South East Asia – Reasons to Visit
There are countless reasons to visit the countries in South East Asia but perhaps some of the biggest are that they are mostly either very developed or rapidly developing countries, are all extremely hospitable to tourists, have beautiful climates that you can enjoy all year round and are extremely affordable.
Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila
These three cities are stupendously modern and beautiful. Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines have developed very rapidly due to investment from Asia and if you’re keen on living in modern surroundings then these three cities are excellent reasons to visit South East Asia.
Kuala Lumpur was built as a central hub for Asian trade and is filled with beautiful skyscrapers and a skyline that most cities in the world would be jealous of. Singapore used to be a British colony and Manila used to be a Spanish colony, but after gaining independence they kept the best of the old colonial traditions bringing in their own local culture and rapidly developed from there. Ironically, even though you can get most of the services and quality you’d expect at home, you get it for a fraction of the price you’d pay.
Vietnam and Cambodia love tourists
The hospitality in these two countries is absolutely amazing. They literally love tourists and will do anything to make them feel at home. In fact, to best see Vietnam and Cambodia you should take part in a package deal that lets you stay with local people in a new, sustainable form of tourism called “village tourism”. People have received government funding to set up small guesthouses and B&Bs in their homes and will receive tourists from all over the world, introducing them to their way of life and hospitality. This is an extremely rewarding form of tourism and you can make a lot of new friends this way that you’ll be emailing for decades afterwards and maybe even see later on if they visit you.
South East Asia climate
The climate in South East Asia is mostly tropical and sub-tropical and can be divided into two seasons – wet and dry. Of course its better to go in the dry season if you’d like to be outdoors a lot. In northern Cambodia and Vietnam there are also mountainous regions which are skiing paradises in the winter months. So add to your list of reasons to visit South East Asia the fact that you can do literally any outdoor activity depending on the time of the year.
Affordable quality
Because South East Asia is largely made up of rapidly developing or developed nations, the purchasing power of your dollar or euro goes a long, long way. You can generally find a hotel room in Thailand for under $20 a night. Food is pitifully cheap and feels like you’re getting much more than you paid for. Even if you’re trying to be careful with your money, you’d be silly not to enjoy yourself and spoil yourself a bit more because it truly is a fraction of what you’d expect to pay back at home.
