Backpacking around Southeast Asia on a budget

Posted on 19. Aug, 2010 by admin in Travel articles

Southeast Asia’s low prices, favourable exchange rates and comprehensive transport networks that cover air, rail, road and sea mean that solo and independent travellers can set off on their own with confidence. Tourism has spread from the independent travellers’ paradise of Thailand into neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and so budget hotels and dorms are abundant.

Budget airlines make crossing long distances a breeze, and the sheer amount of travellers that come to this part of the world for longer term, independent adventure travel means that no one is likely to be lonely for too long.

Countries

Thailand is one of the most traveller-friendly countries in the world. Tourism is Thailand’s biggest industry and people visit here from scores of countries. As a result, the travel infrastructure in Thailand is superb with everything from offices of all major airlines to hundreds of thousands of basic dormitory bunks, and everything else in between.

Ferries, budget airlines and an excellent rail and bus network speed independent travellers to every corner of the country. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok, a thrilling metropolis that is certainly one of the most challenging and rewarding cities in the world. Solo travellers are well catered to by Bangkok’s enormous spread of budget hotels that offer single discounts.

Other major parts of Thailand include Chiang Mai, in the country’s north. An overnight train journey in a comfortable single bunk is very affordable. In the south, Phuket and Krabi are the main gateways to the legendary beaches and tropical islands of Thailand. Motorcycles for hire and single dorm rooms emphasise the focus on independent travellers in this part of the world.

Laos is the quiet, peaceful country across the northern border of Thailand. It welcomes independent travellers with a laidback backpacker scene that includes inner-tube cruising down the river that runs through the town of Veng Vien, and the UNESCO world heritage town of Luang Prubang in the north. The tranquil capital Vientiane rewards the solo traveller with cruisy riverside scenes and bookstores.

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Cambodia continues to emerge from its turbulent modern history and the diversity of travellers here includes many solo and independent adventurers. Prices for single or solo travellers at major attractions like the Temples of Angkor are the same as they are for couples and single and double rooms in Pnomh Penh, Sihanoukivlle and Siem Reap usually offer solo stay discount rates.

Vietnam hugs the eastern side of Southeast Asia like an elegant earring, and its tourism boom continues to develop. Elephant treks, war history tours and the vibrant city scenes of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi greet travellers of all stripes. Prices continue to be cheap and the French colonial heritage is an attraction in and of itself.

Malaysia is one of the Islamic hearts of Southeast Asia. It is punctuated by the gigantic capital city of Kuala Lumpur and its landmark twin towers, and the colonial architecture of tropical Penang, in the north. The islands off both sides of the peninsula are exquisite and some of the treehouse style accommodations in Pulau Perhentian very suitable for single travellers.

Singapore is a city state at the very southern tip of the Southeast Asian peninsula. Modern and high-tech, it rivals Hong Kong and resembles that city with dozens of high rise towers, cavernous shopping malls and modern conveniences that are the equal of any urban area in Europe, North America or Australia and New Zealand.

Indonesia sprawls over thousands of islands including Bali, a Hindu island that is an anomaly in the world’s largest Islamic state. The capital Jakarta is noisy and busy and nearby Yogyakarta is not quite as big, but more popular with travellers. Independent travel is made cheap and efficient by the ferry network, which is vast.

Costs and money
Southeast Asia may no longer be the rock bottom budget destination that it was in the past. It is, however, still incredibly cheap when compared to travelling in any part of Europe or the United States. Independent travellers in Southeast Asia can expect to pay the equivalent of around three to five British pounds for a single room in a relatively comfortable room in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam or Cambodia.

Health and safety
Water is not safe to drink anywhere in Southeast Asia. Bottled water is cheap and on sale everywhere, and tablets or boiling is adequate water treatment for independent travellers off the beaten track. The sun is harsh in Southeast Asia and humidity and heat can combine to cause problems such as prickly heat.

Staying on the right side of the law
Southeast Asian laws concerning drugs are notoriously severe and jails in Bangkok, Bali and Kuala Lumpur are full of independent travellers languishing in decrepit cells for even minor drug infractions. While authorities will generally turn a blind eye to foreigners, drug offences are policed with rigour.

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