So after finishing off our trip through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar we thought we would share a few brief thoughts on things that travelers might find useful along the way or when considering how much cash their trip will require. This is not to suggest that we are experts on it or that we were particularly successful at saving lots of money on our journey, but there were a few things that we wish we’d known ahead of time. Please note that we include specifics on logistics in posts about those areas and packing thoughts in another post.
Bathrooms are often pay to use affairs; even those at designated stops made by buses. For this reason, be sure to carry small bills/coins to pay for the privilege of peeing. Also note that this privilege does not include tissue – bring your own … everywhere. Further, if you find a good bathroom, use it. You may not see another one for awhile.
It is cheap and easy to buy light clothing in S.E. Asia. Probably cheaper and easier than bringing it with you. But quality is about what you would expect for the price.
In many S.E. Asian countries, people will not accept larger bills that have been crumpled or damaged in any way. For the smaller bills it does not seem to matter much, but we did see several people get asked provide a different bill when one of the larger denominations as crumpled or had a small tear. We also witnessed one guy who simply said, “it’s money, not my problem” and walked away apparently without consequence; however, we would not recommend this approach. In Myanmar, for those taking USD to exchange, they must be pristine, unfolded, new bills or money changers will not accept them. We saw several people have their bills refused in Myanmar.
Cheap food tips usually revolve around eating street food, and we have loved a lot of the street food. While sage advice suggests you only eat at busy stands, even that does not always save you as we discovered in Hanoi. The cheap eats might be cheap because they are, shall we say, well-aged. The other reason might be that portions are tiny. Check the portions in front of other diners before you commit. We often opted for vegetarian as it is usually cheaper and we felt that it was less likely to have been contaminated. While in S.E. Asia we didn’t experience any really horrible bouts of illness so there may be something to it.
When booking guided treks or caving events be aware of any minimum numbers of participants and consider booking with other travelers to ensure there are enough people. We lost a great caving trip in Phong Nha because not enough people had booked on our day. If they do cancel, don’t forget to check for a refund of any deposits that are sent directly to an account. Sometimes a reminder is required.
Hoi An; the tailor town. We had two things made in Hoi An. A pair of leather sandals and a leather bag. The sandals fell apart the first time Tamara wore them. The bag is still going strong and we use it everyday. We bargained hard for the bag and made sure that we got what we wanted and at a decent price. Be sure that you go to multiple shops and inquire about prices for products before selecting a shop. Also, look at the materials and the workmanship of the samples to ensure that you are getting something of decent quality.
Travel. When you look at a map of any of the above countries, many of the places you want to see appear to be nice and close together: only a few hundred kilometers away! We knew that travel speeds in S.E. Asia were slow, but we did not truly grasp how slow. Take the estimates provided in guidebooks, or even scheduled arrival times when talking to transit companies and add several hours. If you are planning on covering anything more than a couple hundred kilometers you need to either go at night, or allow a full day of transit. Buses are almost always the cheapest option for travel between places, but they are also the least comfortable and most dangerous. While night buses are convenient there have also been some nasty bus crashes in Vietnam and Cambodia. Either way, be sure to shop around at a few different agencies as the prices can vary widely. We found that trains (in most cases) were a nice balance between comfort and expense. Especially for the longer legs of our trips or those that go overnight.
Be aware that early arrivals on night transportation may result in you wandering the streets with your backpack for awhile before anything opens. Given that you almost never sleep well on night transport this can be a little disheartening.
Also, many buses stop at roadside stands where the company or driver may have an arrangement with the owners. Food at these stands is often two or three times as much as you would pay elsewhere and the hygiene may be questionable. For this reason, we always try to take snack foods and water with us on longer journeys. When traveling by train there is usually food available, but the frequency, price, quality, and selection is unpredictable. Basically, take simple snacks and something to drink with you on trips longer than an hour or so.
Local transit. Bangkok has a great light rail system that is definitely worth using. The airport tourist information kiosk has free English maps of the system. Other than that travelers will be reliant on taxis, tuk-tuks, or motorbike taxis. All of these require bargaining BEFORE you get in or on them. Be aware that we encountered several people who had come across taxis with fast meters or who drove them in circles for ages in Saigon. Another alternative in some areas is to rent a scooter. We did this several times in Thailand and wish that we had done it in Vietnam as well. Pedal bikes are also widely available.
Accommodation. As a couple, we found that it was often about the same price to take a double room as to pay for two dorm beds. Even if it was a dollar or two more, we usually opted for the comfort and privacy of the double room. Also, for those who like to book ahead rather than wander and search for accommodation on arrival, we found that Agoda.com often has better deals than the places that are listed in most guidebooks. Do ask for discounts if staying multiple nights.
Accommodation in Vietnam and Cambodia will ask for and expect to keep your passport while you stay. Sometimes you can get around this by saying you need it to book tickets, but it is pretty well standard practice.
Be aware that accommodation in Myanmar is much more expensive than the rest of S.E. Asia. The average double room will be $20 or more. Some are cheaper but are horrible.
As everyone has probably heard, bargaining is the thing to do in S.E. Asia. There are two prices, foreigner and local. You will almost never get the local price. We usually cut the initial asking price in half as a starting point and then moved up from there. Be willing to walk away from a bargaining session if you really want to save money. This can be especially effective when bargaining for transport. On that note, when bargaining for transport try to have an idea of how far away your destination is and, if possible, ask at your hotel how much it should cost to get to a certain location. Also, don’t forget to smile.
Holidays. Festivals are awesome! … until it’s day five of an inescapable water fight on a holiday that has stopped all transportation services to the locations on your time-limited itinerary. Be sure to research when holidays fall and what they entail. You may want to ensure you are in a good location and not going to move for a few days on the larger holidays. And book both accommodation and transport ahead for holidays.
For trains, check out the man in seat sixty-one, a great resource for train information. We think that you should take at least one train in S.E. Asia. It really is a different experience from the buses.
We always carried a few plastic shopping bags. They were really useful for laundry and garbage. Responsible travelers should avoid the local practice of throwing trash on the ground, despite the lack of public trash cans.
While we were warned of this ahead of time, it still broke our hearts: children begging is a common sight in many parts of S.E. Asia. We were warned by locals not to provide money to them as they are out there at the behest of their parents and as long as the kids are making money the parents won’t put them in school.
If anyone has anything to add, feel free to comment below. We hope this helps someone out there as others’ blogs have helped us in our adventures.
Next up: India!
From Snow to Sand: B&T Adventures 