Can you take your kids backpacking in Southeast Asia? Yes, absolutely. Southeast Asia is probably the easiest and cheapest region for family backpacking and you’ll be surprised how many other families you’ll meet on the backpacker trail in this part of the world. We took our own kids backpacking in Southeast Asia for extended periods, so let us help you decide if this style of travel is for you, and give you some tips on organising and planning a backpacking adventure.
- Backpacking With Kids (introduction)
- What is Backpacking?
- Tips For Backpacking With Kids in Southeast Asia
- Can You Try Backpacking For a Short Family Vacation? ( & which destinations to choose)
Backpacking With Kids
Backpacking can be budget travel, or you can spend more, it’s up to you. It offers complete flexibility to travel around Southeast Asia. You can explore one country in depth, or visit multiple countries, crossing borders in many different ways. You don’t have to carry backpacks, but you do have to move around from place to place.
You don’t have to use hostels, nor do you need to be around the young backpackers if you don’t want to. You just need to travel! Backpacking as a family with kids is loads of fun and a great way to see the world. But it’s not for everyone.
What is Backpacking?
Backpacking is independent travel, often with a backpack that can be easily carried as the backpacker moves from location to location. It’s not hiking or trekking, backpacking is travel rather than walking when we talk about it as a mode of travel.
US readers may be confused by this use of the term “backpacking”. Hiking and backpacking are similar but different in North America, but to Australians and Europeans, backpacking is travel. It’s not what New Zealanders call “tramping” either, that’s walking.
It’s possible go backpacking with a tent, but in Southeast Asia this would be very unusual. Guesthouses, hostels, beach huts, hotels, any form of accommodation, may all used by backpackers. A backpacking family will probably also spend nights on sleeper trains and buses in Southeast Asia.
Between destinations backpacking families travel by plane, bus, train, tuk tuk or horse and cart. Any type of transport that suits the destination. In some parts of Southeast Asia renting or hiring a car for a backpacking road trip can be a good idea. For a family, this is often very cost-effective.
If you’d like to hire a car for a road trip in Southeast Asia, try this car hire cost comparison tool, we have found it very useful over the years. Click here
Tips For Backpacking With Kids in Southeast Asia
1. Select accommodation with the children in mind.
We stay in guest houses, B&Bs, hostels, and hotels when we’re backpacking in Southeast Asia.. Guest houses often work out cheapest but occasionally we use hostels with private family rooms. We’d never use dorms. The “party hostels” normally don’t allow kids to stay.
2. Don’t Buy Young Kids Their Own Backpacks
No, small kids should not have their own backpacks, it becomes a headache fast. Only buy backpacks for older children.
The more packs you have, the more likely you are to lose one and young children just aren’t strong enough to walk and carry packs in the heat.
4. Don’t Over-Pack
Don’t buy special travel clothes and don’t bring an outfit for every occasion. Just pack a basic wardrobe.
My best advice is to take whatever clothes they have at home that fit, or are slightly too big. As you browse the markets and malls of Southeast Asia you will find lovely things to buy for the children. If your luggage is full you can’t carry them.
Take clothes that will stand up to rough treatment and frequent washing. Don’t take delicates and avoid whites.
5. Don’t bring too many toys.
Obviously, they need the special bear but most of the toys my children have packed never see daylight. They’ve had a lot more fun with cheap toys we’ve bought as needed.
6. Make sure kids have plenty to eat and drink.
Hungry kids can be grumpy kids. I’m never without water on a bus or train.
7. Keep Prices Down By Finding the Best Deals
Travelling with children can be expensive, keep prices low by finding great deals.
Agoda are the Asia specialists, always check them on this continent. We use Booking.com more for Europe, Australia, and the Americas, they are often worth a look for fully refundable deals.
8. Get kids excited before you go.
Tell them about all the cool, interesting, exciting things they’ll be seeing. Show them maps, talk about history, food and cultures. Read books together, children’s picture books or novels, anything that introduces them to the countries they are to visit.
They need to know what to expect and get excited about it. Let them have some input, ask them which countries they most want to visit and where they’d like to go next.
Put a positive spin on everything, talk about how great flying is, or tell them how lucky they are to have ten hours relaxing on a bus seeing the countryside. It works, if you’re negative, it rubs off.
9. Take medical supplies and keep them handy.
Kids have a tendency to cut, scrape, and otherwise injure themselves. Have a basic supply of antiseptic (we use Iodine) and band aids or small dressing to keep woulds clean. We also recommend kids’ chewable paracetamol for younger kids.
10. Do Lots of Kid-Friendly Things
Give them downtime if they need it, build time into your day for resting and play. Find children’s attractions when you can, playgrounds, water parks, zoos, whatever your children love.
If they are having fun don’t rush off, let them play.
11. Don’t expect them to walk too far, and always have a plan.
Take a tuk tuk or an Uber, they don’t want to walk far and it will spoil everybody’s day.
When you arrive in a new town have a plan to get to your accommodation, or even better, a map.
Can You Try Backpacking on a Short Family Holiday in Southeast Asia?
Yes, you can do this, it’s a great idea for families who aren’t sure if backpacking is for them. It was how we spent our first two vacations in Asia with the kids!
We’d suggest you pick one of the easier countries to travel around in SE Asia, Thailand or Vietnam would be ideal. Cambodia and Laos are a little more tricky, Singapore is so small that it’s not really a backpacking destination, although it would be very easy to combine Singapore and Malaysia on a short backpacking trip as a family.
Indonesia would be a fairly good choice, primarily Bali and the Gili Islands, but difficulties with gridlocked traffic and worries over boats sinking may spoil your fun!
Malaysia isn’t our favourite place to travel in Southeast Asia. If you’re new to Asian travel, we think you’d probably prefer Thailand or Vietnam. Myanmar is all but impossible to visit currently and not many families make it to Brunei, Timor-Leste or Papua New Guinea. Philippines would be possible, but not our first choice.
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