I’m planning a roughly 6 month trip (leave Dec 2027) around SE Asia, myself, wife and 8yo daughter.

I’m just looking for a bit of advice around speed of travel and how long families with similar age children stayed in each place before moving on.

I’ve done lots of research and have an itinerary in mind, there is a handful of places that we will stay for 8-14 days, the majority are 5/6 days and then a small amount that are 3/4 nights.

My question is do you think that’s too much moving with a young (ish) child in tow?

Any thoughts, feedback and experiences will be greatly appreciated 😊

Planning an 8-week trip. Have only just start planning so research is somewhat limited and I would love any opinions or recommendations - I am 23M and flying from New Zealand and trying to keep the budget relatively low, love all things traveling, nightlife, culture, cities, beaches, everything. Note that I have already travelled Vietnam so don't really feel the need to go back through the whole country

Bali - 8 nights

Bangkok - 7 nights

Koh Phangan - 7 nights

Koh Tao - 4 nights

Koh Samui - 2 nights

Khao Sok National Park - 3 nights

Ao Nang/krabi - 4 nights

Phuket - 2 nights

Siem Reap - 5 nights

Phnom Penh - 2 nights

HCMC/Saigon - 5 nights

Hi!
My boyfriend and I are travelling to Indonesia and Vietnam soon for about 3.5 weeks. We’ll be flying into Bali, but we’re probably planning to move on to Lombok fairly quickly. Then, after around two weeks in Indonesia, we’ll fly to Hanoi and spend the rest of the trip exploring northern Vietnam.
Do you have any tips or recommendations for the trip?
We’re especially interested in doing the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam, but we’re still unsure whether to ride ourselves or go with easy riders. Neither of us has a motorcycle licence, so we’re leaning towards easy riders, but we’d really like to find a group that is relatively calm, safe and not too party-focused.
Thanks so much in advance for any tips!
Best,
Kiki

I (man, Romanian citizen) and my partner (woman, Senegalese citizen) live and work in France and we booked months ago a flight for Vietnam. We planned doing around 16 days with a quick stop to Cambodia.

However, after applying for the e-Visa, she got a request for additional information. She's just provided the maximum of details of our itinerary, but we've also seen that there's some kind of soft ban on many African passports.

I've also applied for the e-Visa, even though I think I didn't need too. I didn't get any reply yet.

I've heard there are "visa counselor" service like joeyvisavietnam dot com or Emily Visa Company (no website just a telephone number found on google). Are these legit ? Should I wait 1 or 2 weeks more to see what happens withthe official e-Visa request and then try the visa counselor if they keep requesting info ?

We're prepared to cancel going to Cambodia and demand another e-Visa for single entry to Vietnam, maybe that might pass easier ?

I'm curious about people who managed to backpack around SEA (specifically Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia) on an extremely low budget but without volunteering or working in exchange for accommodation/food.

How little did u actually spend and for how long were you able to travel?

hi everyone, i'm doing an exchange year in Sydney and I finish it the first days of June 2027. Instead of going back directly to Madrid, I wanna spend around two weeks-ish solo backpacking and seeing some country/countries that get me closer to home.

I had initially thought about flying to Hong Kong, seeing the city and then travelling through the south of China; but that's just the first idea I had and it doesn't mean it has to be the best. Flights to Shanghai and Beijing are also around the same price as Hong Kong, but that's a whole other part of China. China quite catches my attention, but its such a huge country I don't know where to starts.

Other options would be, Thailand and/or Vietnam of course. An advantage of those is that I understand they're are cheaper so I could lengthen my stay, but maybe I will travel to those while I'm here cause they are close. Japan's also a great option but it doesn't really get me closer to Spain, but I could consider it tbh.

I really want to experience some amazing scenery and new cultures on my own, with the personal growth it implies. I really like breath-taking nature, hikes, outdoor activities, etc; and it would be preferable to travel to a place which isn't that crowded, isn't too expensive, and doesn't require constant long travelling in bus or trains (i prefer staying and seeing things in a smaller area). Any reccomendation is greatly appreciated guys and I'm open to everything. Thanks!

Hello!

We (27m, 27f) have just bought our plane tickets to Manila on 29th of january and return tickets from Singapore on the 13th of march next year, so about 6 weeks in total. So far we are totally open for ideas and suggestions, as we havent planned anything. Does anyone have any good ideas for places to go or maybe an itineary, where to spend the most time? We like a good mix of nature, culture, snorkeling, relaxing and cities (we want to spend least time in big cities)

This year we went to Vietnam and Thailand. We especially loved Koh Lanta, and seeing the nature and caves in Phong Nha and Ninh Binh.

Hi everyone,

I am planning to visit Indonesia in November (I know it will be wet season). I am just trying to figure out my itinerary. I am planning to stay for 2.5 weeks, maybe 3 weeks if I need more time.

These are the places I want to see:

• East Java, specifically Bromo and Ijen
• Bali, Ubud
• Komodo Islands
• Lombok

Would love to hear any recommendations, suggestions on how to break this trip down.

Thanks!

Hello, I am planning to take a slow boat from LP to Thailand at the end of October.

My questions are:

1- What types of boats/slow boats are there?
2- What are the prices?
3- How do you book? Can you book there, or does it need to be booked in advance?

I do not need to know if it's worth it or not; I can make the mistake! :)

Where are the top places anyone has visited in SE Asia that they would not take off an itinerary? And how long do you realistically need in these areas and do they work as a route?

For each category: culture, city, beaches, food, physical landscape etc, where is top for each?

Trying to build a 3 week itinerary want to feel like I’ve done as much as possible without over doing it.. and want to avoid super busy party central areas as much as possible.

TIA

I am travelling South East Asia for 3 months and then going to Australia for a month starting in October. What is best to do for eSIM? Is it worth buying local Sim cards?

Thanks.

1, Angkor Wat
2, Bayon
3, Ta Promh
4, Kulen mountain
5, Floating Village

Gone are the days when I’m a student and have 3 months summer break. After working full time for nearly a year I’ve wrangled a month off in Nov/december! North Thailand + Laos are the go!

I usually travel a lot faster than this but I just want to vibe, become familiar with places, become a regular at a café or something (which I find myself doing after 3-4 nights in a location, sad I’m leaving!).

Fly to BKK
3 nights Bangkok
2 nights Kanchanaburi
Back to BKK then 1 night overnight train
5 nights Chiang Mai (Chiang Rai day trip in there)
2 nights Pai? Worth it?
Travel back to Chiang Mai 1 night
1 night Huay Xai (from CM)
2 nights 3 days gibbons
1 night Huay Xau before catching slow boat
1 night Pak Beng (slow boat stop)
4 nights Luang Prabang
2 night 3 day Nong khiaw hike
3 nights vang vieng
Fly back to BKK
1 night BKK
Fly home

How’s my plane looking - I’m willing to cut things like Kanchanaburi or add a night to Pai if I feel like it. I have maybe 1-2 nights leeway. Also could take the shorter versions of gibbons experince or nong khiaw (alternative is 2 nights 1 day but allegedly rushed)?

Quite burnt out so will do a mixture of hostels and hotels to relax. But I also acknowledge the ride to Pai is not the most relaxing thing! Not sure if it’s worth going without riding my own bike/scooter😅

Kanchanaburi drew me because of the floating resort (relaxation), but also the amazing history and fun things to do around town (seems like somewhere you just wake up and walk around).

Hey guys, 5 of us (25–30) are doing Thailand from 3–11 Oct and this is the route we’re thinking:

• 3–5 Oct: Bangkok – temples, Chinatown, Chatuchak, nightlife
• 5–7 Oct: Krabi/Ao Nang – Railay, rock climbing, Hong Islands
• 7–9 Oct: Phi Phi – Maya Bay, snorkelling, viewpoint, beach nightlife
• 9–11 Oct: Phuket/Patong – Bangla, Old Town, maybe Muay Thai/adventure stuff

We want a fun trip with nightlife, water activities, adventure and good local experiences, not a super relaxed beach holiday.

Would you change the route or night split? Is 2 nights each in Krabi, Phi Phi and Phuket enough, especially in early October weather? Any place you’d swap in/out?

Would love opinions from people who’ve done a similar trip.

What I’m looking for:

A rough day-by-day route covering islands (thinking Krabi/Ao Nang, Phi Phi, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui) plus Bangkok at the start/end
Best way to island-hop between these without wasting a ton of time on transit (ferries vs flights?)
How many days is realistic per island given I want beach time + a bit of exploring, not just a flying visit
Any must-do stops I shouldn’t skip, or ones that are overrated/skippable given my timeframe
Tips for the last-day Bangkok shopping — best areas (Chatuchak vs MBK vs Siam) if I’ve only got a matter of hours before a night flight

Budget/comfort level: mid-range, not backpacker-strict but not luxury either.

Would really appreciate real itineraries from people who’ve done this route, not just generic “visit Thailand” blog copy-paste. Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

Me (22m) and my fiancée (22f) are planning a 2-week trip to Asia between March and May 2027, flying from the UK. We’ve only been to Phuket so far in Asia (earlier this year and loved it) so we’re pretty open to where we go next.

We’re trying to avoid an itinerary where we’re constantly packing up and changing hotels. With only 2 weeks, we’d rather pick two places to stay and use them as bases for exploring the surrounding areas on day trips.

The split doesn’t really matter — it could be 4/10, 5/9, 6/8, 7/7 etc. We’re just looking for two bases that work well together.

We love good food and experiencing different cultures, and we’re open to pretty much anything. We’d ideally like a trip with a good mix of things to see and do, while still having enough time to relax and enjoy each place.

What two-base combinations would you recommend for that time of year? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

I'm backbacking for a month in December/January and here is a rough outline of my travel plan:

• Hong Kong 5 days
• Krabi 5 days
• Chiang Mai 5 days
• Luang Prabang 3 days
• Vang Vieng 3 days
• Angkor Wat and other Cambodia 4 days
• Bangkok 3 days

How would you adjust the number of days in each location? And would you remove or add other cities?

Thanks in advance! This is my first time in SE Asia. I am not including Vietnam on this trip because I want to do that as a separate 10-14 day trip another year.

My grandma was in Thailand 30 years ago, and her travel guide at the time told her not to enter Laos and Cambodia under any circumstances. Now I want to travel through southeastasia in fall and need good reasons why I can also travel through Laos and Cambodia. Please help me!

Can you please help us creating an itinerary for our trip to Thailand? We will land in Bangkok on 21st of November (in the morning) and leave on 1st of December (also in the morning). So, we will have 9 full days. We were thinking to spend first 2 nights and the last night in Bangkok (3 in total). We still have 6 more nights and we are not sure how to spend them.
We are open to any suggestions based on your experiences. However, our ideas:
1. Reserve a hotel in Krabi (Ao Nang) for 6 nights and use it as a base for making one day trips.
2. Spend 3 days in Phuket and 3 in Krabi, but we are afraid we are losing too much time with transportation instead of truly enjoying or pretty short time in Thailand. The advantage for this would be we might get to visit Similan islands that seems to look amazing.
3. Try integrating Chiang Mai in the itinerary (seems to be pretty hard for our few days; also the prices are a bit too high due to lanterns festival).

Singapore Airlines is $450 USD for one 20kg bag, which is outrageous given the flight is only $200.

Hoping someone here has a service they've used and can recommend.

Cheers in advance

Edit: Indonesia > Australia

hey im 19F solo looking for the best party/social hostels. i really want to meet people and have been by myself quite a lot. i was in the hideout in saigon which i loved (espesh the pub crawl). im in da nang, hoi an and hanoi. much regards

Anyone knows good yoga retreats provider in SEA? Especially in Malaysia or Indonesia?

I’m 25f. I KNOW IM NOT TOO OLD. The title just gets people here. But I’m only there for a short period and I wanna get an idea of where to go as a mid twenties traveller. I’m going to Singapore soon and I want to extend my trip to visit places like Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand etc.

I know 25 is young but I don’t know anyone who has been recently… even a few years ago anyone I knew who was going made comments about how many teens there are. I had friends that went as young as 16.

I know that there will be other people in their mid twenties but I wanted to know for people that have been at my age did you feel an age gap? Did you have to avoid certain hostels? Did people often split off by age? Were there places where it was very young and places that were very mixed?

To other travellers in their mid/late twenties where did you stay? Was there anyone you would really recommend? Did you ever feel like you needed to avoid places because it was too young?

Nothing against teens but I’ve done my freshers and that was a long time ago.

I travelled around South America in my early 20s and mainly hung out with people my age or older and there literally was no one younger. I met 1 18 year old in the entire 6 months I was there.

I’ve always been a bit of a party girl but I’m more into night life and dancing than binge drinking so I’m a little unsure on where to find a crowd of more experienced travellers who want to go off the beaten track occasionally as well as enjoy themselves.