#southeast-asia

A food journalist's case for treating GrabFood, ShopeeFood, LINE MAN and GoFood not as lazy room service but as the fastest map to where locals actually eat.

Malaysia

Flying out of KL on a shoestring? Here is the honest ranking of the cheapest Southeast Asia countries to reach and survive on, flights plus ground cost.

A clear-eyed framework for picking a policy that actually covers the things that go wrong in SEA — scooters, islands, dive boats and all.

A practical, experience-based framework for building your own Southeast Asia itinerary from scratch — trip length, pace, season, booking order, buffer days, and the with-kids version.

The dozen apps I actually keep installed for family trips across Bali, Vietnam, and Thailand — what each one is for, and which country it stops working in.

I have shot all of them at dawn and dusk, in monsoon and in dry season. Here is an honest, opinionated ranking of which Southeast Asian country actually photographs best.

The southwest monsoon splits the region in two. Here is who is dry, who is wet, and the one country whose July light is worth booking a flight for.

Thailand

Thailand's entry rules are mid-shift in 2026 — the 60-day visa-free stay is being cut to 30. Here's exactly what to expect at the border, by nationality, with no panic and no guesswork.

A considered guide to paying your way across Southeast Asia: the cards that earn their keep on the long-haul flight, and the moment, at a Bangkok soup stall, when plastic stops being the smart move.

There is no single wet season in Southeast Asia. There are two monsoons, pulling in opposite directions — and the rain is more beautiful, and more travellable, than the forecast suggests.

Cambodia

Cambodia has three seasons, and each one rewrites the country's light. A month-by-month read on when to go — for clear silhouettes, equinox sun, or the green hush of the rains.

Singapore · When to Go

Singapore sits a degree north of the equator, so the year doesn't turn — it breathes. A photographer's month-by-month read on the rains, the haze, the heat, and where the light actually falls.

Malaysia

Short answer: yes — Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia's calmer destinations right now. Here's the honest, region-by-region read for May 2026.

FCDO, State Dept, Smartraveller — what the levels actually mean, why they lag or over-warn, and how to make your own call without panicking.

An honest breakdown of when a package or local agency earns its markup in Southeast Asia — and when doing it yourself is the smarter, cheaper call.

Cambodia

Yes — and here's exactly how to get one for the whole family, what it costs, and the entry traps to skip. Written for parents flying in with kids.

AirAsia, VietJet, Scoot, Cebu Pacific — which ones to trust, where the cheap fare disappears, and when a night bus quietly wins. Honest, current to 2026.

The classic SEA loop, sequenced right — gateway, monsoon logic, border runs, and the 2026 closure that breaks the old clockwise route.

Thailand · Budget

Visa-free entry is changing in 2026, the arrival card is now digital, and the night train still beats a flight. Here's how to get into Thailand and move around it.

The 12-to-18-hour haul to Southeast Asia has a specific, knowable set of problems. A small, considered kit solves them better than an expensive one.