The closest big region to Australia - and the most varied. Country itineraries, food-safety advice, JR Pass calls, Bali planning, India first-timer guides, and the long-weekend stopovers that punch above their weight.
Asia is the long-haul region most Australian travellers know best - and the one with the steepest learning curve between the brochure and the trip. Tokyo is not Kyoto. Bangkok is not Chiang Mai. Bali is not Lombok. Hanoi is not Hoi An. The difference between an excellent two-week itinerary and a frustrating one is almost always in the sequencing - the order you visit places, the month you go, and what you choose not to do.
Direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth put Asia in genuine long-weekend reach. Visa-free entry covers a lot of the popular destinations for Australian passport holders. AUD goes a long way once you're on the ground. The trip planning is where most people lose hours; this is where we share what we've learned routing Cooee travellers through Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and beyond.
The classic two-week Japan loop, sequenced the way an operator would actually do it. Tokyo first to recover from jet lag, Hakone for Fuji and onsen, Kyoto and Nara for the cultural core, Osaka for food and the day-trip detours. Includes JR Pass break-even maths, accommodation tiers in AUD, and the bookings that need to happen 60 days ahead.
Read the full itineraryFrom Hokkaido to Sri Lanka - what we've published lately.
The honest call from people who've routed Aussies through both for ten years. Where Thailand still wins on comfort, where Vietnam wins on food and depth, and the case for doing them in a single 21-day loop.
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Where to go now Seminyak is overrun, why Sidemen is the new Ubud, and how to combine north Bali, the Nusa Islands and a Lombok hop into a trip that doesn't feel like the same Instagram caption.
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The dry-season cheat sheet by country and sub-region. When Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines actually peak - and the shoulder months that quietly deliver better value with shorter showers.
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The Golden Triangle (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur) versus a Kerala south loop - which is actually the right first-time India for an Australian? Includes the small-group vs private call, monsoon dodges, and what nobody warns you about.
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Since the 2023 price hike the JR Pass break-even shifted dramatically. Our updated 2026 calculation table covers the popular itineraries: Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka, with Hiroshima, with Hokkaido. Spoiler: depends on the route.
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Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa, Hue, Hoi An, Dalat, Mekong Delta, Saigon. The classic backbone trip with timing, transport between each stop, the days locals would push back on, and where to slow down vs speed through.
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Korea has gone from layover to main-trip status. Our 10-day route covers Seoul's palaces and night markets, the KTX hop to Busan, Gyeongju's Buddhist heritage, and the food-tour day-trips Aussies keep coming back for.
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The world's best long-haul break point. Three days that combine Gardens by the Bay, hawker centres, Sentosa, the Botanic Gardens, and a Peranakan-shophouse food tour - timed so you actually beat the jet lag.
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Cultural triangle, hill-country train ride, southern beaches, and a Yala safari. Sri Lanka is the soft-landing alternative to India for first-time South-Asia travellers - here's our timed-out two-week route.
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Three days at Angkor properly, the sunrise call that's actually worth it, where to base in Siem Reap, and the South Vietnam crossing nobody talks about. The temple-fatigue avoidance plan for first-time Cambodia.
Read moreHonest sub-categories - not just the famous-name countries.
Each country page collects the relevant guides, tours and itineraries.
Cooee Tours is a Brisbane ATAS-accredited tour operator. Our Asia itineraries are curated from Australia and delivered by long-standing local ground operators in each country - the people who know which ryokan still has the original onsen, which Vietnam sleeper bus to avoid, and which Bali driver is genuinely the best in Ubud.
Booking through an Australian agency gives you ATAS consumer protection, AUD-priced quotes without surprise FX charges, and a Brisbane phone number to call if anything shifts mid-trip. Read more about how we work, or get in touch for a custom Asia itinerary.
Common things Australian travellers ask before booking their next Asia trip.
