Go ahead. Type in the words “how to have an authentic trip to Asia” and you’ll get pages and pages of tour companies. Now these tours might be amazing… but they’re not for everyone. If you’re the kind of traveler who likes to experience a “found” adventure, or doesn’t want to know everything you’ll be doing before you’ve even packed your bags, a great place to start is by reading personal travelogues (a.k.a. travel blogs) from travelers who think just like you. A few to get you started:

• Southeast Asia-focused travelfish.org lists the most popular landmarks to visit AND “alternative” destinations. These are places to head *away* from the crowds.

• Another is the aptly named Southeastasiabackpacker.com, with a mountain of great info for backpackers.

• Leaveyourdailyhell.com and Breathedreamgo.com are filled with gorgeous photographs and filled with Asia tips specifically for the advanced dreamers.

There are tons of (mostly) free, well-written, essays — many with fabulous pictures — that’ll offer excellent information from fellow adventurers. Most blogs let you subscribe to their newsletters, giving you an extra thrill every time your inbox pings with a new Asia tip. Sweet anticipation!

Chain hotels are great for when you first arrive and/or the night before you fly back home. They’re also a great option if you need or want a home base guaranteed to offer the familiar comforts of home. But if you’d rather integrate yourself into the local flavor a bit more intimately, find a place to stay in a residential neighborhood through a site like Airbnb or VRBO.  There are also boutique hotels or smaller guest houses where you’ll be less jammed together with other travelers (particularly in large cities like Bangkok and Singapore). Finally, hostels are a great budget option. You won’t necessarily be hanging with locals, but they are a good way to get advice from other travelers.

How amazing would it be to arrive in Bali just as they whole island was celebrating their Rice Harvest Festival? What about the Goa Carnival in India? Or the Full Moon party in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand? (not exactly for locals but for sure a great party). Often, you just luck out, passing through a town during some cool annual festival. Seeing an entire town celebrating together might be the highlight of your trip (doubly so because you didn’t even plan it!) Well, it’s probably a good idea to try and plan running into one of these fun, local celebrations. During your planning, dig into local festival schedules, and let them guide your itinerary.

Backpacker Southeast Asia has a good list of local events and many other Asia sites have calendars. But, just Googling “local events + Bangkok” (or Northern Thailand or India etc.) will bring you a bonanza of local events, exhibits, and holidays.

It would be a shame if your taxi or tour bus whizzed you past a cool market with strange foods, local kids playing on schoolyard game, or lunch at a bustling workers’ cafe.  Plan your sight-seeing with maximum walking whenever you can.* Walking gives you a vivid, close-up way to experience a town, city, or village. It also lets you see your desired sites PLUS the road between them – which can often be more interesting than the landmark to which you’re headed! 

If walking is impossible, navigating local buses, trains, or taxis will also put you into an authentic local scene. Language and sign-reading could be tricky; but hey, that’s what you signed up for, right?

*Always doublecheck that you are walking or riding where it is safe.

Obviously, you aren’t going to learn to speak fluent Urdu, Hindi, or Mandarin. But, learning a simple, “how are you?,” “where is the bathroom?,” or “what does this cost?” will be helpful and a sure ticket to some colorful, local, interaction. And unless you decimate their language, the waiter or shop girl or bus driver will appreciate your effort… At the very least, you might crack them up with your foreign pronunciations.

Triplingo is a useful app that offers a helpful phrase book. It also has an on-the-go voice translation tool. Another popular learning app is Duolingo, which will give you a language primer to get you started. Most of these apps are free with free basic services and also offer upgraded uses and tools for a small charge.

Traveling to Asia and being open to new adventures you didn’t plan in advance can make the trip of a lifetime. Whether your trip is fully planned or if you leave room for the unexpected, make sure you’re prepared and protected, before you go. Asia has certain diseases that US-based travelers aren’t protected against, and the locals will have entirely different protections against local health threats than you. For one, they’ll have built immunities to certain local health threats due to generational and repeated exposure. Many of them are also vaccinated against diseases specific to their geographical areas, that US travelers may not be because those risks are virtually nonexistent in the US.

Travel health professionals are a great resource on health threats abroad. They’re not just versed on the vaccines you’ll need—they’ll also be able to give you a range of advice on how to stay healthy and safe based on the specific regions you’re planning to visit, from clothing to bring, insect repellent to use, which food to stay away from, and even what lakes not to swim in.

To find a travel health professional near you, Click here.