What to Book Before a Southeast Asia Trip
When planning a Southeast Asia trip has moved from booking flights and accommodations to sorting out visas, airport arrivals and the few things we’re deliberately leaving until we get there.
The flights and accommodations are booked. The visas, on the other hand, are proving slightly trickier and considerably more stressful.
For midlife travellers, the challenge isn’t booking everything possible. It’s deciding which arrangements will make the trip more comfortable and which decisions are better made after arrival.
Here’s what we booked ahead, what we’re leaving open and what I learned during the final planning stage.
What should you book before a Southeast Asia trip?
Arrange before leaving | What can wait until arrival |
Visas and passport checks | Weather-dependent excusions |
Your first airport transfer | Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay decision |
Essential train and regional transportation | Angkor Wat tour provider |
Accommodations (with free cancellation) | Widely available local tours |
eSIM installation | Optional day trips |
The Southeast Asia trip planning links I'm using
Short on reading time? These are the services I've used to arrange this trip:
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This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share services I use myself.
What we booked before travelling to Southeast Asia
A fast-track arrival at Hanoi airport
Our flight lands in Hanoi at what’s apparently a busy time at Noi Bai International Airport. After a very long flight, the thought of standing in two potentially lengthy lineups before negotiating transportation into the city held very little appeal.
I reserved a fast-track arrival service through GetYourGuide for $80 CAD for the two of us. Someone will meet us after we leave the plane and help us navigate immigration and customs using the priority route.
We won’t know whether the service was worth paying for until we’ve used it, but this is exactly the kind of travel decision I’m willing to make in advance. It removes a potential bottleneck at the precise moment when we’re likely to be tired, disoriented and operating on whatever caffeine remains in our systems.
A private transfer from Hanoi airport
I also arranged a private airport transfer through our hotel for $30 CAD in total.
The driver will meet us in the arrivals area, sparing us from sorting through taxi offers while jet-lagged. Grab will be our usual ride-hailing app during the trip, but we’d heard enough stories about Hanoi taxi scams to decide that our first few minutes in the country weren’t the time to tempt fate.
The fast-track service and hotel transfer address two specific problems. Getting through a busy airport and reaching our hotel safely are worth arranging before we leave.
Book essential transportation when the schedule matters
Our Airalo eSIM is installed and ready to activate when we land.
I also booked our train tickets from Hanoi to Ninh Binh through Klook after I couldn’t secure the tickets I wanted through 12Go.
Many travellers use 12Go to book trains, buses and ferries across Southeast Asia, but its availability isn’t necessarily the final word. If the route or departure you want is unavailable, check another reputable platform before rearranging your itinerary.
Klook had the tickets we needed, and our plans were spared from being reorganized by a booking screen.
What we’re waiting to book
We’re leaving two decisions until we arrive: our bay excursion from Hanoi and our Angkor Wat tour in Cambodia.
Once we’re in Vietnam, we can check the weather and compare Ha Long Bay with the less crowded Lan Ha Bay. We can also decide whether a day trip makes more sense than an overnight cruise.
In Siem Reap, we’ll compare Angkor Wat tours offered by our hotel with those available through larger booking platforms such as Viator and GetYourGuide.
Booking through a hotel may offer more personal service or greater flexibility. A large platform makes it easier to compare itineraries, prices and recent reviews. We’ll make that decision when we can ask questions locally rather than choosing from several nearly identical tour descriptions at home.
My working rule is simple: book ahead when it removes a predictable problem. Wait when being on the ground will help you make a better decision.
How I choose accommodations
All our accommodations were booked through Booking.com , and I nearly always choose options with free cancellation.
Free cancellation allows me to secure a room without preventing me from changing it if a better choice or price appears.
Before booking, I sort hotel reviews by most recent. Praise written five years ago tells me very little about the current condition of the property. I pay attention to recent comments about staff interactions, noise, cleanliness and whether the location is within walking distance of the places we want to visit.
Guest pictures are equally helpful. Professional hotel images show a room after careful lighting, strategic angles and the removal of anything resembling ordinary life. Guest pictures show what the room looks like when someone has opened the curtains and put a suitcase on the floor.
Southeast Asia visas and arrival forms
A visa and an arrival card aren’t the same thing
Canadians, along with travellers from many other countries, require a visa to enter Vietnam.
We applied through the official Vietnam Immigration Department e-Visa portal. One visa has been approved, and we’re still waiting for the second.
Based on our experience, I recommend applying at least three weeks before departure. Two people can submit applications at the same time without receiving approvals at the same time. Visa processing appears to have little interest in travelling as a couple.
Our decision about Cambodia’s visa
When we began applying through Cambodia’s official e-Visa portal, we were asked for flight details, accommodation confirmation and three months of personal bank statements.
The bank statements were where we became uncomfortable.
After checking the Government of Canada’s Cambodia travel advice, we decided to get our visas on arrival instead.
Travellers considering this option should verify the current requirements for their nationality before leaving. Requirements can change, and the rules that apply to Canadian passport holders may not apply to everyone.
Our passports have more than six months remaining before expiry. We’ll also carry payment cards and cash in case an electronic payment system isn’t available.
Official Southeast Asia arrival forms
Arrival cards aren’t visas, and the official forms listed below are free. Begin with government websites rather than commercial services offering to complete free paperwork for a fee.
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Set reminders for forms with short submission windows. They can’t all be completed weeks before departure while you’re still feeling impressively organized.
Finding the right balance
There’s no prize for arriving with every hour reserved. There’s also no particular joy in landing after a long flight and discovering that your only plan is to improvise while exhausted.
Before leaving, I prioritize anything connected to entry requirements, fixed transportation and a smooth arrival. I’m more comfortable leaving weather-dependent excursions and widely available tours until we reach the destination.
For this trip, that means the visas, accommodations, regional transportation, airport assistance and mobile data are handled. The bay excursion and Angkor Wat tour can wait.
That balance gives us enough certainty to leave comfortably and enough flexibility to make better decisions once we arrive.
I’ll update this post after the trip with what worked, what didn’t and whether paying for an easier arrival was worth it.
What’s one thing you always arrange before a trip, and what do you prefer to leave until you get there?
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