Check out our blogs about:
Asia
The best place to start planning your tour of South East Asia is the Stray Travel blog. Our team of passionate travellers has created heaps of blog posts to tell you what to do and see in Asia. Start reading and start planning.
As always, we're looking forward to welcoming you on board one of the Stray Asia tours.
Keys (aka Eileen) is a Tour Leader with Stray New Zealand, and also our Environmental Officer, based in our head office in Auckland. A keen and experienced traveller, we sent her off to Vietnam for the very first Stray trip, to explore and report back on her experience…
Read More
The giggles were everywhere. They started on the concrete stairway leading up from the boat jetty. We’d just arrived at a small village along the Mekong River in Northern Laos, and the children were the first to greet us.
Read More
Spiritual capital, slow boat end-point and UNESCO heritage city, Luang Prabang is a completely unique destination in Laos. It has a rare combination of French colonial history, traditional Lao village life, and a potent Buddhist influence through every street, and is a place you could easily spend two weeks or more. Even if you can’t […]
Read More
Having never previously spent over 48 hours in Cambodia, I was blown away on my last visit there by the people. Living in Laos for six months had provided me with a certain preconception about how the local Cambodian people would be.
Read More
Chao everyone! Stray is getting further off the beaten track, local Viet style! That’s right, Vietnam has now been added to our hop-on hop-off Southeast Asian travel network, and here in the Stray offices, we are all pretty excited about it. Holly and the Stray Asia team have been busy sussing out the best spots […]
Read More
There’s a wealth of opportunity for adventure in the food scene of Southeast Asia, and we’re here to take you through some of the more… exotic options. Are you brave enough?
Read More Sometimes the greatest surprises are hidden in plain sight. Laos is one of the least-visited countries in the region – but why? Here are just a few reasons why you should visit Laos now!
Read More
My bare feet squelched uncomfortably in the mud beneath me, and the milky grey water rose up to lap at my knees. With one hand on the plough, and another holding the reins, I tried to convince myself that I really was in control of the beast before me.
Read MoreLaos has been named the World’s Best Tourism Destination 2013 by the European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) for its “perfect record of promoting clean, ecological and social orientated tourism”. Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam […]
Read More
The journey from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng by road is an arduous one. The broken road twists winds and climbs through the mountains, churning the stomach and rattling the bones of even the hardiest of backpackers.
Read More
The following is an interview with Stray Asia Tour leader “Nate” by power blogger Cindy Fan. Meet the Stray Crew Meet Nate, Stray Asia tour leader, tatted herbivore, all-around cool dude. Tour Leader – Nathaniel Home, before Straying: Australia Stray nickname: The first local Lao guide called me “ga ti” which means sensitive – actually, it means […]
Read More
Cindy Fan recently travelled on Stray Asia’s Phone Noy pass through southern Laos. Describe the trip through southern Laos in one sentence. An eye-opening adventure through stunning natural landscape. You live in Laos. So why did you choose to travel with Stray? Living in Laos, you learn very quickly just how bad and unreliable public […]
Read More
The following is an interview with Stray Asia local expert “Mr Sack” by power blogger Cindy Fan. Meet the Stray Crew Meet Mr. Sack, one of the friendly faces and local experts you’ll find at our office in Luang Prabang, Laos. Mr. Sack – Sales Crew What does your name mean? In Lao, it is “teak” as in […]
Read More
The children huddle together in awe of the giant 6’3” figure looming over them. The giant spreads his arms, threatening to devour them in one swoop. The kids are giddy, their excitement palpable; they know what’s coming next. “My…name…IS….BAZZA!” the giant roars. The kids squeal with glee and eagerly wait for the giant to do […]
Read More
The following is an interview with Stray Asia Tour leader “Mr Vanh” by power blogger Cindy Fan. Meet the Stray Crew Meet Mr. Vanh, one of the friendly faces you’ll find at our sales office in Luang Prabang, Laos. Mr. Vanh – Sales Crew Home, before Straying: Xayaboury province, famous for its elephants! What is your favorite […]
Read MoreGet ready for your trip to Southeast Asia with our travel blog
There are so many blog posts in our Asia blog that we’re confident that you’ll find answers to all the questions you have. Whether that’s planning and preparing for your trip before you go or getting some inspiration for the next stop on the road while you’re there – our Asia travel blog has got you covered.
All our posts are written by members of the Stray team or by guest bloggers who have travelled throughout south-east Asia. Wherever you want to go and whatever you want to do, you’ll find a blog post by a fellow traveller who has been there, done it and got the sarong!
Before you even leave home, you can use the blog to find out what to pack (or more importantly what not to pack) and how to avoid the common mistakes that other travellers have made.
They know that the $1 tuk-tuk ride sounds like a bargain – but they also know why it isn’t!
Tons of travel tips in the Asia blog
There is so much information in the southeast Asia travel blog, partly because the area is made up of several countries, but also because it’s a backpacker’s paradise. The blog posts will help you know what to expect on your trip. For example, you can learn the best way to use a “Bum Gun” and how to avoid the unwanted (and painful) “Thai Tattoo.”
Find out what it’s like to visit in the low season or monsoon season and when and how you celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year.
There’s even the inside track on what it’s really like at a Ladyboy show, just in case you’ve never been to one before!
Use the blog to find the best activities
As well as exploring this beautiful part of the world, our Asia blog highlights all the different activities on offer. You might want to take the Flight of the Gibbon, but only if you want to go zip lining. You’ll learn where is the best river for river tubing and where to find the best night market in Vietnam.
Discover the places you must not miss
In our travel blog, you’ll also discover where you can take a moonlit, midnight swim surrounded by luminescent plankton. And why you should take a slow Mekong River cruise to travel between bustling Thailand and tranquil Laos.
There are tips on why you should explore the Kinabatangan river in the Borneo jungle and why a motorbike tour is a must in Hue in Vietnam.
Use the blog as a foodie guide to south-east Asia
Unsurprisingly, our travellers like to eat, and they share the best places to enjoy super tasty south-east Asian food in the blog- as well as a cold Beer Loa at the end of the day.
Find out where to eat the best Bahn Mi in Vietnam or buy the tastiest Pad Thai in Bangkok. If you don’t know your Vietnamese Pho from your Cambodian Lok Lak, you can learn the difference from our blog posts.
Tell us what you think of our travel blog
Please share your comments at the bottom of the blog posts too. You might have a question one of our readers or team could answer, or you might know about the beautiful temple high in the mountains or the spiciest Fish Amok other travellers must try. Whatever it is, we’d love to hear from you and share your experiences with our Stray community.