Practical Last Minute Travel Tips to Asia

When it comes to cultural diversity, probably nothing beats Asia. In fact, many of the places you can visit here offer such a wide variety of culture, beliefs, traditions, language and even cuisine that you might be wondering if it’s still the same place. There is one thing that holds true, though. A visit to Asia can be filled with adventure and learning. Are you planning for last minute travel soon? Here are tips you can use:

Get familiar with your location. Whether you’re on your way to the airport or waiting to board, it would help if you look for information regarding the region where you’re going. You could, for example, find out about the local cuisine – a good idea if you have a sensitive stomach and need to locate a local McDonald’s for a meal your stomach is more used to. Or you could try to look for places of interest – parks, museums, famous landmarks, beaches, etc. so once your plane has landed, you know exactly where to go and what to do.

Always book accommodations in advance. Of course, you could go on an adventure and simply walk around asking locals for advice on where to stay but there’s a risk that you could fall into tourist traps that can sometimes afflict major cities. If you prefer to have a nice, safe hotel or inn to go to after you land at the airport, best seek it out prior to the trip.

This is especially important especially during tourist season, when all the major (and even not so popular) hotels, inns and hostels are fully booked. If you go on a last minute trip to Asia without having a hotel reservation, you might have a bit of trouble finding a place to stay.

Another reason why you should book for accommodations in advance even if you’re traveling last minute to Asia is that at certain times of the year, especially on holidays, hotels in some countries close. This is common in Singapore, South Korea and Japan.

Get packaged deal type tours. If you will be making last minute travel plans to Asia and it’s your first time, consider booking a bundled travel tour. These can prove to be great deals if you want to save on cost (bundled tours include airfare and accommodation) and if you don’t want any surprises.

Trips often include guided tours, which can be good if you want to see the most popular tourist spots only. Even if you like to explore on your own, most guided package tours still allow you some time off to go on your own.

Some seasons mean heavy traffic as in heavy traffic. Many parts of Asia celebrate certain times of the year as national holidays and festivals. These are also popular tourist attractions and as can be expected, many people – both foreign and local – flock to these areas. If one of these happens to be your destination during that particular time of the year, be ready. The influx of visitors means fully booked hotels, crowded streets, packed shops and traffic jams.

Watch out for the weather. Last minute travel to Asia can sometimes be affected by local weather. You could probably be forewarned regarding climate – and it can differ drastically depending on your current location – but there are times when the weather can get nasty. In some places, weather can sometimes dictate business.

During monsoon season, for example, some hotels in Malaysia are closed. It would be good for your own safety to be informed.