Everything I wrote about, I wrote from experience. I invite all the readers to continue the discussion and comment with there own tips, tricks, knowledge, experience and stories.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AHEAD OF TIME

This is the basics. Make sure you understand all of this before you leave, so you aren’t caught off guard.

• Credit cards are rarely accepted anywhere except the airport (within SEA specifically): After 6 months of travel, I don’t even need one hand to count the number of physical stores I used my credit card in. I never used it. I still needed it though. The credit card is great for flexing its benefits when buying plane tickets, booking hostels on your phone, and at the airport before you can find a currency exchange. It can also act as an ATM card in a pinch.
• Most cards charge a hefty foreign transaction fee: Up to 3%, I hear. These fees will break you down if you are not careful. Luckily, many cards advertise themselves as travel cards, with no foreign transaction fees, and do not have these fees. Shop for your credit card wisely and keep this in mind. See my card suggestions at the end for a good example.
• Every ATM charges fees: ATM fees in SE Asia vary from $3 – 10. With the steep fees, most people are stuck between sucking it up and paying it often, or carrying loads of cash on them in each country (that is not recommended for obvious reasons). There is one exceptional bank that will refund you all ATM fees that are charged. Schwab, and its excellent free checking/investor account, saved my girlfriend and I over $300 in ATM fees after six month. More information about this account can be found at the end of the article.
• The banks will shut down your account if you don’t tell them you will be traveling: Don’t forget to call them. Should only take 2-10 minutes depending on the bank.
• Cards expire: No duh, but don’t forget to check.
• Don’t expect to find an ATM right when you get to a new country. Be ready and have about $50 in USD stashed in your pack for emergencies, and a bit of pre-exchanged local currency ready.

How a card can fail and why you need more than one:

Three stories summed up in a sentence each:

• The ATM charged me but I didn’t get any money, and now my bank shut my card down for suspicious activity. Always keep receipts for cancelled and failed transactions. Try to always visit an ATM that is attached to the associated bank. Frequently check your account, especially after a strange interaction with an ATM. Remember that a credit card can act as an emergency debit card (cash advancing), but try not to use it since there are commonly extra fees involved.
• The bank was hacked, and now they sent me a new card, but obviously I’m not home anymore. Note: They will send you a new card to an international address if you can wait it out and know where you’ll be.
• I’m an idiot, and didn’t check my expiration date. It happened to me, and I’m not proud of it.

These are three damn good reasons to carry an extra credit and debit card from a different bank on the side when traveling. Stash them deep in your bag for safety. They weigh nothing and if you ever need them you’ll be stoked that you brought them.

Saving money on fees and beating the system:

Foreign transaction fees: There are dozens of banks and creditors that offer cards, for free, without foreign transaction fees. Find one! 3% is a lot of money to be paying on a long trip that is tight on funds.

ATM fees: Unless you’re using the Schwab High Yield Investor Checking Account, you’ll likely be paying ATM fees at every ATM you see. Beat these fees by withdrawing large sums of money at ATMs. Balance the risk of carrying cash with the cost of the ATM, but I usually took out 10-14 days worth of cash ($200-500) and split it between my bag and my wallet.

Cash back and rewards cards: Most credit cards come with a 1% cash back on certain purchases. Some cards, come with even better deals, with cash back percentages reaching over 3% in certain categories. Even better cards sweeten the deal buy offering decent sums of money (in reward points) if you spend enough money or keep the card long enough. The Barclay Arrival Plus, I’ll talk about below offers 40,000 points (about $300) if you spend $3000 in the first three months. If you can meet these demands and still make the payments, it’s almost free money.

My cards:

These three cards combined, have earned and saved me over $600 in a year of travel and preparation.

Schwab High Yield Investor Checking Account:
I didn’t think to look at a brokerage firm for a checking account, but this account has been a god send. No ATM fees! Excellent customer service! No foreign exchange fees! This one of a kind account will eventually become the backpacker’s standard.
Pros: Refunded ATM fees. No foreign exchange fees. Market price exchange rates. Excellent customer service. Short hold times. Decent web and app platforms.
Cons: Transferring money from a main account at another bank wirelessly takes about 5 business days. Physical banks are few and far between in the states. Hopefully there is one near you. Initial set up may need to be done in person. This is an old school bank.

BofA TravelRewards Card:
Standard card with no foreign transaction fees. Visa. My back up card. No pros, no cons. Super standard.

Barclay Arrival+:
Awesome card with an excellent set of perks, especially the initial rewards offer. No foreign transaction fees. The first year is free, but after that, you need to pay $95/yr, so don’t forget to cancel the card before the year is up.
Pros: 2% Cash back. No foreign transaction fees. Cash advances available (at cost). MasterCard. Huge 40,000 point reward offer. Good customer service. Free for first year.
Cons: $95/yr after first year (remember to cancel it). Not Visa. Needs decent credit to get approval.

Additional links for credit card research:

• Nerd Wallet – for side-by-side card comparisons.
• The Best Way to Carry Money Overseas – Travel Independent
• The Best Travel Credit and Debit Cards – Thrifty Nomads – International Options!
• Prepaid Debit Cards in 2018 – Overview of available prepaid debit cards available at the moment.

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To initially cross the boarder, we took a bus to Chiang Khong, stamped out of Thailand and paid $36 for a Laos visa on arrival ($1 for a “weekend tax”). We crossed “Friendship Bridge #4” with a neutral bus, then headed over to the boats for the long ride to Laos. If you ever take these boats, remember to bring food,since they don't feed you, and remember to bring a sitting pad, unless they tell you that you don't need one (you can buy them at the boat dock).

The slow boat was, in the end more, comfortable than expected but about as nice as a long plane ride. From the boat we saw fishing villages, kids playing in the river, monks, temples, elephants, fish, bison, and sweeping views of beautiful mountains and karsts. The scenery was stellar and I'm glad I saw them, but everyone was antsy by the end of the ride.

After two days, we finally arrived in Luang Prabang and immediately started wandering around the city. Luang Prabang felt like a small town to us, but it is one of the biggest in Laos due to the population. It has 5 bars, all in one area, that close at 11:30, but if you walk 1 mile away, you're out of the city limit and there is a late night bowling venue. Ha. The prices are a little higher here (about 50-75% more than Thailand) but if you work hard, you'll still make your budget. The first night, in order to save our money, we visited buffet alley (see picture) and had some pretty awful cold food, which is never a good idea.

The first morning we immediately negotiated for a motorbike and headed to Kwang Si Waterfall. This waterfall takes the cake so far for coolest waterfall visited ever. The electric blue water cascades over dozens of individual terraces ranging from 1 to 30 meters. Several pools are available for swimming, and several are closed to preserve their function and beauty.

Before the waterfall, there is a moon bear reserve and a butterfly park. This was a great first stop to start Laos right.

The next day we ventured in a random direction, spat seeds into the river, and lounged on a make-shift beach. That night we learn a few new card games from a group of Canadians (31, Oh Hell, and Asshole), and prepared for the jump to Nong Khiew, our next destination.

See you there.

Grant and Danielle

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When we arrived in the city, we looked for a quick taxi ride to our hostel, but instead got a taxi with a fixed meter and got scammed out of $3 before we even knew where we were. Oh well, these are the lessons you learn quickly in every new city. In hind sight, we've learned not to trust any of the taxis in Vietnam, except for solid green taxis.

Day one was laid back. Besides dinner, we drank coffee and played cards till it was time to kick back with beer instead.

The next day was Danielle's birthday! We visited a millennium old university, a fine art gallery with some great silk art on the top floor, looked at the Soviet meets French meets Chinese architecture of the government buildings and The Ho Chi Mihn mausoleum, and finally went to a water puppet show.

The whole day was made complete with great food. Lunch was eaten on the ground with the local street vendors and dinner was a fine western meal at Green Tangerine.

The last day was spent eating and walking. That night we visited a collection of the local party hostels and rooftop bars for beers and merry making. It was Christmas Eve after all…

The food in Hanoi was absolutly unreal. Besides the normally absolutely delicious pho, bun bo, fried meat donuts, etc, we tried quite a few new dishes.

Bun Cha (a favorite of ours) is a dish that consists of individual plates of cold rice noodles, beef meat balls, fried spring rolls, greens, delicious broth, and a small personal bowl. You take all the ingredients, combine them in your bowl and add chili and garlic. Eat. Repeat. Enjoy.

If you ever visit this city, look up the local food and where to get it. We did our own unorganized food tour and it is worth the extra effort (walking from place to place). If you're eating fried rice here, you're doing it wrong.

Next up Cat Ba Island in Holong Bay.

Thanks for reading,

Grant and Danielle.

P.S. Sorry for the huge gap between posts with little communication. We post when we can (when Internet allows) and we are pretty far behind right now. I hope we can catch up during a rainy or laundry day soon.

The post Hanoi – Puppets, Cuisines, and the Holidays. appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.