Backpacking Route Planner
for Asia

"How to plan a trip in Asia
and ideas about where to travel"

Need help with your itinerary? Which backpacking destinations to visit?

-- Then you've come to the right place!

Here you'll find backpacking route planners for Asia/Southeast Asia.

Note: And since this website is about Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and India, I've focused on these countries. And this theme is comprehensive, so I divided it into seven parts. This page is part 1.

Here are the other pages:

Part 2: Itineraries for north Thailand

Part 3: Itineraries for Laos

Part 4: Itineraries for Cambodia

Part 5: Itineraries for Southern Thailand

Part 6: Itineraries for Malaysia

Part 7: Backpacking Route Planner: Itineraries for India

Before you start:

When traveling in Thailand...

Have in mind that when you're traveling without a Thai visa and traveling overland, you ONLY have 15 days of stay!

Example: You arrive in Thailand and stay there for 4 weeks. You travel overland to Laos, then back to Thailand (by overland). When you arrive in Thailand this time, you only have 15 days of stay!

But if you travel back to Thailand by airplane, you will get 30 days at the airport. You can re-enter Thailand for a total duration of 90 days within 6 months.

This rule has apparently been made to avoid the "in-and-out" border travel and applies for all border crossings in-and-out of Thailand.

New (and stupid) policy I'm afraid which took place from December 2008.

So, have this in mind when you're reading the different itineraries. If you're planning on staying more than 30 days in Thailand, I would arrange a tourist visa/multiple entry tourist visa in advance.

Note: The "stopover" in the itineraries below means that you likely have to switch to another transportation option.

Example: Huay Xai is a stopover for the slow boats to Luang Prabang.

If the itineraries doesn't say anything about stopovers, you can travel directly from place to place. Island to island.

Now, let's plan a trip:

Itinerary covering India, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia (included all necessary stopovers)

Want to end your backpacking trip on the beaches? Check out this route.

Total time: 4 months/16-17 weeks

India: 3 weeks

A) Mumbai B) South Goa (Palolem) C) Jaipur D) New Delhi


View Larger Map

Northern Thailand: 3-4 weeks

A) Bangkok B) Chiang Mai C) Pai D) Stopover: Chiang Khong/Huay Xai border (Thailand/Laos border)


View Larger Map

Laos: 3 weeks

Huay Xai (stopover) Luang Prabang Vang Vieng
Vientiane Pakse 4000 Islands (Don Det) Vang Tao/Chong Mek border crossing (Laos/Cambodia border)

Cambodia: 2-3 weeks

Stung Treng (stopover) Phnom Penh Siem Reap Battambang
Poipet/Aranya Prather border (Cambodia/Laos border)

Then heading towards Southern Thailand:

Time: 3-4 weeks

Bangkok (overnight) Surat Thani (stopover) Koh Pha Ngan
Krabi (possible overnight) Koh Lanta Koh Phi Phi Back to Krabi (stopover) Ao Nang Khao Lak Ranong (visa renewal) Hua Hin
Cha-am Back to Bangkok

Finally Eastern Thailand: 1-2 weeks

Koh Chang Back to Bangkok

  • If you're traveling this route in Southern Thailand, you might have to renew your visa along the way. You may do this at Ranong/Kawthoung border (Thailand/Burma). I did this back in January 2008 and it went alright.

    But check if the border is still open. The border is known for closing down at times when political issues arise. You can never know with Burma.

    • Having trouble on where to travel in Asia? How to set up an itinerary? Click here to learn how to create a good itinerary for Asia.

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