Where to next as we see more of Asia for free.
Our initial plans for June and July had us with one goal in mind which was how to see more of Asia for free. We will go a long way to achieving that goal and most of the accommodation during this upcoming trip will in fact be free as we are again doing house sits in three of the five countries we are visiting.
Since our return to Chiang Mai, Thailand in April following our European travels we have been planning our next trip around other Asian countries. From mid-June we will be visiting and documenting our travels as we head to Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam before returning to Chiang Mai around the end of July.
During this trip we have House Sits scheduled so far in 3 of those 5 countries which will allow us to explore in depth what each place has to offer while experiencing life as close as possible as a local.
Although not totally free the saving on accommodation will go a long way in reducing our overall costs. Additional savings we make is by flying with our accumulated frequent flyer points. Our article on Frequent flyer points accumulation and savings explains how we have accumulated enough points to fund many of our trips.
First stop Manila.
Our first stop to see more of Asia for free will be Manila a place we both haven’t visited in a very long time so it will be interesting to see how this city has changed since our last time there in the very early 1980’s I imagine it has changed quite a lot. We haven’t done a lot of research on Manila yet as it has been a last minute decision to go so if you have any tips or suggestions on what to see or do there during our time we would love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Next off to Singapore.
Next stop to see more of Asia for free will be Singapore. We last visited Singapore in February 2016 and always enjoy our time there. The MRT transport system is first class, clean and very efficient and makes getting around the city a breeze. This time we will be staying longer so will try and get to see some of the different places this city has to offer rather than the usual must see attractions. We will of course have to revisit Marina Bay at night again as that never ceases to amaze us. Ros no doubt will want to go to her favourite aromatic oil shop in Arab street to pick up some perfume.
Singapore to Macau.
Following Singapore, it’s off to Macau. Although we have previously had a one-day visit to this city we will this time be staying 5 days so should get a good chance to explore. We are particularly interested in the Portuguese cultural history in the old part of town but will no doubt visit some of the many Casino’s and hopefully get in a show or two. We have heard Macau is fast becoming the Las Vegas of the orient so I’m sure our time there will be full of surprises.
Jetfoil to Hong Kong.
From Macau it’s a one-hour Jetfoil ride across the South China sea to Hong Kong, one of our favourite Asian cities. We are especially looking forward to our return to this fascinating city. Having visited Hong Kong on and off for last 25 years we have many favourite places to revisit. The cable car ride to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island is always a highlight as well as the view form the Peak on a clear night looking across the bustling skyline. A site not to miss.
Final destination Vietnam.
As we leave behind Hong Kong it’s off to Vietnam. This will be our first trip to Vietnam so looking forward to taking in the sights, sounds and flavours. We are planning to start from Hanoi and work our way down to Ho Chi Min City. Again we would be interested to hear from anyone that’s previously visited for tips on what to see along the way. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
Since leaving Australia embarking on our travel journey we have seen some wonderful places and met many lovely people. We have for a large part saved on accommodation by doing House Sits which is a very economical way to travel as it allows you to stay in people’s homes usually caring for animals which is another great bonus as we love animals. The home owner has the benefit of someone staying in their home looking after the home and pets in exchange for free accommodation for us. Although House Sitting has been around for a while we never really considered it as a viable option until we started looking into it last year and we are now very glad we did.
Out of respect for the privacy of the owners of the properties we house sit we have a policy of not disclosing the addresses of the house sits or photos of the home. We do not post photos of animals unless we get prior approval from the owners. We will however be talking about the surroundings and places we visit during this time so stay tuned and be sure to sign up for our newsletter as we see more of Asia for free.
