Talk Travel Asia

“Singapore may look small, and geographically speaking it is, but this tiny island city-state is jam packed with a myriad of things to do, see, buy and devour. The sleek and efficient public transport system makes zipping around a breeze, allowing you more time to dip your toes into this melting pot of cultures, religions, food and architecture.” That’s an excerpt from an article by today’s guest,...

The subject of many novels and movies, Central Asia sits at the crossroads of legendary rivalries and is crossed by the fabled Silk Road. The region is massive, covering more than 4-million-square-km and includes five countries that were formerly a part of the Soviet Union, including Kyrgyzstan, the focus of this episode. Both Kyrgyzstan and it’s neighboring countries have diverse cultures and ric...

We don’t have a crystal ball, nor do you. But with mass vaccination taking root, we’re hoping the future soon looks brighter and borders will open again to travel in the not too distant future. So with that, on this episode we’ll share some things we hope happen when travel kicks-off again, cross our fingers that certain trends are left in the past and imagine travel anew. With that said, all item...

Few modes of travel hold as much allure, intrigue, and romance as going from here to there by train. Riding the rails has been a mainstay for roughly two centuries, and as lines were built, formerly inaccessible areas of the world were open to anyone who could afford a ticket. Nowadays, high-speed rail projects are making traveling by train faster than by airplane on some short to medium-haul voya...

Making the most of holiday time should be a prime objective of any trip. After all, we can make more money, but not time. Ensuring that every minute of a trip is as of high value as possible, tuned-in, and ready to go, can positively impact the experience. But the importance of good arrangements and planning increases exponentially when building an activity-based trip. Equipment needs to be ready...

Among the many things Thailand is famous for, one is its beaches and islands. World famous amongst travellers are the islands of Phuket and Ko Samui, while Ko Pha Ngan is famous with backpackers and Ko Tao for scuba divers. But with two major coasts featuring over 3,000 km of coastline and dozens of smaller islands, many of which have accommodation of some sort, Thailand has island and beach desti...

Language screw-ups, weird taxi driver stories, and warning signs we wish we could tell our younger selves are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this special cross-over episode between Talk Travel Asia and Bangkok Podcast. Scott and I have each spent the majority of the past 20 years living in Bangkok, as have our guests, Greg and Ed, whom we’ve known nearly as long as we’ve been living in Asia....

Travel creates opportunities to try new things, learn about the world, meet inspiring people, be active and disconnect from daily life. Our guest today will discuss how he’s making it possible for underprivileged young people to gain these experiences and their benefits in order to help transform their lives. Over the years, Talk Travel Asia has regularly explored the topic of Responsible Travel a...

Over the years, Scott and I have drawn comparisons between living in Asia and what it must be like living in Europe. Both are made of a number of relatively geographically smaller countries that share some similarities but are otherwise very different in terms of language, food, and cultural customs, to name a few. While we often make this comparison in regards to travel, as it's very easy, especi...

Regularly overlooked by visitors, the Northeastern region of Thailand colloquially known as Isan, is comprised of 20 provinces, making it Thailand’s largest region. Those who discover it experience an area of immense beauty and fascinating culture. Inhabited by a mostly ethnically Lao population, Isan is where many famous Thai foods originated. The region is largely flat, borders Laos to the north...

Traveling in Asia is exotic and the animals you’ll encounter certainly can be different from those in your home country. From elephants to street dogs, you’re bound to have at least a couple ‘interesting’ animal encounters on a voyage through Asia. After living in the region collectively for more than four decades, we’ve had some fun, at times unnerving, and unique animal experiences which we’ll s...

Over the years, Talk Travel Asia has regularly explored the topic of Responsible Travel and how to have a positive impact while exploring. After all, we need to preserve the places we visit in order to be able to enjoy them in the future, and treat local communities with respect along the way. We’ve looked at the work of Andaman Discoveries, discussed Overtourism, learned about the Living Irrawadd...

Visiting areas of Asia with monkeys can be very exciting. As monkeys are such intriguing creatures, people often consider them to appear friendly, especially if they’re not scared of humans. These monkeys usually expect people to give them food, whether the humans want to or not and they can be very cheeky if not dangerous in certain circumstances. Once you spend a reasonable amount of time in Asi...

On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, we get Laos travel tips from legendary travel guidebook writer Nick Ray, who has written about traveling to Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar for Lonely Planet travel guidebooks. Laos, a landlocked country sandwiched between Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China, is a bit unknown, sleepy, and largely undiscovered by travelers. Many know of the former royal ca...

Although we love to share travel tips and advice about travel around Asia with expert guests, there’s nothing like sharing travel stories. As Scott and Trevor have been living in Asia for 41 years, they’re well-worn, traveled, and traversed expats with quite a few travel tales. But despite spending so much of their lives in Asia, Trevor and Scott are still amazed by how often there’s something wil...

Sitting just off the east coast of mainland China lies an island with a storied history. Formerly known as Formosa, and officially known as the Republic of China, Taiwan is a territory/country mired in controversy, but full of natural beauty and an attractive destination for those who love traveling Asia. Home to nearly 24-million people, Taiwan is one of the world’s most developed countries and y...

Well, 2020 sure wasn’t a great year for international travel and 2021 looks like it likely won’t be much better. We’ve generally avoided talking about COVID on Talk Travel Asia, but we’re not going to let it stop us entirely from traveling, and aim to look at the bright side of things as much as possible. On this episode we’ll share where we hope to visit regionally if international travel doesn’t...

Mount Kailash, located in western Tibet, is considered to be sacred by Hindus, Bons, Buddhists, and Jains. It towers at 6,638m, and for Buddhists, represents Mount Meru, is central to its cosmology, and a major pilgrimage site for worshippers. One of those traditions involves trekking around its base, clockwise for Buddhists and Hindus, along its 52km path, seeking good luck and fortune along the...

Here on Talk Travel Asia, we explore a ton of locations but we also discuss many things to do when you visit them. They are often off-the-beaten-track, sometimes well known, once in a while well-trodden, but almost always worth a look and certainly a conversation. But then there are the many other places that are sometimes discovered by accident, perhaps on a fourth visit, or because a friend in-t...

Few modes of transport are as exotic, effective, fun and well known as the Asian tuk-tuk. They go by other names such as auto rickshaw in India or ramork in Cambodia, but they all have the same purpose: to move people quickly and cheaply, with a wee bit of style thrown in. On this episode we talk about the role tuk-tuks play in local life, travelers’ journeys and as a holiday experience in themsel...

Welcome travel lovers. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast we’re getting seriously tropical with Favorite Beaches in SE Asia. We’ve done other episodes about beaches, including Episode 11 - Asia’s Somewhat Secret Beaches, but this time we’re going to touch on some of our favorites we’ve been to in the region. Many listeners in the west are going into winter and no doubt getting cabin fever...

On this episode of Talk Travel Asia, we’re going way off the beaten path. We chat with former Bike Magazine Editor in Chief, journalist, explorer, and all around adventurer Brice Minnigh, about his mountain biking expeditions in Asia, including a recent film he made, The Kora, where he and some friends spent 10-days circumnavigating Himalayan peaks in Sichuan province, China. So put on your biking...

Helping you travel more smoothly and happily is what this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast is all about. Recently we did an episode called 'Don’t do That!' to help travelers to Asia stay out of trouble while traveling the region. This episode is its companion, and we’re going to put a more positive spin on a similar topic by offering you some of our best Travel Hacks. So get ready for some winn...

Bangkok is one of the world’s most visited cities. Its sites are some of the most featured on Instagram, and almost everyone will come up with some mental pictures of the city, good and bad, the moment they hear the name. Founded in 1782 when the Chakri Dynasty established Bangkok as Thailand’s capital, it’s a vibrant, dynamic city that dazzles the senses at every turn. Some love it, others hate i...

If you travel, you almost always end up spending a reasonable amount of time in a hotel or lodging of some sort. Your room and property typically plays a key role in your experience, especially if it’s a special trip or one to a new part of the world you’ve been dreaming of for a long time. You’ve likely had a hotel experience that you still remember due to a few special touches and you’d go back...