My trip through Southeast Asia for 20 days with my cousin was among the best experiences of my life. It was a totally unexpected journey. The idea of being travel companions arose during the typical Christmas dinner where plans are made but rarely followed through on in the end. Who would have imagined that a few months later we would be exploring Asia for the first time?
The 20 days spent circumnavigating Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia proved unforgettable. Thus, upon my return from that remarkable voyage, I opted to inaugurate this web log.
In this post and the following, we will provide you with all the essential details if you are intending a 20-day expedition to Southeast Asia.
That includes:
- General tips for organizing a trip to Southeast Asia.
- Cost plan for exploring on one`s own.
- Specific travel guides so you know what sights to see and what experiences await in the places we toured. (We will keep the hyperlinks accessible during this article).
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In brief, we will render your backpacker trip to Southeast Asia unforgettable.
Table of Contents
WHere IS SOUTHEAST ASIA?
All of the following nations are regarded as part of Southeast Asia: Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam. All of them are located South of China and East of India. The abundance of idyllic islands, between the Pacific and Indian Ocean, make Southeast Asia a popular destination for sightseers from everywhere in the world, particularly those who love beaches and diving.
Like many others, when we decided to visit this region of Asia, what captured our attention most was the contrast between natural settings and modern urban areas. It was a very unique destination and you will love the variations. Depending on the country, costs were also reasonably low, making it suitable for independent travelers.
The cultural differences compared to Europe are substantial, so it provides a good choice for those seeking to understand other cultures and traditions. Additionally, despite some isolated cases, tourism in Southeast Asia is usually safe.
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- Lodge Club Siroco – Costa Teguise
HOW TO plan A SOUTHEAST ASIA TRIP in 20 DAYS
A journey to Southeast Asia in 20 days necessitates a lot of planning. The first thing you should understand is that 20 days is not enough to travel this region completely. It is suggested to focus on only two or three nations. If you have more time, purchase prolonged-stay travel insurance.
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL SOUTHEAST ASIA TAKING climate INTO ACCOUNT
Are you wondering what is the best time to travel to Southeast Asia? Apologies, dear reader, but there is no single time. It relies upon the countries being visited. My recommendation is to choose the countries in Southeast Asia that you will visit based on the time of year you will be traveling.
You should be aware of when the dry season is in each country and avoid the monsoon season because it could ruin your trip.
We utilized this resource. Select the month of your travel dates and check the predicted number of rainy days for that month across different destinations.
If you have the ability to travel to Southeast Asia at any moment throughout the year and cherish a favored location, then verify which month forecasts the finest climate for that destination.
HOW TO TRAVEL TO SOUTHEAST ASIA
There are no nonstop flights connecting any nation in Southeast Asia directly with Spain. Most itineraries involve at least one stopover in the Middle East. Airports providing comparatively more and more affordable flight choices include:
- Airport hub in Singapore.
- Main airport of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.
- Bangkok airport (capital city of Thailand).
We ruled out Thailand because it was not a good time to visit this country when we wanted to travel in June, leaving us with two alternatives.
Based on what we saw in various travel guides, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were strongly recommended and we could not decide. We ultimately chose an option that slightly expanded the travel budget, but one we did not regret.
We did not purchase a return flight and instead we bought two independent journeys. One way to Singapore and another to return from Kuala Lumpur.
TYPE OF TRIP
Similar to what I said previously, 20 days is not enough time even if your intention is only to visit 3 nations in Southeast Asia. The initial step for you and your Southeast Asia travel companions is to agree on the focus of the trip.
If the majority prefer seeing a single place, pick one country (or even a single island) and make the most of the holidays to rest and relax. Do not choose only Singapore because you can see it in two days.
If you have a similar high-energy personality and are unable to tolerate the thought of not exploring other amazing nearby locations, then you will find our travel itinerary particularly appealing. However, I must provide the warning that you may require an additional vacation upon your return home.
HOW TO choose THE BEST 20-DAY SOUTHEAST ASIA TRIP ITINERARY
If you have chosen to fully immerse yourself in this great Asian adventure, and you want to experience everything within 20 days, we will help make it feasible! Here, we share our strategy to visit as much as possible.
1. Select the countries where the weather is pleasant during the month which you are traveling to Southeast Asia. For this, we will use the application we discussed above.
Determine the possibilities to see and experience in these countries. Keep a record of all the results mentioned by Google.
3. Access Google MyMaps and produce a map. Name it “Southeast Asia trip in 20 days Itinerary ” or whatever you prefer. The crucial thing is to store it.
Step four: Incorporate into the map all of the sights you researched in step two.
5. Eliminate those too far apart from the rest to save time and money.
6. Categorize them by colors to differentiate those you have special interests in according to your taste.
7. After profiling the route, check for connections between the different locations.
During this step, I looked into the Asean Pass provided by AirAsia. This pass is similar to the Eurorail rail pass of Europe. In this post, the reasons we did not utilize it are specified.
8. Decide how many days you want to spend at each of the destinations.
9. Create an Excel document to adjust locations and days to visit each place, as well as connection flight schedules.
After modifying it several times, this was our travel schedule:
TIME CHANGE AT THE SOUTHEAST ASIA
During the trip, we were in two different time zones, apart from the great gap with Spain. I recommend taking that into account to avoid wasting the first day or the day after the return all fatigued.
The table above aided our understanding of the time in each location and assisted with remembering these time changes. The black painted cells span from 12 pm to 8 am in the time zone of each place. Although we did not sleep according to those hours for any single day, it helped us to plan the trip considering the time changes.
TRAVEL BUDGET
It is crucial to develop a travel budget. We spent significantly less than we allocated, accounting for flights from Spain to Asia as well as the various domestic flights we took (a total of 5), accommodations, daily living expenses, activities, etc. In total, we spent less than €1,400 per person. Truthfully, we did not forgo anything throughout the journey.
Here you will find the complete breakdown of the costs with all the expenses of the Southeast Asia trip in 20 days.
THE BEST TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA
It is especially crucial that you take travel insurance. I propose opting for high-quality coverage for Southeast Asia, since you will be far from your home country. Consider that you are also visiting locations where it is easy to develop gastrointestinal issues, or even more serious, mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue or Malaria.
Based on my encounters, Heymondo is one of the top-rated travel insurance providers and the one I recommend for your trip to Southeast Asia.
VACCINES
The only compulsory vaccination for traveling to Southeast Asian nations is yellow fever, and only for individuals who visited at-risk regions within 15 days before arrival.
This is not to prevent you from falling ill, but to stop you from spreading yellow fever to Southeast Asia, where there is none.
If you wish to learn about what nations these are, click here.
Other recommended but non-compulsory vaccines include:
- Hepatitis A and B
- Typhoid fever
- Polio
- Japanese encephalitis
- Rabies
- Tetanus
As children, we did not get many chances to travel around Southeast Asia besides what we experienced as kids.
OTHER DISEASES
Other illnesses to consider when traveling to Southeast Asia include Dengue Fever and Malaria. These two are more prevalent in Asia and quite serious, but should not deter visits to Southeast Asia as the chances of contracting them are small.
There exists a method to prevent Malaria. This treatment is done before, during and after the trip. Some experts recommend against undergoing this treatment since it can conceal the symptoms of previously contracted Malaria and exacerbate the situation. Ultimately, it is a personal decision whether to follow the treatment or not.
We did not follow the Malaria prevention treatment. If you make this decision, you should pay attention to any signs of fever as it could be Dengue or Malaria. Contact your travel insurance as soon as initial signs of symptoms begin.
Both Dengue and Malaria are transmitted by mosquito bites, so the best way to avoid them is by using a repellent with a high concentration of DEET.
Even so, mosquitoes will still bite you. However, don’t worry, that does not necessarily mean you have been infected by one of these diseases.
VISAS
The necessity for a visa to access Southeast Asia is dependent on the countries you are visiting. I recommend you check if you need any kind of visa on iVisa, which is the website we use to process all our visa applications.
SINGAPORE
Citizens with Spanish passports or from South American nations do not require a visa for tourism in Singapore, although there are some specifications to enter the country:
- Possess a passport that will not expire within the next 6 months.
- A flight leaving the country within the next 90 days.
- Official documentation of yellow fever vaccination in the aforesaid cases.
If you have any uncertainty or want to confirm that they have not changed these requirements you can visit iVisafor an update on the situation.
Malaysia
Spanish travelers visiting Malaysia for less than 90 days are not obligated to obtain a visa for the country.
However, you are needed to satisfy equivalent requirements for entry into Singapore.
INDONESIA
Travelers must pay visa fees to enter Indonesia. The cost is 10 $ for a stay of up to 7 days and 25 $ for stays of up to 30 days.
However, there is a way to enter Indonesia without requiring a visa. If you travel to a small airport (we traveled to Medan) from another small airport (we came from Penang – Malaysia) you will not need to go through immigration.
If you enter the country via a major airport such as Denpasar (Bali) or Adi Sucipto (Yogyakarta) besides paying the visa fee, there will be several requirements:
- Carry proof of leaving the country within 30 days.
- Possess a passport that does not expire within the next 6 months or less.
- Have a credit card with a minimum credit limit of 1000 $ .
- Proof of yellow fever vaccination if recently visiting at risk countries.
- Medical coverage when touring Indonesiais not mandatory but highly recommended. I had to use it!
CURRENCY
Each nation in Southeast Asia uses a different form of legal tender. During our travels we encountered the Singapore Dollar, Malaysian Ringgit and Indonesian Rupiah.
A positive aspect regarding Asia is that even though many regions have high poverty and inadequate economic growth, technology is available everywhere. Even the remotest of places feature credit card terminals and ATMs, so money issues need not be a concern.
If you travel to Southeast Asia for 20 days, I suggest carrying around 200 euros in cash. If you encounter any issues, they will not refuse to accept payment in euros.
My advice would be to not exchange currency from Spain, and instead create an Evo smart account card which allows withdrawals from anywhere worldwide. We also suggest to not withdraw large sums of money. The prices here are much more affordable than Europe, so even with less funds, you will still feel that you have more purchasing power.
Finally, to prevent complications from the many currency exchanges, let me share a strategy we employed during our initial days in each nation.
Make a table with sums that go from 0.50 € to 100 € (1 €, 10 €, 50 €, etc.). Then, in the following columns, indicate the correspondence in the currencies of the countries in Southeast Asia that you will visit. That way, you have a quick way to know if something is affordable or expensive.
ACCOMMODATION
Where you will truly save money in Southeast Asia is with lodging. For a very low price, you can even stay in villas with an SPA. This is why Southeast Asia is not only popular for backpackers but also for couples, with many of them spending their honeymoon in Asia.
For my journey, I traveled with my cousin, and we opted to remain at lodgings for backpackers so we could meet more individuals. The platforms we applied to discover the accommodation were:
- Booking
- Airbnb (you can check here how to get an Airbnb discount)
- Hostelword
- Hostelbookers
In the individual guides of each place, we will indicate our hotels.
OUR 20-days SOUTHEAST ASIA TRIP ITINERARY
We decided to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia because we undertook our 20-day Southeast Asia trip in June.
To be honest, twenty days were not sufficient and we left with many things still left to witness. Nonetheless, we made the most of each individual day of our trip. We slept for only a few hours and returned with tired bodies and a real need for more time off. This feeling can merely mean that you have just finished the voyage of a lifetime.
The locations visited during those 20 days included the following:
SINGAPORE
Singapore is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. The city of Singapore lavishes wealth everywhere. In just 50 years it managed to become the 9th strongest economic power in the world.
If you want to gain knowledge about what activities to partake in and sights to see in Things to do in Singapore and how to benefit from a free meal at a Hindu place of worship, do not neglect to study this guide.
PENANG
George Town, the most significant city on the small island of Penang, made us fell in love even before we visited it. There were street craft, the finest cuisine of Malaysia, jungle and paradisaical beaches.
This combination could not be left out of our Southeast Asia itinerary.
If you want to learn about things to do in George Town and the surrounding area, be sure not to miss the guide we have prepared. I recommend spending at least 3 days in this destination and not skipping the Penang National Park.
SUMATRA
If you travel to Southeast Asia, you cannot miss seeing orangutans living freely in their natural habitat. While they can be seen elsewhere too, the best location to see orangutans is in Indonesia, in the forests of Bukit Lawang located on the island of Sumatra. Reaching the jungle is difficult as the nearest airport, Medan, is 4 hours away, but undoubtedly worth it.
Refer to our guide for visiting Monument Valley♣
YOGYAKARTA
Experiencing the largest Buddhist temple complex globally (Borobudur Temple) as well as one of the biggest Hindu places of worship worldwide (Prambanan Temple) in a single day is exclusively achievable in Yogyakarta.
This city on the island of Java, Indonesia, will make you quiver with excitement. A mystical experience not to be missed on your trip to Southeast Asia.
If you want to gather comprehensive knowledge about the Prambanan temple and Borobudur temple, do not neglect this post.
BALI
Whilst organizing our Asian excursion I was perusing the renowned book “Eat, pray, love”. Ever since, I started planning the journey itinerary, and could not help but visualize the rice paddies I recalled from indulging in this book.
There is no doubt that if we were to travel to Indonesia, we would have to visit Bali. That is why this was the first place we opted to include on our itinerary. And of course, we couldn’t neglect Ubud, the cultural heart of the island.
Here is our comprehensive guide to Bali.
GILI ISLANDS
This destination was added to our route at the last moment.
The notion of spending successive days diving in exceptionally beautiful beach areas while delighting in the paramount nightlife across all Southeast Asia enthralled us.
Reports state there are no sunsets like those seen in the Gili Islands and I shall not dispute this. If you wish to view it, visit our guide of Gili Trawangan.
KUALA LUMPUR
Kuala Lumpur was our last destination in Southeast Asia. The funding city of Malaysia will exceed your expectations, as there are numerous things you have to see. It is fairly similar to Singapore regarding the rapid economic growth that has occurred. We assure you that the Petronas Towers will not leave you experiencing indifference.
We have prepared this post to provide information about activities available in Kuala Lumpur.
Here you are able to view once again the outline of our trip to Southeast Asia.
20-days SOUTHEAST ASIA trip MAP
As we have said, there are infinite possibilities. How will be your Southeast Asia trip?
