Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tance. Buses go everywhere you want to go, and since there is no train system in the region, they are the
main form of transportation for locals and tourists alike.
Buses are operated by a plethora of small operators. There is no version of Greyhound. You simply go
with the operator who services the route you want or with the company the tourist agency/guesthouse sets
you up with. All I do is show up at the station and book my ticket. You don't need to book in advance online.
There are many tourist-only buses in Southeast Asia. While they are very convenient, they are usually
about 25 percent more expensive than the local buses. These buses will pick you up at your accommodation
and drop you off at your accommodation in your next destination. Usually when you book buses from tourist
agencies or guesthouses, they book you on these tourist buses.
And as Stuart, owner of the Asia travel website Travelfish.org, warns, “Saving money by taking local
transportation can often be a false economy as it can take a lot longer than something more tourist-focused.
It may be worth spending the extra $2 if it means you are on the beach four hours earlier.”
While local buses are much cheaper, they aren't often direct. They always stay full, so they will pick up
people along the way, drop people off, and then pick up new people. As Stuart says, this often means slower
travel. As someone who has done this before, I can tell you it can become painful after a while when all you
want is to get out of this cramped bus and reach your destination.
Ferries
Ferry prices vary greatly throughout the region and depend on the popularity of the island you are going to.
For example, in Thailand, a country famous for its islands, a ferry ticket is $15 USD from the mainland.
In Cambodia, round-trip tickets cost $10 USD from Sihanoukville on the mainland to the popular Monkey
Island.
As with buses, there are no recommended lines. There is just the company that services the route you
want, or the guesthouse that runs a boat from the mainland to your island paradise. The only exception is in
Indonesia, where Perama Tours (peramatour.com) tends to be the best and main operator for tourists looking
to get around Bali and Lombok.
Flying
If you want to fly, there are four budget airlines in this region:
Air Asia: airasia.com
Nok Air: nokair.com
Tiger Airways: tigerairways.com
Jetstar: jetstar.com
They often run fare deals as little as $10. Generally speaking though, fares are closer to $30 USD per
one-way trip if booked in advance. Last-minute fares can cost more than $100 USD. On all of these airlines,
you'll need to pay a bag fee as well as a “convenience fee” (really a not so convenient fee!) for using a credit
card.
Air Asia is the biggest and most popular airline in the region. I like flying them a lot. You don't get much
with them, but their planes are comfortable, and with such cheap fares, there's really nothing to complain
about!
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