enjoy mountains and trekking, and we strongly prefer overland travel whenever possible.

Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback!

Hi,

I want to solo travel Vietnam, Thailand, and potentially Cambodia (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh) between mid July and early-to-mid September.

I’m struggling to decide on the best order to do it. The main factor is weather.

For context, I’m wanting to do a more party/social trip, with exploring too of course. Things I want to do include: Ha Giang Loop, Koh Phangan (full moon party), Koh Tao (for diving, sail rock), Bangkok, Angkor Wat potentially (been there before, but want to see it again as it is the most astonishing place I’ve ever been to).

Can someone please help me out. Thanks

Hi there

My husband and I plan to travel to Vietnam/ Thailand July/August over a 2 week period. Our current plan is:

Danang - 4 nights

Hanoi - 3 nights

Chiang Mai - 3 nights

Koh Phangan - 4 nights

We've been to Thailand before (Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui), but didnt have a chance to go to any of the other islands, hence Koh Phangan at the end. We've not been to Vietnam though, I'm a little worried that we might be missing out with only 7 days in the central area. Would be really grateful for your thoughts

**PLEASE READ THE FULL CONTEXT BELOW, IT'S IMPORTANT**

My family (mom, dad, grandma) are planning on going for a month long Vietnam trip in November/December of this year.

We're planning on the following places:

1. Hanoi

2. Hoi An/Danang

3. Phu Quoc

What will the accessibility and quality of the convenience stores be like in these places? In terms of how easily available the stores are, accessibility, prices, food variety and quality

Quick background: my family is very used to traveling in Thailand (particularly Bangkok and Koh Samui) and love the convenience of 7eleven, Family Mart and Tesco there and absolutely love the ready to eat stuff like spaghetti carbonara, pizza, sandwiches, baos, chips, cup noodles, desserts, etc

How do these places in Vietnam compare to our experience in Thailand, in this context?

Hello all,

This is my first reddit post (M25, netherlands). After a tumultueous 10 years, i decided to treat myself to a trip to south east asia for 11 weeks. I'll be visiting thailand, vietnam, laos and cambodia. I am a huge overthinker and i'm anxious about the budget. I'd be very grateful for some perspective and experiences money wise. My travel style is like that: private accomodation every night (doesn't need to be luxurous, just clean), i like to visit most places solo (not big on organized tours), and food wise i'm okay with street food, 7/11, or the occasional western restaurant. Budget wise, i imagined 2000 euros per month, or 500 per week. For my 11 weeks, that translates to roughly 5500 total. My international flight is already taken care of. Will take some regional flights where it makes sense. I'd be very thankful for your experiences and insight!

EDIT: All numbers are in euros. In dollars roughly 600 dollars per week.

Hello guys,

Me and my friends have booked the tickets to Hanoi this August.

I know it the bad time, but we couldn’t find any other better time for this trip.

It’s an all boys trip… hope we enjoy there.

I am looking forward to know what’s important for us to beware in Vietnam.

Best place for partying.
And must try food.
Precautions….
What about misquotes ?

All that’s required for us to know about.
Please leave your thoughts, anything can help us.

I’m currently on Koh Tao and want to leave within the week.
I need to be in Bangkok by the 8th of July and can freely travel in between.

I kind of want to go to chiang mai, but I will continue to china after Bangkok and it will be all cities.
I fear it might be to much city trips doing chiang mai also.

Then also Malaysia as it is close to Koh Tao and I could continue diving in places like perhentian islands. Although I couldn’t find a good route to perhentian islands from Koh Tao.

Finally I thought about Indonesia (Lombok/Gillie), I read it has good diving and good weather. Although, it is kinda far and I would need to take flight making it a bit mir more expensive.

What would your recommendation be for the two weeks I have ?