Asia for First-Timers: Where to Start and What to Skip

Asia is not a destination; it is forty-eight countries and half of humanity. The first-timer's mistake is treating it as one trip. The fix is choosing the right first country for who you are.

For the gentlest landing, choose Thailand or Vietnam: cheap, safe, delicious, with tourist infrastructure that forgives every mistake. Thailand's north (Chiang Mai, Pai) and Vietnam's Hanoi-Ha Long axis are the two classic first itineraries, and both still deserve the title.

For the deepest culture shock done comfortably, choose Japan: bewildering and wonderful, with trains that run to the second and convenience stores that put restaurants to shame. It costs more — 80 to 130 euros a day — but asks almost nothing of you logistically. For the full immersion at the lowest price, India: harder, louder, and life-changing in direct proportion to how open you arrive.

Skip, on a first trip: multi-country speed runs, monsoon-season beach plans, and any itinerary with fewer than three nights per stop. Book the first week, leave the rest open, and let the continent do what it has done to travellers for two thousand years.