Asia,  Cambodia,  Singapore,  Thailand,  Vietnam

Top Things to Know about Traveling to Southeast Asia

July 1, 2022 /
This post will save you from making mistakes that I made while traveling to Southeast Asia for the first
time.

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This post is to help you know everything I learned about making your trip to Southeast Asia the best that it can be. By providing you with the top things to know while traveling to Southeast Asia, you will be more prepared for your visit. I live in the Southeastern United States, so this trip was literally on the other side of the world for me! While this made visiting even more exciting, it also made it very unfamiliar. I used my knowledge of North American, South American, and European travel to prepare. Some things worked and some things just didn’t, so read this post to ensure your trip is top notch.

Southeast Asia is HOT

The temperature in Southeast Asia is hot…all of the time. It’s not just the heat that gets to you, but also the humidity. As I mentioned earlier, I live in the Southeastern United States, so I am familiar with the heat/humidity combo; however, this felt different. In part it is because we spent so much time outside exploring, but also because the monsoons keep things pretty wet a lot of the time which adds to the humidity. Some places you go inside only have fans to cool you off, so you will need to make sure you have access to a lot of bottled water. If you are visiting the temples or other religious sites of importance, you will need to ensure your shoulders and knees are covered. Make sure that whatever clothing you bring is a light fabric, like cotton, that allows air to flow through.

Have Clean, Crisp, New Bills to Exchange Money in Thailand

It is always a good idea when traveling to have access to cash because you will find that a lot of places do not take credit or debit card. You should also save this tip: never exchange money before you arrive to the country you are staying in. The conversion rate is always better if you wait until you arrive at the airport or a currency exchange in town. With these tips in mind we felt prepared; however, what we were not expecting was for so many of our bills to be rejected because they were old, had ink marks on them, or had very minor rips. This was especially a problem in Thailand (most places we visited in Vietnam took card & Cambodia accepts USD as their official currency).

When we were at the airport we needed to exchange money to get a taxi and were unable to do so. Thankfully we worked out a deal with the hotel shuttle service, but it was a bit stressful after a full day of travel. We ended up using the ATM a lot in Thailand to get bills and came home with several USD bills. Save yourself the headache and make sure that the banks in the US give you clean, crisp, new bills. Also the higher the value of the bill, the better your exchange rate will be in Thailand. For example you will get a better exchange rate if you exchange a $100 bill versus five $20 bills.

Pack Insect Repellant or Buy Some Right Away

The mosquitos are pretty bad, especially when you go into the forests. The only place I didn’t use insect repellant was on the beaches in Thailand because of the breeze. Otherwise in all of the places we visited- Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand (in town) and Singapore, we wore bug spray. Besides the annoyance of bug bites, there is a small risk of contracting a mosquito-related illness. You can get anti-malarial pills from your doctor before you go; however, we deemed the risk low enough to forgo them and were fine. I found that the cost of the repellant in stores wasn’t as high as I thought, but you’ll save money if you pack your own.

Prepare to do Laundry

If you have read my other blog posts, specifically about how I manage to pack all of my belongings into carry-on bags, you know that one tip I have is to pack Febreze and wear your clothes at least twice. I am going to have to retract that advice when traveling to Southeast Asia. We chose to do laundry two different times over the two week period. This is because you will sweat a lot from the heat and humidity. I do recommend packing the Febreze still if you will be moving from location-to-location so that you can spray the dirty clothes before repacking for travel during your vacation. The good news is that laundry is inexpensive. You can also find accommodations that have laundry machines inside, making it free or more cost-effective.

You Should Dress Conservatively

There will be no one policing what you wear, and you will feel safe if you wear your favorite crop top; however, you will also stand out from the crowd. As a whole, the culture of Southeast Asia is more conservative when it comes to dress than say Miami, Florida. You are fine to wear tank tops, shorts, and cute dresses, but you won’t see many people wearing fake lashes and all of their jewelry. I’d also skip bringing your favorite designer bag. Just opt for simple outfits, plus you’re going to be really sweaty remember? I felt completely fine wearing what I packed, so for reference check out this video.

Be Open to New People

One of out all-time FAVORITE things about Southeast Asia was the kindness we received from everyone we met. We cannot think of a single instance in which someone was rude or unkind to us. I found that everyone was very happy to speak with you and teach you about their culture. I learned a lot about Hinduism and Buddhism from a former Buddhist monk at the Angkor Archeological Park, and a lot about the varying political views of the Vietnamese people from our guide at the Cu Chi Tunnels.

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