How to Stay Safe in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is very safe to travel, but there are some things to be aware of in order to stay safe.  It’s essential to educate yourself on the potential scams, dangers and annoyances in order to know how to avoid them so you can stay safe while traveling Southeast Asia.  Knowledge is power.  And you’ll learn valuable street smarts that are useful for travel anywhere in the world (and also life in general).

There’s no such thing as a crime-free place in the world, but remember that the majority of people have good intentions and are happy to help.  Here is everything you need to know about how to stay safe in Southeast Asia:

As a solo female traveler who has traveled Southeast Asia for 5.5 months over 4 different trips, I can confidently say that Southeast Asia is a very safe place to travel.  I explored Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Borneo, Brunei, Singapore and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

GET TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel insurance is an absolute must for all international travel.  It offers a lot more than just medical protection- it covers you if your flight gets cancelled, a family member becomes ill or passes away and you have to return home, or if something gets stolen or breaks.  And if you do get seriously ill or injured, it can save you thousands of dollars.  Travel insurance isn’t cheap, but it’s also not that expensive, considering what it can do for you if you get in trouble.

I use and recommend World Nomads for travel insurance.  It’s an affordable and reputable company and you can buy and renew an insurance policy quickly and easily online.  As a Canadian, I find their policies cover a lot more than the other insurance companies in Canada and at a cheaper rate.

TAKE DUKORAL TO AVOID FOOD POISONING

Dukoral is an over-the-counter oral vaccine that protects you from traveler’s diarrhea for 3 months.  Surprisingly, many travelers haven’t heard of Dukoral, but I absolutely swear by it and I’ve never had any major stomach issues while backpacking Central and South America, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where I regularly indulge in street food, salad and fruit (while still using some precautions).

When I traveled to Egypt and India, the travelers who took Dukoral did not have stomach issues, while the travelers who did not take it got very sick and the trip was a lot less enjoyable for them, so Dukoral definitely works.  However, Dukoral cannot protect you against parasites, which have very different symptoms (but are typically very easily fixed with antibiotics).

ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR BELONGINGS

Pickpocketing is a petty crime that can easily be avoided.  If you make it easy for someone, they may take advantage of that opportunity.

ONLY CARRY WHAT YOU NEED ON A DAY OR NIGHT OUT

Don’t bring your bank card, credit card, passport and all your money if you don’t need to.

LOCK UP YOUR VALUABLES AT YOUR HOTEL/HOSTEL

Pack a combination lock for hostel lockers.

HANG YOUR PURSE ACROSS YOUR BODY

With the purse on the opposite side of traffic, in order to avoid drive-by snatchings.  Once you see the motorbike traffic in Southeast Asia (especially in the big cities), you’ll see how this could be a thing.

BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU USE YOUR PHONE AND CAMERA

For the same reason as above.

BE EXTRA VIGILANT WITH YOUR THINGS IN CROWDED PLACES

Like in markets, public transport popular tourist sights.  These are hot spots for pickpocketing.

DON’T KEEP YOUR PHONE AND WALLET IN YOUR BACK POCKETS

Use the front pockets only and keep them guarded.  Pickpockets are professionals.

NEVER LET YOUR CARRY-ON BAG OUT OF YOUR SIGHT ON BUSES 

Keep it on your lap.  Do not put it overhead or under the seat.  If you sleep, use your bag as a pillow or hug it like a teddy bear.

KEEP YOUR VALUABLES WITH YOU ON BUSES

Do not put them with your baggage under the bus.

DON’T LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS UNATTENDED AT THE BEACH

Or they may not be there when you get back.

 

AVOID THE POPULAR SCAMS

 

Always research the popular scams before you arrive in a new country so you know how to identify and avoid them.

BANGKOK

Bangkok is a hot spot for scams because this is where a lot of travelers start their first Southeast Asia adventure, which means they have no idea what they’re doing so they’re easy to take advantage of.  See 20 Popular Scams to Avoid in Thailand.

DO NOT GIVE TO BEGGING CHILDREN

As hard as it is sometimes, giving to begging children promotes a begging culture and it keeps them out of school.  A lot of kids are pimped out so there are a lot of scams involved with begging children because they know children are hard to say “no” to.  If you would like to help out, it’s better to do so through a local non-profit.

THE MILK SCAM 

A kid holding a baby in front of a store will ask you to buy them milk and food from the store.  As soon as you buy it for them and leave, they return it and split the profit with the store.  This scam is common in Siem Reap in Cambodia (which is often referred to as Scambodia).

UNETHICAL VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS

Research volunteer organizations very carefully because unfortunately, a lot of volunteer organizations are unethical and exploitative.  And some organizations are actually some of the biggest travel scams of all because so many of them charge foreigners a ton of money, but the reality is that the actual cause sees very little of this money.  You should NOT have to pay to volunteer.  And if you do have to pay, at the very most, it should be a very small amount for food and accommodation.

Some examples of volunteer organizations to avoid are building schools or houses, visiting orphanages, and many elephant programs.

The sad reality is that many of these voluntourism companies make a very lucrative business out of commercializing poverty, so they don’t actually want to help these communities in the long term because they will lose their business.  Ultimately, a lot of voluntourism is actually colonialism disguised in the white savior complex.

For more information on voluntourism, see What To Know Before You Volunteer.

GEM SCAMS

Some gems are very good fakes and some scammers will try to lure you into a “get rich quick” scam that will certainly not leave you rich.  This is common in Bangkok.

BEGGING MONKS

They’re fake.  Real monks never beg for money.

“THAT ATTRACTION/YOUR ACCOMMODATION IS CLOSED”

Some tuktuk drivers tell you this so they can take you elsewhere, where they earn commission.  Always decline.

UNSOLICITED GUIDES

That fake guide who is following you around and giving you information about a place, even after you’ve declined, is not your friend and he will demand a tip.

TERRIBLE EXCHANGE RATES

Some money exchanges can rip you off an extra $20+ if you don’t pay attention.  Shop around for a good rate.

COUNT YOUR CHANGE

Especially in Vietnam where some bills look the same.  For example, a 500,000 note can pass as a 50,000 ($21US vs $2US); 100,000 as 10,000; and 20,000 and 500,000 have a very similar shade of blue.  Be extra careful while intoxicated and if the person is using a blue light to “help” you.

The same goes for Indonesia where $1US equals about 14,000 Indonesian Rupiah.  It’s easy for all the extra zeros to throw you off.

TUKTUK SCAMS

Agree on a price before you leave.  Use Uber or Grab in the bigger cities, which makes scams, annoyances and getting lost pretty much impossible.

Don’t trust any absurdly low priced tuktuk ride offers in Bangkok (usually near Khao San Road) because there’s always a catch.  The driver will take you to a shop along the way to your destination and if you “just look” for 5 minutes he’ll get a free carton of gas and commission on anything you buy.

DRUG SCAMS

You buy drugs from a drug dealer and then the drug dealer tells the police so you have to pay them off to avoid going to jail.

GO GO AND PING PONG BAR SCAMS IN BANGKOK

They lure you in with free cover, but the drinks end up being a complete rip off.  But you won’t know it until you get slapped with a hefty bill.

How to avoid it- don’t go to ping pong bars.  They’re a deeply disturbing display of exploitation of women and human trafficking.

BE CAREFUL WITH MOTORBIKE RENTALS

There are a few different scams to be aware of when renting a motorbike.

One of the most popular scams is renting a scooter with an existing scratch or defect, then being forced to pay for the damages later.

A more severe scenario involves someone following you from the rental shop, then stealing your motorbike with a spare key. You’ll be responsible for the cost of replacing the bike.  This is very rare, but it can happen.  It happened to my friend in Sri Lanka and they made him pay £800 to replace it because they had his passport hostage and he was flying out in a few days.  However, also know that scooters in Southeast Asia cost a few hundred dollars maximum to buy.

In order to avoid all this, only rent motorbikes from legitimate businesses.  Check the bike closely for scratches and problems before signing anything. Use your phone to photograph existing damage before you leave the office.

Most rental places only allow you to rent a bike if you leave your passport.  Don’t hand it over because they can take a copy instead.

VIP BUSES

This is where you pay extra for a comfier sleeper bus, but end up on a regular bus, likely without AC.  If this happens, there isn’t anything you can do at the time, aside from getting off the bus and paying for another bus.  But to avoid this altogether, book your buses through your hostel because they’ll be reputable (they want to avoid bad reviews).

LAND BORDER CROSSINGS

When you cross borders by land, you may get charged a little more than you should for processing your visas because they are pocketing those few extra dollars.  But luckily, it’s only a minimal amount.  The only way to avoid this is to fly.

 

The drugs laws are extremely strict so practicing caution is vital for staying safe in Southeast Asia.  Many Southeast Asian countries have lifelong prison sentences, while many others have the death penalty for drug trafficking (like Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia).  Even if you’re not touching drugs, make sure you watch your bags at airports, boats and buses.

You will inevitably see many travelers covered in serious, massive scabbing and skin loss due to motorbike accidents.  But motorbikes are the preferred method of transport in Southeast Asia, so it’s difficult to avoid riding one.  Anyone can rent and drive a scooter in Southeast Asia, so you also have to be careful around other drivers.  Always make sure you wear a helmet.

Also consider:

• Do you have travel insurance that covers treatment and a hospital stay?
• Do you have an international drivers license that covers riding motorbikes in a foreign country?
• Does your travel insurance cover an accident on a motorbike in Southeast Asia?

BE CAREFUL WITH ROPE SWINGS AND CLIFF JUMPING

Especially if you’ve been drinking.  You can really hurt yourself if you land poorly from a high jump.  I’ve had whiplash a few times and a minor concussion from doing back flips off cliffs (in Canada).  And I jumped from a very sketchy 8-9m high rope swing at Lugnason Falls in the Philippines and learned quickly that it’s very difficult to land properly from a rope swing that high.

Indonesia is notorious for plane crashes and it has a history of airlines that were blacklisted (until recently) from flying over US and EU air space.  So keep this in mind while booking cheap domestic flights with less reputable airlines.

NEVER GET TOO DRUNK OR HIGH

Especially if you’re traveling solo and especially as a female.  Be aware of your drink and your surroundings and stay sober enough to remain in control.  Being too drunk makes you careless and vulnerable, which makes it easy to take advantage of you.

Again, especially if you’re traveling solo and especially as a female.  You need to be aware of your surroundings and you cannot expect others to look after you.  For more tips on how to stay safe at Full Moon parties, see How To Not Die At A Full Moon Party.

STAYING HEALTHY

IF YOU GET SERIOUSLY ILL, GO TO A PRIVATE HOSPITAL, NOT A PUBLIC ONE

Public hospitals in some developing countries can be very unsanitary, which means injections are a serious health risk and could literally be a difference between life and death.