Planning a trip to Southeast Asia can be a daunting task, particularly when you’re doing it alone and have only the internet to bounce your ideas off of. That said, it’s a practice that truly pays off, since you’ll feel more organized, stay within your budget, and as a result be able to relax and truly enjoy your surroundings.
But that’s not to say that things can’t be over planned. Trust me, they can. If you have an exact itinerary, you might end up disappointed when things aren’t available or what you expected them to be. The best moments are those that aren’t planned, when you go to a new place just because you met someone else going there too, or are open to trying an activity that you hadn’t considered before.
So seeing as I’ve already done one trip to Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, and am now planning one to include Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia, I thought I’d share a few of my tips with you. That way if you’re planning a trip for yourself, we can perhaps share ideas and tricks of the trade — I’m always open to great ideas in the comments, so don’t be shy to share!
Step 1: Ask yourself what you want to do.
Maybe you’re a beach person, and want nothing more than to spread your toes on flour-soft sand and run your fingers through the silky sea. Or maybe you’re a culture hunter, who wants to explore museums, temples, and build relationships with the people who have lived there through it all. Whatever it is, knowing what you want to do will help you to choose specifically where you want to go, so it’s an obvious first step.
Step 2: Research the locations you’re interested in.
I’ll be honest, my research started with a simple google image search. I knew the kinds of sights and environments I wanted to take in, so when I saw a google image page full of teal water, white sand, and colourful street food, I knew Southeast Asia was perfect. You can also hunt on Pinterest of even Instagram to get an idea of what you’re in for.
Once you have even a vague idea of where you might want to go, that’s when you hit the books. Go to your local library and take out Lonely Planet volumes on your destination. While not all of the books are completely up to date (always google a venue or hotel you might want to visit to make sure it’s still open), these books have a great layout to determine cost, essential things to know, and spark inspiration for different kinds of activities.
Lastly, check your government website for travel warnings or notices. Maybe there’s a dengue outbreak, or it’s unsafe in some areas. Putting yourself at risk (especially when you’re travelling alone) just isn’t worth it.
Step 3: Decide what your budget is.
If the sky’s the limit when it comes to your budget, then this step isn’t as relevant, but for the rest of us, you’ll need to know how much money you have so that you know a) what type of travel you can afford and b) how long you’ll be able to maintain that before you run out of funds. I have personally been stuck in Bangkok, Thailand, with quite literally no money left, eating 7/11 noodles out of a styrofoam cup for days. I learned the hard way, and it’s an easily avoided mistake if you take the time to work out your budget (which clearly, I did not).
I want to note, also, that if your budget isn’t what you hoped for the type of travel that you’d like to do, don’t give up just yet! MintNotion has some great money saving tips, so even if you’ve saved nothing at this point, you will by the time you take off. I recently stumbled upon this blog, and it’s a really inspiring read for how to make the most of your money.
Step 4: Plan your route
At this stage, I like to take to trusty Google Flights to get an idea of the cost to travel to these places. It may seem obvious, but make sure that if you’re going to multiple destinations, that you travel to them in the order you encounter them, so you don’t spend money on a longer route that takes you zig-zagging all over the place. For my trip, I’m planning to start in Bangkok, hop over to Cambodia, Fly across to Malaysia, and end in Indonesia. As you can see on a map, that makes way more sense than, say, starting in Bangkok, flying to Indonesia, and then flying back to Cambodia.
While you’re plotting your route, it is worth researching the weather conditions in each country at the time you’re estimating to be there. If it’s monsoon season, you might not want that, so it may result in you switching up one destination for another (drier) option.
Step 5: Stay focused and inspired
It’s way too easy to let the daily tasks of life distract you from your upcoming trip. Trust me, as an Executive Editor of a quickly growing publication, I know how easy it is to become ‘too busy’. But the best way for you to stick with your money saving goals or to take the time to research and plan things out, is to build an inspiration board.
Yes, this too takes a little time, but trust me when I say it’s actually a ton of fun. You can build a pinterest board, go old-school and cut a collage out of magazines, or do what I’ve started to do and just save Instagrams on my page of pictures that inspire me. When I see those and imagine myself being there, being able to take a photo like that too, that keeps me motivated. If you’d like me to share one of my inspiration boards with you, let me know in the comments!
