Travel in Laos

Minimise your footprint in Luang Prabang with our green guide to the city, taken from travel bible Great Escapes.

In 2011, after 15 years of a tourism boycott to avoid aiding the oppressive military junta, Myanmar opened its doors to visitors. The country, now with a democratically elected government, is improving its tourism infrastructure but still struggles to cope with the huge influx of visitors.

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Until the 1990s, Laos remained shut off from the outside world, and largely unknown to Western travellers. Since then, more and more visitors have come to discover that this landlocked country offers some of Southeast Asia’s most enchanting natural landscapes and a fascinating diversity of cultures.

For all the media’s focus on big-money events, it’s often weird local games or odd new hybrid events that really capture the joy of sport across the world. So we asked the authors of The Rough Guide to Cult Sport to select their ten favourite strange sports from the book (with apologies to the likes of cardboard tube duelling, cheese rolling, dwarf throwing, Irish road bowling, underwater ice hockey and yak racing, which didn’t quite make the cut).

Southeast Asia offers some wonderful treks, allowing you to spend days walking through dense rainforests, spotting spectacular wildlife, learning about the cultures of the many different tribes who live in the remoter areas, and often staying with them in their homes and sharing their meals. The following ten treks are highly recommended, and also ensure that any communities visited benefit from your presence.

The whole world loves a party, and a good one provides a great excuse to travel. Here’s a whole twelve months of some of the more interesting ways people celebrate during festivals around the world.

If you want to take a leisurely tour of the coastline between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi , the night train is the best way: you’ll travel as you sleep, leaving days free for exploring, and save money on hotel bills. Join Rough Guides writer Heidi Fuller-Love on her Vietnam railways adventure.

We recently ran a live Q&A with one of our Scandinavian experts Steve Vickers. Steve is based in Sweden and has contributed to numerous Rough Guides, from Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth to Europe On A Budget, Laos, Thailand and more.

We all need to escape everyday life once in a while. But sometimes you need to convince your family, friends, boss – or even yourself – that's it's really worth booking that flight. Here are eight reasons why you should start re-packing your bags and planning your next trip.

The concept of ‘cool’ is a subjective one. One traveller’s cool may be another’s nightmare, which is why Southeast Asia is arguably one of the best places to travel: there’s something for everyone here. Famous for its chaotic cities, stunning beaches and legendary parties, Southeast Asia offers a plethora of experiences for eager travellers ready to explore the region's culinary, cultural and cosmopolitan draws. Here's our pick of the best places to visit.

It's usually the capital cities that get all the attention, but what about a country's second city? These are twenty of our favourite second cities around the world, starting with Barcelona. For many, Barcelona feels like just as much of a capital as Madrid. It’s the centre of Catalonia, and the region’s full artistic and cultural clout is displayed in this flamboyant, fascinating city. Whether you’re after art (Picasso) architecture (Gaudí) or food (Ferran Adrià) Barcelona has some of the world’s best on offer.

It’s not just appearance that makes up the beauty of a place. Often, travellers will cite the people as the most beautiful thing about a country or culture. In Southeast Asia, there’s no doubt there is beauty in every form – and now our readers have voted to decide which countries are the most beautiful. Here are Southeast Asia’s most beautiful countries ranked by our readers.

Weird foods around the world: disgusting, gross or just simply different from what you know? The different ways we put our food together varies tremendously around the world; while travelling, some of us will seize any opportunity to try new tastes, whereas others might simply say 'yuck!' and move on. This article will help you decide for yourself which camp you're in...

Often overlooked in favour of its better-known neighbours, landlocked Laos remains one of Southeast Asia’s most beguiling destinations. Caught in the middle of the two Indochina wars and long isolated from the rest of the world, the country retains a slow, rustic charm, and an incredibly laidback and friendly culture. Here is our pick of the best things to do in Laos.

In collaboration with our diverse team of writers, editors, and staff members, we have curated a list of the best holiday destinations worldwide. Prepare to be captivated by these extraordinary recommendations, which are sure to awaken your wanderlust and ignite your passion for travel.

That ever-growing travel wish list might be putting pressure on your pocket – but there are plenty of destinations where you'll get more bang for your buck. From Greece to Guatemala, here are 20 of the cheapest places to travel. And if Greece is top of your list, knowing how to bag cheap ferry tickets for the Greek islands will bring your costs down even further. You're welcome!

It’s been several days since US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen left Beijing, and much has been said about her efforts to repair the US-China relationship.

The world is a weird (and wonderful) place. And from a rose-coloured lake to a Japanese island ruled by cats, we've got twenty pictures to prove it.