About Asia Actually

I'm Joe, and I built Asia Actually around the practical problems, questions and mistakes travellers actually run into: money, transport, where to stay, and what to do when something goes wrong. Not polished top-ten lists.

The first-hand parts of the guides come from my own travel: three trips to Asia over roughly two and a half years. That's solid experience of a handful of countries, not a claim to have covered all of Asia.

Where my first-hand experience comes from

• Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Krabi
• Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau (where I spent most of my time), plus Con Dao, Nha Trang, Hanoi and Ha Giang, including the Ha Giang Loop
• Cambodia: Phnom Penh and the Killing Fields
• Singapore
• China: a one-night stopover in Guangzhou

I've also worked in hospitality for around ten years, including several years in management, with bars, cocktails and higher-end venues. That's why the Bangkok drinks coverage looks at things like drink quality and service, not just a reposted “best bars” list.

How I write the guides

• The useful answer comes first, so you can get it on your phone in seconds.
• Things that change, like entry rules, prices and fees, are checked against official or reliable sources, listed at the end of each guide, with a “last checked” date.
• My own experience is labelled as mine. I never make it up, and it's never a substitute for checking the facts.
• If something is out of date, tell me and I'll fix it.

No affiliate programmes are active yet. If I add affiliate links in future, the guides that use them will say so, and the affiliate disclosure explains how they work.