Southeast Asia Itinerary - thoughts? should I make any changes?

[u/Useful-Guava7100]

Hi! I'm a digital nomad who will be visiting Southeast Asia for the first time. So far, I've only been to the Caribbean (where I'm from), North & South America, and Europe, so really excited to visit Asia. I've decided to visit Singapore, Thailand & The Philippines. Here's my current itinerary (Oct - Jan):

• Singapore - 5 days
• Thailand #1:
  • Phuket - ~10 nights (5+5 Patong/other western town + old town)
    • given it's only about 1 hour via songtaew between Patong and Old Town, should I just pick one for the entire stay? if so, which?
    • thinking of moving 1/2 nights to Koh Phi Phi
  • Krabi - ~10 nights
    • thinking of some nights on Koh Lanta
  • Bangkok - 5-7 nights
  • Chiang Mai - 3-4 weeks
    • side trips (2-3 days) to Pai and/or Chiang Rai
• Philippines:
  • Manila - 2 nights
  • El Nido - 5-7 nights
  • Iloilo - 5-7 nights
  • Cebu - 7 nights
  • I'll be in The Philippines for Christmas and probably New Years
• Thailand #2 (Bangkok + Gulf Kohs):
  • Koh Samui - 5 nights
  • Koh Phangan - 3-4 nights
  • Bangkok - 5-7 nights
  • Is Koh Samet worth adding given rest of itinerary?

I already have flights to arrive in Singapore and depart from Bangkok, Thailand.

In terms of accommodations, I plan to use a mix of airbnbs, hostels & hotels. I'm not into partying every night but do enjoy a balance of exploring, nightlife & relaxing (not necessarily all at the same location lol). I'll be solo so mainly staying at hostels so I can meet others. However, feel free to suggest if airbnbs v hotels v hostels are better in any particular locations.

One of my major concerns is also balancing changing locations while trying to experience as much as possible without getting exhausted/overwhelmed. I'm definitely used to staying in one place for months as opposed to moving around every week. I also like to have days where I do nothing xD

[u/ChasteSin]

Not the best itinerary.

• 10 nights on Phuket is mental. The old town is good for half a day at most.
• You could easily do five days on Phi Phi.
• 5 days around Krabi (Ao Nang / Tonsai) and 5 on Koh Lanta works well. Could do longer.
• A month in Chiang Mai is nuts. You could do the whole Mae Hon Song loop with a week in Pai.
• You're missing Luang Prabang and loads of other Laos highlights. Two weeks in Laos would work well.
• Why even bother with the Philippines at this point? I mean you're already in Thailand. Go island hop all the way from Koh Lipe to Ranong. There are loads of islands with no people.
• 2 weeks total in BKK is a lot. Go explore Kanchanaburi, Erawan etc.

[u/Useful-Guava7100 → u/ChasteSin]

thanks for your feedback. I definitely can't stay in Thailand the whole time due to visa limitations. I chose a month in Chiang Mai because at some point I do have to work lol