Top Tips for Traveling Southeast Asia

Mainland Southeast Asia includes Cambodia. Laos. Myanmar (Burma) Peninsular Malaysia. Thailand. Vietnam. When visiting these countries, although each one is different, there are things to avoid doing in each country that will make your trip even better.

Know Your Spice Limit
Just because you love spicy salsa and can handle hot food in the states, spicy is a whole other level of hotness in these countries. Even if you order food without spice it might still make your eyes water. Boiled egg or a side of boiled rice will help cool the heat in your mouth down. Also, check out the street food, sit-down restaurants are often pricey and you can get the same items from a marketplace stall.

Don’t Overdo It Drinking
Have you ever heard of a Thai Bucket? These are like the plastic buckets kids use to build sand castles but instead of being filled with sand they are filled with coke, Red Bull, and hard liquor. Go easy on those if you order them and never go drinking alone.

Understand the Currency Exchange
When you first do the exchange and have 3 million Vietnamese Dong in your hand. It’s important to be able to do currency exchanges on the fly so you aren’t overspending. Get an app like the XE Currency app to keep track of how much you’re really spending.

Don’t Over-Pack
Southeast Asia is hot and humid, don’t worry about makeup, it won’t stay on too long anyway. If you’re traveling to the major cities, anything you need you can get in markets. Convenience stores have mini-products of any toiletries. A good rule to follow is to lay out everything you think you need and then eliminate half the items. One thing you might want to bring with you is sunscreen as it can be on the pricey side if you need to purchase.