So... in the midst of figuring out my itinerary for my adventure alone through S.E. Asia... I am at a crossroad of thinking. The last time I traveled through Europe I had planned my itinerary and booked everything in advance and I swore I would never do that again! What was I thinking! I guess my main concern is that if I don't book flights and such in advance that I will have to pay much higher prices or have limited availability. Is this concern warranted? I think not. I want to be flexible. There are certainly places I want to make sure to see, on the other hand I want to be able to be somewhat spontaneous, open to opportunities that arise. I have saved plenty of money, so while I will still be traveling on a lower to midrange budget I won't be sweating a spontaneous 100$ plane flight or something similar. Any opinions? Experiences? Please share. I am thinking I will just make a rough draft itinerary with little to no advanced accommodation or flight bookings. (I have 2-3 months Between Late September & Late December available...)
Reply to this Hi
The best thing to do in SE Asia is to play it by ear. However much planning you do, you always end up talking to another traveller about some amazing place they have just been to or are on their way to or reading about something else and ending up changing your route.
There are a lot of budget airlines which make it cheaper to buy as you go. Check out Air Asia, Jetstar Asia, Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airlines.
It's not common to book accommodation in advance, unless you have your heart set on a specific place to stay, or perhaps on some of the smaller islands. If you are worried you can always book a couple of days in advance. You may have to think earlier about Christmas, but not that early. Actually, a lot of accommodation is not on the internet and therefore difficult to book far in advance. They tend to work availability around how many rooms they have that day. You just walk in, ask to see a room and ask the price and decide if you want to stay there. It's quite easy.
Most people just fly into somewhere like Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur and take it from there.
Just be aware of what visas you may need to pick up en route verses any you can get on the borders. For some visa on arrivals you need a return ticket so make sure you understand what is required. Also check out how many days you are entitled to in each country and if you can renew visas, as this can scupper people's plans a little.
Hope this helps
Reply to this We traveled through southeast asia for the past 5 months (In China now) and planned very little, we had an idea of which countries we would like to see, and some main highlights in the countries and then took it from there, we wound up going to Malaysia on a whim which was fantastic! as for accomodations, the only time we had a (very slight) problem was in Malaysia, we arrived at night and everything was full or reserved, we wound up with a delux room a few dollars above our budget, but no real loss. Everywhere else we went was first come first serve and we were usually hard pressed to not find a nice place for a decent deal. Good luck!!
Reply to this Thanks you guys. Just need some positive reinforcement. I know my in and out will be to Manila because that is definitely the cheapest way into to S.E. Asia from Hawaii. Getting excited and ready to go solo into S.E. Asia! I appreciate the responses. Best Wishes, Andrew--
Reply to this yeah the only continent I've been through where i really needed to worry about booking things very far in advance is North America during the summer months. It's crazy at the moment!
With Air Asia and Jetstar, I would recommend checking these sites periodically to see if they have sales or deals on. I was with my boyfriend in SE Asia for about 2 months and we had no plans of where to go, just to start and finish in Bangkok. One day we were in Cambodia and saw airfares for about $10 from siem reap to KL, so we snapped those up and off we went to malaysia.
Reply to this Hi Andrew!! Let me know how it goes, my hubby and I are planning via Hawaii and don't know which option to go with. Sounds like doing it on the fly is nice, but I do need the security too.
Reply to this If I did it again I would buy tickets as I go. Yes it might cost a little more, but the flexibility is far far more valuable.
Reply to this It is extremely easy to travel in SE Asia without a plan. Wing it!!!!
Laos was our favorite......
Figure out which country has the most interest for you and start there.
Reply to this Hello Andrew 😊
I only plan in detail when I am enjoying the sense of anticipation it gives me. Otherwise, I don't plan much at all.
Here are what I consider important things to plan for, if you only want to do minimal planning for any trip.
Safery - ie what are the robbery, muggings, political... safety considerations and how am I going to prevent them affecting me.
Health - Get the necessary vaccination information on the WHO(world health organisation) site and have myself vaccinated
Unusual things - ie Acomodation is always scarce there, it is unusually expensive to travel there, it is politically tense or whatever is unusual about a particular place.... I make myself aware of anything unusual about my destinations.
Visas - I check if I need one in advance or not
I have and approximate idea about what my trip will cost.
if I don't book flights and such in advance that I will have to pay much higher prices or have limited availability. Is this concern warranted?
Yes, I think that concern is warrented. But, you can also remain openminded about how you get around. If there are no cheap flights, take a night train or bus.
opinions? Experiences? Please share.
You might find the South East Asia on a Shoestring by Lonely Planet worth buying, because of the guidance it gives to the independent traveller. It covers a lot of countries, so would also be useful for future trips. I have taken mine on my last 3 trips to SE Asia, and it is comming with me again next August when I go there again.
Mel
Reply to this Whats Up Andrew
Everyone is different, For me part of the excitement that keeps me traveling is being spontaneous. share some stories with fellow travelers u meet along the way and you will hear and maybe just take on something you didn't "plan" for
Great travels man Enjoy!
Greg
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