It’s been exactly 5 months since my large feet first touched the Asian soil. Since then it’s been a real journey here. I have visited the following countries with my girlfriend: Vietnam -> the Philippines -> Indonesia -> Malaysia. And have had very different experience in every one of those, although in many ways they are very similar.
Still, adaption to local culture and way of life has not been an easy one. We have made so many mistakes and bad decisions. Repeatedly. To not let us suffer from those mistakes anymore, we have created ourselves a list of rules to remind us every time we have decisions to make.
We really wish that we had written down our learning earlier. These really are essential for surviving in South-East Asia.
Let me share this valuable advice with you
- You see a banana? Buy! It’s the best snack you can get, and local bananas are so delicious!
A big banana can save a day. - Have spare plastic bags. So you can throw away those banana peels. And in case you get sick, like me on the bus, then you can do all that’s needed quietly alone on your bus seat.
- Say ‘no sugar’ every time you buy something! Otherwise, your fresh orange juice or smoothie will be sweeter than Fanta. By default, everything comes with a mountain of sugar.
- Be flexible, I mean physically.
- Smile! You don’t want to look bad on those photos others secretly take from you.
- Learn to drive a motorbike. It gives you so much freedom. And makes you embrace every day you are alive.
- Have toilet paper with you. Or never mind, you can use here water and your hand if you fancy.
Got to be really flexible here. - Buy a local sim. I lost over 50€ accidentally, allowing my iPhone to roam mobile data in the Philippines overnight.
- No matter how much you try, you will still be a white tourist with a lot of money. So most of the time you pay a higher price compared to the locals. Even after a successful bargain, you will still pay a little more.
- Take as many photos as possible (you never know when you will start a blog and need to use some of those)
- Be patient with local eateries. Never ever dare of dreaming about getting appetizers before the meal. Things come when they are ready. Yes, sometimes the rice dish gets ready before your drink.
- There is no ‘medium spicy’ or ‘little spicy’. If you mention the word ‘spicy’, expect to sweat and cry.
- Have your own bedsheet. For some reason, many places have no aircon, 28C room temperature and only a wool blanket.
- Practice rice eating at home. Otherwise, you will be shocked to eat it here three times a day.
- Don’t believe travel bloggers blindly, 80% things are not so ‘AWESOME!’ and ‘MUST DO!’ like they write. They just want an audience and often copy each other’s opinions without trying things out themselves.
A toilet in a hostel. That can happen when you leave booking an accommodation to last minute. - Also, second-guess every advice you get from locals, often they actually don’t know or don’t understand your question and answer something that they expect you to hear
- Do buy t-shirts with local textures and funny writings if you want to be cool in the city where it’s sold. But expect to feel ridiculous wearing them elsewhere.
- Never choose an accommodation that demands pre-payment before arriving. There has to be something wrong. And even if you have to take it, because it looks like the only place to stay with a small budget, then never take it for 6 days.
BONUS TIP: Don’t read those travel tips before coming to travel! It’s much more fun to make all the mistakes yourself. Otherwise, you don’t have cool stories to tell!
Of course, there are some minor one’s missing from the list, like wear a sunscreen, use mosquito repellent, never swim when you see no locals in the water as there are loads of jellyfish. But I wanted only to stick with the essentials.
Disagree with the advice? Or have anything important to add? Please leave it to comments.
