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Before you book a trip in Southeast Asia: a checklist

One-way flights on separate tickets are often the cheapest way through several countries in Southeast Asia, and they come with catches a single booking doesn't have. Go through these before you pay, and print the list or pass it on.

It fits on one page.

  1. Book every flight in one sitting, first flight first.

    The prices on FareDice are prices seen, not held: fares change and cheap seats sell out. Open each flight's Book link and buy them one after another, without waiting between them.

  2. Leave room for a late flight.

    Each flight is its own ticket, so if one is late the next airline won't wait or rebook you for free. Two nights or more at a stop turn a delay of a few hours into lost time there, not a lost flight. On a same-day change of planes, our trip pages land the short flight at least 3 hours before a long one, and leave 4 hours or more after a long flight lands.

    Look for travel insurance that covers missed connections on separate tickets.

  3. Check the cabin bag's size and weight.

    92% of the flights here are on airlines whose cheapest fare includes a cabin bag, but each airline sets its own size and weight: check yours against the airline's page before you pack.

    Every airline's cabin bag rule

  4. Check how far the airport is from town.

    2% of the flights in Southeast Asia land at an airport well out of the town it's named for, and every trip here flags one. Check the bus or train in, its price, and the last one if you land late.

    The busiest: Siem Reap for Siem Reap (50 km by road).

  5. Check the entry rules for your passport.

    Each country here sets its own rules: some let you in without a visa, some want an e-visa before you fly, some give a visa on arrival. Rules change: check each country's official rules before you book.

    What your passport needs, country by country

  6. Read the travel advisories.

    Canada or the US advise against travel to Myanmar: read the advisory before you book. A trip here flags it on the flight in.

    From the Government of Canada and the US State Department, as of 26 Oct 2026.

  7. Check the season at each stop.

    Storm and flood seasons at their worst:

    • Luzon and the Visayas: Typhoon season, Jul–Oct
    • Northern Vietnam: Typhoon season, Jul–Sep
    • Vietnam's central coast: Storm and flood season, Oct–Nov
    • The Rakhine coast: Cyclone season, Apr–May and Oct–Nov
    • The Ayeyarwady delta and Yangon: Cyclone season, Apr–May and Oct–Nov
    • Peninsular Malaysia's east coast: Monsoon flood season, Nov–Jan
    • Western Sarawak and eastern Sabah: Monsoon flood season, Dec–Feb
    • Central and northern Sarawak: Monsoon flood season, Dec–Jan
    • Southern Thailand's Gulf coast: Monsoon flood season, Nov–Dec
    • Northern and northeastern Thailand: Rainy-season floods, Aug–Sep
    • Bangkok and the central plain: Rainy-season floods, Sep–Oct
    • The Mekong and Tonle Sap: Mekong flood season, Aug–Oct
    • The Mekong valley: Mekong flood season, Aug–Oct
    • Jakarta: Flood season, Dec–Feb

    Typical highs of 35°C or more by day: Bangkok in Mar–May, Ho Chi Minh City in Apr–May, Hanoi in Jun and Da Nang in Jun.

    Every trip page names the seasons and the heat at its stops for the days you're there.

This checklist: faredice.com/sea/before-you-book

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