Southeast Asia - The New Backpacking Scene?

If you're like me and had the good fortune of spending some time in college "backpacking" through foreign countries, chances are you traveled through Europe. It made sense as well: Europe was the "it" destination with easy train travel from country to country, mostly inexpensive locations to visit, and a strong dollar to lean on. It used to be that a flight from just about anywhere in the States to Paris or London was no more than $500, a three-month Eurail pass could be purchased for close to $750, and places like the Czech Republic could be navigated for no more than $25 a day. Oh, the good ol' days.... With the depreciation of the dollar against the Pound and Euro, the rising gas prices, and the inflation of goods in Europe, those days are long gone. Nowadays a flight will run you closer to $800, a Eurail pass $1500-$2600 (depending on age), and our old cheap cities like Prague are closer inline to a Paris. Enter Southeast Asia: The new destination for backpackers looking for the same adventure and getaway we were once able to find in Europe.

One could argue that SE Asia is really a "new old" as Lonely Planet, a guidebook targeting backpackers and low-budget travelers, wrote its original volume (Across Asia on the Cheap) targeting the area. SE Asia has long been a mecca for backpackers from around the world, but is just now stepping out of the shadow of Europe as SE Asia can now boast the same benefits Europe used to be able to offer: Great internal transportation on the cheap, unlimited adventure, and a cheap place to vacation.

To discuss the area a bit, SE Asia's backpacking circuit is predominately Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. After those Golden Four come the Indonesian Archipelago, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. A few points to highlight:

- While the flight over there may cost you a bit of money, once there you can live for $15-$25/day in most spots.
- Unlike Europe, SE Asia does not have the same network of trains. While overnight trains in Thailand are quite nice, in most places the trains are quite dilapidated. What Asia lacks in trains though, it more than makes up in budget airfare options. Airlines like One-Two-Go, Thai Air, Tiger Airways, Pacific Airlines, Nok Air etc. offer flights as cheap or cheaper than any type of train transportation in Europe. Having done it myself, it is not difficult to show up at an airport and buy a seat on a budget airline the day of for $100 or less.
- Contrary to popular belief, crossing borders in this area is not all that difficult (with the right visas). There are a variety of trains, buses, taxis and ferries that shuttle across most of the region's international borders.
- The food in SE Asia is exotic and delicious and the region boasts some of the best street food in the world for less than 50 cents.
- SE Asia is home to just about anything you'd like to see: Gorgeous beaches, fascinating history and archaeology, unexplored forests, river travel, culture beyond your wildest dreams, wildlife, and big city nightlife.
- The hostel properties are on the rise in the area, and cheap accommodations are never far away with a little research and preparation.
- While I'd always recommend to check the State Department's country advisories before traveling, SE Asia is really quite safe. With the exception of a few places in the Philippines, and the very southern tip of Thailand, the area is great for travel. That said, researching your route is very important in this part of the world as you shouldn't be veering off the beaten path without guides or locals.