Are you planning your Southeast Asia backpacking trip? I haven’t been everywhere yet, but I’ve been backpacking through Southeast Asia on a very tight budget. From 2017 to 2019, I was based in Bali, Indonesia.
Let’s explore the destinations in Southeast Asia to help you prepare your Southeast Asia itinerary. I’ll be providing tips and advice for solo travel, for tours and for budget travel. There’s A LOT of information in this guide, so hopefully, you should be able to find all the information you need.
If I do forget anything… let me know!
CAMBODIA
INDONESIA
Favorite Destinations in Indonesia: Java / Bali / Lombok / Flores
MALAYSIA
Favorite Destinations in Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur / Penang/ Langkawi / Borneo
MYANMAR
Favorite Destinations in Myanmar: Yangon / Inle Lake / Bagan / Lashio / Mandalay
PHILIPPINES
Favorite Destinations in the Philippines: Coron / El Nido / Cebu / Legazpi / Batad / Bohol
THAILAND
VIETNAM
Favorite Destinations in Vietnam: Saigon / Hanoi / Da Lat / Mui Ne / Halong Bay / Sapa / Hoi An
Planning Your Trip to Southeast Asia
Planning a trip to Southeast Asia is super fun! Did I already mention how much I love Asia? Asia is stimulating, sometimes overwhelming, and definitely affordable! There’s so much to experience, to taste, to embrace!
In this section, we will try to cover as much information as possible to help you make the most of your trip to Southeast Asia.
Best Time To Visit Southeast Asia
The best time to visit Southeast Asia can slightly vary depending on where you’re heading. Ideally, you might want to try to avoid the rainy season, but I’ve been in many places during this wet season and I managed just fine! It doesn’t mean it will be raining constantly! In fact, we can all enjoy fresher weather when it’s pretty warm and humid outside! Also, some of these countries are quite huge so the weather can change from a spot to another.
The best time to visit Cambodia: November to March
The best time to visit Indonesia: May to September
The best time to visit Laos: October to April
The best time to visit Malaysia: January and February
The best time to visit Myanmar: November to February
The best time to visit the Philippines: November to April
The best time to visit Singapore: February to April
The best time to visit Thailand: November and April
The best time to visit Vietnam: February to April
Typical Southeast Asia Backpacking Route | Your Southeast Asia Itinerary
Most people will concentrate on this loop: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and back to Thailand.
Some others will hop around and focus on certain destinations or add the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to their journey. You can keep in mind that places like Kuala Lumpur seem to be the best spot for visa runs as it’s a major Air Asia hub which means that the flights from and to Kuala Lumpur could be a lot cheaper. Personally, it’s my go-to for visa runs!
If you only have a few weeks for your holidays, you might want to concentrate on one country and make the most of it. If you have one month, you might be able to split your journey between 2-3 countries, but again it depends on how energetic you are and what are your priorities. I’d rather travel slow and visit more destinations in one country without being so tired all the time – but we’re all different!
If you’re heading on a long-term trip to Southeast Asia, then, you’ll have plenty of time to experience many places!
Best Tools to Prepare Your Trip in Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia Trip Planner
Here’s a list of my favorite tools/websites to plan my adventures across Southeast Asia!
Skyscanner & AirAsia
When it comes to planning a trip, I love searching for flights! I’m always on the hunt for affordable flights and I like to keep my destinations and dates flexible. With tools such as Skyscanner, it’s easy to be spontaneous and to book great flight deals!
I normally fly with AirAsia, which is the perfect low-cost Asian airline! I can also accumulate what they call Big Points to redeem them later for flights!
Bus Travel in Southeast Asia
12Go is a pretty good resource when it comes to booking buses throughout Southeast Asia. If you’re traveling around Vietnam, you might want to check out Baolau (they also cover other destinations in Asia, but are pretty popular in Vietnam).
Instagram is a goldmine for travel inspiration. I like to check out where other travelers are heading. Sometimes, I discover new destinations I’ve never heard of before, so you might as well take a look at the geotag or hashtags to plan your trip!
GetYourGuide or Klook
GetYourGuide and Klook are two platforms that help you book your tours and activities for your upcoming adventures. In places like Asia, it’s easy to get ripped off or scammed, so booking through this website is surely a great way to avoid disappointment abroad.
Backpacking Southeast Asia Budget
Backpacking across Southeast Asia can be cheap or quite expensive. I managed to travel to many destinations for less than USD 10 a day, but most of the time, it was around USD 20. Of course, if you cut expenses for activities and if you travel slowly, you will get more for your dollar. You can read these articles to see how I managed to survive without much money here.
Visa Wise – What It’s Like to Travel to Southeast Asia
Traveling in Southeast Asia can be complicated visa-wise. Every country has its own rules and it can change if you’re traveling by land or by flight. You can consult iVisa to know if you need a visa for your next destinations!
Cheapest Countries in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is known to be cheap in the backpacking community. There are countries cheaper than others.
Here are the cheapest ones (according to me):
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Thailand
In these countries, I could manage to spend less than USD 15 a day. Again, it always depends if you’re planning any tours or activities.
Traveling Solo in Southeast Asia
Traveling solo in Southeast Asia is super easy, but also pretty safe. Except for that one time I got money stolen in Cambodia, I feel safe 90% of the time. (After all, I’m still a woman and it makes it tricky for us wherever we go!)
It’s quite easy to make friends on the road as there are many backpackers in Southeast Asia.
If you’re staying in hostels, you are going to meet many people along the way. If at some point, you aren’t feeling safe you could always decide to travel with your new friends.
If you’re planning your first trip to Asia, then, keep reading – many solo travelers decide to book a tour.
Southeast Asia Tours | Tours Southeast Asia
If you’d rather join a tour to visit Southeast Asia you could join a group with companies like:
- Life Before Work – They have great promos at the moment, so it’s worth checking out.
- Busabout
- G Adventures
- Contiki
I did a trip with Busabout Asia in Cambodia and it was a lot of fun, so I’d happily recommend them.
If you want to about getting ripped off or scammed you might want to make sure your day trips or tours are legit and book them in advance via Klook or GetYourGuide.
Long-Term Travel in Asia | Moving to Asia
Many backpackers will be traveling for longer periods of time in Southeast Asia. I’ve met people traveling for months and even a year. My first backpacking trip to Southeast Asia was for 5 months which I divided into different countries:
- Philippines
- Indonesia
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Vietnam
Then since 2017, I’ve been based in Bali and I’ve been traveling around once in a while (every time I need a quick change of scenery).
Some travelers like me will fall in love with Asia and they might decide to get their digital career started or even teach English It seems like Thailand and Vietnam are pretty popular for English teachers.
Travel Southeast Asia on a Budget
Cheap Flights to Southeast Asia
Depending on your current location, the cheaper flights to Southeast Asia are normally Singapore or Thailand. I always use them as a first stopover in Asia as it’s cheaper and you can find many affordable flights from there.
You should definitely take a look at Skyscanner, or check out for error fares on SecretFlying or AirFareWatchDog.
Accommodation in Southeast Asia
Depending on your budget, you can find anything from super cheap dorms to 5 stars hotels. I normally use Booking.com to book my accommodation or HostelWorld.
How to Get Around Southeast Asia
When traveling around Southeast Asia, I normally use a mix of cheap flights and buses. Some countries also have trains or you could also rent/buy a scooter (like in Vietnam for example).
As I mentioned earlier, you can normally book your buses in person or book online via websites such as 12go or Balau.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Keep your valuables with you in a fanny bag or hug your small anti-theft day pack when you sleep on a bus.
- Bring a travel pillow if you’re going to travel at night.
- Bring a jumper as buses can be extremely cold at night (Asian love their AC).
- Don’t leave anything valuable in your backpack under the bus and if you can’t, try to keep it with you and place it between your legs.
What to Pack for Southeast Asia | Backpacking Essentials for Southeast Asia
If you’re planning your trip to Southeast Asia, first you should try to travel with a carry-on only. This way, you’re going to save money on luggage as most of the time, they aren’t included in the flight tickets. In Southeast Asia, you can easily find cheap flights because there are many low-cost airlines, but they don’t allow you to travel with more than a 7-kilo bag (although, mine weighs about 10 kilos and they never weighted it as I always check in online).
You can check this packing list for Southeast Asia or check my favorite backpacking essentials.
Make sure to have your portable wifi in Southeast Asia to stay connected abroad.
Southeast Asia Books
If you want to read about Southeast Asia or be a bit more prepared for your trip, you could also take a look at these books providing a lot of tips and inspiration.
- Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand
- Lonely Planet Thailand
- Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring
- Insight Guides Southeast Asia
- Lonely Planet Malaysia & Singapore
- Lonely Planet Indonesia
Backpacking in Asia | More Destinations to Consider
If you’re planning on staying longer in Asia, why not add some of these destinations to your list too?!
