- Decide at a basic level what country & region(s) you want to go, and when you want to go. If any part of your trip is weather dependent, such as being on a motorbike or doing any activities, familiarise yourself with the climate and weather so you know what time of year will be most suitable. In our case, Vietnam has many rainy seasons so we always aim to go between those seasons when it's warm since we'll be on bikes.
- Depending on where you are heading to, you may decide to enlist the help of a local tourist company, bike hire outfit or even a guide. Contact a few and see what they can do for you.
- Do your research until you have a plan, it doesn't have to be down to the fine detail, just a basic plan with some wiggle room for being spontaneous when you are out there will do. If your trip involves moving from one place to another on a daily basis, it's a good idea to do yourself an itinerary by each day, including where you're going from and where you will be stopping that night.
- Book flights & hotels. Flights can fluctuate in price so by all means keep your eye on prices for a few weeks but ultimately if you can't get there to start with, then there's no point planning any further. Check hotel availability and prices just before you book flights to make sure there are no surprises, but I'd strongly suggest you take care of both around the same time. It's also a good idea to speak to the hotel about arranging a taxi from the airport. There are taxi scams that operate in many countries, so booking one via your hotel is a good idea.
- Pay any deposits that are needed with your chosen tour company/guide/bike hire. Check they have a good reputation online before you do this.
- Make sure you have the following:
- A Valid passport
- A tourist visa that covers you for the duration of your trip. If you're going through multiple countries, then you may need multiple visas. You just need to locate the appropriate countries embassies in your country, and contact them to arrange the visa. Be cautious about companies that advertise visa's online or cheap, you may land only to be told you don't have a visa in which case it's too late. Go through the embassy.
- Travel insurance, paying attention to the small print especially if you will be travelling by motorbike. Many policies exclude motorbikes altogether, or limit the size (cc) of the bike you can use. This could be critical - make sure you are covered.
- Jabs, inoculations, medication - discuss this with your doctor, everyone has different needs and requirements.
- Currency - at least enough to start off with, you can almost always get more once you're there.
- Sort out what items you'll need for the trip. Don't go overboard, there's very little you can't buy one way or another if you arrive and find out you've missed something. If you're doing a trip by motorbike, get to work planning what kit you'll need. For something like our trip, in the tropics, humidity can get very high indeed and normal UK motorbike kit will just not cut it. I'll list out what bike kit we tend to use on another page.
That's really it!
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