SE Asia 3 months

I would consider adding a few places.

I see you're planning to miss the thai islands altogether but if you haven't been there before, I would visit them for at least a few weeks.

In northern Thailand, I'd suggest that you make a stop at Pai. It's further west than chiang Mai - by the burmese boarder. It's one of my favorite places in north thailand and definitely worth a visit.

In Laos, I would also suggest Vang vien as a stop. It's between Luang Prabang and Vientine. Reply to this

S.E. asia for the most part is fairly secure, however, it still pays to be careful. I've spent a fair bit of time there now and the place that people have recurring problem with thefts is almost always on the train and buses. What ever you do, don't leave anything valuable in your backpack that you put into the luggage area of buses as often times they will be looked through for anything of any value. What I suggest is to put your clothes and less valuable things in a large main backpack which you "check" getting on the bus and keep a smaller backpack with you that contains your more important items.

Although in theory in thailand in Laos you're suppose to have your passport on you when you're out and about, very few people do it and generally it's not a problem. As soon as I check into a hotel I take my valuable things and put them into the guesthouse safe. Many places offer lockboxes that you can supply your own lock for, which are included in the price of your room. This is generally the place where I keep my passport, bank cards and credit cards.

If you have more than one credit card, it's also not a bad idea to separate them to reduce the change that you will lose both at the same time. Reply to this

Great itinerary, I did a similar trip a couple of years ago. Though I strongly recommend you keep the itinerary very flexible, you can never really tell until you arrive somewhere whether you're gonna want to move on as soon as possible, or linger there forever. One of my favourite countries is Laos (very relaxed culture, very friendly people, some great experiences to be had), so personally I would recommend you plan to spend more time there. Definitely recommend taking the slow boat from Luang Prabang up to Nong Khiaw in Northern Laos, it's an awesome journey into rural Laos, the hill tribe villages are a lot less touristy than in Thailand - in fact most things you can do in the tourist honeypot of Chiang Mai you can get a better experience for less money in Laos because there's so many less tourists. Also Vientiane is one of the most chilled out capital cities in the world. Stop by the tourist office if you're in Vientiane and do one of the treks to the the elephant viewing tower. It is an amazing experience and insight into rural Laos life (even if like us, you don't see any elephants!).

Regarding valuables, these countries have a low risk of crime. Your biggest issue is likely to be getting ripped off or scammed by a tuk tuk driver or a dodgy tour guide. But while it's an unpleasant hassle, the costs involved are usually small in the context of the overall trip.
Reply to this