On Christmas eve 2012, at 6 pm I gave my final hugs to my family who came to see my sister and I off at the airport and headed into the transit hall. My first thought when I stepped past the immigration into the Mecca of duty-free hauls was, ‘Wow, no curfews or family breathing down my neck for the next 22 days!’ Then three days later, after I sent my sister off at Suvarnabhumi Airport and I was completely alone, I thought to myself, ‘Right, this is it. I am completely on my own now. Let’s roll.’
Not many Asian girls I know would go on a solo backpacking trip around Southeast Asia. Most of them would prefer spending their grad trips shopping and sightseeing around Europe. For those like me, who prefer to conquer nearby places before venturing further and are planning a solo trip around the region, here are some things I learnt!
1. Have a brief idea where you’d be heading.
I made an itinerary for myself (mostly for my mum back home) to gauge how long I have to spend at one place. Like most itineraries, things tend to crop up somewhere and changes needed to be made. No worries, go with the flow.. have some fun! It’s totally worth it.
2. Pack light but bring a sweater.. or two.
You’re backpacking, not going to a fashion show in Milan. Chances are, when you dress up, people are going to stare at you. Especially in Laos and Cambodia. Bring one or two nice clothes and the rest, some ratty old t-shirt and shorts or pants you don’t mind throwing away after. Most likely, you’ll be washing and wearing the same things for days. Laundry services around town are dirt cheap… unless you’re pinching pennies.
The thing about weather in Southeast Asia is that it’s unpredictable. In Singapore, it’s sweltering hot all the freaking time unless you walk into a shopping mall. But in other parts of SEA, especially up north, it tends to get a little colder. Expect temperatures to dip to 15 degrees (0 degrees in the mountainous regions) during the dry seasons from November to March. If it’s during the hot season, from March to May… just bring one, for the cool nights.
I wasn’t prepared for the cold in the Chiang Mai mountains and later at Luang Prabang. A pair of jeans couldn’t keep me warm, hence I had to fork out and buy some warm clothing.
P.S. Girls, bring a dress. Just one. Just in case. ;)
3. Keep your belongings with you at ALL times.
You’re going to go around for weeks in a large backpack. You can’t be digging into your huge bag every time you need something. It’s exhausting.The best thing to do is to have another smaller backpack you can carry your valuables in. Fanny packs are possible too, but they look horrible. I tend to take my passport and other important documents with me at all times in case a nuclear war, zombie attack or the apocalypse happened and I can fly straight back home where I would be safe. That, and also if I lose my passport… it’s going to be hell replacing it.
If you aren’t going to carry them around, make sure your hostel/hotel has an in-room safe. Oh, bring your own lock. Sometimes, they don’t provide any at the hostels. And DO NOT leave your phone charging in your room. I accidentally left my iPhone in Koh Samui and it got swiped barely 15 minutes after we left the room.
4. Don’t keep to yourself, be friendly!
Travelling alone is best because you get to meet so many awesome people, and you can choose to hang out with anyone without having to think that your companion might not approve of the company! In hostels especially, there are tons of people from all over the world. Get to know your dorm mates, grab a bite or some drinks with them and who knows, you might have found great friends to keep for life!
5. Be friendly, but don’t be too trusting of people.
If you have the ‘Oh, I am afraid to talk to strangers cos they’re gonna rape me/kill me/sell me to prostitution’ mentality, you ain’t gonna go far. In Vang Vieng, I shared a room with Matthew, a Brit whom I met on the bus from Luang Prabang. We knew each other for less than an hour, and we decided it was economical to share a room since I was going to be there for a night.
I’ve been lucky, all of the people I was friends with during the trip were mighty decent and (mentally) sane people. But of course, if you aren’t as daring as I am, there are hostels with female only dorms. And surprisingly, I prefer female only dorms because, well, we girls care about our surroundings and hygiene more than men. I swear. If someone was creeping you out, stay the hell away from him (it’s usually a him, really.) and run to the nearest stranger and pretend you guys know each other for years. They’ll usually help you get out of awkward situations.
6. Get a local SIM card.
Specially to all you Singaporeans hooked to social media. Get hold of a local SIM card with data plan so you can Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter all you want even when you’re high up in the mountains. Research on the company that has best plans and head to the nearest convenience store to get them. AND ASK THEM TO SET IT UP FOR YOU. Unless you understand Lao or Thai or Khmer, then good for you.
The best 3G connection I’ve encountered so far is Thailand’s
DTAC. I was on Facebook getting yelled at by my mum cos I lost my iPhone…. while on a catamaran in the middle of the ocean. In Laos, I depended on
Beeline for my calls and on the semi-fast WIFI in the guest house.
7. Don’t worry about how you’re going to get to one place to another!
One thing I learnt about backpacking… you can not plan for anything and still go somewhere new the next day. I made a mistake of booking a minivan to Laos a day after I came back from my three-day trek in the mountains of Chiang Mai… which means I couldn’t extend my stay and enjoyed Chiang Mai more. There will ALWAYS be a bus from somewhere to anywhere you wanna go, even if you booked it at 10 pm the day before. The backpacker areas (e.g. Khao San Road) have tons of legitimate tour agents set up for you to book your tours or buses or trains, so relax, and enjoy what the place has to offer. FYI, you can book your tours, and transport through your hostels too!
8. Don’t worry about pre booking hostels too!
Unless it’s during the peak season (e.g. school/public holidays etc) there are tons of hostels and guest houses to choose from. Most of the time, it is cheaper to book it directly over the counter than through Agoda. For example, I saved almost 20 USD for a hotel in Vientiane when I came to their doorstep asking if they had a room.. after I searched for their rates on Agoda.
One of the best hostels I stayed in at Bangkok was LubD Siam Square. For 350 baht/night (S$15) you get a comfortable bed, a nice, clean common bathroom with hot water and a freaking hairdryer… and a really cool hostel vibe. It’s literally a stone throw away from the
National Stadium BTS station and a five-minute walk to
MBK and the
main shopping district of Thailand (Siam Square/Discovery/Paragon). UBER worth it.
9. Beware of drug peddlers (and don’t be CAUGHT with drugs)!
Guys are usually the targets for these peddlers. They’d sneak up to you and whisper in your ears, asking if you want ‘stuff’. Most guys would politely decline and walk away… some would accept and in unfortunate cases, these people would turn out to be policemen and you’d be looking to spend a night or two or forever in a cell. If the police sniffs drugs on you.. yes, weed… they’d haul you in too. UNLESS, you have tons of cash to bribe them and from what I heard from my friends who’d been in trouble before… TONS of cash. They’d totally rip you off.
10. Break away from your comfort zone, try EVERYTHING!
And I don’t mean drugs. Most of the activities on offer are pretty decently priced and extremely fun. Again, do your research online… see which are the more reputable agencies you should sign up for your activities for, especially when they are multiple-day trek packages. These treks are usually done at places 2 to 4 hours away from the main city. You don’t want them leaving you in the middle of nowhere with no means to get back to your hostel.
Try their local cuisines, street snacks and BBQ meat hanging off the rack in Luang Prabang. So yummy, you won’t regret it. Let’s just hope your stomach can take it.
And EXPLORE. Rent a bike, or a bicycle.. or WALK. There are just so many things to see and do besides the things listed on Lonely Planet or whatever travel guides you’re reading from. You’d be surprise of all the things that are waiting to be discovered that are not listed in said guide books.
Hope this list helped! If you follow everything I’ve just listed AND have the least bit of common sense, I can assure you… you will come back alive. Well, I did.
Have tons of fun planning for your solo trip! :D
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Flinder’s Street, Melbourne
