South East Asia Travel Guide

Southeast Asia is the testing grounds for many budding adventure travelers, and a must-do on the backpacker circuit. But there's something for nearly everyone here.

What to Do

South East Asia includes such backpacker hotspots as Thailand and Bali, but that's certainly not all. There are thousands of islands covered by the Southeast Asia label, many of which get very few visitors at all each year. Also sheltered by the South East Asia umbrella are Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Of course, because many of the countries in Southeast Asia are islands, many of the tourist attractions here are beach and water-based. The climate is generally mild to warm, making it an ideal year-round beach destination, and because there are so many beaches you can find anything from super-crowded party beach cities to peaceful and virtually private beaches - and everything in between.

In addition to the obvious lure of the beaches, South East Asia also has an interesting culture that is, for many travelers, an easy introduction to broader Asian travels. It can be a little more challenging to travel in Southeast Asia than Europe, but it's not necessarily as hard as Africa or other parts of Asia, so it's a good proving ground if you're looking to test your adventure wings.

Getting There

There are several major international airports serving the area, including the ones in Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. So getting a flight to South East Asia is only as hard as choosing which country to visit.

Once you're in Southeast Asia, you can hop from country to country (or island to island) on one of the region's low-cost air carriers.

Where to Stay

For the most part, South East Asia is a budget traveler's paradise, and there are lots of budget hotels in Southeast Asia to choose from. There are also tons of hostels in South East Asia, in every country you will likely be visiting. You may even find that you can afford what for this area is a luxury hotel on your backpacker's budget. Of course, there are some places where you can still spend a fortune on a seriously deluxe hotel if that's more your speed.