Travel in Southeast Asia

A list of the best places to visit in Bangkok complete with highlights for shopping, sightseeing, fun things to do for kids, cultural and historic places to see, food experiences and some off-the-beaten-track places to visit. There is a huge amount to see and do in Bangkok that is family-friendly and suitable for people of …

This post is about Vietnam travel tips for both the seasoned traveler, first-timers or 2-week holiday-makers. Vietnam is a very popular travel destination in Southeast Asia, for tourists, travellers and holiday makers. Whether you’ll be travelling the full length of Vietnam, or spending 2 weeks on a beach, read our Vietnam travel tips and know …

Phu Quoc is tipped to become one of Vietnam’s major drawcards in the future and is already well established as a tourist destination amongst well-travelled people. Getting from Saigon to Phu Quoc isn’t as straightforward as travel to parts of Vietnam from Saigon, mainly because Phu Quoc is an island off the south coast. In …

Kanchanaburi is a beautiful spot on the historic River Kwai, under 200Km from Bangkok. This makes Kanchanaburi a popular weekend destination for people escaping the city for a riverside weekend. Kanchanaburi is also a popular destination in Thailand for long-term travellers as a pretty spot to hang out for a few days or weeks. A look …

The Penang Snake Temple is one of Penang’s outstanding tourist attractions and a must-see for many domestic and international visitors. It is a little way south of George Town Penang (The state of Penang’s capital) and on Penang Island. The snake temple’s full name is Fu-Xing-Gong but most visitors simply call it The Snake Temple. …

There is a very good selection of places to stay in Penang with family to suit every budget, there are some very nice hotels, particularly resort hotels on the beach at Batu Ferringhi, plus other family-friendly hotels in and near Georgetown, and in other spots popular with travellers and holiday makers in Penang. You will …

The Grand Palace in Bangkok is probobly the number 1 must-see attraction in the whole of Thailand. It’s an incredibly beautiful place and well worth visiting. The area around The Grand Palace is a good area to stay as you will be close to Wat Arun, Wat Pho, the Khao San Rd, Jim Thompson House, …

Pai is a small town and district in the north of Thailand in Mae Hong Son Province, not far from the Myanmar border. It has long been a destination for backpackers, digital nomads and long term slow travellers with a cool relaxed hippie vibe, low prices, and rural surrounds. Pai isn’t really a mainstream tourist …

The Jim Thompson House is a popular tourist destination in Bangkok Thailand. The house itself is made of traditional teak, Thai style with beautiful tropical gardens and original furnishings and decorations. It is worth visiting the Jim Thompson House if you have free time in Bangkok or a particular interest in Jim Thompson, silk, art, …

Wat Pho or Wat Po is a one of the most beautiful and popular Buddhist Wats in Bangkok Thailand. It is in Phra Nakhon District of Central Bangkok, on Rattanakosin Island, south of the Grand Palace. It is also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, but its full name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan. The name “Wat …

How to get from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, by bus, train, car, or air. The best ways to travel to Ho Chi Minh from Hoi An. Ho Chi Minh is about 930Km south of Hoi An by road and is the largest city in Vietnam. The fastest way to get …

Thailand is a fantastic, easy, and cheap country to travel around. Thousands of backpackers, travellers and holidaymakers travel within Thailand, and all the other countries in Southeast Asia, daily, this post is about travel options, booking tickets, and arranging travel in and around Thailand, but the same applies to all countries adjacent to and near …

Arriving by air at Siem Reap Airport in Cambodia, you will need to arrange an airport transfer to your hotel in the centre of Siem Reap or nearby. Siem Reap airport is an international airport and is the arrival point for most people visiting Angkor Wat, one of the biggest tourist draws in Southeast Asia. …

Your options for getting from Bangkok to Phuket include train, bus, air, taxi and minibus. There is an airport on Phuket, you cat fly. Read on for more information on getting to Phuket from Bangkok. information on how to book train or bus tickets plus day tours, hotels in Phuket and things to do in this …

If you’re planning a business trip, short stay, or full vacation in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, where should you stay? We give you the best tips on where to stay in Kuala Lumpur, for your needs. These locations in KL, with accommodation at multiple price points, should give you the best Kuala Lumpur experience possible! Where …

We’ve had no problem finding things to do in Kuala Lumpur with kids, almost three weeks here now, something new every day. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you’ll see my kids’ top 5 things, chosen by them. We’ve checked out Chinatown and its temples, seen the roller coaster in a shopping …

Singapore is a great choice for a family vacation or layover between flights. But where are the best places to stay in Singapore with family and kids? We give you some of the best places, hotels, apartments, and family accommodations in Singapore. It’s very easy and quick to get to your Singapore Hotel from Changi …

It’s possible to visit Malacca from Kuala Lumpur on a one-day tour or day trip allowing sightseeing in this beautiful UNESCO listed city. You can book a one day trip to Malacca from Kuala Lumpur here, for an air-con vehicle with guide, or here, for a private tour. These 8-10 hour round trips are perfect …

Bali Indonesia can be a fantastic destination for a family vacation or winter sun break. If you’re planning a kid-friendly vacation in beautiful Bali, be sure to check out the best hotels for families and children on the island. We give you our pick of the most kid-friendly hotels in Bali below. We also discuss …

Phong Nha is an absolute jewel of Vietnam making it a must-see places for natural beauty, but this gorgeous unspoiled landscape offers so much more. Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam, is where you’ll find the biggest caves in the world and there are several caverns for you to visit, easily. In this post …

Need to know some cool and interesting facts about Thailand? This post is stuffed with Thailand facts and trivia, history, geography, and more. Thailand is one of our favourite countries to visit, with the best food in the world, so here are some facts about Thailand, for kids. Thailand is a Southeast Asian country. It’s …

Yes, Vietnam is in Asia, but it’s also a part of Southeast Asia and East Asia. Vietnam is a country entirely in the continent of Asia situated adjacent China and Laos. Vietnam’s full name is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This post answers the question, where is Vietnam? Vietnam is not a transcontinental country as …

Thailand is a country in Asia, and one of the countries in Southeast Asia, a region which spans the north and southern hemispheres with Thailand being located entirely in the northern hemisphere. Thailand is a country, and is not transcontinental, ie Thailand is entirely part of Asia and no other continent. This post answers the …

Singapore with kids – Highlights of Singapore for families and is Singapore a good destination for a family holiday or trip? Tips and ideas for Singapore trips With Singapore opening up for international travel and being such a major transport hub, we can see a very big future for travel to Singapore. We recently spent …

Southeast Asian food is quite possibly the best on the planet. We think so anyway. Southeast Asia is also our favourite place to travel, with trying every local dish we can, being a huge part of the travel experience. With that in mind, Chef (my husband) and I have put together this guide to Southeast …

You’ve probably heard of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, but have you heard of Kuching, its capital, which is also known as Cat City?  Kuching Sarawak is one of our favourite destinations in the world, find out why in our post. The word Kuching actually means “cat” and cat-related landmarks abound. That has to …

This post is about the experience of getting a traditional Thai tattoo in Bangkok. We also suggest other places in Thailand to get a traditional sak yant. These are “bamboo tattoos” done with a long bamboo pole tipped with a spike. This is how I was able to book a Thai tattoo in Bangkok with …

Ipoh Malaysia is a popular destination in Malaysia, with history, street art, food and more, it is popular to visit Ipoh as a day trip or one day tour from Kuala Lumpur, or Ipoh makes a great place for a weekend away or short break suitable for family or with kids. This post covers family-friendly …

Tet, or Tet Nguyen Dan is the biggest, most important holiday, festival, or celebration in Vietnam. It marks the arrival of spring and is Vietnamese New Year, according to the lunar calendar. As it is based on the Lunisolar calendar, the date of Tet in Vietnam will vary on the Gregorian calendar each year, but …

Batu Caves lie about 11km from central Kuala Lumpur. The caves are very easy to get to and there are multiple options including, bus, train, taxi, Grab cars, and (partly) by monorail (Rapid KL). If you’re looking for the cheapest way or the fastest way, we can help you with that. If you are a …

We’ve been to Malaysia, I don’t know how many times. After multiple visits to Kuala Lumpur it’s one of our favourite cities in the world and our trip to Kuching and Sarawak to stay with the Iban tribe in their longhouse was magical. I thought Malaysia was becoming our thing. I thought we should do …

When most people think of Thailand, sandy beaches with crystal clear waters, snorkelling, temples, and tropical fish come to mind. Kanchanaburi offers something different. It is steeped in contemporary history, whilst also offering a place to just relax on the River Kwai and explore the surrounding countryside.  This post is about things to do in …

Amphawa Floating Market is one of Thailand’s best floating markets and is an easy distance from Bangkok for a day trip, weekend or overnight stay. It’s in a lovely part of Thailand, Samut Songkhram and this area is worth your time. Amphawa Floating Markets are open on the weekends, Friday to Sunday and they are …

What is Thai food? Thai food is the national food of Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia, and is one of the best cuisines in the world, if not the very best. Thai food is full of flavour, featuring aromatics like lemongrass, gingers, lime leaves and hot chillies alongside coconut milk, peanuts and basil. Thai …

Sukhothai is a city in central Thailand and home to Thailand’s first ancient capital. For lovers of history and culture, Sukhothai is a must-visit and we’d encourage anyone to add Sukhothai to their Thailand itinerary. However, getting to Sukhothai isn’t so easy, it’s a little off the main train lines, so buses, private tours and …

A favourite part of any trip to Thailand, the Bangkok to Chiang Mai journey, is to be enjoyed not endured. Chiang Mai is a fantastic destination, it is cheap, relaxed, and very different from Bangkok. We highly recommend a trip to this part of northern Thailand and exploring further into the mountains if possible. There …

Everything on living in Hoi An after almost 6 months here.This post started out as a bit of a whinge about how dull it was sitting still for a couple of months but in our second month, after starting this post in the wee small hours, we went out for breakfast and a bike ride …

I’ve been wondering for days if we could take kids to the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin on Ko Phangan. I asked around and got mixed answers. Blog posts like this one describing it as a “war zone” had me wondering. In the end we went to find out for ourselves. We just happened …

Are you worrying about travelling to Thailand with kids? We can help you with that. If you’d like to dip your toe in the water of Asian family travel, taking kids to Thailand would be my top recommendation. We have been to Thailand with our children 20+ times, each trip has been fabulous and problems …

This is the question I’m asked most in our Facebook group – Living Differently. Do I need onward flight tickets, a return flight ticket, or other proof of onward travel, to fly into Thailand. It’s not always Thailand, sometimes it’s Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but we’ll address Thailand in this post. First I’d like to …