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There are no recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, and there are no requirements by any government, however, some precautions are in order. First, be sure your tetanus, polio, and measles vaccinations are up to date. Malaria is a problem in Southeast Asia at certain times of the year, varying in different places with the rainy season. Lariam is the current medication for Malaria prevention. You will need a prescription for the tablets. Lariam can have uncomfortable side-effects, especially if it not taken as directed, with a full stomach after eating and drinking. Hepatitis A is a problem also, and there is a single-dose vaccine with a booster available. You may want to consider a new oral typhoid fever vaccine. The cholera vaccination has limited short-term effectiveness. Basically, consult with your physician and determine the level of protection you are comfortable with.

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If you are taking any kind of prescription medication, bring it in the pharmacy container so the customs officials will see that you are not importing illegal drugs. For the prevention of traveler’s diarrhea Pepto Bismol liquid or tablets are effective. To slow down diarrhea and keep it under control Immodium AD or a comparable product is useful. Other things you should consider bringing are first aid supplies including an antibiotic ointment, an antihistimine like Benadryl for allergic reactions, aspirin or Tylenol, hydrocortisone creme for skin rashes, sun block (15 or higher), a decongestant for colds, dramamine for motion sickness, and insect repellant. Don’t forget bandages and maybe an ace bandage for sprains. When I take a group, I carry all of these things in a first-aid kit.

Definitely not! Water is unsafe to drink throughout SE Asia. You can purchase bottled water which should be safe. Otherwise, drink hot drinks which require boiling such as tea or coffee or purchase soft drinks or beer. In better hotels and restaurants ice is probably safe; however, it may be advisable not to have any drinks with ice. You can usually get cold bottled drinks that have been chilled in ice. An additional precaution is not to eat fresh fruit and vegetables which may have been washed in water; eat only fruit that you can peel. You will find a thermos with boiled water in most hotel rooms. You can make tea with it or brush your teeth with it.

The answer to this question depends on what you intend to buy. You will need money mostly for souvenirs and for drinks. You should have money to pay for laundry, tips to your guide and driver, snacks, possibly phone calls to home. On most trips with Nine Dragons Travel and Tours you will not need money for meals because meals are included. You can spend US dollars almost anywhere in SE Asia. In Vietnam you will come out better, however, if you convert your dollars to dong for making purchases. In Cambodia dollars are just as good to use as riels, and pretty much you can spend dollars or kip in Laos. In Thailand, you will want to convert spending money to baht. Do not convert more money than you plan on spending, as most currencies in SE Asia are totally worthless once you leave the country. Credit cards are readily accepted in Thailand, but you will have trouble using them elsewhere in SE Asia except at major hotels and the most expensive shops. Travelers checks are good to carry to convert to local currency, but do not expect to be able to change them into US dollars without great difficulty and considerable expense. To carry cash, it is best to have a money pouch which you can wear under your clothing. It is also a good idea to carry your passport that way. Pickpockets are a problem in the larger cities. You still don’t know how much to take with you? I had one college student go on a two week tour to Vietnam who took $50 and came back with $15 left over. I went to China on a four-week tour with a gentleman who spent over $10,000 dollars on jewelry, rugs, and artwork. Most people take from $500 to $1000 per person.

Travel light. Bring stay-press clothing which washes easily and dries fast. No formal wear is required for tourists. Most of the year in most places the weather will be warm to hot. Bring shorts, but avoid very short shorts. You will not see many native women wearing shorts, but it is OK for tourists to wear them (except when visiting the Royal Palace in Bangkok). Bring a hat which shades your face and a small umbrella or rain gear. Bring a swimsuit, but in most places not a bikini. You can have clothing washed in the hotels if you have a couple of nights in the same place, or you can wash things out in the sink yourself. If you are going to be in mountains or northern regions or are traveling in the winter months, bring a jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt.

Do not bring any valuable jewelry, especially gold or precious stones (Yes, ladies, you can wear your wedding rings). They can only cause problems with customs. Do not bring an excessive amount of money, especially as you will probably be carrying mostly cash. Do not bring expensive or delicate clothing. You may wish to bring one nicer outfit for dinner wear or to go to a nightclub. Do not bring an expensive watch; the humidity can cause a watch to stop. Hair dryers and electrical appliances are a must for some people, but if you do not need them, leave them at home. Electrical power varies considerably, and you will need adapters to use the local electric service. Do not bring any illegal substances or weapons; you do not want to stay for an extended period in a third-world jail.

Recommended items: a small flashlight, camera, extra camera batteries (You can buy Kodak, Fuji and other film everywhere, but you may have difficulty getting anything other than 100ASA; slide film is very hard to find), one roll of toilet paper, small packets of facial tissues, wet-wipes, toiletries including dental floss, small and inexpensive gift items for children and people you meet (pencils or pens with logos, flag pins, postcards with hometown scenes, tennis balls, U.S. coins, logo T-shirts or hats, hard wrapped candy, American cigarettes—up to what customs will allow, polaroid camera with plenty of film (to give pictures away), and business cards (businessmen love to exchange them). For the plane ride, long drives or down time, bring a deck of cards, a pocket-sized chess set, or a book to read.

Yes, it would be a good idea to have at least two extra passport photos with you. If you lose your passport, two photos and a birth certificate can get you a new one at the US Embassy. Please make copies of all important documents: passport front pages and relevant visa pages, and the last page of your airline tickets showing your whole itinerary.  Be sure to keep any customs papers you get when entering the country. You will need them when exiting.

From the experience of previous travelers: Many people buy opium pipes made of bone, silver, or stone. They make interesting souvenirs and are highly decorative. If US customs catches you with one, you and all of your luggage will be thoroughly searched, you will be questioned at length, and the pipe will be confiscated. I suggest you bypass this particular souvenir. Also, firecrackers are plentiful and cheap, but you can’t take them onto the plane. Rare coins and antiques cannot legally be exported from most SE Asian countries. Do not buy elephant ivory or stuffed (real) animals. It is illegal to bring them home. Do not take fruit or vegetables from one country to another.

People like to stop at the post office often. Stamps with sticky stuff on the back are relatively new in SE Asia. In some places, you can only get stamps that you have to affix to your letters and post cards with glue from the glue pot. I suggest you bring a glue stick for this purpose. Postage stamps make great souvenirs and gifts. You can buy post cards from kids on the street everywhere. Phone calls can be made from your hotel, in some post offices, and in sidewalk phone stalls, but don’t count on being able to use your calling card in many places. You may have to pay in cash to call home.

Other than the obvious answer that it depends on where you are going, in general to get to locations in SE Asia, allow two days to get there and one day to get back. This is because you are going to cross the International Dateline, and you will lose a day going and gain a day coming back. For persons living on the West Coast of the US, you often will get home before the time you left. Flights between Los Angeles or San Francisco, including stopovers typically take from 16 to 29 hours to SE Asian capitals. Usually the longest you are on a plane without stopping is 10 - 12 hours.

You will probably want to buy a guidebook to read about all the places you are going and about the history, geography, and culture of the country as well. Undoubtedly, you started reading before picking a destination. You will find it very helpful to have a good guidebook with you on the trip. I used to try to recommend the best guide books in the brochures, but it is impossible to keep up with the changes that way. Feel free to call for recommendations. Nine Dragons Travel and Tours carries an extensive selection of guidebooks, travel books, atlases, and maps. We will be happy to send you what you are looking for, and no shipping charges are ever charged on books.

Generally speaking, an American breakfast (eggs, bread with butter and jelly, juice, coffee or tea) will be served at your hotel for breakfast. Many hotels will also offer a choice of local cuisine for breakfast. In some locations, a breakfast buffet will be available. More extensive breakfasts are served in the higher-priced hotels. Lunches and dinners will generally be local foods. Numerous courses will be served, and if you don’t care for something, you will probably like the next dish that comes from the kitchen. You will be served more than you can possibly eat. Nine Dragons Travel and Tours will only take you to carefully selected and approved restaurants and hotel dining rooms. In the larger cities you will find that Western foods (European and American) are available, but in many locations the best food or only food is local cuisine. Let your guide know what you like and don’t like. We will try to accommodate all tastes and preferences.

For escorted tours, you can get a discount if you bring along at least 5 other people besides yourself. On unescorted tours where you act as leader, depending on the number in your group, you can get discounts, go for free, or even get paid to take your group. The amount of the discount depends on the number of people in your group, the length of the tour, and the cost of the tour. Group rates are available where everyone on the tour gets a discounted price—the more people in the group, the greater the discount.

If you are a teacher, a graduate student earning course credit on your trip, a researcher, a writer, or you engage in a profession or occupation for which knowledge of your travel destination would enhance your professional capabilities, or if you travel to SE Asia to further your business, such as export/import, you may be able to deduct part or all of your travel expenses from your income tax. Check with your tax advisor. For faculty who teach history, political science, geography, or any subject that can be related to your travel destinations, or who need credits for advancement on a salary scheldule or to obtain an advanced degree for purposes of increased salary, enrollment as a student for graduate study will usually qualify for tax savings that exceed the cost of tuition. Ask about information on tax deductibility of study tours.