Backpacking to South East Asia

The day is fast approaching. Cometh the morning of Nov 23, 2012, I will start my exploration of South East Asia. I am thinking that this trip will last 5-6 months and may be longer if everything pans out well.

This was not a planned decision, but rather an impromptu one. It just struck me one day at work and the plan has been forming ever since. During the course of this plan, I have left my corporate job and jumped in full time into travel writing and travel photography. I really hope I am able to turn this into a successful career as I am really passionate about adventure travel. This passion ensures that I wake up every day before the morning alarm goes and I hope I can channelize this happy energy into something fruitful for myself and others.


Image Copyright: Latitudes.nu

Trip Itinerary
Here’s how the high level plan looks like. Once I land at Bangkok, I plan to explore mainland SE Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Burma (Myanmar)) in that order by road, i.e. by bus or train. Then the island countries by plane or ship, depending on surrounding conditions. I have planned the below high level itinerary based on visa regulations and there is a good chance that I may re-visit certain countries if I find them real appealing or if I feel that I can explore some more.

Thailand: 1 month
Cambodia: 3 –4 weeks
Vietnam: 1 month
Laos: 1 month
Thailand: 2 weeks
Burma (Myanmar): 3-4 weeks
Indonesia: 1 month
Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines: Depends on access to visa from non-host country
Papua New Guinea and East Timor: May be, if I feel too adventurous and if I can generate the required cash
Hong Kong and Macau: 1-2 weeks to do some gadget purchases

Goodies for you
Since I am planning to make a career out of this, you can expect quite a bit of information from me. As of now, I am thinking of writing about:
1) the different places I visit
2) visa regulations for Indian citizens
3) hotel/hostel reviews
4) how to survive if you are a vegetarian in SE Asia (coz I am one)
5) unique SE Asia Cuisine (through my friend who loves to experiment with his food)
6) do’s and dont’s
7) best sightseeing spots
8) logistics of covering this mainland journey over land
9) currency / language / culture / commute information
10) random tips and more….

Since this is going to be an adventurous trip, I will also share the best adventure activities in SE Asia, be it, scuba diving, caving or spelunking, rock climbing, trekking, tubing, kayaking, rafting, kite surfing, wind surfing, snorkeling and more.

If you’d like me to write about something more, do let me know and I will happily write about it. In addition to all this, I want to write a day-to-day diary that acts more like a memory box for me. People who like personal stories will like it hopefully.

Join Me
One of my close friends is giving me company for the entire trip. About 15-17 people are joining me in different countries for different durations. These are either friends or friends of friends. If you too would like to join me, do drop me an email with details so that I can bring you up to speed with my plan.

Follow Me
If you would like to follow me as I weave across South East Asia, you can bookmark this page on my blog as it will have all posts related to this trip and/or follow me on my facebook page where I plan to share regular updates.

You also have the option of reading updates by country.
Burma | Cambodia | East Timor | Hong Kong | Indonesia | Laos | Macau | Malaysia | Papua New Guinea | Philippines | Singapore | Thailand | Vietnam 

Advertise
If you are a travel advertiser and would like to increase your brand visibility/coverage by reaching out to my fans and readers, do look up this page that talks about partnership options.

Daily Travel Photo
Once this trip begins, my blog home page will get a new look as I will upload a new travel photo every day from my trip. This will go up right into the landing page as a full size photo.