Asia Travel Guide

Asia is the world’s largest continent, historical birthplace of all the major world religions and spiritual home of the backpacker. It has a population of around 4 billion people – 60% of the world’s population. It spans from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south. The continent contains the highest and lowest points on earth – Mount Everest at 8,848m above sea level and the Dead Sea at 395m below sea level.

Asia can be broken down into 6 subcontinents. These are:

Central Asia – Kazakhstan Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

East Asia – China, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, North and South Korea.

North Asia – Russia.

India Subcontinent – India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

Southeast Asia – Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar [Burma], Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Southwest Asia – The Middle East including Turkey, Iran, Cyprus, Israel, and Lebanon.

Here are our suggestions for an Asian holiday

Bali: Denpasar is the capital of Bali and the central market district for local people. Kumbasari is the largest traditional market and gives an excellent insight into Balinese daily shopping, with meat, fruit and vegetables, spices and dried foods, clothes and household wares spread over three floors.

Bangkok: capital of Thailand, it seems that almost every backpacking adventure starts in this diverse neighbourhood city. To immerse yourself in urban Thai culture before escaping to the more remote parts of the country, check out our cheap flights to Bangkok.

Beijing: the political and cultural hub of China, Beijing manages to combine being an economic powerhouse with being the epicentre of tradition. To visit Beijing, have a look at our best available flight deals.

Hong Kong: one of the most densely populated places in the world, Hong Kong is a dazzling, dynamic and unique corner of China. To see our best fares click on our Hong Kong flights page.

Manila: the city of Manila is the capital of the Philippines and has an intriguing mix of religions, cultures and languages. To check out Manila yourself, have a look at our best flight deals to Manila here.

Koh Samui: Chaweng is Koh Samui's main tourist hub, and has the most choice when it comes to shopping - markets in Chaweng, Lamai and Nathon, all of offer a great range of locally produced goods and are an excellent place to pick up souvenirs, such as local handicrafts, and Thai Silk, which is very popular.

Kuala Lumpur: capital of Malaysia, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix and seat of Malaysian government, Kuala Lumpur is a thriving modern metropolis well worth visiting. To see cheap flights to KL; check out our cheap flight pages.

Singapore: a city state island country which makes its own rules and is populated by amazingly warm and welcoming people. Check out our cheap flights to Singapore.

Shanghai: becoming one of the world’s leading cities, Shanghai holds sway over finance, commerce, fashion and culture. If you’d like to immerse yourself in this Chinese powerhouse, have a look at our cheap flights to Shanghai.