In this guide

1. Entry & Borders
2. Money
3. Staying Connected
4. Getting Around
5. Where to Land First
6. Country Guides

Entry & Borders

There is no single rule for the region — entry varies by country, and by passport. Check the rule for your passport before booking; what the officer stamps at the border is what counts.

• Japan — Visa-free for most visitors, up to 90 days. The Visit Japan Web form speeds up processing but is not a visa. A pre-travel authorisation called JESTA is law and targeted for fiscal 2028 — it is not required for travel in 2026 or 2027.
• Thailand — The visa exemption has been in flux: 60-day stamps were the norm through much of 2026, and a cabinet-approved cut to 30 days has been reported but not consistently confirmed as in force. Check the rule at booking. Every visitor must file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within 72 hours before arrival. Carry a passport valid 6+ months, an onward ticket, and proof of funds (rarely asked at airports).
• Singapore — Most Western passports enter visa-free, typically 30–90 days depending on passport. Everyone files the free SG Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival. Passport must be valid 6+ months.
• South Korea — Visa-free up to 90 days for around 22 exempt countries and territories, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore. The K-ETA is waived through 31 December 2026. Visa-exempt visitors without a K-ETA must complete the free e-Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival.
• Australia — Most visitors need an ETA (subclass 601) or eVisitor (subclass 651) before boarding. The ETA costs about A$20 via the official app; the eVisitor is free for eligible European passports. Both cover multiple entries over 12 months, up to 3 months per visit. Other passports use the Visitor visa (subclass 600).
• New Zealand — Most visa-waiver visitors need an NZeTA before travel (NZ$17 via the app, NZ$23 on the website), plus the NZ$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL). It is valid 2 years, up to 3 months per visit (6 months for UK citizens). Apply at least 72 hours before departure. Australian citizens are exempt; Australian permanent residents need the NZeTA but not the IVL.
• India — Apply for an e-visa in advance: 30-day (from about US$10), 1-year (US$40) or 5-year (US$80) tourist options. Tourist e-visas are non-extendable and non-convertible. Apply at least 4 days before arrival; your passport needs 6+ months' validity and two blank pages.
• China — The 30-day unilateral visa-free entry covers 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most of Europe — but it is currently in force only until 31 December 2026, with no extension into 2027 announced yet. Verify before booking. The 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit covers 55 countries including the US, but only when you transit onward to a third country or region — a US–Beijing–US round trip does not qualify. US citizens need a visa for a straight tourist trip.
• Indonesia — Most visitors use the visa on arrival (e-VOA): IDR 500,000, 30 days, extendable once for another 30 days. Apply online before your trip or on arrival. Bali adds a separate IDR 150,000 tourist levy, and everyone completes the free All Indonesia Arrival Card before landing. Passport must be valid 6+ months with an onward ticket.

Money

Eight currencies across the region: JPY (Japan), THB (Thailand), SGD (Singapore), KRW (South Korea), AUD (Australia), NZD (New Zealand), INR (India), CNY (China) — plus HKD in Hong Kong and IDR in Indonesia.

Carry two ways to pay everywhere: a card with no foreign-transaction fees plus some local cash. Use bank ATMs over exchange booths, and always choose to be charged in the local currency — dynamic currency conversion at ATMs and terminals uses a worse rate.

• Japan — Cards, IC cards and QR payments cover most city spending, but cash is still expected at many small restaurants, rural inns, temples and shrines. Convenience-store ATMs (7-Eleven, Japan Post) reliably accept foreign cards. No tipping — service is included, and leaving cash can cause confusion.
• Singapore — Nearly cashless: contactless cards and phone tap cover almost everything. Keep a little cash for hawker centres and small shops. Tipping is not customary; a service charge is often already in the bill.
• South Korea — Cards are accepted almost everywhere; carry a little cash for street stalls. No tipping — the menu price is the final price.
• Australia — Tap-and-go is the default. Tipping is optional, never expected. Since 1 October 2026, businesses can no longer add a card surcharge — the shelf price is the price you pay.
• Thailand — Cash is still handy at markets, street stalls and small shops; cards cover hotels, malls and sit-down restaurants.

For China, India and New Zealand, check the city guide for local payment norms — they vary too much to generalise here.

Staying Connected

A travel eSIM bought before you fly is the simplest default: you are online the moment you land, with no counter and no registration, and one regional profile can cover several countries. A local SIM is usually cheaper per gigabyte for longer single-country stays — but it means a store visit and a passport check in most countries.

• Japan — Tourist travel eSIMs need no ID check; buying a local carrier SIM or eSIM requires a passport and an eKYC check. Most tourist eSIMs are data-only, so calls go over WhatsApp, FaceTime or similar.
• Thailand — A local SIM legally requires your passport. Tourist SIMs are sold at airport counters; a travel eSIM skips the queue entirely.
• Singapore — Every locally sold SIM requires passport registration. Travel eSIMs are provisioned outside that system and need no registration.
• South Korea — Local SIM activation requires a passport; some counters also ask for proof of entry (arrival slip). International travel eSIMs are exempt.

Pocket Wi-Fi routers are still rented at airports if your phone does not support eSIM. Check your home carrier's roaming rates before relying on them — and if you keep your home SIM active alongside a travel eSIM, bank codes and two-factor texts still reach you.

Getting Around

• Japan rail — The nationwide Japan Rail Pass is no longer the automatic buy it once was. A 7-day pass runs about ¥50,000 — roughly double a Tokyo–Kyoto round trip — so it only pays off on train-heavy itineraries with multiple long-distance rides. Prices rose again in October 2026, so check current pass prices before buying. Regional passes often beat the national one for single-region trips.
• IC cards — Whatever you decide on the pass, get an IC card (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA — all nationally interoperable). It taps you through trains, buses, convenience stores and vending machines, and covers the metro and private railways the JR Pass does not.
• Budget airlines — Between countries, budget carriers do the heavy lifting: AirAsia (Kuala Lumpur hub) and Scoot (Singapore) anchor the region's networks, with VietJet strong in Vietnam and Cebu Pacific in the Philippines. Compare the total price — baggage, seat selection and card fees — not the headline fare.
• Grab — Grab is the region's ride-hailing default across eight Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar. One app, upfront fares, no haggling — plus motorbike rides (GrabBike) in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.
• Singapore transit — In Singapore, skip the transit card entirely: tap a contactless bank card or phone at MRT and bus readers.

For multi-city trips, fly between regions and use trains or metro within them. Each city guide covers airport-to-centre for its own landing.

Where to Land First

• Tokyo — The cleanest first landing in Asia: Skyliner or N'EX into town, an IC card in your phone, Sensō-ji and Shibuya on day one.
• Kyoto — Temples, a walkable centre and a gentler pace than Tokyo — the best first taste of old Japan.
• Seoul — Palaces, street food and a metro that is easy to navigate on day one.
• Bangkok — The classic Southeast Asia first landing: temples, street food and Grab from the airport.
• Bali — Temples, rice terraces and beach towns — the softest landing in Indonesia.
• Singapore — The easiest landing in the region: English everywhere, contactless everything, and Changi doing its best to spoil you.
• Hong Kong — Dense, vertical and easy to navigate — trams, ferries and dim sum within hours of landing.
• Delhi — India's most connected arrival city: metro from the airport, then the Red Fort and Old Delhi.
• Sydney — Harbour, coastal walks and a city that runs on tap-and-go.
• Auckland — Harbour city and day-trip base for Waiheke Island and the Bay of Islands.

Country Guides

Country hubs are coming — Landing in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, China and Indonesia will each get a full entry–money–SIM–transport briefing that links down to the city guides. For now, start with a city above.