Southeast Asia is a group of geographically diverse states with equally diverse lifestyles. This region is known for its tasty cuisine, perfect beaches, good air connections, and low prices. Here are 5 things you need to know before you go to Southeast Asia.
Unlock your Cellphone
This will allow you to buy SIM cards while you are over there and use your phone like you would back home. What is good about this is that SIM cards in Southeast Asia are extremely cheap and so you don’t have to spend that much money to get a bunch of gigabytes. Also, it will depend on where you buy the SIM. So you might want to do a bit of shopping around before you buy your first SIM card just to make sure you are getting a good deal.
Bring Precautionary Medicine
If you will be gone for a long period, I recommend you go to your doctor and get prescriptions for any medications you feel you might need while you are away. If you know your body is prone to any viruses or infections, it is better to bring that medication with you. This is because it is usually is a big pain if you have to do it over there and you will spend an entire day in most likely a hospital because they don’t just have random doctors’ offices on this island and sometimes it can be a bit sketchy. So if you can avoid that it’s just going to make your life so much easier.
Leave Room in Your Suitcase for Clothes
When you are in Southeast Asia, you will be tempted to shop because the clothes over there are extremely cheap and affordable especially in certain towns or countries. You might not think you have the need to shop until you get there and you see amazing clothes. Bangkok, for example, has some really great malls with really cheap stuff. So if you don’t leave a bit of room, you might regret it especially if you weigh your bag exactly to the amount you need.
Bring a Small Bag for Day Trips
I know this might sound like common sense, but I haven’t done this on a few of my trips. When you go to a waterfall or you go hike up a mountain or even going to the beach for a day, it is really nice just to have a small backpack. So if you are going out for dinner and you don’t want to haul your huge backpack around they can come in handy.
Transportation
Transportation in every city will be a bit different. So what is really great is to look up the certain countries before you go. For example, some countries have Uber and Lyft while some countries like the Philippines have Grab which is really affordable and an easy way to get around. You can actually get one right from the airport. Just as Uber you just download an app and you tell it where you are and it will take you on its way.