My brother-in-law’s son, having recently graduated from college and wandered successfully around through Europe, would now like to do the same thing with his girlfriend in SE Asia. He of course has all the confidence of youth that, having read some guidebooks, Dept. of State recommendations and the like, he is ready for anything. However, comments on the order of “we know how to get around customs now” don’t inspire much comfort in the hearts and minds of us old fogies in the family. (At least he has been dissuaded from going to Indonesia right now. ::sigh:: )
I don’t think we’ll be able to change his mind, so I’m not asking here for opinions on where he should go… but I would greatly appreciate any specific tips you folks might have that would help keep him safe and out of trouble. Although he has talked about visiting Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand, his itinerary is open-ended (= travel til the money’s gone), so consider any country worthy of comment. He is leaving within the next week, and plans to travel for at least a few months. Thanks in advance.
China is quite safe. You’re not going to run into muslim radicals unless you really go way way way out past Tibet. Travellers are generally pretty safe in China. There is little in the way of muggings of westerners, although there are pick pockets. Always put your cash, passport and credit cards in a money belt under your clothing.
singapore and Hong Kong are certainly not even a tiny concern. Japan is probably the safest place in the world to travel but he needs to be independantly wealthy.
Indonesia would be alright if he sticks to the island of Bali and skips the rest.
Bali is part of Indonesia but has few Moslems. I spent a few weeks on Java- they are for the most part a very mild flavor of Moslem. I think staying in the tourist areas would be safe.
The Philippines are very nice and almost everyone speaks some English. Just stay away from the southern third.
Can’t offer specific tips because I’ve never been there, but I’ve met a number of people who have, and from what I understand it’s a very safe area. (At least in terms of crime, etc. – he should probably get a hepatitis A shot and some malaria pills, but his doctor is the proper person to ask about that.)
I’d second AndyJ’s recommendation that he check out the Thorn Tree (one of the most hopelessly flame- and BS-ridden boards out there, but the SEA branch seems to be one of the better forums). Here are a couple of other budget travel sites with boards where I’ve gotten consistently good advice:
http://www.eurotrip.com (note: mostly Europe-focused, but they have a forum for the rest of the world)
Finally, get him a good guidebook – I understand Moon Handbooks’ Southeast Asia Handbook is one of the best out there, head and shoulders above Lonely Planet. You may want to read it yourself as it’ll probably put some of your fears to rest.
Best of luck to him – I’m quite jealous by the way, would love to take a similar trip but it’ll have to wait until other committments are out of the way.
I’ve traveled around Malaysia and Thailand alone, not speaking any of the languages. It was a blast and I felt very safe and cared for. The people were wonderful. Of course I didn’t hang out in bars, do drugs or go to prostitutes and I can’t vouch for the safety of doing those things. But as a respectful tourist, you’re safer there than you are here by far.
Jill
Another recommendation for the Lonely Planet message board. I was stuck in Bangkok for about a week, and managed to get excellent help from people I connected with on that board.
As for medications – if they stay closer to cities, or don’t stay too long or eat anything out in the countryside, they should be pretty okay medically speaking. Although I know of other people who did have problems, so of course it may be different for them. For myself, I only got sick after spending a night in the country and then not keeping hydrated. Bottled water in cities is easy to come by, but should never be bought outside a store. People (usually children) pick up empty bottles, fill them with water and then try to sell them to unwary tourists (not just a rumor, I’ve seen this personally).
And while I have no idea how much things have changed regarding customs & security, I can compare a little bit; I went to Europe 2 years ago & Thailand (and Bangladesh) 1 year ago. If what I experienced can be a guideline, he should definitely not think he can ‘get away’ the same things in SE Asia that are easy to do in Europe. Both security and the legal system are very different, plus (as he must be aware of or will at least find out) if he’s American, the cultural difference is far greater than between the US and Europe.
Don’t worry too much. If they’re reasonably aware, then there really is almost no chance of any problems. The experience is great, and I do think the previous trip to Europe will be a great help. Of all the people I met on my trip who did have problems, it was those who were the least experienced travellers who ran into the most trouble.
“Bali is part of Indonesia but has few Moslems.”
True and I’d put Bali higher on my “must visit” list than Malaysia.
“I spent a few weeks on Java- they are for the most part a very mild flavor of Moslem. I think staying in the tourist areas would be safe.”
The first sentence is true but the second is questionable. In fact, fundamentalist Islamic gangs have been most active attacking people in tourist areas such as Bogor, Solo, and Yogyakarta. As far as I know, no tourists have been harmed but then the “sweeps” (searches of tourist hotels looking for Americans) conducted by the gangs haven’t yielded any Americans. I would expect non-tourist areas to be safer.
“he should probably get a hepatitis A shot and some malaria pills…”
Ideally, two shots of hepatitis vaccine although one shot will provide temporary protection. He may not need to take antimalarials, depending on where he is going. He can look up which countries have malaria where at: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook.pdf
Of course, he should check the State Department’s Travel Warnings, Consular Information Sheets & Public Announcements at http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
before he leaves and while he is traveling.
I spent just over 9 months backpacking through SE Asia. As long as he keeps his common sense, sense of humour, his patience and some tolerance, he will have the time of his life. As far as being safe… there are no guarantees, but I found some stats that showed I was more likely to die just driving around in my car (this was for Australia, not America, but I will like for a cite)
Common sense
Yes, there are plenty of scams. If you would fall for them, you would probably fall for them at home too. Don’t let it stop you.
Yes, there can be civil unrest at times, in areas. I was on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, when riots broke out, but they were angry with the government, not tourists. Use your common sense, go back to your hostel and stay indoors until it’s over.
Hi Opal,
Sense of humour / Patience / Tolerance
You are not in your country, so don’t expect things to be the way they are in your country. If you do expect that, why did you come ??? -sorry, I saw a bit too much of this {/rant}
Time is on a different scale. Things that took lots of time and effort at home (e.g sorting out a minor legal problem) are easily solved, while things which happen quickly at home (e.g travelling from point a to point b) take a hell of a lot longer…
Hi Opal,
There’s heaps of specific advice for each country, and it really depends what he is interested in. My favourites were the Philippines and Cambodia. Best source for info before leaving is the Thorn Tree (Lonely Planet) as mentioned above, and the once over there, Khao San Road, Bangkok.
When I went to Thailand in '98, my university proffs advised me against eating raw shellfish over there. That was about the only thing they mentioned, that the beaches and depuration standards aren’t the same as they are here. I’ve never heard of that anywhere else, but then again these guys were all marine biologists so would be more in the know in these areas. For the record, I did have some blood cockles, and was fine. Just advise them that they will probly experience a few bouts of… um… “upset stomach”… now and then since they won’t be used to some of the spicey food, although that’s not really a danger.
I’ve travelled quite a lot in SE Asia, including all the countries mentioned in the OP. Unless you really try to get away from the crowds, most of the time you’re surrounded by other backpackers, most of whom are pretty friendly and like to share advice. There are a few scams to watch out for, and eating at street stalls can give a person the runs, but as others have suggested, it’s not particularly dangerous. Common sense, good manners, a sense of humor, and patience are all you need.
I do second the advice about the money belt. It’s a little uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as losing your passport and money a million miles from home. There are alternatives–I have some travel clothes with secret pockets that I like a lot.
Speaking of clothes, it is hot and sticky in much of SE Asia. Quick-drying nylon or nylon blends make it possible to travel really light, and they aren’t as “artificial” feeling as they used to be.
I felt safer there alone than with my girlfriend (now my wife), but mostly because she’s Asian. Asian women travelling with non-Asian men are often regarded as prostitutes, and treated with some scorn. If she isn’t Asian, or if he is, it shouldn’t be a problem.
