Southeast Asia Backpacking Route copy

3 Jan 2025 – 6 Mar 2025 · by martina_ch

Destinations

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is the most obvious place to start backpacking in Southeast Asia. For starters, it’s a major airline hub so it is very easy to get to. Flights also tend to be more reasonably priced than ones to other Southeast Asian cities which often pass through Bangkok anyway. It is one of the most westernised cities in the region so the culture shock is less than if you landed straight into Vietnam or Laos. It also offers you a chance to stock up on anything you may need for your trip with prices much cheaper than back home but still with great choice. Bangkok is very much base camp for travellers in Southeast Asia. Love it or loathe it, chances are you’ll be back again before too long.
- Lumphini Park (สวนลุมพินี)
Chiang Mai, Thailand

The northern city of Chiang Mai is an intellectual kind of place with an alternative vibe and many travellers prefer it to Bangkok. It’s a good spot to study traditional Thai practices such as massage and meditation. It is also the best place to base yourself for exploring or trekking into the jungle and ethnic minority villages near the city. It’s also a good place to hang around for a few months if you fancy living in Southeast Asia as opposed to merely travelling through it and it has grown into one of the world’s most popular digital nomad destinations. It features in our article on cheap places to live in Asia with the cost of living (and indeed cost of travel!) very low.
Pai District, Thailand
Koh Samui, Thailand
Koh Phangan, Thailand
Koh Tao, Thailand
Krabi, Thailand
Phi Phi Islands, Thailand
Koh lanta, Thailand
Ko Lipe, Thailand
Langkawi, Malaysia