I'm planning a 4-8 week (depending on money) trip through Southeast Asia. In the past I've done 3 weeks in China, a long weekend in Germany, and I studied abroad in Japan for an academic year
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1. Your info says you live in Pennsylvania so I'll assume you're American, and as a corollary, suck at metric units like me. There's this free app called Cambio, and it not only converts currency, but also did unit/temperature conversions. It's pretty nifty too because whenever you have Wifi access it'll refresh current exchange rates.
2. Hmm... not too many hostels places have WiFi, but many have either free internet access (usually on painfully slow computers) or there will be internet cafes around anyway. If you REALLY need WiFi on your iPhone your best bets are cafes/restaurants/bars.
Hmm... I don't remember many of my hostel names, but one I do recommend is Suk11 when you're in Bangkok (www.suk11.com). It's actually not in the backpacker district, but in this case it's a good thing. The area surrounding it is busy enough that you can get anything you need and close to the Skytrain, but not offensively touristy like Khao San Road. But seriously, if you know the dates of when you'll be in Bangkok, I definitely recommend booking in advance, as they fill out fairly quickly! Just a really cool vibe in there, building is beautiful, owners are awesome, free breakfast, cool rooftop showers!
For Siem Reap (where Angkor Wat is) I recommend here: http://thesiemreaphostel.com/ There's a pool and free internet room! Also close to downtown. Can't beat that.
Unfortunately I don't remember the names of the hostels I stayed at in Vientiane or Luang Prabang. I recommend asking people before you get there.
3. In the backpacker districts, money is easy to change--tons of currency exchange shops. Just watch what the rate is, use common sense, etc, etc. I actually ended up using up all my cash and traveler's checks within a couple weeks. The rest of my time I just used my ATM card to make withdrawals. My bank doesn't charge me to use outside ATMs, and the banks actually give you a pretty good rate, so I found this to be the best way to get money.
As for visas... again, I'm assuming you're American here. May not apply if you're not. -Thailand gives you 30 days visa-free. -Cambodia, you need to get at the border (bring a passport picture, and either US$20 or 1000Baht). The actual price is $20 but the border officials will often ask for 1000Baht (about $28). Corrupt , but welcome to Cambodia! -Laos, you can get one at the border for about $25 or $35 -Vietnam is the only one you need to get in advance. Make sure you get the visa either back home (more expensive) or in Cambodia or Laos before you head to the border. Costs about $30 if I remember correctly. All in all, visas are kind of a pain in the ass, but nothing really troublesome. If you plan on getting visas at the border, make sure you check before you do because some of the lesser-used border crossings will not have them on arrival.
2. Hmm... not too many hostels places have WiFi, but many have either free internet access (usually on painfully slow computers) or there will be internet cafes around anyway. If you REALLY need WiFi on your iPhone your best bets are cafes/restaurants/bars.
Hmm... I don't remember many of my hostel names, but one I do recommend is Suk11 when you're in Bangkok (www.suk11.com). It's actually not in the backpacker district, but in this case it's a good thing. The area surrounding it is busy enough that you can get anything you need and close to the Skytrain, but not offensively touristy like Khao San Road. But seriously, if you know the dates of when you'll be in Bangkok, I definitely recommend booking in advance, as they fill out fairly quickly! Just a really cool vibe in there, building is beautiful, owners are awesome, free breakfast, cool rooftop showers!
For Siem Reap (where Angkor Wat is) I recommend here: http://thesiemreaphostel.com/ There's a pool and free internet room! Also close to downtown. Can't beat that.
Unfortunately I don't remember the names of the hostels I stayed at in Vientiane or Luang Prabang. I recommend asking people before you get there.
3. In the backpacker districts, money is easy to change--tons of currency exchange shops. Just watch what the rate is, use common sense, etc, etc. I actually ended up using up all my cash and traveler's checks within a couple weeks. The rest of my time I just used my ATM card to make withdrawals. My bank doesn't charge me to use outside ATMs, and the banks actually give you a pretty good rate, so I found this to be the best way to get money.
As for visas... again, I'm assuming you're American here. May not apply if you're not.
-Thailand gives you 30 days visa-free.
-Cambodia, you need to get at the border (bring a passport picture, and either US$20 or 1000Baht). The actual price is $20 but the border officials will often ask for 1000Baht (about $28). Corrupt , but welcome to Cambodia!
-Laos, you can get one at the border for about $25 or $35
-Vietnam is the only one you need to get in advance. Make sure you get the visa either back home (more expensive) or in Cambodia or Laos before you head to the border. Costs about $30 if I remember correctly.
All in all, visas are kind of a pain in the ass, but nothing really troublesome. If you plan on getting visas at the border, make sure you check before you do because some of the lesser-used border crossings will not have them on arrival.
Good luck and have fun!
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