UNESCO Heritage sites in South-east Asia:

UNESCO has a total of 37 heritage sites in the South-east Asia region and these are all scattered throughout various countries and locations. These sites are established to preserve the history and culture of the locations and it is an important asset to the country and the world as a whole as it documents lifestyle and culture. The countries that are included are Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

In this list, we'll be covering one heritage sites from the each of the various countries starting with:

Indonesia: Komodo National park

Indonesia is the one country that is known to be the native land of the world's largest giant lizards. The Komodo dragons aren't actual dragons but lizards of massive size. Their native birthplace is this island which is now turned into a national park in order to preserve them.

Vietnam: Hoi An

Hoi An is an important trading port where trade was centered in the 15th to 19th century. The town has traces of numerous local and foreign influence. However, the history, culture and infrastructure is well preserved and seeps through the ages till today.

Malaysia: Kinabalu Park

All of Malaysia's 13 states has a unique quality that each state is best known for and towards the East, on the state of Sabah is one of the highest mountains in the Asian region. Mount Kinabalu is one of the mountains with a peak so high that plenty of climbers challenge.

Philippines: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

Divers would love this site as the pristine and clear waters reveal some of the world's hidden treasure under the depths of the waves. The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park hosts a variety of coral reefs and marine wildlife.

Singapore: Singapore Botanic Gardens

Reminiscent of a European-style botanic garden of plants established under British rule in 1859. From then onwards, it stands as a landmark representative of Singaporean history and culture while relative and significant of science, education and the importance of conservation.

Laos: Town of Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, a town filled with the history and splendour that presents itself as the ancient capital of the old kingdom of Laos. Luang Prabang's buildings blends and combines those of Asian and European cultures that comes together to create the uniqueness that is Luang Prabang.

Myanmar: Pyu ancient cities

The three ancient cities of Halin, Beikthano and Sri Ksetra remains from the Pyu Kingdom that lasted for eleven centuries from 200 BC to 900 AD. The ruins breathe of a rich Buddhist culture left behind from royal, religious structures and an irrigation system.

Thailand: Historic city of Ayutthaya

Nestled in the Ayutthaya province, this historic city was once the capital of the Kingdom of Siam. The remains of the destruction of the Burmese in the 18th century speak aloud of the religious and administrative buildings that once stood proud; hinting towards the city's majestic history.

Cambodia: Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is infamous amongst the South-east region as a major archaeological site filled with the beauty of ancient remains of the Khmer Empire. The site includes the famous temple of Angkor Wat, the Bayon Temple, and the jungle covered Ta Phrom Temple being part of the arsenal.

Here area few of the different UNESCO heritage sites around the South East Asia region. We hope that you have a great time if you happen to come across these amazing sites. Till the next post, safe travels everyone!

Pre-anxiety travel? How to deal with it?

 With all sorts of people out there, some of us might be the type to feel extremely stressed out and worried or anxious before a trip. This can take the fun out of it no doubt but with proper preparations, attitude, and mindset, confidence can be built and anxiety can be quelled. Below are a few ways or tips on how to identify pre-travel anxiety and how we can handle it to help our journey be slightly worry-free.

1. Research - Researching up on the destination can be informational and saves us from major culture shocks. Anxiety can stem from the fact that we are stepping into a new foreign land that we're not familiar with and causes worry and concern. Google is our best friend in such cases so do Google up on your travel destination and learn a little bit about the place before you hop onto the plane.
2. Identify the trigger points of pre-travel anxiety – In the case of anxiousness before travelling can be linked to multiple aspects of our lives. Solely luggage preparations may not be enough to solve the problem. Therefore, understanding ourselves and mentally and emotionally while preparing ourselves for the trip is another way to deal with pre-travel anxiety.
3. Talk, don't avoid – Once we've identified the sources of anxiety, talk to friends or family members to lift the burden. We are surrounded by people so talk about the problem instead of avoiding it is able to lift the burden off our shoulders.
4. 

   Ample preparation time – In the previous point, we've mentioned that those of us with anxiety should prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally. By allowing time for ourselves to register the idea of travelling and carrying preparations requires time and if one feels rushed then maybe it's time to take a step back on the next trip and give ourselves a little bit more time to prepare.
5. Prepare for the unexpected – Travelling is a messy business, by which we mean that not everything goes according to plan. We may have planned a wonderful time but life never always go the way we want it. By lowering our expectations back down to Earth can also prevent us from suffering setbacks or disappointments in our travels.
6. Take breaks – While packing and preparing, be sure to take breaks and not wrap everything around yourself. We are all human after all, and a break or two may turn out to be even more productive than we thought.
7. Write a checklist – Writing a checklist with items that are essential to the trip may aid us during those spells of memory loss. It also helps us keep track of what is done and what is left undone; and boy, does watching those items getting crossed off build up the excitement.
8. Plan ahead – For those who have a fear of flights, heights or just pure anxiety of plane rides, planning ahead by reading up on ways to cope with the stress before the actual plane ride. For those who hate boredom; maybe throwing a book or two into the bag might help.
9. 

   Don't procrastinate – Preparing for a trip is no small feat, it requires hours or scheduling and arranging and up until the actual flight, we might all be worn out. Therefore, leaving everything till the last minute is a horrible idea that might take the entire fun out of the journey even before it began. This is why we should have a little progress each and everyday to even out the workload.
10. Don't over-think – Constant worrying and over-thinking will do nothing to help with pre-travel anxiety. It worsens it; know that all preparations are done and all there is left is for the plane to take off. Believe that everything will turn out just fine. It's a vacation, not a migration. XD

With all said and done, the journey is just as important as the destination so let's all enjoy the scenery while we hike up the mountain. Till next time, happy and safe travels everyone!!

5 Reasons to Travel Solo Abroad

Confidence build up

The biggest obstacle whereby teenage travelers are reluctant to travel alone is the Confidence Issue. Confidence does not build up overnight obviously and takes time to nurture and grow. There is a saying, “ The more challenges you have, the bigger your world becomes”. Confidence can be built up by learning travelling skills and techniques such as learning a new language, learn navigating skills etc. When one can survive his or her own abroad while travelling, they definitely are confident in having a set of surviving skills or technique.

Experience, Experience and MORE EXPERIENCE.

Staying at home does not give you any new experience at all. Being too long in comfort zones may actually build up anxiety and panic when one’s get out in the real world. When we embark on new travels alone, we are “forced” in a way or another to gain more and more experience. Most importantly, we not only experience the new environment and new community during solo trips, but we also get to experience the ultimate feeling of being yourself solidary. Focus on the experience while travelling alone, you will always find yourself more engaged and attentive to the place you’re in.

f.R.I.E.N.D.S

Travelling alone does not mean that you wont have friends. In a lot of cases, travelling alone gives you more opportunities to make new friends. When you’re travelling alone, you simply can’t sit back and wait for a conversation to happen. You will need to find and get involved in the interactions and discussion with local community. Sometimes, it may be uncomfortable to make new friends, but always REMEMBER, be open to new conversations and be prepared to engage in local topics. A friendly smile will start it all.^^

FREEDOM AND FLEXIBILITY
Solo travelers have great capacity to exercise their freedom and flexibility. When you are not stick to specific schedule or need to be answerable to any group members, you can simply alternate visits or trips accordingly to your interest. Having freedom and flexibility may be the BIGGEST PERK of travelling solo as you can actually craft your own trip creatively and make the best use of it to your own interest and personality.

LESS DISTRACTIONS, MORE SIGHTSEEINGS

Travelling abroad with groups is always a game of compromise. Discussions need to be held again and again until sometimes till a point, it may seem planning a group trip is more tiring than the actual travel. By travelling alone, one can have obviously less distractions, and spend more time indulging the amazing activities you yourself plan. When one does not need to answer to questions and criticism, one can always enjoy a trip accordingly to one's interest.