Does anyone have any top tips for my 18yr old daughter going to Asia on her Gap Year this January? Thank you!
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Oh I’d love hear this - mine’s off to Australia in January on her gap year. What kind of tips are you after - is it around safety, or what to pack, or what route to take?
Hi Georgina thank you for your response - well top of my list is definitely safety! but also route - places to avoid - any tips welcome. She is travelling with another girl friend - trying to stay calm!!
Oh this sounds so fun!!
I did mine about eight years ago and my top tips are…:
Don’t book all your flights in advance. You will probably end up wanting to stay in some countries / areas for longer or shorter amounts of time, so having some flexibility is key! For example I loved Thailand but hated Bali and wish I spent longer elsewhere on our trip.
Book the best travel insurance you can! SE Asia is prone to natural disasters so go for high cover where you can claim back if needed. Sounds extreme but also do a quick Google on what to do in the event of an earthquake in the rare case you need to spring into action.
Bring the best rucksack you can. Mine broke halfway through (buy cheap but twice and all that!). Packing cubes are also a must, mine are from Away and I also have some Amazon basic ones which are great. Makes it so much easier to find swimwear at the bottom of your bag etc!
Buy most of your toiletries out there to save on space. The one exception to this I find is SPF – it’s generally much better in the UK and lots of SE asian products contain bleaching agents. Same goes for insect repellent – you will likely need a lot and Jungle Fever is the BEST.
Make economy flying as comfortable as possible – for me this means having a good pillow, foot hammock, a headphone plane adaptor (so you can watch films using your own headphones), and lots of snacks.
Don’t bring fresh food into other countries – sounds obvious but I nearly got a hefty fine for bringing in an apple into Australia by accident!
Take a disposable camera with you. You’ll probably take loads of pics and videos on your iPhone, but developing one of these when you get home is so fun and you’ll get some unexpected snaps.
Bring more t-shirts and vests than you think you need, and one less pair of shoes than you want to take!
Finally, download Reddit – there is so much info on the app and it’s my favourite for travelling. It’s great for really local recommendations, asking niche questions and generally planning a backpacking route.
Hope this is helpful! x
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Thank you so much Sherri! SO helpful - will pass on to my daughter! x
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Definitely invest in a good bag and packing pods, the worst thing I found when travelling was lugging a heavy bag only to then not to be able to find anything in there.
I also think pack as light as you can when it comes to clothes. Bring basic items that you can wear with multiple outfits, you will end up wearing the same things over and over anyways!
Thank you!
Quite a random tip but when I went travelling round Asia we travelled on lots of night buses! We unfortunately all had cash sneaked from our bags whilst we were sleeping on our first one. (bags were just by our feet). Everything looked like nothing had been rummaged through and we noticed back at the hostel. So my advice would be to definitely wear a bum bag so all your valuables are on you at all times.
I also agree with Sherri don’t plan too far ahead, nice to be flexible x