Backpacking in Southeast Asia - Designing Your One Month Southeast Asia Itinerary

If you are thinking of backpacking Southeast Asia, there are many things that you will want to consider while building you itinerary, but the most important are what type of sights you wish to visit, how you are going to get around, and how much money do you have to spend? Below are some things to consider when building your itinerary.

Sights:

The first thing you need to decide is what types of sites or activities you want to see as there are an endless variety of attractions in Southeast Asia? From spending time on the beach, to visiting ancient ruins, to experiencing the craziness of Ho Chi Minh or Bangkok, you will need to decide what is important to you on your trip. Below are a few examples of different sights available to consider when planning your itinerary.

Below is a list of some if the major sightseeing sights in Southeast Asia.

- Siem Reap, Cambodia - Some of the best ancient ruins in all of Southeast Asia.

- Bangkok, Thailand - Sites such as Wat Pho or the Grand Palace.

- Hoi An, Vietnam - My Son Ruins

- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Petronas Towers

- Hanoi, Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

If you are thinking of spending most of your time relaxing on the nicest beaches Southeast Asia has to offer, here are some of the places you may want to consider visiting:

- Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

- Mu Ne Beach, Vietnam

- Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

- Ko Samet, Thailand

- Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand

- Phuket, Thailand

If you would like to try something a little different from your lifestyle, check out these:

- Chiang Mai, Thailand - Jungle Treks

- Borneo, Malaysia - The Headhunters Trail Borneo

- Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, Laos - Slow boat trips down the Mekong

- Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - The Cu Chi Tunnels

- Chiang Mai, Thailand - Elephant Jungle Rides

Travel:

Once you have decided what you are interested in seeing, you will need to decide how you are going to get around? If you want to see several countries in one month you will most likely need to budget some money for flying. Luckily, Southeast Asia has a few quality discount airlines, such as Air Asia, that offer cheap flights.

If you plan to only travel one or two countries, you can likely get by will local buses and trains.

Budget:

The last thing you will need to consider is how much money you have to spend? Cost of travel for the same standard varies throughout Southeast Asia. In general, Vietnam and Laos, tend to be the cheapest countries to visit. Thailand and Cambodia are a bit more expensive, but are less expensive that Malaysia. Knowing how much money you have to spend, will make your trip more enjoyable and will let you avoid scrounging up every last dollar towards the end of your trip.

When designing your Southeast Asia backpacking itinerary, if you consider these three main factors, you will get the most out of your experience.

Are you planning a backpacking trip to Southeast Asia? If so, check out http://www.timetogobackpacking.com to create your free itinerary for backpacking Southeast Asia. Also, checkout the backpacker's checklist or chat with our travelers in the backpacker forum.

Using Thailand As Your Travel Hub in Southeast Asia

Sooner or later, you have to visit Southeast Asia if you enjoy seeing the world. There are simply too many unique landmarks and fascinating cultural aspect to not do so. When you go, you may find getting about a bit difficult, so focus on Thailand as your hub.

Asia is a fascinating area that has to be seen to be believed. From the spires of Angkor Wat to the lightening shows off the coast of Sihanoukville in Cambodia, there is something for everyone. To top the area off as a top destination, a currency problem in the late 1990s has resulted in Southeast Asia being a very cheap trip. Yes, even with the dollar being beaten up.

There is only one hang up when it comes to traveling in this area. Simply put, it is difficult to get from here to there. The quality, size and frequency of the transportation systems in the countries varies fairly dramatically. Consider the contrast between two countries sharing a long border - Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand has its act together. There is plenty of bus, tram and train service in the bustling city of Bangkok. You can also take overnight trains from the city to most destinations in the country. If you have a few bucks to spare, you can usually fly from the city to larger destination in the country, such as Chang Mai, for $40 to $80. When you are ready to head to another country in the region, international flights out of Bangkok are also plentiful and cheap.

Cambodia is in sharp contrast to Thailand. For the most part, the use of the term "roads" is debatable. Things are rough. Much of the northern area of the country is very difficult to access. In fact, one of the more popular ways to get around the country when possible is by ferry. It is highly recommended that you use this mode of transportation when heading to Angkor Wat or your kidneys and back will be an absolute mess. Flying around Cambodia domestically is nearly impossible and international flights are infrequent and really expensive.

Lest you think I am unfairly criticizing Cambodia, it should be noted there is a distinct reason for the infrastructure problems in the country. The Khmer Rouge, of course. This group led by Pol Pot tried to revert the country to an agricultural society. Besides killing nearly a third of the population, the infrastructure took a beating.

This contrast may seem extreme, but it can be found in other countries. Laos is wonderful, but very rural. Indonesia is cheaper than even Cambodia and Thailand, but travel within the country can be physically tough. The contrast go on and on.

Should you travel to Southeast Asia, you are going to need a place to make your base. Thailand is an excellent choice based on my trips to the region. It is very inexpensive, yet the infrastructure is excellent. It simply makes a great place to launch any exploration of the region.

John Grimes writes about travel topics for AllTerrainco.com - makers of natural products for traveling such as insect repellent to keep the mosquitoes off of you while in Southeast Asia.

Palawan, Philippines - The Overlooked Part of Southeast Asia

Thailand is surely to be one of the first places mentioned when you ask someone where to find an amazing island getaway in Southeast Asia. If, not Thailand, then maybe Vietnam, Malaysia or Bali, Indonesia. It baffles me why a country with over 7,000 islands is rarely mentioned. This country is the Philippines.

With the thousands of islands in the Philippines, where's a good place to start? A perfect introduction to island life in the Philippines is the Bacuit Archipelago in Palawan. This is a series of islands that are truly jaw-dropping in beauty. Here you will find a labyrinth of rugged limestone cliffs and outcroppings shooting out of crystal-clear turquoise water.

This portion of Palawan is a protected reserve. This means that there are very strict policies on development and require visitors to purchase park permits. These regulations have resulted in a paradise free of pollution and trash creating an absolute haven for marine life.

There are several great attractions and activities in this archipelago. Diving and snorkeling here will spoil you for a lifetime. We saw thousands of fish, beautiful coral, stingrays, glowing jellyfish, and to top it off, we swam alongside sea turtles. When not on the water, there is no shortage of white sand beaches, one of which is accessed by swimming through a keyhole in a cliff to find a secret beach surrounded by towering limestone cliffs.

Sometimes words are just unable to do justice to such a place of beauty. The next logical step would be to look at some photos, which will surely make you want leave the office.

Get a peek at the beauty of the Bacuit Archipelago in this travel and design website. The crazy part is that even the photos don't do this place justice, this is a must see.

To learn about this location and hundreds of other places from around the world, please visit our travel and design website: The World Effect We have been to 43 countries and counting focusing on design, culture and adventure. All the places we go are documented with beautiful photography, videos and articles. Come visit and be inspired!