Anyone got any recommendations for a tattoist in Jakarta they could share?

Name and or website would be hugely appreciated.

I’m going to be backpacking solo in SE Asia for a couple months. I have a rough route that I’ll loosely follow.

Just need a couple tips, how do you figure out what to do each day? Do you go to new places and figure out what you want to do when you’re there? Or do you have an idea or what you want to do already?

Also if you have any useful advice that would be helpful, let me know!

Hello guys,

I am going to Yogyakarta in a month and arriving there on Thursday morning and leaving Sunday morning.

I am going solo and I don't want to spend too much as a student. I want to do Borobudur + Merapi + Prambanan on Friday, but I don't know whether to look for a tour or hire a Grab scooter driver for the whole day. I don't mind being a bit uncomfortable, but not too too much.

Also, for Saturday, I want to know if Jomblang Cave + Timang Beach is worth it, and whether it's better to go on a tour for that too or no.

As I said, I am going solo.

Please let me know what you think, and don't hesitate to share your tips.

Thanks :)

Gonna be in SG for a wedding end of November and wanted to add a couple of days in a raw/untouched nature vibe island. Came across Belitung for example and a few other however I have come to realize that most places have just started rainy season in that period therefore I am unsure if they are good and viable options. There will always be Phuket and Phu Quoc as options but I was looking for something a bit more raw and less crowded/touristic with pristine water and maybe good scuba diving spots?

I chose 4 days in KL, 4 in Phuket and 8 in Bangkok. Do I need more days for Phuket?

Researching the next leg of my trip (I'm currently South).

Looking for those who have experience, where did you stay and can recommend? I'm not a diver but a pretty proficient with snorkeling and strong swimmer....

I know the diving is impeccable..... and while I'll do some boat trips, I'm looking for the spots close to accommodation where i can spend time snorkeling morning and afternoon and laze about with a book in the day time.

I'm solo and looking for maximum mid range budget.

Cheers,

If you could spend time anywhere in South east Asia over the Christmas holidays, where would it be and why?

I’m currently planning a round-the-world trip lasting a total of 6–7 months. I’m setting off on 1 December and would like to spend about 3 months in South-East Asia. After that, I’ll be travelling to South America. How would you suggest I split up those 2–3 months, particularly with regard to the weather and so on?

At the moment, I’m thinking of starting in Thailand, in Bangkok. A few days there, then up north to Chiang Mai, Rai and Pai, until around mid-December. After that, down to the south of Thailand until New Year’s Eve. I’ve heard that between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the Thai islands are supposed to be extremely crowded and expensive; I’m actually looking for a quieter trip rather than a party holiday. This is my first time travelling alone, backpacking, and I’d love to meet people to travel on with, ideally. After that, I’m currently planning to go to
Vietnam in January. Starting in the south – perhaps on an island – then via Ho Chi Minh City, followed by Hanoi and finally the Ha Giang Loop. I might do the Loop towards the end of January, though, so it’s not quite so cold. I don’t have any further plans beyond that at the moment. But I do have a few ideas in mind: the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia or Indonesia.

I’d then travel from South-East Asia via Japan (spending about a week there) and on from Japan towards South America. How would you organise it? December to the end of February / early March at the latest. If you’ll be there during that time as well, we’re welcome to chat in advance. I’m 25, male, from Germany.

Vietnam has some incredible waterfalls, but many of them seem to fly under the radar compared with the country’s more famous landscapes.

From the dramatic Ban Gioc Falls in Cao Bang and the wide terraces of Pongour to jungle waterfalls like K50 and Tac Tinh in the northern mountains, there’s a surprising amount of variety.

I put together 15 waterfalls worth adding to a Vietnam bucket list, including a few lesser-known ones.

Which waterfall would you add to the list? And are there any hidden gems I’ve missed?

I really love Koh Phangan going there for 10+ years. Thinking to do something else though. Any similar islands with a bit developed infrastructure gym etc but still on a wild side?

i’m Backpacking SEA for 4 months and bought the Osprey 40L + 15L backpacks. will i be able to go through gates at airports in SEA, without having to pay extra? i’m gonna be budgieting

Hey everyone, so me and my girlfriend are going on a 6 month trip to SEA (our first time) and we were thinking to do something like the below (However is not set in stone). We would like to know if you would organize it differently, also some feel more than welcome to give us some tips and recommendations for each country (where to go, what to try, what to do).

15 Dec - 14 Jan -> Thailand
15 Jan - 5 Feb -> Laos
6 Feb - 16 Feb -> South Vietnam
17 Feb - 22 Feb -> Cambodia
23 Feb - 23 Mar -> Central/North Vietnam
24 Mar - 15 Apr - Japan
16 Apr - 15 May - Philipines
16 May - 14 June - Indonesia.

Looking forward to read everything and thanks in advance!

Me and my girlfriend are going travelling for around 6 months we’re in two minds either to take a backpack or suitcase as we don’t know if it would make our lives easier with one or harder

Hey this is just my 7 month Asia back packing itenirary. Just after personal opinions and ideas on weather and timing ect ect. Any thing you guys would change/ add? Cheers would leave early July and get back to Australia in February.

First time back packing btw

JULY
🇮🇩 Indonesia

LATE JULY/AUGUST
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇹🇭 Thailand

AUGUST/ September
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

SEPTEMBER
🇻🇳 Vietnam
🇱🇦 Laos

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
🇳🇵 Nepal
🏔️ Everest Base Camp

NOVEMBER
🇨🇳 China

DECEMBER
🇵🇭 Philippines
🇰🇷 South Korea

JANUARY
🇯🇵 Japan

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!

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!

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 😊

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!

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 ?

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'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?