Talk Travel Asia

Trevor is visiting Scott in Kuala Lumpur (KL), where he just celebrated his one year anniversary living in the Malaysian capital city. Trevor suggested chatting about the city, what it's like, and what it has to offer would be a good episode as many foreigners aren't generally familiar with what to do or see in Kuala Lumpur. Trevor thinks that unlike visitors to Thailand, Cambodia, or Singapore, a lot of people don’t have deeply ingrained preconceived notions about what the country and its capital is like. Scott gives us a quick overview on how he ended up in KL and how, after one year, he knows the city well enough to share some of his insights with prospective visitors.

Trevor is in Kuala Lumpur visiting Scott for the recording of this episode, during which time they plan to do some cycling in Scott's Bukit Kiara neighbourhood. The two discuss their different experiences biking in SE Asia as well as the great aspects of exploring the region by bicycle. Trevor enjoys how travel by bike allows you to mingle closely with local communities, while Scott talks about how it's great to see the local sights. They bring in a cycling expert to share his expertise on what riders can expect from cycling in various countries across the greater region. From where the best areas are for climbing, road-riding trips, off-road adventures, and everything in between, we get to the bottom of what SE Asia has to offer riders. Our Guest: Adam Platt-Hepworth joins Scott and Trevor online from his base in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Adam discusses his transition from banking in Australia to joining and now owning Grasshopper Adventures, a bike tour company that offers trips throughout Asia. He's one switched-on fellow when it comes to cycling in Asia and planning a great trip.

Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic regions on the planet. Fly one hour in almost any direction - from Bangkok for example, and you’re in a totally different world: a different language, culture, cuisine, arts, customs, and so on. Southeast Asia is a tapestry of sorts and the preceding factors are certainly some of the reasons that travelers are drawn back to the region time and time again. While there are lots of diverse neighbouring countries to explore, after more than a decade in the region Trevor and Scott feel like they’ve really only scratched the surface. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia we discuss some of our initial impressions traveling to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos as well as some of our most memorable experiences in these vibrant and diverse Southeast Asian nations.

Planning a vacation should be a ton of fun but can also be stressful and confusing at times. What do you really ‘need’ to see? What things ‘should’ you see that will appeal to you personally? How long will it take to travel from here to there? How many destinations within your trip are enough without going to too many, rendering your entire vacation one spent in cars and airports going to and fro? We speak with longtime Lonely Planet author and tour company owner Chris Rowthorn about these very things. He shares tips on how to best plan and approach a vacation based on his many years working in the travel business.

Bangkok is legendary as one of the world’s most exotic and exciting cities. It’s also one full of scams, hustles, and tourist traps. Luckily most of them are relatively innocent and non-violent, resulting in little more than a few more dollars spent than you’d like. After more than 25 collective years living in Bangkok, Scott and Trevor cover a few of the most common, elaborate, and colorful Bangkok scams so that you can have a lot of fun in Bangkok and not get ripped off (too badly)!

Episode 4: The Plight of Asia’s Elephants Both Trevor and Scott have had the pleasure of experiencing the mahout (elephant) program at the Anantara Golden Triangle in the far northern regions of Thailand along the Mekong River and welcome John Roberts to talk about an issue that is at the heart of many tourist experiences in Asia. While elephants are certainly a top tourist attraction in Thailand, Nepal, and to a lesser degree in Cambodia and Laos, few tourists are aware of the threat to elephant populations in the region caused by human development and deforestation of elephant’s natural habitat.

Episode 3: Talk Travel Technology with special guest Greg Jorgensen Travel technology has had a massive impact on how we research, plan, book, experience, and share our travel adventures. Armed with only a smart phone, you can buy a plane ticket or get a hot hotel deal in real time. There’s 3G and wifi hot-spots along the Mekong River in Laos and Cambodia; there are dozens of travel apps to help you along the way; and you can share your photos with friends and family back home with the press of a button. This week, Scott and Trevor discuss Travel Technology with longtime friend Greg Jorgensen, the founder and former co-host of Bangkok Podcast, a Thailand Twitter celebrity, and an all around nice guy.

Episode 2: Angkor 101 Scott and Trevor share their tips for first time visitors to the Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap, Cambodia. As author of the first edition National Geographic guidebook to Cambodia, Trevor has explored the temples of Angkor dozens of times. As founding partner of luxury travel company Smiling Albino, Scott has hosted guests at and visited Angkor for his own personal enjoyment numerous times too. He also has authored two editions of Groovy Map’s Cambodia guide map. What is Angkor? The show begins with the history of Angkor and an overview of what exactly we’re talking about when we say “Angkor”? Is it a single temple, the name of the city, or both?! Scott and Trevor quickly discuss 600 years of history, including how this city of temples evolved. Answering the “What is Angkor” question, they differentiate between the most famous Angkor temple, Angkor Wat, and its neighboring temple complex, Angkor Thom. Both reside within a 1,000 square km park that features hundreds of other temples, active Buddhist monasteries, local villages, and massive artificial reservoirs.

Episode 1: Meet the Hosts of Talk Travel Asia! Talk Travel Asia co-hosts Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges share their backgrounds, including when and why they moved to Asia, how they got to know each other, and what they’ve been up to in the travel industry over the past decade. Scott discusses his early years in Thailand as co-founder of Smiling Albino, a high-end travel company that specializes in designing unique travel experiences and hosting adventurous guests in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Nepal. Trevor discusses his evolution from test-prep instructor in Hawaii to guidebook writer for Fodors and National Geographic in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.