Tips for a successful trip to Laos

Visa

Administrative procedures are an essential step in organizing a trip. For Laos, entry formalities remain rather simple and accessible. You need a passport validated at least 6 months from the end of the trip. Then, you must have a visa in Laos unless you are a citizen of Luxembourg or Switzerland. Depending on your itinerary and your city/region of arrival, you can apply for a visa on arrival, Evisa, or visa at the Lao Embassy. Please note that there are several ways to access Lane Xang country: air, land, or river. For more information on the subject of visas, click on this link “Visa in Laos”

Budget and currencies

Services in Laos cost more than neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. However, the kingdom of a million elephants still remains an acceptable destination for a European or American tourist

The Kip, the local Laotian currency, has several notes of different values: 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 kips. Here is the exchange rate in November 2020:

One euro ~ 10980 kip Laos

One US dollar ~ 9250 kip Laos

To get the kips, you can exchange them before or upon your arrival in Laos. Please note that vending machines are omnipresent in towns. Although credit cards like Visa or Mastercard are widely accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants, bring enough cash for personal expenses or if you go off the beaten track. Keep in mind that an additional commission (around 3%) will be charged to you if you use bank cards.

Travel insurance

Before your departure or upon your arrival, it is advisable to have travel insurance which covers at least emergency medical and repatriation costs). Insurance for a short stay of a few weeks in Laos is not expensive, you can take it very easily from your country by purchasing a plane ticket/booking the trip with a local agency with your bank card. Here are the insurance companies with which our customers often take out a contract: Europe Assistance, Mutuaide Assistance, Mondial Assistance, ACE Travel Insurance, MACIF, GMF Assurances, MAIF…

Luggage

Laos is a tropical country characterized by heat and humidity. We advise you not to load your suitcase because it is easy to wash clothes at the hotel or buy some clothes on-site at an affordable price. Instead, prepare light cotton clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, or shoes suitable for your activity. Don't forget swimsuits for swimming in the cool waters of this land of waterfalls. If you go to Luang Prabang or the high mountains in December and January, add a windbreaker and vest because it is cooler.

Prepare a backpack and a suitcase. The backpack will carry your personal belongings with you as well as your essential items during the trip (passport, travel documents, travel pharmacy, toiletries, etc.).

Another larger bag (or suitcase) stores the rest of your belongings; which will notably be placed in the hold, on the plane.

Tip

If you travel to Laos on an organized tour with guides and drivers, it is customary to thank them with a tip but of course, this amount is not obligatory.

In order to appreciate your traveling companions if you are happy with their services, plan on a significant sum, generally 3-6 USD/eur per traveler per day for the guide and half for the driver. The tip in Euro, USD, or kip (local currency) is to be given at the end of each stage of the trip (when you definitively leave the guide/driver to go to another region).

Furthermore, if you wish to give a small tip to the boatmen, porters, rowers, hotel staff...it is very practical to prepare in advance euros, dollars or kips, as an indication, 20,000 kips or 2 USD/ euros. Of course, it is up to you to decide the amount based on the quality of the services and your budget.

Accommodation

The common check-in time for hotel rooms is around 2:00 p.m. and must be vacated by 12:00 p.m. You will find a wide range of homestay accommodation, Airbnb, luxury hotels... which will meet all your comfort requirements and your budget.

Gifts to give

Products from Europe are very popular in Laos. A little lipstick or perfume should please women while men prefer French wine or alcohol.

For the children you come across on the way, pens, colored pencils, or candy are generally very nice.

Schedules

There is a five-hour difference in summer time and six in winter time between Laos and the Greenwich Mean Meridian (GMT). More precisely, if it is for example noon in Paris, in Luang Prabang or Vientiane it will already be 5 p.m. in summer and 6 p.m. in winter.

SIM card and communication

The ideal for travelers is to obtain a SIM card on-site very quickly. This will allow you to avoid unpleasant surprises regarding the costs of your French SIM card, and it will also allow you to access the internet anywhere in Laos, as well as be able to call and send messages as you wish. The best company is Unitel whose Sims are sold at airports, be aware that the average price of a SIM card is around 5 to 20 euros depending on internet capacity and the different characteristics. Recharging SIMs is also easy, in small markets or exchange offices.

To call Laos, dial 00 85 followed by the digits of the number you are dialing.

To call France from Laos, dial 00 33 followed by the digits of the number you are dialing.

Vaccine and health

Many vaccinations are recommended by some institutes such as Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Poliomyelitis, Hepatitis B, Meningitis A, C, Hepatitis A, and antimalarial treatment. However, no vaccinations are required by local authorities.

As malaria affects tropical countries such as Laos, the treatment seems necessary only if you plan trekking stages over several days in the mountains and/or forests. Otherwise, an anti-mosquito product in the form of a cream or bracelet as well as long clothing is enough.

It is also imperative to drink bottled water because tap water is clean but not drinkable (or it must be boiled for at least 30 seconds).

Please take a small essential pharmacy with you because counterfeit medicines appear everywhere. Also, choose clean restaurants to avoid possible health risks.

Transportation

Having had a basic road infrastructure for the last ten years, Laos is increasingly improving its road network. Currently, most major roads are paved and in reasonable condition. There are several types of vehicles to choose from. The tuk-tuk or motorized tricycle is widely used by Laostians. Taxis are rarer than in other Asian countries.

The plane remains the most practical and quick means of transport to travel within the country. You find flights departing from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, Pakse, Xieng Khoang, Oudomxai, Luang Nam Tha, and Savanakhet and from Luang Prabang to Pakse.

You can also take a cruise on the Mekong River and enjoy the idyllic charm of the country where time seems to stand still. The choice of boats is vast: from small to large, from simple to luxury, from collective to private, from short to long-term…