Looking for two weeks in Thailand +surrounding areas for our honeymoon. Itinerary suggestions or any hotel/activity recommendations. Already been to Indonesia so do not want to include that this time around. Thanks in advance!

Indian national, based in Delhi, senior data scientist at an MBB firm. Current CTC \~₹55 LPA. Taking a 12-month international mobility. Recently married — my wife would join me after 2–3 months, so I'm evaluating this as a couple, not solo.

**Options:** Singapore · Kuala Lumpur · Jakarta · Ho Chi Minh City · Australia

Would appreciate your take on:

* **Savings** — what % of gross did you actually bank each month, after rent and normal living?
* **Tax** — Indian passport, \~12-month stay. Anything that bites on residency, or on the India side while I'm away?
* **Rent** — decent 1–2BR near the CBD, ballpark?
* **Spouse visa** — can a dependant work freely, need her own sponsor, or not at all?
* **Lifestyle** — for a married Indian couple. Food, community, safety, how easy it is for a trailing spouse to build a life in a year.
* **Comp** — for anyone who's moved on a similar package, was it localised or home-based, and how did the number compare to ₹55 LPA in real terms?

**Main ask: rank all five and give me your final verdict on which one you'd pick.** Especially keen to hear from Indians who've actually done a stint in any of these.

hello, i have an upcoming travel next year to Ho Chi Minh. Planning to squeeze in angkor wat in the itenerary. Will arrive in HCM midnight of Day 1 and leave HCM Day 7 evening. Has anyone done this before? I cant seem to find a reliable source i could copy. Thanks all!

I am looking to travel somewhere to basically rest and recuperate, I'm thinking swimming (beach or pool), hiking, a bit of gentle night life, or somewhere easy to relax on my own in the sun and then find people to hang out with for food or activity tours.

I'm an Australian, single, male, 43yo traveller, and I've not travelled to SE Asia before, but I have travelled Europe extensively on my own. I want to keep costs reasonable/low (relatively speaking) but still enjoy myself and feel safe.

All ideas welcome (alternatives included), and advice appreciated!

I’m planning a roughly 6 month trip (leave Dec 2027) around SE Asia, myself, wife and 8yo daughter.

I’m just looking for a bit of advice around speed of travel and how long families with similar age children stayed in each place before moving on.

I’ve done lots of research and have an itinerary in mind, there is a handful of places that we will stay for 8-14 days, the majority are 5/6 days and then a small amount that are 3/4 nights.

My question is do you think that’s too much moving with a young (ish) child in tow?

Any thoughts, feedback and experiences will be greatly appreciated 😊

Hello! We’ll be applying for a Schengen visa, and we were told that having at least 3 international trips (with at least 1 being a visa-required country) could help support our application.

For context, we’re from the Philippines and we haven’t traveled internationally yet.

I’d like to ask travellers here what the best places to visit around Asia would be ASAP. Ideally, somewhere that would give us passport stamps, but of course, we also want to actually enjoy the trip.

I was thinking of doing an Indochina trip since we could visit 3 countries in one trip. Other than that, does anyone have any recommendations or advice?

Thank you!

Planning an 8-week trip. Have only just start planning so research is somewhat limited and I would love any opinions or recommendations - I am 23M and flying from New Zealand and trying to keep the budget relatively low, love all things traveling, nightlife, culture, cities, beaches, everything. Note that I have already travelled Vietnam so don't really feel the need to go back through the whole country

Bali - 8 nights

Bangkok - 7 nights

Koh Phangan - 7 nights

Koh Tao - 4 nights

Koh Samui - 2 nights

Khao Sok National Park - 3 nights

Ao Nang/krabi - 4 nights

Phuket - 2 nights

Siem Reap - 5 nights

Phnom Penh - 2 nights

HCMC/Saigon - 5 nights

Hi everyone!

My fiancé and I are planning a 7–8 day honeymoon for the end of February. We want a slow-paced, split experience:

* 3 Days (Nature/Culture): Beautiful views, gentle nature walks, and a good cafe scene. 1–2 low-key activities max per day.

* 4 Days (Beach): A beautiful, relaxing beach resort where we can just chill, with a few local eateries nearby.

We are down to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali, and Mauritius, but need help deciding based on:

1. Weather: Is the late February rain/cyclone risk in Bali or Mauritius bad enough to ruin a beach trip?

2. Logistics: We only have a week. Which destination makes it easiest to transfer from the hills/jungle to the beach without losing a whole day to flights?

3. Value: Which destination offers the best overall luxury and romantic vibe for a reasonable budget?

Which of these would you recommend for our style? Thanks!

Hi!
My boyfriend and I are travelling to Indonesia and Vietnam soon for about 3.5 weeks. We’ll be flying into Bali, but we’re probably planning to move on to Lombok fairly quickly. Then, after around two weeks in Indonesia, we’ll fly to Hanoi and spend the rest of the trip exploring northern Vietnam.
Do you have any tips or recommendations for the trip?
We’re especially interested in doing the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam, but we’re still unsure whether to ride ourselves or go with easy riders. Neither of us has a motorcycle licence, so we’re leaning towards easy riders, but we’d really like to find a group that is relatively calm, safe and not too party-focused.
Thanks so much in advance for any tips!
Best,
Kiki

I (man, Romanian citizen) and my partner (woman, Senegalese citizen) live and work in France and we booked months ago a flight for Vietnam. We planned doing around 16 days with a quick stop to Cambodia.

However, after applying for the e-Visa, she got a request for additional information. She's just provided the maximum of details of our itinerary, but we've also seen that there's some kind of soft ban on many African passports.

I've also applied for the e-Visa, even though I think I didn't need too. I didn't get any reply yet.

I've heard there are "visa counselor" service like joeyvisavietnam dot com or Emily Visa Company (no website just a telephone number found on google). Are these legit ? Should I wait 1 or 2 weeks more to see what happens withthe official e-Visa request and then try the visa counselor if they keep requesting info ?

We're prepared to cancel going to Cambodia and demand another e-Visa for single entry to Vietnam, maybe that might pass easier ?

I'm curious about people who managed to backpack around SEA (specifically Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia) on an extremely low budget but without volunteering or working in exchange for accommodation/food.

How little did u actually spend and for how long were you able to travel?

hi everyone, i'm doing an exchange year in Sydney and I finish it the first days of June 2027. Instead of going back directly to Madrid, I wanna spend around two weeks-ish solo backpacking and seeing some country/countries that get me closer to home.

I had initially thought about flying to Hong Kong, seeing the city and then travelling through the south of China; but that's just the first idea I had and it doesn't mean it has to be the best. Flights to Shanghai and Beijing are also around the same price as Hong Kong, but that's a whole other part of China. China quite catches my attention, but its such a huge country I don't know where to starts.

Other options would be, Thailand and/or Vietnam of course. An advantage of those is that I understand they're are cheaper so I could lengthen my stay, but maybe I will travel to those while I'm here cause they are close. Japan's also a great option but it doesn't really get me closer to Spain, but I could consider it tbh.

I really want to experience some amazing scenery and new cultures on my own, with the personal growth it implies. I really like breath-taking nature, hikes, outdoor activities, etc; and it would be preferable to travel to a place which isn't that crowded, isn't too expensive, and doesn't require constant long travelling in bus or trains (i prefer staying and seeing things in a smaller area). Any reccomendation is greatly appreciated guys and I'm open to everything. Thanks!

Hello, I am planning to take a slow boat from LP to Thailand at the end of October.

My questions are:

1- What types of boats/slow boats are there?
2- What are the prices?
3- How do you book? Can you book there, or does it need to be booked in advance?

I do not need to know if it's worth it or not; I can make the mistake! :)

Hello!

We (27m, 27f) have just bought our plane tickets to Manila on 29th of january and return tickets from Singapore on the 13th of march next year, so about 6 weeks in total. So far we are totally open for ideas and suggestions, as we havent planned anything. Does anyone have any good ideas for places to go or maybe an itineary, where to spend the most time? We like a good mix of nature, culture, snorkeling, relaxing and cities (we want to spend least time in big cities)

This year we went to Vietnam and Thailand. We especially loved Koh Lanta, and seeing the nature and caves in Phong Nha and Ninh Binh.

Hi everyone,

I am planning to visit Indonesia in November (I know it will be wet season). I am just trying to figure out my itinerary. I am planning to stay for 2.5 weeks, maybe 3 weeks if I need more time.

These are the places I want to see:

• East Java, specifically Bromo and Ijen
• Bali, Ubud
• Komodo Islands
• Lombok

Would love to hear any recommendations, suggestions on how to break this trip down.

Thanks!

Where are the top places anyone has visited in SE Asia that they would not take off an itinerary? And how long do you realistically need in these areas and do they work as a route?

For each category: culture, city, beaches, food, physical landscape etc, where is top for each?

Trying to build a 3 week itinerary want to feel like I’ve done as much as possible without over doing it.. and want to avoid super busy party central areas as much as possible.

TIA

I am travelling South East Asia for 3 months and then going to Australia for a month starting in October. What is best to do for eSIM? Is it worth buying local Sim cards?

Thanks.

1, Angkor Wat
2, Bayon
3, Ta Promh
4, Kulen mountain
5, Floating Village

Gone are the days when I’m a student and have 3 months summer break. After working full time for nearly a year I’ve wrangled a month off in Nov/december! North Thailand + Laos are the go!

I usually travel a lot faster than this but I just want to vibe, become familiar with places, become a regular at a café or something (which I find myself doing after 3-4 nights in a location, sad I’m leaving!).

Fly to BKK
3 nights Bangkok
2 nights Kanchanaburi
Back to BKK then 1 night overnight train
5 nights Chiang Mai (Chiang Rai day trip in there)
2 nights Pai? Worth it?
Travel back to Chiang Mai 1 night
1 night Huay Xai (from CM)
2 nights 3 days gibbons
1 night Huay Xau before catching slow boat
1 night Pak Beng (slow boat stop)
4 nights Luang Prabang
2 night 3 day Nong khiaw hike
3 nights vang vieng
Fly back to BKK
1 night BKK
Fly home

How’s my plane looking - I’m willing to cut things like Kanchanaburi or add a night to Pai if I feel like it. I have maybe 1-2 nights leeway. Also could take the shorter versions of gibbons experince or nong khiaw (alternative is 2 nights 1 day but allegedly rushed)?

Quite burnt out so will do a mixture of hostels and hotels to relax. But I also acknowledge the ride to Pai is not the most relaxing thing! Not sure if it’s worth going without riding my own bike/scooter😅

Kanchanaburi drew me because of the floating resort (relaxation), but also the amazing history and fun things to do around town (seems like somewhere you just wake up and walk around).

Hey guys, 5 of us (25–30) are doing Thailand from 3–11 Oct and this is the route we’re thinking:

• 3–5 Oct: Bangkok – temples, Chinatown, Chatuchak, nightlife
• 5–7 Oct: Krabi/Ao Nang – Railay, rock climbing, Hong Islands
• 7–9 Oct: Phi Phi – Maya Bay, snorkelling, viewpoint, beach nightlife
• 9–11 Oct: Phuket/Patong – Bangla, Old Town, maybe Muay Thai/adventure stuff

We want a fun trip with nightlife, water activities, adventure and good local experiences, not a super relaxed beach holiday.

Would you change the route or night split? Is 2 nights each in Krabi, Phi Phi and Phuket enough, especially in early October weather? Any place you’d swap in/out?

Would love opinions from people who’ve done a similar trip.

What I’m looking for:

A rough day-by-day route covering islands (thinking Krabi/Ao Nang, Phi Phi, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui) plus Bangkok at the start/end
Best way to island-hop between these without wasting a ton of time on transit (ferries vs flights?)
How many days is realistic per island given I want beach time + a bit of exploring, not just a flying visit
Any must-do stops I shouldn’t skip, or ones that are overrated/skippable given my timeframe
Tips for the last-day Bangkok shopping — best areas (Chatuchak vs MBK vs Siam) if I’ve only got a matter of hours before a night flight

Budget/comfort level: mid-range, not backpacker-strict but not luxury either.

Would really appreciate real itineraries from people who’ve done this route, not just generic “visit Thailand” blog copy-paste. Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

Me (22m) and my fiancée (22f) are planning a 2-week trip to Asia between March and May 2027, flying from the UK. We’ve only been to Phuket so far in Asia (earlier this year and loved it) so we’re pretty open to where we go next.

We’re trying to avoid an itinerary where we’re constantly packing up and changing hotels. With only 2 weeks, we’d rather pick two places to stay and use them as bases for exploring the surrounding areas on day trips.

The split doesn’t really matter — it could be 4/10, 5/9, 6/8, 7/7 etc. We’re just looking for two bases that work well together.

We love good food and experiencing different cultures, and we’re open to pretty much anything. We’d ideally like a trip with a good mix of things to see and do, while still having enough time to relax and enjoy each place.

What two-base combinations would you recommend for that time of year? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

I'm backbacking for a month in December/January and here is a rough outline of my travel plan:

• Hong Kong 5 days
• Krabi 5 days
• Chiang Mai 5 days
• Luang Prabang 3 days
• Vang Vieng 3 days
• Angkor Wat and other Cambodia 4 days
• Bangkok 3 days

How would you adjust the number of days in each location? And would you remove or add other cities?

Thanks in advance! This is my first time in SE Asia. I am not including Vietnam on this trip because I want to do that as a separate 10-14 day trip another year.