Asia Travel Information

This post details some general information for those traveling to Asia (particularly Thailand, Cambodia or Laos).  I highly recommend reading the Lonely Planet’s current country travel book editions for more detailed information.  Also, Travelfish is a great website for information.

COSTS

My wife and I decided to take a six week holiday to Southeast Asia.  A main reason for choosing SE Asia over other parts of the world was cost.  While the plane tickets from Chicago to Bangkok were expensive, we felt that we’d save money on accommodation, food, transport, etc…  The purpose of this “Cost” section is to alert the traveler (from the USA) that a SE Asia vacation is more costly than it appears.

Daily food and accommodation costs are significantly less in SE Asia than Europe.  However, for an accommodation that has hot water, you’ll likely speed at least $20 a night, which isn’t too bad.  After that, the bargains come to an end.

A flight from Chicago to Bangkok is about double that from Chicago to Berlin.  Plus, most countries (but not Thailand) in SE Asia require visitors to have Visas (these are not required for USA visitors to Europe).  The cost of these Visas vary depending on when and where you purchase them.  But on average a Visa costs $50.  In addition, most countries require an Exit Fee of $20 to leave the country.  In addition, transport costs are higher since SE Asia’s infrastructure is not advanced.  There are long range buses but buses of average Western quality tend to be scam buses (esp those originating out of Bangkok).  The government buses (which are not scam buses and so much safer) are not so nice and so make for a long journey.  Also, depending on what country you are in, and the season, it is not uncommon for roads to be flooded which either makes bus travel not possible for a few days or considerably slows the journey down.  Hence, it is not unlikely that you will utilize one of the many budget airlines.  Short flights on these airlines (see below “Flights” section) are great deals, saving considerable time, but they do add up (~$80 per one way) and make the cost of transport in SE Asia expensive.

Transport within a city can be a headache as there is no subway/train system.  Thus you usually have to hire a tuk-tuk (which are huge rip-offs for tourists, see “Tuk-tuk” section) or taxi (which are actually usually less expensive, more comfortable and safer than a tuk-tuk).  In short, since trips in the city are not via public transport, the cost of the trips add up.

Admission prices to sites also adds up.  Locals are charged one admission (usually nothing) and travelers are charged another admission fee.  Even though SE Asia has a lower per capita GDP than the West, they tend to charge travelers Western admission fee prices…so if you think you’ll save money on visiting tourist sites like museums or Angkor Wat…you won’t.

The biggest “hidden” cost are the vaccinations that you need before traveling.  Also, your insurance (if you have any) most likely will not cover these vaccinations are they are for travel and thus not medically necessary.  We had to get the following: Rabies (3 shots), Japanese Encephalitis (3 shots), Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid, Mumps, Rubella, Tetanus and flu shot.  The Rabies, Jap Encepha and Heps cost about $1,500 each.  That adds a lot to the trip cost and we found out about the need for these (some were needed because we were staying 4+ weeks) only after we booked the plane tickets.  Obviously we have only ourselves to blame for not doing our research….but I wanted to alert you to it because its not the first thing that crosses your mind when you are planning a trip.  We also had to purchase malaria pills (this is a must) and due to cost, we choose Doxycycline (about $0.10 per pill per day) which is very reasonable but has side effects (such as causing one to burn easily and upset stomach).  There is a malaria pill available only in the USA that has less side effects but it costs about $3 per pill (which adds up since you take it each day while traveling).  We also bought “traveler’s diaherra” pills which cost about $5-$10 each (we bought about 20 for our trip).  In short, you should factor in the vaccination costs to your trip.

Finally, there are a number of scams in Thailand.  So just be careful and read up on the warning signs…otherwise your trip may get more expensive.  In general, don’t buy any expensive jewelry or tailored suits unless you are an expert in either.

Tuk-tuks

I’m not a fan of tuk-tuks. There are a few good ones but the majority are just going to overcharge you. The worst tuk-tuks that I experienced were in Bangkok and Koh-Phangan. Those in Cambodia and Laos were better but still attempted to overcharge.

The main issue is they charge tourists about five times what they charge a local.  Plus, they’ll show you a laminated card / sheet with “official” prices and insist that this is what they must charge.  This is pure bullshit. The only way to get a decent price is to bargain hard and be ready to walk away if they don’t meet you halfway.  Also, beware of tuk-tuks that approach/solicit you or recommend restaurants/shops.  Many tuk-tuks get kickbacks by taking you to particular establishments…and the establishments that pay these kickbacks are usually the low quality.

Tuk-tuks can be dangerous.  We saw a women, on a tuk-tuk, get hit by a car and she seemed to be hurt pretty bad.  In light of this, I don’t recommend getting in tuk-tuks (or on motos) that are driven by kids (i.e., under 16 years old).  Also, if a tuk-tuk is driving recklessly, don’t be shy about asking him to slow down or stop.

Lastly, I think a taxi is a better route (safer, more comfortable and cheaper)….just be sure to tell the driver to “turn the meter on” when you get in.

Flights

SE Asia has a number of budget airlines and this is a great way to get around quickly. We took a bus/boat trip from Bangkok to Koh Phangan and it took 16 hours.  We were exhausted by the time we arrived and had wasted a day traveling.  For about 2.5 times the cost, we could have take a 1.5 hour flight on Bangkok Airways.  Also, by taking short intra-Asia flights you can cover more area during your trip.  Below are some airlines to check out.   Also, you typically can buy the ticket a week in advance, without much/any change in fare, so no need to plan a rigid schedule.

Bangkok Airways (have lounges for all their passengers at the airport…incl free internet, coffee, snacks, etc…)

Air Asia (have some good destinations)

Lao Airlines (only airline allowed to fly within and out of Laos…safety has improved recently)

Siem Reap Airways

Nok Air