Macau – Known as the Vegas of Asia, this country is unique in a predominately non-gambling area of the world. The Cotai strip is a fun, exhilarating place to stay for a few nights whilst the Portuguese styled Old Town takes you back in time.
Nepal – A hikers dream, Nepal is still vastly untouched by tourism. Visit the biggest mountain in the world and experience local life in the city.
Dubai and the UAE – Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait offer a whole different experience compared to South East Asia. With luxurious hotels, high-end restaurants and sparkling new malls, the UAE is definitely worth a visit, at least for a few days. Plus, many of these countries make for the perfect stopover as you travel across Asia.
52 Comments
really useful post katie! Will share this for my daughter too as she will need to know this stuff!!
I love that you have ‘slow down’ for your first tip. This is so important for any travel. And learn how to ask ‘is it spicy’ – lol – a small detail not to be overlooked.
Slow down is probably the most important tip! People rush through places without really taking time to enjoy the scenery. Great tips!
I love VIP buses as long bus travel can be already so exhausting, the VIP makes it a little bit better. I love the tip on learning the language to ask about spicyness of the food. LOL especially in ASIA! Learned the hard way.
Thank you for sharing these 40 tips which you picked up from experience. Asia is one of my favorite places to travel. I think it’s important to learn the language (like you learned the word for “spicy”) and it’s VERY handy (get it? 🙂 ) to carry a small packet of tissues for the bathroom and a hand towel for wiping hands.
These are such awesome tips. Many overlooked by me. I am from India and I know what you mean by Slow down. I find that Asia has so much offer, so many different experiences, you really cant be prepared enough.
Great tips! VIP buses are definitely the way to travel – and the occasional night bus isn’t so bad either – I especially likes the ones with the bed in! A backpack is also a must if traveling round a lot of countries – the wheelie case just doesn’t cut it in Asia!
These are such great tips! I wish I had something like this before I left since this would have saved me quite a few mistakes. I second the pack tissues and learn spicy. I would also add to bring sunscreen from home since in Asia it is often very expensive and can have skin bleaching chemicals in it.
Oh great tip Kassie! Yeah definitely bring strong sunscreen if you are fair skinned! Calum needed Factor 40 the whole time!
This is such a comprehensive list! Good to know about the ice and water – I suppose if you were on a budget, you could melt some ice for a drink? Or does it taste like it was manufactured? 😀
This is great and I could totally relate to some of these! I do agree with the tissues. In China our guide would tell us when we would be near a “luxury toilet” or if it was a squatter. I also agree with not being afraid. I was too when I headed there on my own, but enjoyed it immensely.
i went backpacking Europe in winter which was brutal as a girl with winter clothes. It would be awesome to head to a place where you could fit 10 outfits for summertime in a single backpack! Since I have been on a similar adventure, I enjoyed these tips!! Sp much easier getting on and off buses/trains when you only have a book bag!
Thank you for sharing those tips! I’m planning a trip to Asia and I’ve really appreciated your suggestions since there were things that I didn’t know! 🙂
Great list! Totally second the tissues part. I would also always carry a versatile scarf, sanitizers and wet wipes! =)
I love Asia. Wish it wasn’t so far away. Halong Bay is at the top of my bucket list. Can’t wait to go there.
Thanks for this quick refresher before we’re heading back to Asia next week! Looking forward to going scuba diving on Koh Tao and eating lots of cheap but oh so delicious Thai food. Heading to Laos as well for the first time. Excited!
Totally agree on the renting a scooter part btw. Too bad we only did it for the first time after spending over 3 months in Asia the last time we visited. Won’t make that mistake again!
Oh, and maybe bring some tampons when you expect to be having your period. Hard to find in some Asian countries!
These are great tips. I just made my first journey to Southeast Asia and wish I had seen some of these before going but you are so right on all of these issues. Hopefully I will be back soon!!
What a useful list, Katie! Didn’t know that about the ice coming from factories, we always tried to avoid it. Pinned this for later reference, for when we finally take the kids to Asia.
A huge list of handy tips. Not drinking tap water is certainly a basic one but the best one. It’s so easy to forget!
Some really important tips in here! Such a great idea to pop them all together in one post. It’s definitely worth travelling in first class buses in some areas especially on longer journeys, I’ve had some experiences of unlocked cabins on trains and sharing with some dodgy people so it’s always best to feel safe and comfortable 🙂
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Great information in this guide! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips you’ve shared here! Definitely agree that haggling and bargaining is crucial especially when travellers are visiting Southeast Asia as prices are always inflated.
Its a great posts for those who loves to travel! I just joined this amazing platform and I’m already confused about what to read and what not! Some Parts where the writer has beautifully summed up all the points is the best part! like if you are in hurry and you just want to scrum through then you can skip the main and read these valuable pointers! Good Work!
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Monelle, welcome to our travel blog!
Really Very Useful Post Katie, Thanks. I really like the system of VIP buses.
Thanks so much! glad you found it helpful!
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This is one thorough post with some very useful tips on traveling through Asia. Bookmarking it for future and will be sure to pass it onto my friends too 🙂
I’ve not been to Asia yet so this will come in handy if I decide to backpack around it!
Such useful information for travelling through Asia. Keeping the article for the future as Asia is top of my list to travel to next.
Great post with very useful information and lots of tips. I will definitely use some when I next visit Asia.
This is such an informative guide with so many useful tips. I haven’t explored much of Asia yet but I am saving this for when I do
I love this guide! Knowing how to ask if something is spicy is key! I didn’t do that many times and had to order buckets of water, haha!
This was such a thorough and helpful post! I’ve just pinned it for my future travels to Asia!
What a great & thorough blog. I saved it for my up-coming SE Asia trip!
This is awesome – I’ll definitely bookmark for when international travel resumes!
Great information and love the reminder about slowing down. It’s so important to actually enjoy these moments and not just check things off your bucket list.
thanks for the recommendations, havent been to some of those countries and hope to once everything opens up again!
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Love to read your article. thanks