Southeast Asia is a holiday destination that is tempting in so many different ways. You’ll encounter rich, rooted culture, sprawling jungles, busy cities, beautiful beaches, fascinating faith and a great nightlife. But where do you start? With all that on offer it can be tough to know where to get going and how to go about it. So, let’s look at a few ideas to help guide your trip.
Limit Yourself
“Southeast Asia is a region, or a sub region rather, made up of almost a dozen countries. I find it so bizarre when travelers talk about having gone to Southeast Asia without elaborating. It’s a massive, diverse area and getting through all of it would be a job for many years”, explains Kirill Clayton, blogger at Write My Paper and Essayroo. You need to zero in on one country, or a handful of cities across multiple countries to give your trip some much needed focus.
Don’t Support Begging Children Financially, Help In Other Ways
You will encounter begging children without any doubt on your trip. Giving them money, for goods or for charity, is never a good idea because it reinforces their role as money mules. Try donating to a charity or eating at Tree Alliance restaurants to help.
Look Out For Visa Requirements
You have to prepare yourself for the visa requirements. All of the countries in SEA have slightly varying requirements, so plan accordingly.
Bargain With Shopkeepers And Street Vendors
Partly, you’re a target for hiked up prices. Partly, it’s an enjoyable, interesting part of the culture that will help you connect with the locals. Give it a go!
Don’t Over Pack
“Any trip to SEA will give you an opportunity to move around a lot and experience lots of different locations, all interconnected quite conveniently. As such, make sure that you pack light so that moving around isn’t an immensely cumbersome job”, advises Zelda Holton, lifestyle blogger at Essay Help and Dissertation Writing. It can be tempting since SEA is a long way away, but you’ll thank me later.
Invest In Travel Insurance
A trip to SEA normally involves a bit of risk taking. Whether that be motorcycle renting or swimming with sharks, it’s important that you feel like you are protected no matter what happens. If you haven’t got it before, this would be the trip to start investing in travel insurance.
Be Vigilant About Your Health
There are lots of safe practices you should adhere to once you are in the region regarding looking after your health, like using hand sanitizer and knowing which street food to avoid. However, before you even leave home you should be checking all vaccination requirements and ensuring that you’re protected.
Don’t Go To Too Many Temples In A Row
Temples do somewhat lose their memorability when you go to one after another, over and over again. ‘Temple burnout’, as it is sometimes referred to, can be avoided by limiting total number of visits and staggering them across your trip.
Be A Responsible Tourist
Don’t leave litter in natural areas, don’t take plants or animals away with you, don’t do anything to insult or offend people of a different culture to your own. Just… be a good tourist.
Change Money Once You Are There
Western currency exchange companies and banks will give you terrible fees. Hotels in SEA will do the same. But everywhere else in your destination should offer you pretty competitive rates.
Travel In Ways You Wouldn’t Normally
Jump on a ferry, the train or go in a taxi-boat. There are all sorts of alternative travel methods to explore that are cheap and fun!
Be Careful Renting Scooters
Driving in a foreign country is hard enough, let alone on a rickety, dangerous scooter. I’d avoid them altogether, but if you insist then make sure you wear a helmet!
Conclusion
Hopefully these tips will spark some ideas about how best to manage your trip to Southeast Asia. It’s an incredible region with masses to do, so hopefully, with the right approach, you’ll end up having the time of your life!
Lauren Groff, a lifestyle blogger at Write My Essay and writer for Buy Assignment, is involved in many lifestyle projects. She loves to research all sorts of different people and their traditions from all across the world for her articles. In her free time, she also writes for the Essay Writing Service blog.
