Backpacking Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam (backpacking brahs gtfih!)

[Pugilistic]

Update:
So my plan is coming along. My plans for Thailand are almost set. I have a basic idea about Cambodia but my plans for Vietnam are completely in the air.

Thailand
Stay in Bangkok for a couple days before heading to Chiang Mai stay there for a a day.
From Chiang Rai, go to Huay Xai, Laos for a trekking tour in the jungle called the Gibbon Experience. You basically live in tree houses for three days in the jungle and zipline from treehouse to tree house. This is something I felt like I had to do when I first heard about it.
After Hauy Xai, head to Chiang Mai. Stay there for a few days.
Check out Pai for a few days.
Fly down to Koh Tao for a week. Do a day trip to the Full Moon Festival if I'm up for it.
Take a ferry to Koh Phangan and stay there for a week. Go to the Half Moon Party as it is around my birthday.
Go up to Bangkok again to stay there for a day or two before heading to Cambodia. I'm gonna try to hang out with the Thai girl I met in Laos last year.

I'll be in Thailand for a little less than the 30 days I'm permitted. I'm still not sure if the Full Moon Festival will be worth it. I know it's the big thing to do in that area but it just seems like a giant beach party with drunk young people everywhere, which is cool, but would it be worth it? Not sure. With the half moon party, at least my birthday is a part of it.
I'm not going to be in Bangkok long, so I'm wondering if I should stay a day or two longer before I leave for Cambodia.

Cambodia
Rough plans involve Siem Reap (Ankor Wat), Battambang, Koh Rong, and Kampot.
I was going to skip Phnom Penh but I have to go through it anyway if I want to go to Vietnam so I might as well stay a day.
I might do a workaway in Koh Rong Sanloem (a small island off the coast) and help a local family for free accommodation.
From Phnom Penh take a bus to Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam
Since I loved Vietnam so much when I went to Hanoi, I might extend my stay to a few weeks by working somewhere and getting accommodation in return.
I want to check out the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong River and Can Tho while I'm there.
Vietnam is the cheapest country, and IMO has the best food, so I just mostly want to hang out and eat while I'm there.

Any recommendations regarding Thailand, Cambodia, Southern Vietnam would be welcome. Or general prep advice. I just got myself a pricey 70L bag.

 

[JabToucher]

You must love the movie the beach!

 

[Lone Coyote]

So in my recent trip to Laos, I had the opportunity to trip balls on shrooms and I had a vision of myself backpacking. The idea of backpacking and wandering around foreign lands, facing inevitable hardships, and meeting people along the way always appealed to me. In my recent trip I mostly hung around backpackers and it was a great experience to meet all those cool people. Most of them were Europeans younger than me (early/mid 20s) and I have great admiration for them for being so adventurous. In my early 20s I was too much a pussy to do anything out of my comfort zone. Backpacking would've been a great learning experience for me but I had a lot holding me back.

While traveling with them I got a break from the routine of regular modern life and experienced more passion than I usually encounter. People were so open and friendly. Backpacking also seems to attract certain kind of people and I seem to get along with such people better. I've become disillusioned with meeting women where I live but I feel like if I ever fall in love again, it'll be while I'm traveling with a woman who is traveling as well.

It seems clearer than ever that I need this experience. I need to get away from first world life. So when my contract with my current job is over, I'm not going to renew and go backpacking. This is a thread for any tips and suggestions or to share experiences if you've have done it.

A few things I'm considering:
I'm leaning heavily towards South East Asia + India. Since I already live in Asia, the flights will be cheaper and closer, and with a Korean passport, it's easier for me get into most other Asian countries. I've also been to a few SEA countries so it'll be more familiar. Europe would be amazing but it's expensive, and Latin America is too far (flights are expensive). Africa would be quite the trip but it's also too far and perhaps way too unfamiliar. I want to go somewhere completely different from what I'm used to, which is why I added India to the list.

A very rough list of places is : India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. I've skipped some countries in between like Bhutan and Bangladesh, but I'm wondering if they're worth going. I would love to visit Okinawa on the way back home but I might not have the money. I might put somewhere in China on the list because it sounds ridiculous to have a trip around Asia and never go to China.

Money. This is going to be the biggest factor in how long I travel and and which countries I can visit. I'll likely stick to the cheaper ones and likely skip Singapore or Hong Kong. I'd love to visit Japan again but it's also too expensive. I'll need to learn how to budget tightly.

Weather. This is my most pressing concern at the moment. The earliest I can start is in March, where I know the weather in many SEA countries become rainier and hotter and more humid and conducive to mosquitoes. I'd prefer to go in the winter (start now) but I have a job to go to.

Any tips or suggestions for budgeting? Safety? Absolute essentials you need?
Has anyone here done it? What did you learn from it?

@KrazyKanadian @TheWorm

Go to a place where your money goes a long way, sleeping, eating and moving around is expensive.

Also, instead of moving around from a place to another one, try staying for a while. If you want to go to Spain, go there, rent for a month, and get a simple job that allows you to meet new people and sustain yourself (coffee shop, hotel hostess, etc). That way you can immerse in a different culture instead of Grand slamming through a couple of places and retuning broke as fuck to your mother's basement.

Cheers,

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Three items I always have with me camping:

A good, sharp, sturdy knife with a decently long blade.
If possible, two, one shorter.

A coil of rope.

A towel. Always know where your towel is, it's the most massively useful thing in the Universe

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

So in my recent trip to Laos, I had the opportunity to trip balls on shrooms and I had a vision of myself backpacking.

 

[Phr3121]

I'm gonna go Backpacking.

I did many of these, does it count?

 

[Daverisimo]

Look into wwoofing if you really want to save money. Basically, you do maybe 3-5 hours of farm work a day for free room and board. I've done it in the a few different states in the US and Mexico (usually for about 1-2 weeks at a time), and had some pretty good experiences.

http://wwoof.net

Beyond that, the more you stay outside of cities, the further you can stretch your money. If you are stuck in a city, a lot of hostels will let you barter work for room and board.

How are you planning on getting around? Hitchhiking, or paying for train tickets and shit like a fucking yuppie? If you have the balls for it, i strongly recommend the former. Cheaper, and a hell of a lot more interesting.

 

[AlexDB9]

You must love the movie the beach!
View attachment 486875

The only thing I remember about that movie

 

[Cole train]

What exactly are these "inevitable hardships"

80 procent of these backpackers in their 20s are rich kids on parents money.

Of course if doing blow in a nightclub in a foreign country counts as hardship then it might be hard lol.

(This just my experience,otherwise traveling is fun)

 

[JabToucher]

The only thing I remember about that movie

I really do love this movie.
But oh boy she was hot!

 

[Phlog]

Take a universal handcuff key on your keyring and a fold up box cutter in your waistband.

If you get captured by either police, criminals or terrorists they will first bind your hands with a zip tie or handcuffs and then transport you for processing. During that trip you have the opportunity, should you wish to escape with these tools.

Keep two wallets, one that is sacrificial. Don't leave valuables in your hotel or hostal.

That's the worst of it imo .

 

[Joe265]

So in my recent trip to Laos, I had the opportunity to trip balls on shrooms and I had a vision of myself backpacking. The idea of backpacking and wandering around foreign lands, facing inevitable hardships, and meeting people along the way always appealed to me. In my recent trip I mostly hung around backpackers and it was a great experience to meet all those cool people. Most of them were Europeans younger than me (early/mid 20s) and I have great admiration for them for being so adventurous. In my early 20s I was too much a pussy to do anything out of my comfort zone. Backpacking would've been a great learning experience for me but I had a lot holding me back.

While traveling with them I got a break from the routine of regular modern life and experienced more passion than I usually encounter. People were so open and friendly. Backpacking also seems to attract certain kind of people and I seem to get along with such people better. I've become disillusioned with meeting women where I live but I feel like if I ever fall in love again, it'll be while I'm traveling with a woman who is traveling as well.

It seems clearer than ever that I need this experience. I need to get away from first world life. So when my contract with my current job is over, I'm not going to renew and go backpacking. This is a thread for any tips and suggestions or to share experiences if you've have done it.

A few things I'm considering:
I'm leaning heavily towards South East Asia + India. Since I already live in Asia, the flights will be cheaper and closer, and with a Korean passport, it's easier for me get into most other Asian countries. I've also been to a few SEA countries so it'll be more familiar. Europe would be amazing but it's expensive, and Latin America is too far (flights are expensive). Africa would be quite the trip but it's also too far and perhaps way too unfamiliar. I want to go somewhere completely different from what I'm used to, which is why I added India to the list.

A very rough list of places is : India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. I've skipped some countries in between like Bhutan and Bangladesh, but I'm wondering if they're worth going. I would love to visit Okinawa on the way back home but I might not have the money. I might put somewhere in China on the list because it sounds ridiculous to have a trip around Asia and never go to China.

Money. This is going to be the biggest factor in how long I travel and and which countries I can visit. I'll likely stick to the cheaper ones and likely skip Singapore or Hong Kong. I'd love to visit Japan again but it's also too expensive. I'll need to learn how to budget tightly.

Weather. This is my most pressing concern at the moment. The earliest I can start is in March, where I know the weather in many SEA countries become rainier and hotter and more humid and conducive to mosquitoes. I'd prefer to go in the winter (start now) but I have a job to go to.

Any tips or suggestions for budgeting? Safety? Absolute essentials you need?
Has anyone here done it? What did you learn from it?

@KrazyKanadian @TheWorm

My tip is to avoid being the shallow traveler that focuses on how many places they can hit, versus the depth and richness of experience they can only gain staying in one place for an extended time. I would recommend planning to visit just one place first, maybe taking a language course, then let the flow of life carry you from there. If that means staying or moving on let it be.

 

[AlexDB9]

I really do love this movie.
But oh boy she was hot!

If I was Leo in that movie I would have just ran away with Francoise and left those crazy people in their make believe eden

 

[Medulla Omoplata]

Take a universal handcuff key on your keyring and a fold up box cutter in your waistband.

If you get captured by either police, criminals or terrorists they will first bind your hands with a zip tie or handcuffs and then transport you for processing. During that trip you have the opportunity, should you wish to escape with these tools.

Keep two wallets, one that is sacrificial. Don't leave valuables in your hotel or hostal.

That's the worst of it imo .

Keep a couple packets of lube in your waistband as well in case you get kidnapped.

Also you can stay at @Clippy's house if you want.

You'll need the lube there too.

 

[Tone C]

A towel. Always know where your towel is, it's the most massively useful thing in the Universe

Especially if you're going interstellar.

 

[Pugilistic]

Go to a place where your money goes a long way, sleeping, eating and moving around is expensive.

Also, instead of moving around from a place to another one, try staying for a while. If you want to go to Spain, go there, rent for a month, and get a simple job that allows you to meet new people and sustain yourself (coffee shop, hotel hostess, etc). That way you can immerse in a different culture instead of Grand slamming through a couple of places and retuning broke as fuck to your mother's basement.

Cheers,

Good point. As I was typing out my list of places I want to visit, I realized I would I need to be gone for a long time if I really want to get something out of each country. I will end up cutting out certain countries off that list. I was thinking of doing workaway so I can meet people, work, and become more exposed to the local culture. I really want to meet and talk to locals.

Look into wwoofing if you really want to save money. Basically, you do maybe 3-5 hours of farm work a day for free room and board. I've done it in the a few different states in the US and Mexico (usually for about 1-2 weeks at a time), and had some pretty good experiences.

http://wwoof.net

Beyond that, the more you stay outside of cities, the further you can stretch your money. If you are stuck in a city, a lot of hostels will let you barter work for room and board.

How are you planning on getting around? Hitchhiking, or paying for train tickets and shit like a fucking yuppie? If you have the balls for it, i strongly recommend the former. Cheaper, and a hell of a lot more interesting.

Great info. I never heard of wwoof but it looks like workaway. Sounds pretty cool. I would hitchhike but I don't think hitchhiking is a thing in Asia. At least the places I've been to nobody seems hitchhike. In my country it's unheard of.

What exactly are these "inevitable hardships"

80 procent of these backpackers in their 20s are rich kids on parents money.

Of course if doing blow in a nightclub in a foreign country counts as hardship then it might be hard lol.

(This just my experience,otherwise traveling is fun)

Not the people I've seen.
Going from a developed country to a much less developed one will bring about relative hardships by default. I'll probably end up getting sick from something I eat, potentially exposed to malaria, get ripped off, possibly get arrested by corrupt 3rd world cops, and i'm not rich so I'll have to figure out how to get money and be very frugal with it. At the very least adjusting from the routine I have now to one where I'm in a completely new environment regularly will be interesting to deal with.

Take a universal handcuff key on your keyring and a fold up box cutter in your waistband.

If you get captured by either police, criminals or terrorists they will first bind your hands with a zip tie or handcuffs and then transport you for processing. During that trip you have the opportunity, should you wish to escape with these tools.

Keep two wallets, one that is sacrificial. Don't leave valuables in your hotel or hostal.

That's the worst of it imo .

Lol I was leaving a good chunk of my money in the hostel room in Laos and it didn't have a safe. Nothing happened though but I probably won't do it again. I'm afraid of getting pickpocketed or just losing it and losing everything if I keep all of it on my person. Might have to get one of those retractable tethers for my wallet like a dork.

Do you think escaping from the police would be a good idea?

 

[Omegaboy13]

Go hike the AT, CDT, or PCT like a real backpacker.

 

[RockstarChris]

So in my recent trip to Laos, I had the opportunity to trip balls on shrooms and I had a vision of myself backpacking. The idea of backpacking and wandering around foreign lands, facing inevitable hardships, and meeting people along the way always appealed to me. In my recent trip I mostly hung around backpackers and it was a great experience to meet all those cool people. Most of them were Europeans younger than me (early/mid 20s) and I have great admiration for them for being so adventurous. In my early 20s I was too much a pussy to do anything out of my comfort zone. Backpacking would've been a great learning experience for me but I had a lot holding me back.

While traveling with them I got a break from the routine of regular modern life and experienced more passion than I usually encounter. People were so open and friendly. Backpacking also seems to attract certain kind of people and I seem to get along with such people better. I've become disillusioned with meeting women where I live but I feel like if I ever fall in love again, it'll be while I'm traveling with a woman who is traveling as well.

It seems clearer than ever that I need this experience. I need to get away from first world life. So when my contract with my current job is over, I'm not going to renew and go backpacking. This is a thread for any tips and suggestions or to share experiences if you've have done it.

A few things I'm considering:
I'm leaning heavily towards South East Asia + India. Since I already live in Asia, the flights will be cheaper and closer, and with a Korean passport, it's easier for me get into most other Asian countries. I've also been to a few SEA countries so it'll be more familiar. Europe would be amazing but it's expensive, and Latin America is too far (flights are expensive). Africa would be quite the trip but it's also too far and perhaps way too unfamiliar. I want to go somewhere completely different from what I'm used to, which is why I added India to the list.

A very rough list of places is : India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. I've skipped some countries in between like Bhutan and Bangladesh, but I'm wondering if they're worth going. I would love to visit Okinawa on the way back home but I might not have the money. I might put somewhere in China on the list because it sounds ridiculous to have a trip around Asia and never go to China.

Money. This is going to be the biggest factor in how long I travel and and which countries I can visit. I'll likely stick to the cheaper ones and likely skip Singapore or Hong Kong. I'd love to visit Japan again but it's also too expensive. I'll need to learn how to budget tightly.

Weather. This is my most pressing concern at the moment. The earliest I can start is in March, where I know the weather in many SEA countries become rainier and hotter and more humid and conducive to mosquitoes. I'd prefer to go in the winter (start now) but I have a job to go to.

Any tips or suggestions for budgeting? Safety? Absolute essentials you need?
Has anyone here done it? What did you learn from it?

@KrazyKanadian @TheWorm

i used to manage a Sports Authority and people would come in and look at the weight of the backpacking gear to determine if they wanted to buy it. "that portable butane stove is 1 ounce too heavy"

Apparently pack light. Take a camelpack (the backpacks that have the water bladder in them) because they are so small you can usually wear a backpack over them. And bring packets of whatever fast food sauce you like the best because if you need to kill something to eat it might as well have Arbys sauce on it. Squiirel with Arbys sauce, my favorite.

 

[LatFlare]

You must love the movie the beach!
View attachment 486875

That's a great movie and the book is worth reading too.

TS save 10k and buy a 1 way ticket.

 

[D Train]

Love backpacking. Will contribute later.