Traveling for 6 months in Cambodia

Hello.

Welcome aboard this forum.

I'm sure you will find answers to most of the questions you have. Just scroll through the various threads.

I questions remain, feel free to start a new thread or to post on an existing thread.

Cheers.

Joe
Cambodia expert
Expat.com team

Hi there,

I spent 4 months in Cambodia las year so if you need good plans in Siem Reap, I'll be very happy to help.
You can add me as contact

Thanks! I've added you 👍

If you're gonna stay six months, you could buy a used motorcycle (or two, since you're a couple). It's a great way to explore the country and allows you to find suitable, inexpensive accommodation wherever you go. In Vietnam, it's quite easy to find a good used motorcycle for 250-300 US$, I think in Cambodia it's about the same, but maybe a little harder to find one. Once you own it, you don't have to worry about repairs and maintenance, there are bike shops everywhere, and they will fix anything for very little.
However it is not without risk: the driving style is very different from what you are probably used to, and you really don't want to spend your vacation in a Cambodian hospital. Plus, a lot of tourists have found out the hard way, that their insurance didn't cover their healing costs, for lack of a proper driver's license or something else. But if it goes well, it's one of the better ways to get around, if not the best (speaking from experience, I've done two month-long trips through Cambodia and Vietnam by bike, and it was the best vacation I ever had).

But I must warn you.

You are not insured by most travel insurance when driving or even riding a motorbike. It is considered a dangerous activity so not covered under most if not all insurances.

You need a Cambodian drivers license, the international drivers license is not valid in Cambodia.

80% of motorbike riders drive against the traffic, skip red lights [except in PP], don't look for traffic behind them and turn left from the utmost right side of the road.
Or: drive with the worst case scenario, expect the unexpected, forget traffic rules, don't expect others to pay your damage, even if it's their fault.

Having said that I would not advise to buy a motorbike and travel Cambodia. Travel by bus between the cities and town, travel from PP to Sihanoukville during the weekend by slow train, a great ride!

Inside cities you can use tuktuks or even better the PassApp rickshaws, reliable and cheap.

Be careful when traveling in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam.

Cheers.

Joe

Jo is right, I ride several motorcycles in USA , but I would never ride in Southeast Asia, it took me three years to get brave enough to ride a bicycle, So jo is correct ! If your from a western country , you will be shocked by the road rules are lack there of , Ive lived in Phnom Penh 4 years I've seen countless moto crashes , broken bones cuts even a compound fracture, no this would not be a fun vacation , please re consider , buses and the train are worry free and great

I somewhat agree with JoeKhmer and twinsguy, it's really a ‘no risk, no fun' proposition. You need to be extremely careful and take into account dangerous behavior from all the other users of the road, and even if you're doing it right, it's still a dangerous activity.
Having said that, I'm happy that I've done it, it was fantastic, you just don't see all that much between destinations if you're sitting in a car or bus. However, I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna do it again, I feel like I've used up all my luck for a lifetime on the Vietnamese and Cambodian roads.

Nov, Dec & Jan are the optimal time of the year where it's the coolest and least amount of rain.  However, it's still very humid so if that's a problem for you folks, something to consider.  Aside from buying a motorbike, comments made are well advised but one thing not mentioned is the 'liability factor' of driving on your own, if you get into an accident, it will most likely be your fault even if it's not because they will pay people to testify that it was.  So in addition to any medical costs, there are additional payouts you will be fined if determined the accident was your fault.  It's just not in Cambodia but in general, SEA as a whole.  Booking private tour groups to see various places where accommodations are included is safer and more comfortable.  Thru the travel agency, they can recommend car rentals with an english speaking driver to see places not covered by tour.  There are also individuals you can hire for local tours as well.  However, this is the most expensive way to go but the experience and comfort  in traveling around will be best remembered.  I say this because you are at retirement age and if you were much younger, the adventures of 'roughing it out' would be easier to handle.  You can see a lot in 3 mos so the offset of saving 3 mos of expenses to travel 1st class  would be an offset to what you expect to spend.  Also, to avoid waiting in long lines to get your visa, having it in advance and then extending it before it expires which I did saved me a lot of time which took me around 20 mins to pass customs and immigration processing. Also, if you travel light, it allows you room to bring back souvenirs too.  Many places offer same day service to wash and iron your clothes and the cost is not that expensive compared to what you would pay in your country.  If you love seafood, Kep is worth visiting for the food alone about 1 hr drive from Kampot which is a larger town that offers nightly riverboat cruises where you can have dinner and hopefully see fireflies.  They also have the best local tasting beef since it's mostly muslims that live there, few places offer pork dishes plus most of the vegetables are locally grown and known for it's famous "Kampot Peppers" as being the best tasting in the world.  I lived here for 3 yrs in 4 different cities and what I know now, this is how I would travel and see different areas of Cambodia.  I'm retired as well and tried it the other ways trying to save money but the hassle and headaches I went thru, I regret taking that option.  Places I still want to see so what I recommended,  I plan to do the same myself since I plan to go back to America near the end of this year.  Regardless of what option or ways you take, I wish you folks a happy and memorable vacation and safe travels.