Laos is an amazing country often overshadowed by its popular neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. It deserves just as much attention as other Southeast Asian countries but because it’s not visited or talked about as much, people don’t always know what to expect when coming here. Here are all the things you should know before going to Laos!

Slow Down

Rule number one of visiting Laos: don’t rush! Things just tend to be much slower here. Most of the time you will appreciate the relaxed atmosphere (especially in the 4,000 islands) but it also has its downside – that bus might pick you up an hour later or you might wait for your dinner a bit longer… Just be prepared, you are in Asia after all!

Allow Enough Time for Your Visit

How long should you spend in Laos? I would say longer than you think! Backpackers tend to squeeze Laos in between visiting Thailand and Vietnam and only give it something around a week or ten days, but Laos has so much to offer: beautiful mountains, pretty cities, stunning waterfalls, outdoor activities, scenic motorbike routes, relaxing hammocks with river views and more. You’ll probably end up wishing you had more time to see and do everything in Laos!

The most popular places to see are Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane and the 4,000 islands. Many people also recommend visiting the village of Nong Khiaw (sadly I didn’t make it there) and doing either the Thakhek or Pakse motorbike loop.

What Is It like to Travel in Laos by Bus?

To tell you the truth, I hated the buses in Laos – or to be more precise, I hated the roads. Laos has some of the most terrible roads I have ever travelled on, maybe even beating Myanmar. There is no such thing as a highway in Laos and pretty much every journey is very bumpy, especially in the north of Laos where you seem to be winding endlessly around mountains.

At least booking transport in Laos is super easy! It works the same way as everywhere else in Southeast Asia: you simply buy a bus ticket through your hostel or a travel agent and get picked up from your accommodation. Standard tourist buses are usually called “VIP buses” which can mean anything from a bus slightly better than a local bus to a minibus. As tempting as those vans or minibuses may sound, I don’t recommend them much in Laos, especially if you get car sick easily. They were always several times bumpier than normal buses!

Just a word of warning about sleeping buses: their beds are always arranged for two people. That means you might end up sharing a bed with a stranger if you travel alone! Those beds really aren’t very spacious but at least they only tend to put two strangers of the same sex next to each other – so don’t worry ladies, you won’t end up in the same bed as an ugly fat guy! (And even if you do somehow, you can ask to be swapped with someone else.)

Start or End Your Journey in Luang Prabang

Learn from my mistakes. I flew into Vientiane thinking I could make it up to Luang Prabang and then head back south through the east side of Laos, doing some kind of a loop. Turns out, that’s almost impossible to do. The main roads between cities only exist on the west side of Laos and all go through Vientiane. Therefore, unless you start your trip in Luang Prabang and travel south (or do it the other way round), you might have to undergo the “amazing” Vientiane – Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang journey twice… and if you have read what I wrote about Laotian roads above, you’ll understand why that’s not a brilliant idea.

Don’t Go Too Much off the Beaten Track

While it’s certainly cool to go to unexplored areas in most countries, Laos is not a place where you want to wander too far into the countryside and the jungles. Why? Laos is the world’s most heavily bombed country in history – the United States dropped almost two million tons of bombs here in the 60s and 70s. Apparently there are still many undetonated bombs lying around.

Food in Laos

Food in Laos is cheap and heavily influenced by its neighbours. I always felt like there was a proper mixture of Asia of the menu – Pad Thai, noodle soups, fried rice, spring rolls… you’ll find all this here. And let’s not forget about the awesome fruit shake stalls available everywhere! When it comes to food, you definitely won’t be starved in Laos.

Be careful, though! I hate to say this but I had food poisoning in Laos and a few of my friends actually had the same experience (on different occasions). Do eat in local places but be wary of street stalls where the meat is clearly sitting in the sun or of restaurants where no one else seems to eat. Of course it’s hard to predict what will trigger sickness and I don’t want you to be put off by this. You could get sick anywhere – but it might just be a good idea to be more cautious in Laos…

Meeting Monks in Laos

Laos is a Buddhist country and you will see many monks on the streets of Laos – they might even travel on the bus with you. I was surprised to find how approachable the monks were in Laos! They will often talk to you to practise their English 😉

Just don’t forget to be respectful. Monks are very important in Buddhist societies. They are also not allowed to touch or stand close to a woman. And of course – you must wear appropriate clothing when visiting temples in Laos.

Does Laos Have WiFi?

Yes, you will find plenty of WiFi in Laos! Every accommodation and restaurant seems to have it these days. It can be slow occasionally but it’s nowhere as bad as you read everywhere. Many articles I read before visiting Laos made it sound like the WiFi in Laos is super bad – totally not the case anymore!

Do People in Laos Speak English?

I might be biased here because I came to Laos from China where absolutely no one understood English… Suddenly, there were English signs and English menus here and people understood when you asked them a question! I will say that you will get by with English just fine in Laos. There might be some exceptions in small villages but that’s to be expected. The people are very friendly anyway!

French… in Asia?!

Or sometimes you might find that people speak French in Laos – that goes mainly for the older generation. Laos used to be a French colony and you can still find a lot of French influence in the country. Not just in the language or architecture, but also food. French baguettes are very common and Laos might be the only place in Asia where you can find proper cheese – yes, actual cheese!

Public Toilets in Laos

For some reason, public toilets in Laos are often paid (2,000 kip) – even if there is just a squat toilet with no toilet paper waiting for you. Like with other Asian countries, it’s wise to carry toilet paper or tissues everywhere you go.

Is Laos Safe?

Yes, absolutely!

How Expensive Is Laos?

You are in Southeast Asia so Laos is a cheap country to visit. From my experience, travelling between cities can be slightly more expensive than in Thailand or Vietnam. Prices for food and everything else were quite low, though. Laos is also cheaper than Cambodia where you pay in US dollars.

And that’s it, you are now ready to explore Laos! I’m sure you’ll have a great time, it’s an interesting country to visit 😉

If you are travelling through Southeast Asia, you might want to read more useful articles like this: here is a general post about what to expect when you are coming to Southeast Asia, here are some things you should know before going to Vietnam and my Myanmar travel tips can be found here. If your destination is Cambodia, plan your Angkor Wat visit with my post here. And for the more adventurous souls going to China, you can find plenty of travel tips and inspiration here!

Have you been to Laos? Would you like to visit?

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