I'm doing the Hanoi - singapore trip in March, which starts with the treck. In your trip notes you advise boots/sturdy trainers but i was hoping you may be able to give me more of an indication as to what that actually means. Any makes for example or ideas of what other travellers have worn. I guess i don't really want to end up buying walking trainers/ boots when i'm only likely to need them for a few days but if there are other travellers that have done the trip and managed to just take one pair for the whole trip then i'd be interested to know what they were.
Hope that makes sense! Thanks ;-) ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Footwear
Re: Footwear
Hi Catfink,
Thanks for your question.
My advice to travellers is first and foremost take a pair of shoes that you are comfortable in over long distances, whether they are hiking boots or trainers. It's quite common for travellers to wear a good pair of trainers instead of proper walking boots as these are lighter to carry and can be worn more often whilst on tour.
Hiking boots are a good option too and shouldn't be ruled out but I wouldn't go out of your way to purchase a good new pair if you already have some good trainers that you can wear. There are no brands in particular that we recommend. Go into a couple of shops and try a few pairs on to see which are the most comfortable for you if you decide to purchase a pair. It's a good idea to 'break them in' too before your trek.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Brendan
Re: Footwear
Thanks Brendan, that has helped!
So.... just to clarify, any trainers (whether they are specifically for walking or just regular trainers) will be fine as long as they are comfortable?
Also, i have been advised by several friends to pack the bare minimum and buy most of my clothing out in thailand, mainly due to the cheapness of the price. What are your thoughts about this and is there anything that you would suggest i would need to purchase before i leave? I guess i don't really know what sort of clothing etc to buy so mingling with fellow travellers once i get there would give me more of an indication.
Any suggestions you may have would be very much appreciated!
Thanks
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Re: Footwear
Hi Catfink,
For the purposes of your tour any half-decent pair of trainers should do the job. Like I say, if you've got walking boots then take them but it not taking a comfortable pair of trainers will be fine.
In terms of what clothes to take; I guess my advice is to take the suitable clothes that you already possess with you and then rather than buy everything here in England you can pick up some T-shirts and accessories locally in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
There are literally hundreds of clothing stores and markets in Bangkok where you can pick up some bargains and travel-related items. On the way there you can also do laundry at some of the hotels used on your tour from Hanoi. You can pick up a lot of the items required on your tour in South East Asia but I wouldn't recommend relying on this too heavily because remember, you would then need to find them all at the start of your tour, which could prove quite daunting.
Use the trip dossier available from [url=http://www.imtravdossiers.com]www.imtravdossiers.com[/url] to help you with your packing list and then some of the clothing that you'd like to add can be purchased in South East Asia along the way.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Brendan