With its dense tropical rainforests, beautiful sunny beaches, and rich cultural diversity, there are few regions of the world capable of conjuring as much curiosity and wanderlust as South East Asia. This year, our family will be spending 11 months traveling through as much of this area as we can, looking for the best places in South East Asia for families to visit. Ideally, we’ll be able to visit each of the 11 countries here during our stay, but we’ll have to see what happens!
A bit about Southeast Asia
The region of Southeast Asia is made up of 11 different countries ranging from the Philippine Sea in the east to the Bay of Bengal in the west. The northernmost of the countries is Myanmar, while the southernmost is the tiny (and relatively new) country of Timor L’este. In all, the region of Southeast Asia covers over 5 million square miles of area.
The largest country in the region is Indonesia, which is spread across 18,307 islands (at current count). The smallest is the country of Singapore, which only covers 283 square miles and is essentially just one big city.
While many of the countries in Southeast Asia share a lot of cultural similarities, there is still a huge variety of cultures and religions represented throughout.
Malaysia
Malaysia is one of the most central countries in Southeast Asia, and is split between the Malay Peninsula of mainland Southeast Asia and a large portion of the island of Borneo, which is shares with Brunei and Indonesia.
Our family chose to begin our adventures in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, because of a World School Pop up there. (Meeting new friends is always fun!) But, as it turns out, Malaysia was the perfect introduction to the region!
While Malaysia has a distinctly Asian feel, with colorful temples and spicy food, it was also a British colony during the 1800’s, and that impact can still be seen today in how much English is spoken there. While Malay is the official language of Malaysia, English is taught in the schools as an important second language, and we almost never had a problem communicating with anyone while in country, the entire time we were there!
Learn more about visiting Malaysia with kids
Thailand
Thailand is one of the most well-known countries in the region, as well as one of the most central. It borders 4 Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia and is usually described as looking like an elephant’s head, similar to how Italy looks like a boot.
Thailand has a lot going for it! From its pristine beaches and world-class diving in the south, to its extensive network of National Parks, to its collection of temples, both new and ancient, there’s almost certainly something here that you’ll want to see!
Plus, since Bangkok is one of the most central airports in the region, you’ll almost certainly end up passing through.
Learn more about visiting Thailand with kids
Cambodia
Cambodia is one of the smaller countries in South East Asia, but it was once the seat of the Khmer empire, which spread its cultural influence across the entire region. Today, most visitors to Cambodia tend to gravitate to either Siem Reap, where you can visit Angkor Wat, or the country’s capital in Phnom Penh.
Angkor Wat is the most visited archaeological site in the world, and should not be missed if you’re in the region, but since Cambodia uses USD as one of its official currencies, prices do tend to be higher than other parts of South East Asia.
Learn more about visiting Cambodia with kids
Vietnam
Vietnam is the easternmost country in mainland South East Asia and borders Cambodia, Laos, and China. It tends to get divided into 3 main regions, including the south (Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat, Nha Trang), central (Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue) and the north (Hanoi, Sa Pa, Ninh Binh).
Vietnam is one of the most budget-friendly spots in South East Asia, and is relatively easy to get around thanks to its coastal railway system and inexpensive buses, and our family ended up making Da Nang a “home base” for our time in the region.
If your family is in Da Nang for a visit, shoot me an email and I’ll get you plugged into the local world schooling community!
Learn more about visiting Vietnam with kids
Laos
Laos is the central-most country in mainland South East Asia, and borders all the other mainland SEA countries plus China. It’s also the most bombed country on the planet, thanks to the widespread bombing that occurred during the American-Vietnam War.
The roads in Laos aren’t great, which can make it difficult to get around, but China’s recent investments in a modern rail system for Laos has made it a bit easier. Things are a great deal quieter here than in Thailand or Vietnam, and my family found our month-long stay in Luang Prabang to be really relaxing!
I would love to do some more exploring through Laos, so, hopefully, I’ll have more to share with you soon!
Learn more about visiting Laos with kids
The Philippines
The Philippines is an island country located in the eastern portion of South East Asia, north of Indonesia. It is composed of 7641 different islands, though only around 2000 of them are inhabited.
That huge number of islands translates into an astonishing amount of diversity, and what kind of trip you have can vary wildly depending on just where in the Philippines you visit! My family chose to stay on the island of Panglao, which is connected to Bohol via a short bridge. During our month, we experienced incredible snorkeling, beautiful waterfalls, and an up-close encounter with on of the world’s smallest primates!
Note: In 2025, the Philippines was labeled as the most dangerous country to visit in the world in a survey by the travel insurance site HelloSafe. However, as of June 20, the results of that survey are under investigation. (See the announcement here)
As always, while I encourage you to explore the world with your kids, definitely make sure you feel safe while you do it! Our family spent a month there in 2024 and never felt in danger, but do what’s right for your family.
Learn more about visiting The Philippines with kids
Brunei
Completely located on the island of Borneo, the country of Brunei is both one of the smallest and the richest countries in South East Asia. However, since it has a focus on its oil industry instead of its tourism industry, it has a bit of a reputation for being boring, as well.
Despite that reputation, my family decided to check it out and found plenty enough to do to fill our time there! Museums, mosques, and the world’s largest stilt village are all easy spots to visit in the capital, while more daring visitors can hire a boat to take them along the river to see proboscis monkeys in the wild or venture deep into the virgin rainforests of Ulu Temburong National Park.
Learn more about visiting Brunei with kids
Indonesia
With over 17,000 islands, Indonesia has more islands than any other country in the world! That number means Indonesia isn’t a place that you’ll ever be able to fully explore, but it is a place you’ll want to return to again and again to try.
While Bali tends to get the majority of attention from tourists, Indonesia has a ton going for it. Spots like Indonesian Borneo and Komodo Island show case the country’s incredible bio-diversity, while spots like Lombok provide a haven for budget travelers looking beautiful views that won’t break the bank.
Indonesia has so much going for it that I don’t feel capable of covering it all, but I’ll definitely share what I know!
Learn more about visiting Indonesia with kids
Timor L’este
Timor L’este is the youngest country in South East Asia, only having won its independence from Indonesia in 2002 after several bloody resistance movements. As such, it’s not a surprise that the infrastructure needed for tourism hasn’t been fully fleshed out yet. Even so, Timor L’este is a compelling location for adventure travellers.
It’s an incredible spot for divers, with a variety of different dives available. It’s one of the few places in the world where tourists can spot blue whales. And it has a culture that is so completely different from the rest of South East Asia, you’ll feel like you’ve left the region completely!
It’s not a budget-friendly location, nor is it particularly luxurious. But for a certain kind of traveler, it definitely shouldn’t be missed.
Learn more about visiting Timor L’este with kids
Singapore
The entire country of Singapore is composed of a single city at the very tip of the Malay Peninsula. However, despite its limited real estate, Singapore remains one of the top must-visit locations in the world!
Singapore is a place that oozes luxury. Beautiful parks, fancy malls, and hotels that look like palaces all feel at home here, and the Changi Jewel Airport/Mall has so much to do that some people fly to Singapore just to explore it.
My family chose to visit Singapore as a weekend trip during our stay in Kuala Lumpur and, for us, that was enough time to see what we wanted to see. Even so, we definitely only scratched the surface of what’s available in the city.
Learn more about visiting Singapore with kids
Myanmar (Burma)
Myanmar is the westernmost country of South East Asia, and, unfortunately, was the only one of the 11 that my family didn’t manage to visit due to the ongoing armed conflict there. However, we did do the next best thing and visited the Golden Triangle region where Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar all come together along the Mekong River.
We looked over the border from a nearby temple, took a boat to get as close as we could without actually crossing the border, and ate Burmese food prepared by locals who crossed the border with Thailand. Even so, we would love getting to explore this country when things calm down!
Myanmar is technically still open to tourists, and it’s not likely that anything would have happened had we chosen to enter. However, on the advice of friends who are living there, we chose to wait, for now.