Unwrapped travel

We’ve just finished the update of our Pai section — including some new pics and a dozen new places to stay and lots of other useful information — enjoy!

This November we celebrated our 10-year anniversary of living and travelling in Southeast Asia. In that time we’ve had the good fortune to live in three of Southeast Asia’s most interesting countries (Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand) and to travel extensively throughout the region. We arrived from Sydney, Australia back in 1997 with just the two backpacks, and by the time of our most recent move (Phnom Penh to Jakarta in 2005) the two rucksacks had bred — giving birth to a 20-foot container. In the past decade, aside from accumulating enough flotsam to fill a very big metal box, we’ve collected the following 15 pieces of advice that we hope will help you get the most out of your trip.

We’ve been working through a bunch of updates and additions to the site. We’ve added the following:
Mae Sot
Tak
Umphang

And updated our coverage for:
Kamphaeng Phet
Mae Sariang
Mae Hong Son

More northern Thailand updates on the way…

Everyone knows about Pai, Muang Sing, Siem Reap and Sapa but what about if you’re looking for somewhere a little bit more off-the-beaten-track when it comes to exploring Southeast Asia’s great interior. Not surprisingly there’s loads and loads of places that you’ll read precious little about in your guidebook, that could be just the spot you’re looking for. Here’s a few of our favourites across the countryside.

We’ve just released the new edition of the Ko Phi Phi Travelfish Guide and it’s available for purchase here.

It’s based on research undertaken on Ko Phi Phi in October and November of 2007 and as such it is far more up-to-date than your Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or whatever other legacy guidebook you have.

We’ve added a couple more pages, expanded coverage of Phi Phi Leh and an extra 7,000 words of detailed travel intelligence.

The price has creeped up to a whopping US$3.95 – that’s a whole extra dollar — for 13 A4 pages and 24,000 words of info on Ko Phi Phi… we hope you find it to be good value.

December arrives and with it peak season. Guesthouses fill up, train tickets get harder to find and, of course, cheap airline seats vanish. Simultaneously, traveller message boards across the web light up with people asking after unspoilt beaches, deserted valleys and pristine hideaways. So here’s the scoop — here at Travelfish we’ll be sharing a few of our favourites — pointing you in the right direction to find some of those unspoilt beaches, deserted valleys and pristine hideaways. Lets start off with some strips of sand to keep you sane.

Set along the banks of a lazy river and located just 25km to the west of Ayutthaya, the small rural community of Ban Lan Khe provides the perfect opportunity to experience Thai family life amid a tranquil setting. Whether looking for somewhere to enhance your travel experience, enjoy nature or simply unwind, this could be just the place for you.

It’s easy enough to find a dive shop in Thailand. Some are better than others, but they all offer roughly the same services. You can go on a fun-dive, get your PADI certification, take an advanced training course, and go to a lot of exciting, exotic dive locations. But for those who are looking for a little something more from their diving experience in the Land of Siam, there’s Reefwatch in Krabi town – a dive shop with a difference.

Questions about travel money are among the most popular topics on the Travelfish message board, with people regularly asking about the how’s and where’s of travel cash. We think the best way to organise your money while travelling in Asia is to first become aware of the fees involved and then research the best card. Read on for advice on how to pick the right card and how to manage your money in a way that maximises convenience without being overly risky.

We’ve just added another guidebook into our reviews section, this time Lonely Planet’s Thailand 12th edition. Despite having a swack of extra pages, overall the new Thailand title succeeds only in delivering less than previous editions. While some sections, notably Chiang Mai province, have improved, other coverage drags down what should have been a far better title. Read the full review.