Backpacking Southeast Asia is an increasingly popular route and there`s no question why. Its affordable, beautiful, and full of adventure. Here are our tips on travel, budget, transportation, packing and more to help you get the most out of your adventure!
1. Bring a Carry-On Sized Backpack
If you plan to do any air travel while backpacking Southeast Asia this will save you a ton of money. The budget airlines will charge up to $35 USD per checked bag per flight. This means if you have a connecting flight it can cost an extra $70 USD per bag. On top of that, we found that a 60 L bag was much more than we needed. You will only ever wear your favorite 3 pairs of shorts no matter how many you pack!
Related: Southeast Asia Packing List
2. Cut Your Packing List in Half
Almost every hostel and many cafes will do laundry in 2-24 hours for around $3 USD! Bring fewer clothes and wash them more frequently. Having a lighter bag will make backpacking Southeast Asia much more comfortable for you. You will also want to buy clothing there.. trust me!
Local clothes are cheap ($1-5 USD per item) and the perfect material for the heat. They have everything you need from dresses and bathing suits to t-shirts, shoes and backpacks. You can get custom made suits, dresses, footwear or anything else you can think up and help design. The Nike and North Face knock offs are good quality, we still use the clothing and a backpack at home today.
3. Prepare for the Airport Taxi Mob
This can be especially challenging if you are tired or running low on patience. When leaving the arrival area of any airport you will be swarmed with taxi drivers wanting your business. They get quite aggressive and we found it overwhelming and exhausting. Their number one goal is to quickly get you into their cab and they will say just about anything to make that happen.
For example; if you give them an address they will always tell you they know how to get to there. Unless it`s a well known landmark or tourist destination; they probably don`t. After a few experiences of driving around in circles or getting completely lost; we learned to always pull up a map to show the driver before leaving the airport. Make sure to negotiate with the drivers beforehand as long as there is no meter in the vehicle.
4. Download the Agoda App
Agoda is a very useful method of finding accommodation while backpacking Southeast Asia! It has everything from small guesthouses to big hotels in one place and you can search by map or by price. The hotels have tons of reviews and photos and you can save your favorite searches for later. You can also pull up a screen that shows the address and directions in the language of the country you are in. Our favorite thing about this app was that we could pay for accommodation on our credit card instead of worrying about taking out cash. This significantly reduced our bank trips and ATM fees.
5. Eat the Street Food
Before backpacking Southeast Asia you are always advised not to eat the street food. We spent the first few days sticking to `touristy` restaurants before deciding to branch out. Although you do have to be smart about the food you are eating; we had some of our best meals from the street carts and little local restaurants! When looking for a place to eat we would go where the most local people were eating and we didn’t eat meat off the street.
6. Bring Electrolyte Tablets
They are a godsend! We brought them in case we got sick and ended up adding them to our water almost every day! Electrolytes are useful after diving, hiking, surfing, or even walking around all day in the heat. We noticed they made a huge difference in our energy levels and helped to keep us hydrated. You can buy a generic option at some pharmacies over there but if you have a favorite load up before you go!
7. Haggle 50-60%
At first; we had no idea how much things should cost and got ripped off a time or two. The bad news? This will inevitably happen during your time in Asia. The good news? It`s usually only the equivalent of a few dollars. We began asking locals from our homestays how much things should cost before going shopping. A good general rule is to offer 50-60% of the asking price. Sometimes they will accept less depending on how much business they have had that day.
8. Bring a List of Things to Do
Before a trip we always do so much research on places to go and things to do. It`s disappointing to miss out on something awesome just because you didn’t know about it. Bring a list organized by city and that way you wont forget about any of the awesome things you`ve found. We didn’t do everything on the list and added in a lot of extra things; but it was nice to have a starting point in each new place!
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9. Not all ATM`s Have the Same Fees
Typically; local ATM`s have a much lower withdrawal fee than those aimed at tourists. Shop around when you get to a new place to find the cheapest ones.
10. Book Local Flights or Buses a Few Days in Advance
This is more so important for flights; but buses can fill up a day or two before they leave as well. From our experience flight prices will stay consistently low until about 3 days before departure and then they will double or triple. A great way to get around while backpacking Southeast Asia is to take small local flights between cities. If you choose to do this; it is best to book it at least 3 days in advance to get the best deal possible.
So there you have it; our top tips for backpacking through Southeast Asia! Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comment below. We`d love to hear from you!
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