We've made five trips to Asia: Bali in 2019, Thailand twice (2022 and over New Year 2022 into 2023), the Philippines in 2024 and Taiwan in 2025. Each has a day-by-day diary and a Things to Know page with the practical details, such as visas, money and getting around, that we checked for our own trips.
What the trips were like
Bali was two weeks: beach clubs, massages and Warung Nia's ribs in Seminyak, then Ubud for the Sacred Monkey Forest, Tegalalang rice terraces, a waterfall day and a pre-dawn climb up Mount Batur. Thailand in 2022 was cut in half by ten days of Covid quarantine, but we still got Bangkok, Erawan Falls, Ayutthaya and the islands off Krabi. The 2023 trip went from Kanchanaburi and New Year's Eve on a Bangkok river cruise down to Khao Sok, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Railay.
The Philippines was the most island hopping we've done: Siargao by scooter and boat, canyoneering at Kawasan Falls and the sardine run at Moalboal on Cebu, the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers on Bohol, then the lagoon tours at El Nido. Taiwan was 22 days clockwise round the island, from Taipei and Jiufen to Green Island, Kenting, Tainan, Sun Moon Lake and Alishan. Bad weather in Hualien stopped us getting to Taroko Gorge, so we can't tell you about that one.
What we'd tell a friend
Leave slack in the plan. Weather cost us Taroko Gorge in Taiwan and Covid cost us ten days in Thailand, so a spare day or two is worth having.
Mix busy days with quiet ones. On most trips we built in a pool day after a long tour or an early start.
You don't have to book everything from home. In Siargao we booked the next day's tour on the afternoon we arrived.
Some of our best mornings started in the dark: the pre-dawn trek up Mount Batur in Bali and the 5am train to see sunrise at Alishan. Take a warm layer for those.
For visas, money and transport, check each country's Things to Know page before you go, and the UK government's foreign travel advice for the latest entry rules.
Five trips
in Asia
Click a country to open its films and diaries.
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country
Each page has the day-by-day diary, Things to Know and, for most, a packing list.
Where next?
Take a look at our trips in Europe or our voyage to Antarctica.