Solo Traveling Southeast Asia?

[ridethecliche]

Yeah, so this thread could mean pretty much anything right? Hah!

I'm planning on leaving my job in a little over a month. In late may or early June, I'm going back to the motherland (India) to visit family for about 2 weeks. After that, I have time to travel and I really want to go through southeast asia. I don't have a set agenda, but I don't like flying through places just to check them off the list. I'd like to explore around a place for a week or so and get a feel for it before moving around. I'm okay missing out on a few things and don't feel the need to check off every box when I'm there.

Logistically, I probably have about 3-5K to spend and might get my RT to India paid for as a family gift.

I'm trying to figure out which countries I should go to and what I should do there. I don't have any idea where to start regarding how to decide how many and which...

I'm starting med school in the fall and hoping to get a last huzzah in before that.

Any suggestions or advice would be hugely appreciated.

 

[Claghorn]

Look white for better service.

Don't look white to avoid the touts.

Fuller advice soon, but:

Malaysia-nicest people on Earth
Vietnam-beautiful, interesting, great food. The Hyatt in Da Nang is fantastic and I believe a member here handled it's opening
Thailand-mostly skip
Philipines-skip, though the food is ridiculously good
Macau-amazing for a day trip (you can read its history in its architecture)
Hong Kong-just amazing


DONT get a cheap SEAsian suit made

 

[ridethecliche]

I'm ideally looking to spend about a month wandering outside india. I feel like spending time exploring 2 countries will probably be more than enough especially since airfare is substantial in comparison to cost of living. Also probably staying in hostels vs hyatts haha.

What about cambodia?

Thanks for the info!

 

[EliodA]

Echoing Clags statements on Vietnam, HK and Malaysia. Indonesia has some parts that are breathtakingly beautiful, other parts are best avoided.
I don't know if you consider it SE Asia, but southwest China (Yunnan) is a fascinating region to travel.
Also, for food, nothing beats China.

 

[Monkeyface]



Look white for better service.

Don't look white to avoid the touts.

Fuller advice soon, but:

Malaysia-nicest people on Earth
Vietnam-beautiful, interesting, great food. The Hyatt in Da Nang is fantastic and I believe a member here handled it's opening
Thailand-mostly skip
Philipines-skip, though the food is ridiculously good
Macau-amazing for a day trip (you can read its history in its architecture)
Hong Kong-just amazing


DONT get a cheap SEAsian suit made

Dude, Thailand mostly skip for a young guy traveling solo? Also, stay at the Hyatt in Vietnam? You should be staying in hostels and badly made bamboo beach bungalows. You won't be meeting many people and make new friends in hotels, that's for sure.

Out of all of the SEA countries I've been to (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Indonesia), I've had by far the most fun in Thailand. It's not a even close. I think I've spent 4 months in total in Thailand, and I could've spent many more there.

 

[Journeyman]

Echoing Clags statements on Vietnam, HK and Malaysia. Indonesia has some parts that are breathtakingly beautiful, other parts are best avoided.

I don't know about Vietnam, but Thailand is great. Sure, some parts of it are very touristy, but there's still plenty of fantastic places, people are very friendly, food is great. Yes, there are touts, but you'll find them in many places in SE Asia. If you have time, I'd certainly include Thailand on your itinerary.

I had some of the most amazing experiences of my life in the several months that I spent travelling through Indonesia in 1996-1997. Yes, some places were absolute hellholes and I couldn't wait to get out, but other places were astonishingly beautiful, the people were great, the atmosphere was great, and I could happily have stayed longer.

 

[anthony.sparks]

I would agree with everyone recommending Thailand, I have been there recently and loved the food and its people! I would definitely go back there again but they have a lot of similarities with the Philippines.

Please check the attached infographic, more info can be found on the article itself as to which is the best time to visit etc. https://gowithguide.com/blog/thailand-tourism-statistics-2023-all-you-need-to-know-5250