Unwrapped travel

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 just added complete coverage to four more very little-visited Vietnamese provinces — Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Thanh Hoa. You’ll find no better coverage anywhere online, and you can forget about even seeing most of these places mentioned in legacy guidebooks.

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.

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.

Stumbled across this great site this morning, no doubt of interest to all Bia Hoi quaffers. Hanoi Bia Hoi carries a great range of independent reviews of the bia hoi spots across town. There’s maps and even photos of many of the city’s hundreds of outlets along with a smattering of restaurants. On 68 Hang Quat (a spot I’ve spent more than a few hours) the site reads:

Some locals have said that unlike other spots in the city, they don’t water their beer down at all. Maybe bia just tastes better in a setting like this.

One for your bookmark collection.

Found via Last Appetite

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.

Just a quick announcement that we’ve added the Travelfish Guide to Vietnam’s Central Highlands to our collection of ebooks for sale. With 25 A4 pages, seven maps and over 40,000 words of condensed travel intelligence, the guide will be a handy addition to your travel planning. All this for just US$6.95 — less than the cost of day with the Easy Riders!

For people planning an in-depth trip to Vietnam’s Central Highlands, this guide is an excellent source of information. It covers six provinces in all, including two (Binh Phuoc and Dak Nong) that are not even mentioned in traditional guidebooks. Researched through the middle of 2007, this is far more up-to-date than other sources of information — the last of the research was completed a week ago! If you’re thinking of a taster out of Hoi An by motorbike, this Guide has especially comprehensive coverage of Kon Tum province, including useful advice for planning your motorcycle trip.

You can read more about it here

One of the most commonly asked questions by first-time travellers to Southeast Asia is “Should I take malarials?“. It’s a simple question, with a complicated answer, best summed up as “it depends”. We’ve just added a new story outlining ten points that we hope will help you make a more informed decision regarding malarials and travel to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. You can read the full story here: Should I take malarials during my holiday to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam?

Thinking of exploring Vietnam by motorbike? If so take a wander over to our latest feature story, which discusses buying a touring motorcycle in Vietnam. Enjoy!

We’ve just added the first entry into our new book reviews section. We’ve kicked it off with a review of the ninth edition of Lonely Planet’s brand-spanking-new Vietnam guide. It’s a really good production and we hope you find our review useful. You can read the full review of Lonely Planet’s Vietnam 9 here.