r/southeastasia

Hey!

I am planning to go to north sulawesi for 12 days - majority of accomodations is in hotels since there are barely any hostel. How did you find socializing there? Easy going or not a lot of other solo travellers?

I'm looking for those who have travelled East Indonesia and West (Sumatra).

Here's some notes and what I'm looking for;

- I plan to spend 2months East & 2months West (Sumatra). 1month travelling, 1month getting a small apartment somewhere to recalibrate.

- I am not looking for a party. Nature is the goal, close to a clean beach isn't a requirement but od course a bonus.

I have just spent a month travelling around Central & East Java. I do not want to go to Bali/Lombok.

If you have done this, stayed put in a location which you loved, rented a small apartment (i really just want a fridge and to make my own coffee. Nothing fancy, budget conscious), I would love to hear your feedback.

I'm am experienced 30yr solo traveller and have done research and have drafted ideas..... but I'm looking for recommendations of those who have really spent time here and have fallen in love with locations that would suit the above.

Feel free to DM me if you want i take it offline but i appreciate any feedback any of you have. Cheers

I know everyone has different opinions. But of the following places, have you visited any and thought I could have given that a pass for being excessively touristy and/or not offering anything more unique than similar/closeby sites or cities in SE Asia:

-Angkor Wat

-Ha Long Bay

-Chiang Mai city

-Hanoi city

Hi, I have all of August off and am thinking of going to either Vietnam or Thailand. However, are Thailand and Vietnam now very artificial/touristy, especially with the rise of TikTok? I'd want to experience actual Thai/Vietnamese culture instead of visiting towns that are solely catered for tourists. Is it possible to avoid touristy towns that are solely catered to westerners and partying? I'd like to visit places that have locals and local culture, but are safe for solo female travellers, easy to get to using buses, and still have at least one hostel. Does anyone have recs for either country?

For context, I'm in my early 20s, am female, and have experience solo travelling around Latin America and Europe. I have 4 weeks, a budget of around £3000 and no itinerary yet, but am open to suggestions. From the research I've already done, it seems that I'd prefer north Thailand to south, and that Vietnam is a little less touristy?

Likes:

- places with a rich culture different to my own. I like learning about both modern culture and historical communities

- anything related to anthropology

- guided day hikes in nature

- places where each town/city within the country has a different feel. I love walking around towns and cities

Dislikes:

- places with no observable local living/culture. I'm not a fan of places that revolve around tourists (I know I am one)

- clubbing. I'm a big fan of having a drink and chat in a chill bar though

- I get a bit bored lying on a beach all day, or sightseeing without walking around or learning facts about it (e.g. just driving to a waterfall and staring at it)

- I'd be scared to do the Ha Giang loop or other risky adrenaline-filled activities

First time solo travelling to Asia

I can either do singapore and bali or singapore/thailand

S+ B likely is a bit more relaxed, less having to travel for long periods of time, can get to know the island more, easier to make friends, seems less intimidating

S+ T is a bit more hectic having to travel between cities in Thailand, but better culture, possibly more to see?

Would love to get your thoughts

What would you recommend? What is cheaper? What has more to do?

hi friends! i want to slowly move around SEA, having never been before...is it possible to do three months in thailand, three months in vietnam, a month or two in cambodia, singapore, etc? if so, are there better months than others for each spot? or, is the entire region hot and humid year round?

bonus: i see facebook groups mentioned often for finding short term rentals (and other support from expats). i haven't had FB for years. am i cooked?

thank you so much!

how much money would be comfortable for me to backpack asia for 3months? staying in hostels and all etc

Hi everyone,

I will be traveling to Vietnam later this month (15th-25th). I am really excited since this will be my first international trip.

My plan is to start from Hanoi, then Ninh Binh -> Da Nang -> Hoi An. I'm saving South Vietnam for another trip because of the monsoon season in July.

If anyone else is also traveling there during that period, would love to connect, share itineraries and some adventures together.

Cheers.

Hi!

I'm in the process of planning out a SEA trip at some point from mid-October to mid-November. The trip would be 2.5 weeks long, and I was thinking of hitting up Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand. The initial high level itinerary I was thinking up was:

• SFO -> SIN and spend 2 nights here to just see the city, and try out food.
• SIN -> Hanoi, and spend 1 week here. I still need to research the exact things I'd want to do here, but to minimize travel, I'd only spend time in North Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, etc.)
• Hanoi -> Chiang Mai, and spend 1 week here. Similar to Vietnam, I'd localize all my travel to this region of Thailand around Chiang Mai
• Chiang Mai -> SIN, and spend 1 night here.

I've read this sub a lot and I know people may recommend spending the entire time in one country, but I'm trying to balance out different cultures and experiences here. Also, as mentioned, my intent was to spend time in a specific part of the country (north Thailand and north Vietnam) so I'm not always traveling.

A few questions:

1. Any general thoughts or recommendations based on my itinerary?
2. It seems like mid October and onwards is a decent time to travel to these countries (tail end of rainy season in Vietnam), so I'm hoping there won't be too many issues there. Would this be a good time to visit these countries?
3. I chose North Vietnam since I'm more into the food, nature, and cultural experiences (not necessarily nightlife). Any reasons I should consider South Vietnam?
4. Similarly, I chose Chiang Mai for a similar reason. It seems like a great base, but I think the main thing it would lack would be the beach scene. Any other place to consider other than Chiang Mai?

Hi I am planning on travelling SE Asia beginning of next year and know most places require an onward ticket which I have seen most people book using ‘onward ticket’ website which is fine. But some places also require a visa and or entry card which ask for flight numbers and would these need to match up???
The onward ticket is only reserved for 48hr and visas and arrival cards are usually done before.
What’s people’s experiences? - I’m British
I would rather be relaxed and take each day as it comes instead of having a planned route, I obviously would not over stay in any place but I am only going for 3 months and might want to stay some places longery

Am planning on doing SEA for 6 months solo starting early 2027.

Did a month in Vietnam last August and was the most amazing time of my life.

Now plan on doing Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia and maybe Borneo, and since I know one wants to explore the countries deeper, would give myself quite sometime.

Any tips on how a route between these countries and what's a somewhat comfortable, but not luxurious budget to travel these countries?

Was considering 40-50€ a day? I know it might be a stretch including flights and activities.

Edit: And btw this would be the rough itinerary I have in mind. Want mostly to not rush any place.

• Thailand — 5.5 weeks (might do north first and south only after Laos and Cambodia)
• Laos — 3 weeks
• Cambodia — 3 weeks
• The Philippines — 6 weeks
• Indonesia — 8 weeks
• Borneo — 2 weeks

Book hotels in advance. Last-minute options are expensive and usually shitty 💩
Don’t spend too much time in Bangkok, go explore the less touristy places.
Bring plenty of seasickness tablets for the island ferries 🤢
Carry more cash than you think you’ll need.
Eat more Tom Yum and Pad Thai. You’ll regret not doing it.😊

What do you think ?

I'm looking into extended travel of SE Asia. I live in the middle of the US and I think it probably makes the most sense to fly into BKK. One thing I really need to figure out is how to reduce the pain of getting there.

Finances dictate economy seating. I'm traveling alone. From my home airport, I have to travel 28 straight hours. There will be one foreign exchange before arriving to BKK. (Could be all sorts of locations based on flight research, Tokyo, Manila, Hong Kong, who knows atp.) I also know I will be sleepless this whole period.

I don't want to be sleepless for that long and then deal with a foreign exchange all before reaching Bangkok and needing to travel and check-in to my first accommodation. I think when I get to Asia after the 10+hour long-haul I would like a 24 hour layover to book a hotel and get sleep.

I know there is such a thing is a stopover but how do I figure that out? I think you can only book those within airlines and this fare will require multiple airlines. I don't think I have enough experience to know how to accomplish this. Any help is appreciated.

Also, as cool as it would be to do something like book a ticket to Tokyo, hang out for a few days, and then book a ticket to Bangkok, I don't want to do it that way.

I'm tentatively planning to travel to SE Asia for 1.5–2 months next summer (probably May and June). My og itinerary was to start in Bangkok/Ayutthaya, cross Cambodia, and then snake my way up Vietnam. However I'm wondering if the summer monsoons are gonna throw a wrench in that plan, especially with this "Super El Niño" I keep reading about. Sounds like the heat/humidity in particular will be brutal (I'm from Toronto, which can get pretty hot and sticky during the summer, but it's not sustained like in SE Asia). Should I be skipping Cambodia and Southern Thailand and instead focusing on the mountainous north (Luang Prabang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, etc.) to escape the heat/floods? Or should I just suck it up, stay inside in the morning, embrace the sweat, and stick to my og plan? Haven't found a straight answer on google so would love to hear from people with actual experience of summer monsoons in the region

Hi there, first time traveller to SEA with my partner (both early 30s) who is not the greatest flyer. We’re looking for a mix of relaxing and being social/going on adventures, so planning on a switching between hotels and private rooms in hostels and are going to be celebrating our anniversary next year. Rough agenda so far is:

Chiang Mai - 21st Feb - 26th Feb, then take the train to
Bangkok - 26th Feb - March 1st, then fly to
Siem Reap - March 2nd - March 5th
*Possible Gap of 8 or so days*

Before flying down to Southern Thailand for Koh Tao (5 days), Koh Samui (3 days), Khao Sok National Park (3 days), Ao Nang (4 days), and then getting the train down through Kuala Lumpur (stop for 2 days), and finishing in Singapore for 5 days.

Where would you recommend filling with this gap? Aware that Vietnam is always high in people’s agendas but don’t want to rush it? And also trying to minimise the number of flights overall and avoid as much of the burning season as possible (hence why Chiang Mai is first).

Any steer on what to include would be great, even if it’s extending time in any of our locations - thank you!

I already asked this but would like more feedback. Planning about 10 days in Sulawesi later this year. Looking for somewhere with good diving, not packed with tour groups, but still comfortable, not trying to rough it the whole trip. Looked into the Togean Islands and there isn't a ton of info out there compared to Bali or Lombok. Reconnect keeps coming up and looks really good from what I can see online. Anyone actually stayed there? Or open to other suggestions too if I'm missing something better.

Hi everyone!

My partner and I will be traveling to the Perhentian Islands soon (staying on Besar / Big Island). I have a specific doubt regarding the beaches and I would love some input from those who have been there.

An AI assistant warned me that leaving your backpack unattended on the beach in Perhentian is almost a guarantee that a macaque will steal it looking for food. I’m terrified of losing my phone, money or card there.

I was thinking of taking my valuables into the water in a dry bag, but since I like to freedive/swim down to the bottom and the bag floats, I came up with this "hack": tying the dry bag to a 1.5m - 2m rope with a carabiner attached to my waist, so the bag acts as a surface buoy while I dive down.

Has anyone done something similar? Does it make sense or am I completely overthinking this and there's a better option?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi all,

My partner and I are planning a 3 week trip to Vietnam and Thailand this Aug. I've been to both already but my partner was never there. Trying to fit in extra places I didn't do last time. Do you think this looks doable ? Any suggestions of things to cut or change?

Hanoi – 3 nights, Lan Ha Bay 1 night, Ninh Binh 2 nights, Hoi An 3 nights, Hue (Hai Van Pass) 1 night, Ho Chi Minh City 2nights, Bangkok 2 nights, Chiang Mai 3 nights, Krabi 1 night, Phi Phi 1 night, Phuket (fly home).

Thanks!