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Backpacking in your 30s
Southeast Asia Travel Guide for Outdoor & Local Adventures
Whether this is your first backpacking trip to Southeast Asia or you’re dreaming of a big career break (woohoo!), this Southeast Asia travel guide will help you plan the adventure.
I spent 6.5 months exploring this incredible region during my career break in my 30s, plus 6 weeks backpacking in Malaysia & Singapore back in uni.
From temple-hopping & jungle trekking in Thailand, to crossing borders on the Mekong, discovering remote Indonesian mountain villages, catching sunrises over active volcanoes, and diving at some of the most epic sites you can imagine… there’s sooo much to experience!
In this Southeast Asia travel guide, I’m sharing detailed travel itineraries, packing tips, where I stayed, honest tour reviews, and personal stories to help you plan your own adventure.
Travel Insurance
Protect Your Adventures
No one wants to plan for things to go wrong… but every now and then, they do (speaking from experience 🙃).
When you’re heading off on all these big adventures far from home, proper travel insurance protects you from unexpected medical bills that could seriously derail your trip (and savings!).
I used SafetyWing Nomad Insurance during our time in Southeast Asia and loved how flexible & affordable it was for long-term travel.
Your SEA Planning Toolkit
✈️ Find the best flight deals
🛌 Book your Accommodation: Booking.com, Agoda, Hostelworld
🚌 How to get around: 12GoAsia, Grab
🎟️ Plan your Adventures: GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook
📲 Get an Asia eSim: Airalo
💳 Avoid foreign transaction fees: Wise (for spending & sending money abroad)
Packing for Southeast Asia
Nat’s Backpacking Essentials
