Meet Southeast Asia Southeast Asia offers as many wonderful travel plans as there are travellers. For some people, the perfect plan need not be anything more than "I'm going to Southeast Asia for four months". For others, especially those with limited time and a desire to see a lot, careful planning can be prudent. Vietnam vies with Thailand for offering the best food in the region, but travelling around can be a bit more challenging than the already mentioned countries thanks to the deceptively large distances involved. Highlights in the north include Ha Long Bay and Sapa , while Hoi An , Hue and Phong Nha in the centre should not be missed, while in the south the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc Island are the key drawcards. The capital Hanoi and commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City meanwhile sh

So you're so excited about going travelling you figure a bit of a buying spree will bring the trip around faster right? Hold your horses! Here are some pointers on what perhaps you do--and don't--need. Daypacks A daypack is a small mini-backpack which often attaches to a main pack and can be useful for, you guessed it, day trips. These are very common with the short, fat, rear opening packs--less so with the tall, thin ones. A daypack is generally a very good idea. Be wary of buying a daypack that is too big , as you'll just fill it, and likewise something too small. If you're travelling with a laptop, it's a good idea to have a daypack large enough to fit it in, but if you're lucky enough to not have a laptop with you, we'd say go for something smaller. As with your big bag, features like

What to pack While you can find exhaustive information online about what you should and should not pack, we take a simple approach. First on your list should be an open mind and a sense of humour. Don't come with too many preconceived ideas about what Southeast Asia is like, as the media and friends' experiences have a habit of distorting reality. Bonus: These don't take up any space in your pack. Otherwise, bring as little as possible. If you forget something, chances are you can buy it once you're on the ground travelling. Take enough padlocks for every double zipper to stop wandering hands, and lock up your sacred belongings, even in your hotel room. Essentials are a swimming costume, a daypack, a raincoat, poncho or umbrella in rainy season (though you can buy these cheaply in-country)

With a bit of thought and some sensible packing, the hassles of travelling with a baby or toddler in Southeast Asia can be well outweighed by the joys. Travelling with children brings a new set of challenges--and benefits--to your travels. We've experienced this firsthand as we travelled with one, then two toddlers, then, as the years rolled on, young kids. Compared to travelling solo (or as a couple) we found a lot more thought went into issues like transportation and accommodation, and even things like packing take on new strategic importance. Keeping this in mind, here are some packing tips if you're travelling with a baby or toddler. Nappies are no biggie Landfill space is rapidly dwindling in many parts of Southeast Asia and laundry is cheap--so it is certainly possible to travel with

It's easy to get bogged down in the nitty gritty of planning a trip. Here's some general advice to keep in mind as the shape of your Southeast Asian trip comes together, and to remember while you're on the road. Some of the following will sound obvious, but you'll be astonished at just how many travellers ignore the following and careen from disaster to debacle--we want your trip to pan out better than theirs. The best laid plans often go awry Don't leave home with a plan cast in concrete. An itinerary that's too detailed and too rigid will go off the rails at some stage. If you plan down to the hour, you lose the flexibility to decide on a whim to do something you hadn't even considered. Often the best trips are those least planned--so don't plan too much. Our itinerary section should be

What is your trip going to cost? By international standards, Southeast Asia offers amazing value--that $200 cubby hole in Kyoto, Japan will get you a private pool villa in Bali--but you need not be spending the earth to be comfortable. That said, it is just as easy to spend $10 a night as $1,000 a night, and while you can burn through money in beautiful bars and world-class restaurants, the region is famous for its affordable street food and drink. The choice is really yours. While it's obvious that you need to budget for your accommodation and food, don't forget to factor in sights and activities, some of which can be on the pricier side. Things like learning to dive on Ko Tao, spending a week kiteboarding at Mui Ne , three nights at the Gibbon Experience in Laos, a volcano climb on Lombo

How long should you head to Southeast Asia? This depends mainly on three things: how much time you have, where you want to go and how much money you have. How much time you have will obviously vary for each individual, but we're going to work on the assumption you're looking to spend all the time you can in Southeast Asia. Who wouldn't, right?! The next step is to draw up a wish list of where you want to go. Start at country level, and then for each country list out the destinations, as vague as they may be, that you'd like to visit. If you have no idea, perhaps start with a map of the country--we prefer paper maps rather than online as there is just something in laying a map out across the table or floor that really gets the imagination going. Your initial list need only be very simple. F