Take bus from Vientiane to Hanoi via mountains and Cau Treo border crossing into Vietnam. Hanoi is a very interesting place with lots to do and also offers a few interesting side trips: Sapa is a beautiful village set in mountains, and Halong Bay, a Unesco World Heritage site, offers amazing views of thousands of mountainous karsts jutting up from ocean waters.

In Hanoi, you can buy an “Open Tour” bus ticket that gets you all way south to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). It has a standard set of stops, but allows you to purchase add-ons for a few dollars each, two of which I highly recommend being Ninh Binh and Dalat. From Hanoi, first stop will indeed be Ninh Binh. Not a particularly touristy town, but launching point to visit spectacular Tam Coc park and/or Cuc Phuong National Park.

From Ninh Binh, move to Hue for a day or two, then on to Hoi An to check out amazing tailors and beaches, then to Nha Trang (a partying beach town that can be skipped if you wish), and then on to your second add-on which is mountain town of Dalat. From Dalat, you can do another addon stop in Mui Ne which is very quiet and good if you just want to relax and maybe poke around local market a little bit.

The last stop in Vietnam will be Ho Chi Minh which offers plenty to see and do including a massage at Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Institute for a couple of dollars. From there, you can cross into Cambodia in a couple ways. The first is a bus ride through some beautiful country to Phnom Penh, and second is a boat tour through Mekong Delta which also deposits you in Phnom Penh. Be warned though: roads in Cambodia are dirt and very slow going, but scenery is incredible if your backside can take it.

Phnom Penh gets mixed reviews but does have a couple of must visits before you continue: Killing Fields and S-21. When you do move on, you again have choice of bus or boat up to Siem Riep. I prefer bus because of fantastic views and insight into lives of country folk - trust me, you’ll never forget it.

After spending some time gawking at awesome ruins of Angkor Wat at Siem Riep, you can fly or bus it back to Bangkok, once again back where you started! Again, bus is harsh, but worth it to see Poipet (I’ll say it again: not to stay, but to see) and night-and-day change visible in a matter of a few meters when you cross from poverty of Cambodia into developing Thailand.

There you have it. That route can be done in 3 months if you don’t choose every side trip mentioned (to do it all you’ll want to add another couple of weeks). If you work it out, you’ll find you can spend a few nights in each place, but don't make mistake of creating some sort of concrete itinerary. Just be aware of your time, because you will want to spend lots of time in some places, while spending little in others and you really won’t know which until you get there. Be flexible within reason, and remember: it’s all about having fun!

Once back in Bangkok, you now have option to work your way south to islands, and perhaps, onward to other countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, or perhaps they will have to wait until your next trip, and yes, you will want to come back.

One of next logical questions is: What is it like to travel around these countries on a route like this? That’s precisely experience I detail in my book Rice Crust from Bottom of Pot: A Journey Across South East Asia (http://parryloeffler.com/ricecrust). It’s full of crazy adventures, wonderful stories of my interactions with locals, and even a few recipes collected directly from their kitchens.

About Author

Parry Loeffler is author of Rice Crust from Bottom of Pot: A Journey Across South East Asia http://parryloeffler.com/ricecrust Read it today… and get excited about your trip!

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Two accounts are better than one:

When traveling with other family members, even spouses, bring different credit cards that are on separate accounts. When a card is lost or stolen and must be cancelled, all cards on account are cancelled as well. Having at least two cards from separate accounts will prevent situation from leaving you stranded.

Keep it light:

Carry only personal information absolutely necessary for vacation, such as a passport or driver's license. The less personal information you have, better off you will be if your purse or wallet is stolen. When traveling by air, always keep copies of important documents in a separate part of your luggage, such as a carry-on bag.

Keep cards on your person. Most travel stores carry small bags that you can keep cards, cash, and other items you will need to access while out and about. Consider a money belt or security wallet.

Look out for fees:

When traveling abroad and using a credit card, watch out for conversion fee that many banks levy to convert charges in foreign currencies to dollars, generally 1% of purchase amount. Some banks charge a fee and some don’t so, if you have several cards, it's worth checking with issuers to see which one has best deal. Even with conversion charge, many times ATM machines will have best possible exchange rates and lowest fees.

With proper planning, credit cards are a convenient, secure and cost-effective means of payment when traveling. Just keep these tips in mind, and next time you’re balancing on one foot at security gate, you’ll be glad you did.

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Gail Corwin is a successful author and happy traveler. Please visit http://www.luggage-n-travel-accessories.com, your source for luggage and travel accessories, travel related information, timely articles and tips.