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1) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur is a developed, fairly clean, vibrant, large city that showcases it's mix of Malaysian, Chinese & Indian cultures and corresponding religions across Islam, Buddhism & Hinduism. Its highlights include the nearby Batu Caves, Petronas Twin Towers, the main temples & mosques, Chinatown, Little India, and other markets & neighborhoods. 

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A private half-day tour was a great way to see the highlights of Kuala Lumpur in 4 hours. The tour included pick-up & drop-off at a place of your choosing starting at 9am or 2pm. First stop is the famous Batu Caves featuring 272 colorful steps to the beautiful limestone caves that houses Hindu shrines.  The main attraction is the impressive 140 ft tall (42.7 meters) gold Lord Murugan statue - one of the tallest Hindu deity statues in the world that represents the Hindu god of war, victory, wisdom & courage.

The tour then proceeds to the pretty Thean Hou Temple, a Buddhist temple followed by the massive National Mosque of Islam that can hold up to 15,000 people surrounded by 13 acres of gardens. After visiting these places of worship representing the 3 main religions of Malaysia, the tour continues to Little India, Chinatown and the Central Market for an opportunity to eat & shop. Overall, the tour was a great efficient way to see the highlights of Kuala Lumpur in a short amount of time with private transportation and very reasonably priced too. More information with the ability to book through Viator is available here.  

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The other highlight that this tour didn't cover is seeing the famous Petronas Twin Towers. The towers were once the tallest towers in the world and an impressive sight to see particularly at night when they light up the sky.  There's a fountain show that takes place in the KLCC Park in front of the towers each night starting after sunset that's a nice way to see the towers.  Another great spot to see the towers is from the nearby W Hotel WET Deck that has unobstructed views from seating around its pool. 

2) Bali, Indonesia - Next stop Bali! Bali is unlike anywhere else I've visited before.  It's incredibly beautiful, special & unique for its ornate temples, serene rice fields surrounded by lush landscapes, and culture that make it feel so peaceful & magical. 

There's a lot to see & do in Bali, but if you're looking for a fantastic, full-day tour featuring the highlights of Ubud, look no further than this full-day, private tour. This tour is filled with all the highlights of Ubud in one efficient full-day with a great mix of activities. The tour starts with pick-up from your accommodations and heads to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which is home to over 700 Balinese long-tailed monkeys.  The sanctuary has beautiful, lush grounds to walk through and observe the monkeys.  Then it's off to the Tegalalang Rice Terrace with stunning scenery of the rice terraces to walk through, along with ride attractions with picture ops like the famous Bali swing, plus zip lining, including a superman, magic carpet & bicycle versions of zip lining.

The tour then stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant with outdoor seating surrounded by rice fields. The second half of the day was when the tour really got good with visits to a large waterfall surrounded by serene lush beauty with a hut serving drinks & fruit, including fresh coconuts. Then it was off to my favorite part - a holy water temple where visitors can take part in a water purification ceremony, which I really enjoyed. Importantly, the tour goes to the far less touristy water temple, that was practically empty when we were there. The tour ends with a tasting of 14 flavored coffees & tea, including an option to purchase the infamous Kopi Luwak coffee to try, overlooking stunning scenery at a Bali coffee plantation. It was the perfect end to an incredible day! More information with the ability to book through Viator is available here. 

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Another highlight of visiting Bali was a day trip to neighboring Penida Island. This private full-day tour offers accommodation pick-up & drop-off, transportation to the harbor & back, ferry ticket to Penida Island, and transportation around the island.  The tour provides the ability to see the breathtaking Diamond Beach and spend time at stunning Atuh Beach in a secluded cove on the less busy, but further east side of the island.  It was one of the best days of the trip and worth the travel time to get there.

However, the roads in Penida Island are extremely bumpy and is a 60-90 min drive from the harbor to the east side each way to keep in mind and maybe bring anti-nauseous medicine for the drive and/or fast ferry. I didn't have any issues, but the road was uncomfortable to drive on, however the destination made it worth it for me. Another tip is to buy a drink to sit with a small group on the upper level of the ferry boat that's open-air instead of being scrunched into tight rows with the masses in the enclosed lower section. More information with the ability to book through Viator is available here. 

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3) Hanoi, Vietnam - Shifting from Bali to Hanoi, Vietnam was a stark contrast. Hanoi has smog that hovers over the city, but lifts higher during the Summer from the warm air. Visiting in Winter, the smog didn't look or feel dirty or have difficulty breathing, it's more of a fog that adds additional ambiance to Hanoi.  For a capital city of almost 9 million people, who mostly ride motor bikes, Hanoi was very calm & organized IMO.

Hanoi is a walkable city in terms of distances, however the sidewalks can be tight and filled with miscellaneous stuff. A highlight of Hanoi is experiencing its famous Train Street where trains pass through a narrow passageway surrounded by cafes & bars several times a day. The trains were not passing through in early Feb 2026 with talk of it stopping completely in the near future, but TBD.  However, the area is still very picturesque and worth visiting without a train passing through. 

Hanoi serves as a convenient launching point for two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ninh Binh and Halong Bay. Ninh Bihn is considered the Halong Bay on land, because it has similar large limestone structures and caves, only on land with a river flowing through, instead of a bay. This full-day small-group tour was a wonderful way to easily visit Ninh Binh from Hanoi. 

It includes a variety of activities, including visiting a historic temple, bike ride through rice fields, extensive Vietnamese buffet lunch, and traditional bamboo boat ride through the Tam Coc river surrounded by beautiful scenery. The last stop was to the Mua Caves where visitors can walk up 500 steps to the top of Lying Dragon Mountain for scenic views of the Tam Coc river below and pagodas in the distance.  The steps are made of natural stone and have eroded over time, so are not all even to be careful using. More information on the tour with the ability to book through Viator is available here. 

Taking an overnight cruise through Halong Bay or the lesser known, but very similar Lan Ha Bay is a great way to experience more of the culture & beauty of Vietnam. Most of the cruise itineraries are very similar offering 1 or 2 night stays with similar activities.  The cruises are timed to be exactly 24 or 48 hours from the time you leave to the time you return to the harbor (noon to noon). The cruises offer a full schedule of optional activities, including a group boat ride & kayaking through the bay, swimming, cooking class, squid fishing, tai chi, and karaoke.

The cruise also includes all meals, including an impressive multi-course welcome lunch & dinner the first day with a buffet breakfast & lunch the second day. Providing a great opportunity to try a variety of Vietnamese food. There's a top deck with a bar for hanging out between activities and guest rooms have a private balcony too. After looking at a lot of options, I selected a 2 day, 1 night cruise with Sena Cruises and was happy with the quality of the boat, food, & itinerary. The guide & staff were top notch too!  There are slightly more luxurious options for higher prices, but I was happy with this choice for the price-point. More information with the ability to book through Viator is available here. ​​​​​​​

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4) Phuket, Thailand - Phuket provides a nice mix of what Thailand has to offer - nice beaches, temples, markets, elephant sanctuary. It also served as a convenient launching point to reach the Phi Phi & other neighboring islands. However, in hindsight I would have preferred to spend more time on the smaller, prettier islands. There are a variety of Phuket highlights tours, but chose this small-group tour that combined a tour of Phuket town, famous Buddhist Chalong temple, Bukit Elephant Park, Big Buddha (although close proximity was limited at the time), and lunch. At the elephant park, guests have the opportunity to feed the elephants and take pictures nearby. It was a nice mix of activities and only half a day starting at noon. More information with the ability to book is available through Viator here. 

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From Phuket, reaching the Phi Phi Islands & nearby islands like Koh Hey with Banana Beach is feasible for the day, but recommend at least an overnight, if not more time on Phi Phi. Banana Beach is a tourist destination with several large group tours offered to it, however is also reachable through private transportation.  We arranged a private longtail boat for about USD $60 for a full-day excursion directly from & back to our hotel.  Once on Banana Beach, there are a few visitor options, including one with free access with an F&B credit to use at the restaurants, food stands & bars. 

The Phi Phi Islands, specifically Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Lee (the smaller of the two Phi Phi Islands), became popular as the filming location for the movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. To reach the Phi Phi Islands, there are a variety of tour & transportation options, most of which include a small fast ferry.  I opted to take a large ferry boat with Sea Angel Cruise that takes longer, but steadier with room to roam, an onboard stand selling drinks & snacks, and open-air top deck to enjoy the scenery. I recommend only booking the ferry tickets, and not the pick-up option, and getting there on your own using Grab. 

As a day trip, the timing is a bit too rushed with only a few hours on Phi Phi (specifically the larger island Ko Phi Phi Don), but can be booked for round-trip tickets on separate days. Once on Ko Phi Phi Don, there are restaurants, hotels, shops & beaches within walking distance of the harbor.  Longtail boats serve as water taxis to visit other parts of the island for as little as USD $4 per person and typically wait for 8 passengers to board before departing. The Phi Phi Islands are extremely picturesque and that quintessential look & feel of Thailand that are worth visiting or something similar.