Over this past winter break, my family and I traveled to Asia to meet my sister who studied abroad during the fall semester. After long flights, fun adventures, and exhausting days, I have compiled a list of tips for others considering a similar trip. Please keep in mind these are my personal opinions and only pertain to the places I visited including Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Hong Kong.
1. Get a Trtl Travel Pillow for your long flight.
When my mom first presented this thing to me, I could not believe that something so weird looking could be so comfortable. Not only is the material soft, but the Trtl Travel Pillow also allows you to place your head in different positions with easy adjustments. It prevents that strain in your neck and you never have to worry about repositioning the thing every five minutes because it velcros into place. GREAT purchase, props to Mom.
2. Wear the flowy pants.
For some, these pants seem just plain silly, however, they are one of the most convenient clothing items I got in Asia. To start off, you can easily find these in markets for less than $5 if you barter correctly with the sellers. The first day I arrived in Vietnam I wore shorts and felt completely out of place.
Most wear pants that go over the knee. It is also a good idea to get these because all of the temples (a beautiful and popular thing to visit) require visitors to cover shoulders and knees before entering. If going to Cambodia and visiting the well known Angkor Wat, this is especially important. These “flowy pants,” as I call them, not only satisfy requirements for touristy activities, but also are light enough for the heat.
3. Learn to barter.
Learning to barter is pretty crucial in the markets in Asia. Though the starting price is still below what you would pay in the states, it is still considered a rip off. Try asking for about 50% of the sellers original asking price maybe even a little lower.
They know they are trying to charge you a significant amount more than what the actual item is worth because you’re a foreigner. If they won’t reduce the price more, put down the item and begin to walk away. Most of the time they will chase after you and give you the price you were hoping for.
4. Bring bug spray or wipes.
Because of the humid and warmer climate, we found there to be more bugs than where we come from. My sister got bitten numerous times during her trip to Thailand, and everyone found themselves scratching and swatting at mosquitoes especially in Cambodia. I suggest the bug spray wipes. With these you don’t have to worry about TSA taking them away and they are much lighter to carry.
5. Screenshot addresses.
When it comes to using taxis or other modes of transportation, it is EXTREMELY helpful to have your address already in your phone and TRANSLATED. Most don’t have sim cards if they go on a short trip to another country, when this happens you are only able to use internet where you can get wifi. If you need to go somewhere, look up the address and start Google Maps before leaving the wifi area, it will still work once you get outside of the area.
Another good idea is to have the address of where you want (obviously), but we found it helpful to Google translate it as well because most of the drivers could not speak English.
6. Get an adapter.
Adapters are important for those chargers, my friends. Not all the outlets are the same in each of the countries. I found an adapter that has multiple options within it, not just one.
These are just some tips I found helpful and wish I had known before going abroad to Asia. I hope this assisted you and I wish you safe and fun travels!