7 weeks in Southeast Asia: Route/Itinerary Help, Please!

Hello fellow travelers -

I'm thrilled to be embarking on my first backpacking trip and my first journey to Southeast Asia in two weeks. I'm traveling with my boyfriend who plans NOTHING and - while I'm envious of his laid-back attitude and aware of the fact that little goes to plan when traveling in Southeast Asia - I would like to have some semblance of an itinerary to help guide us on our way. We'll be arriving in Bangkok late at night on the 17th of March and leaving from Bangkok early on May 1st. I have done a great deal of research and read about so many places that I'd love to see. The problem is that with just 7 weeks we'll be stretched thin seeing all the cities, towns, and landmarks I'm interested in.

I'm looking for beautiful scenery, culture, and an adventurous trip. I'm interested in the following (please forgive my spelling):
Thailand - Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai, Pai, Krabi
Cambodia - Angkor Wat
Vietnam - Sapa, Hanoi, Halong, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, Dalat, Mekong River
Laos - Luang Prabang, Vien Vang

My question is has anyone done a similar trip and have an itinerary to offer up? If you had seven weeks what would your route/itinerary look like?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Hi,

I know how you feel- i have a VERY laid back boyfriend and have done most if not all of the organising of our round the world trip which includes most of the places you want to go.

We've decided to fly into hong kong and then join a tour with a backpacking group to go through vietnam, cambodia and into thailand and then doing malaysia on our own before flying out to oz. i realise tours seem to be frowned on on this website but its taken so much stress out of getting it all sorted.

try this website http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/VSV - i think its most of the places you wanna go so you don't have to organise the whole thing!

Hope this helps and good luck!

Sam

Thanks, Sam! Glad to know I'm not alone and I'll take a look at your itinerary. Have a great trip!

Hi,
What a shame you have not included the wonderful Indonesia into your itinerary- You have no idea what you will be missing.
Pamela

Hi there everyone,

Me and two friends are embarking on our round the world trip in April/May. Asia is the first leg of out journey but is proving to be the hardest to plan. We are looking to do a tour due to it being our first time and wouldn't really know what to do and here lies the problem. Originally we thought it would be the cheapest part of the rtw trip but the tours that cover the places we want to go seem to be as expensive as the one we are planning to do in America that takes us from the west coast to the east coast!

My mate who has taken on the role of trip organiser informs me that the places to go, and as a result the core of our asian tour, are Bangkok, Vietnam and Cambodia. I have found a tour that goes from bangkok to singapore http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/2320.htm for a lot cheaper than the one we are planning to do which is this one: http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/VRK. However my mate tells me this route would be boring compared to the other one. As i do not know a lot about any of these places i want to see what more informed people think about them.

So basically what tour do you think looks better and are malaysia and singapore boring?? Also if you have any tour suggestions i would be very interested in hearing them.

Thanks fellow travellers

one of the best things i did in vietnam was sapa, beautiful place

Hi Everyone

You HAVE to include at least 3-4 days in Chiang Mai to get a real feel for the place, I live there and have built a website & blog recently crammed full of useful information about both the city & the surrounding areas.

Take a look at: [snip] & [snip]

Best Wishes

Kevin

Moderator comment: please see Forum Rules

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. Link to Forum Rules added. ]

you have to include the Philippines i you itenerary.
Its such a very beautiful place.
gotta visit it.!

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

Jump up a week in Vietnam, you will cross border to Cambodia for next destination. Should arrive Hanoi first, then fly out from Hochiminh. Alternative choice is to cruise from Hochiminh to Phnom Penh, and enjoy your stay in Cambodia for approx 5 days before fly out.

Hi themeffan,

BKK is the usual starting point form most travelers.

Thailand
a) BKK take day trips to Kanchanaburi and Ayutulla .
b) Coach/bus to C.Mai. In C.Mai do a 2/3 days trip to Pai. Then go back to C.Mai for day trips to C.Rai and the Northern Thailand attractions ( C. Mai > 7 days ).
c) Krabi is way down South and famous for its beach. So it is a big detour if you want to go to Krabi.

Cambodia
a) Back to BKK by Bus/coach.
b) Then Bus from BKK to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)
c) Then from Siem Reap to Phenom Phen by River(Boat) or Bus.

Vietnam
a) P.Phen to Ho Chin Min City by bus.
b) Then by bus following the route up to Hanoi. Visit interesting places as you head up north.
c) Lots of Beaches along the way up North. Danang and Halong bay are worth visiting.

Laos
a) Hanoi to Luang Prabang by bus/coach.
b) L.Prabang to V.Vieng by bus/coach.
c) V.Ving to Vientaine by bus/coach.

Thailand
a) from Vientiane you can fly to BKK, or
b) Cross back to Thailand to Nong Khai ( Taxi or Bus ) and stay for 1/2 days.
c) Then from Nong Khai back to BKK by Bus or N.Khai to Loei to BKK. Depending if you have time.

Hope this helps. Have an Enjoyable ans Safe trip.