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Published: January 23rd 2013
Hi all,
Am meeting up with my daughter in June to travel through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and possible bureno was wondering what weather is like then and what would be the cheapest way to go. I am traveling from Ireland she is coming from New Zeland, where would be the best place to meet to begin our journey together. We would like to start with beach and sun to relax then head trekking etc and end our trip chillaxing on beach. Would love some pointers from fellow travellers. Napal could be thrown in there if possible.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Welcome to Travel blog
The private message I just sent went prematurely! Anyway, what I wanted to say was...I'm a Moderator whose job is to screen New bloggers to eliminate spammers (who are about 90% of New bloggers), and welcome the rest. So welcome to Travelblog. I look forward to reading your blogs about travel with your daughter around SE Asia. It would be better if you posted questions at the appropriate Forum, as your blog won't get much exposure. Your exposure comes with telling about your adventures with accompanying pictures. Anyway, as my answer to your questions, there are several airline hubs in SE Asia; Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore. You need to compare airfares from your respective homes to each of these destinations. Discount airlines such as Air Asia have many cheap flights from these hubs so its cehap and easy to get around. This raises the question as to your traveling style (budget)...backpacker or flashpacker. Backpackers go for the lowest cost of everything...taking pride in finding a $4 room with no fan, dirty linens and toilet/shower, and many cockroaches as compare to paying $10 for an air conditioned room with clean everything and no bugs. Same with transportation...backpackers will take a combination of "VIP" bus, minibuses, ferries, etc, that take 24 hours to get from Bangkok to the southern islands, with theft and scams every step of the way, instead of flying there in 2 hours for almost the same price. Anyway, once you have determined your travel style, both of which are very cheap compared to the developed world, then you need an itinerary. I would recommend including the Malay Peninsula...how much of it depends on where you start (I would recommend starting in KL to minimize backtracking, and SIngapore is as expensive as Europe). Malaysia is great...I went to school there for 2 1/2 years. Working your way up the peninsula will get you to Malacca, the Cmeron Highlands, and Penang before crossing into Thailand (where you will get a 15 day visa as you are arriving overland...30 day visa if you fly into Thailand) and the southern islands...find a place not overrun by tourists (I like Railey Beach near Krabi). Then fly to Bangkok from Krabi, and after a few days there head north to Chiang Mai. Many cross to Laos and then along the Mekong River to Cambodia and across to Vietnam, continuing from south to north...you can find many TBers telling their adventures along this ultimate Back (Flash) packer Route so you can decide what options you want to take. So do your research by following the trips of fellow TBers. As you can probably tell...I'm a flashpacker. Like you I will be traveling with one of my kids. My son is teaching in Bangkok, and I will meet him in Beijing on 22 March and from there we will take a train across China following the Silk Road as far as Uzbekistan, and from there to the Baltics. So we are doing what you are doing, with the exception of the countries...so have a great time. Let me know if you need any more advice.