Talk Travel Asia

Laos is a sleepy country of 7-million people that many have heard about but know little beyond the name and perhaps a few key destinations. Some tourists are familiar with the charming riverside town of Luang Prabang in the country’s northwest and maybe the capital Vientiane but know of little else there. Sharing borders with Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, this landlocked nation, run by a...

Phnom Penh is a city mired in mystery. The name is exotic to some, unknown to many, carries a storied history, and in reality is a little of all of the above. At one time, in the 1960s, it was an up and coming SE Asian cosmopolitan center, then the unthinkable happened. The bloodthirsty Khmer Rouge regime took over the city in 1975 and emptied its 2 million residents out into the countryside in a...

Cycling has been gaining global popularity over the last few years and Bangkok is no exception. While the city is more famous for its teeming traffic and exotic temples, while a bit tricky at first, it’s truly a magnificent place to get out for a ride. On this episode, Scott and Trevor explore what the city has to offer atop two wheels, things to keep in mind when heading out, and why you should c...

Bali is one of the world's most well known tropical tourist destinations. That said, it's a big, smallish island, with a wide range of different districts. Knowing where to go (beaches, mountains, artistic villages)can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily Talk Travel Asia co-host Trevor Ranges has spent a good deal of time living, and writing about the island for various publications. On this episode...

On Episode 30 of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges talk with longtime Cambodia resident and Lonely Planet author Nick Ray about Cambodia’s up and coming hotspots. Nick Ray knows as much about Cambodia as any foreigner, has traveled most of its far corners, and is going to share some of his favorite, not-so-well known spots that he recommends hitting before the word gets out...

Chiang Mai’s one of those legendary travel destinations. Most travel enthusiasts know the name, many have been, yet almost everyone has a different picture of it in their mind: small town, mountain hideaway, thriving/modern city, historical hub, artistic enclave, or emerging hipster hangout? In reality, Chiang Mai is a bit of all of these things bundled into a nice package. Today, Talk Travel Asia...

Making sense of the massive area that is the Angkor Historical Park and figuring out where and how to spend your time is no easy task. There is simply so much to see that you could never fit it in, in a single holiday, let alone 10! As a follow-up to an earlier episode, Angkor 101, where we talk about how to best use your time and info for first-time visitors, on this episode we focus on some seco...

Many travelers want to have an outreach capacity to their trip to Asia, but doing so in a constructive, non-disruptive way can be quite difficult. The terms ‘ecotourism’, ‘green travel’, sustainable travel’, and ‘responsible tourism’, among others, have been thrown around over the years, and often abused. On this episode we chat with Bodhi Garrett of Andaman Discoveries, who says, “Responsible tra...

In the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Nepal, millions have donated to relief efforts. Yet the devastation people have witnessed on TV and social media only tells part of the tale. While back to back earthquakes have undoubtedly caused great destruction in certain parts of the country, much of Nepal remains unaffected, that is, except for an anticipated decline in tourism that is certain to...

When living or traveling in Asia, it seems there is always something exotic or wild waiting right around the corner – and actually occurring on a weekly, if not daily basis. On Ep. 13 we shared some of our favorite travel tales and decided to have another go, sharing even more tales from life on the road, including one about a mysterious missing bag, a low supply of Thai rum, driving a tuk tuk in...

It seems that vegetarianism is getting more popular by the year and some vegetarians wonder if they’ll be able to stick to their non-meat diets while traveling in Asia. The good news is that it’s very easy to enjoy incredible food throughout much of the region as a vegetarian. You’ll want to learn a few key local words to ensure cooks understand you are a vegetarian, but once you get those down yo...

Planning a honeymoon (which of course must be perfect from start to finish with no fights) is no easy task anywhere in the world, let alone in a region so different from home that the chances of unexpected things happening are high. Isolating what you ‘really’ want to do, how you want to spend your time, what the budget is, hitting the ‘must see’ spots, while also experiencing a host of other thin...

Traveling professionally, as a full-time job, is a dream for many people. But making it happen, bringing in a regular salary that sustains, arranging all the elements to keep travel happening, getting sponsored, and documenting the journey is no easy feat. But two Canadians, Dave and Deb, have done just that, creating The Planet D, and becoming celebrities in the process. They share with us what i...

Bangkok is teeming city of 10 million people and it’s arguably one of the most dynamic, exotic, and action-packed cities on the planet. How you should spend a few days there is a hugely subjective question, one with a myriad of answers. We’re often asked by friends, family, friends of friends, and friends of friends of some guy they met one time at a bar, “What should we do while in Bangkok?” On t...

Paddling is not only a great workout, and environmentally friendly activity, but can be an outstanding way to see parts of the world, if you know what you’re doing. Canadian Ian Taylor is best known as a professional photographer but he’s also an accomplished paddler. He’s kayaked Thailand’s southwest coast from Myanmar to Malaysia and he shares that epic 560km, 25-day trip with us. Have a listen!

One of the greatest things about the diversity of Asia is the wide range of food available both across the region and within each individual country. Every foodie and every local seems to have a favorite dish and knows the best place to get it: Scott and Trevor are no exception, and in Episode 19 of Talk Travel Asia they talk about some of their 'Favorite Foods of Asia' and fill you in on the rest...

Writing for a living and making a living at it is no easy feat. There are few writers who manage to turn-out some really great books about aspects of the regions they live in and also make a living from it. In a day an age of blogging when everyone online is a ‘professional writer’, there are few people that really are experts in what they’re writing about, spend the proper time to craft a real wo...

Where to find the perfect drink and spot to enjoy it while traveling in Asia can be tricky. Scott and Trevor record together at the FCC Bar and Restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and share their favorite watering holes in the region. The hosts explain that when you hit bars and spend some time in them, you also meet some of the most colorful locals around, get insider info, and usually end up hav...

'Digital Nomads' are individuals who leverage telecommunications technologies to perform their work duties, and more generally conduct their lifestyle in a nomadic manner. Technology's furious pace of development has quickly upended how we live, travel, and work. It’s made businesses and lifestyles possible that weren’t just a decade ago. This episode features two guests, Gary Arndt and Niall Dohe...

After collectively living and working in SE Asia for nearly 30 years, there are still lots of spots that podcast hosts Trevor and Scott have not yet been. On this episode they share their top spots to visit in the coming years. From a remote corner of Cambodia along the Vietnamese/Laos border, to a volcanic island in Indonesia, and 4,000 islands in the Mekong River, there's a pretty interesting li...

Taking good photographs while traveling is challenging. While digital cameras and other technology have made capturing quality images easier and more affordable than ever, having an eye for great shot is something one must learn. Trevor and Scott then discuss some of their own experiences taking photos while on the road, then ask our guest, Dave Lemke, for tips on how to get the most out of shooti...

Scott and Trevor have likely been on more interesting adventures than the average traveler due to the nature of their careers. On Episode 13 of Talk Travel Asia podcast, listen to six of their tantalizing travel tales from Nepal, Cambodia, Australia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Most times when people travel, they know the key sites they’re going to seek out and experience but are often surprised by what else they discover along the way. In the case of visiting Siem Reap in Cambodia, most everyone’s there to see the temples of Angkor but some discover something entirely unexpected: Phare, The Cambodian Circus. Once in a while, ingenious people come up with something compl...

In this episode Scott and Trevor talk about some up-and-coming beaches and islands they’ve discovered over the years that aren’t as-of-yet overrun with tourists but are likely to be places you will be hearing about soon. Scott kicks things off by recognizing that the perfect beach is something different for everyone. For some it’s quiet and secluded, with soft white sand and nearby snorkelling and...

Scott and Trevor discuss how the beer scene in Southeast Asia isn’t what it is in Europe or North America: there are a few international brewers mass-producing traditional lagers but in general there’s not a wealth of beer diversity. Luckily, Scott points out, beer in most SE Asian countries is some of the least expensive in the world, save Malaysia and Singapore, and if you scratch the surface a...