Southeast Asia forum

First trip - Itinerary Help/Suggestions appreciated.

tyson

newbie
Posts: 3

My girlfriend and I are travelling to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and KL for the first time. This is a rough draft of our itinerary. Any help or suggestions is very much appreciated.

We will be flying to and from each city. We have to put Bali in the middle of our trip because of family reasons

Vientiane 1st to 6th of December

Hanoi 6th to 11th of December
(includes two nights on Halong bay)

Hue and Hoi an 11th to 17th of December

Ho Chi Minh 17th to 21st of December

Siem Reap 21st to 24th Of December

Phnom Penh 24th to 28th Of December

Bali 28th of December to 7th of January

Bangkok 7th to 9th Of January

Chang Mai 9th to 15th of January

Phuket 15th to 21st January

Kuala Lumpur 21st to 24th January

Thanks

#1 Posted: 28/7/2011 - 14:29
svendj

tuk tuk driver
Posts: 180

since you are flying you don't have a lot of lost time to catch up with.
Itinerary sounds reasonable as you have enough time for each place you visit.

Although money doesn't matter since you're flying, you are missing out a few beautiful places in between your trip.
If you have some more time left I'd suggest to visit some places in between.
good itinerary and good time schedule!

#2 Posted: 28/7/2011 - 15:57
SBE

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If money is no object (you say you're flying everywhere) then you might as well go and see Luang Prabang rather than spending your entire time in Laos in Vientiane. LP is a World Heritage site after all and the number one tourist attraction in the country.

Same thing with Cambodia... why spend longer in Phnom Penh than Siem Reap ? I'd suggest cutting down the days in PP and adding them to SR. What airline are you using between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh BTW? The bus between these two towns would be a lot cheaper and it would give you a brief glimpse of the country (or you could use a private taxi).

#3 Posted: 28/7/2011 - 18:02
Thomas922

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I see SBE's points. I was wondering about adding a day to Bangkok. People treat is as a stopover and miss so much. For me that is a huge mistake but I am a city person.

#4 Posted: 30/7/2011 - 05:11
Archmichael

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I agree with SBE. Rather than all those nights in Vientiene, I'd split them between VTE & Luang Prabang.

As for Phnom Penh vs. Siem Reap, I like both (for different reasons), so can't get in the middle of a choice there. I do think, though, that at least one bus ride in Cambodia is highly recommended. SR > PP is your opportunity. And hey, meals are included. On PP Sorya, anyway, which would be my choice for bus line.

Happy travels!

#5 Posted: 30/7/2011 - 08:22
Archmichael

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I agree with SBE. Rather than all those nights in Vientiene, I'd split them between VTE & Luang Prabang.

As for Phnom Penh vs. Siem Reap, I like both (for different reasons), so can't get in the middle of a choice there. I do think, though, that at least one bus ride in Cambodia is highly recommended. SR > PP is your opportunity. And hey, meals are included. On PP Sorya, anyway, which would be my choice for bus line.

Happy travels!

#6 Posted: 30/7/2011 - 08:22
travellings-
arah

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Posted from within Vietnam.

Nice, reasonably relaxed itinerary, but agree with all above: go to LP and move a day from PP to SR. I really liked the bus trip from PP to SR despite the bumping up and down - great views of the landscape and local life. I'd also suggest maybe a train journey between Hanoi and Hue (or Bangkok and Chiang Mai), just for the experience.

#7 Posted: 30/7/2011 - 14:11

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MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 3999

I agree with Thomas here. If it's your first time in Bangkok, it needs more time than a couple of days unless you hate cities (Bangkok being a mega city). There's a ton to see and do there, and any kind of hobby or interest you have might well be represented there as well and worth checking out.

#8 Posted: 30/7/2011 - 18:01

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tyson

newbie
Posts: 3

thanks so much for all your advice
we have decided that we will also visit luang prabang and also be catching a bus between phnom penh and siem reap and catching a train between bangkok and chang mai

#9 Posted: 17/8/2011 - 12:55
Rasheeed

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I like the pace. Don't add more places...

#10 Posted: 17/8/2011 - 13:52

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