Dara Flynn and Andy Isaacs met at work and decided to embark on a six-month world tour on their first date. They started in India and have now headed east. Here are Dara's tips for safe and happy backpacking in South East Asia.

1. If your first stop is Bangkok, it is perfectly feasible to leave home with an empty rucksack – or no rucksack, for that matter. Clothes, shoes, travel guides, sleeping bags, backpacks and anything else you could possible need for a round the world trip can be purchased in markets in Thailand for less than a quarter of what they cost at home.

There are even several branches of Boots throughout the country. I kicked myself for having done a pre-trip spending spree at home once I saw the prices, and the variety, in Thailand.

2. Research your itinerary thoroughly in advance if you plan on taking in all or most of South East Asia overland. It easiest and cheapest to work in a circle, finishing at your final point of departure. There is a general belief that it is easier to travel anti-clockwise from Thailand (through Cambodia into Vietnam).

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However, we met several travellers who had successfully gone the other way with little hassle, though they had the luxury of time. We were advised not to travel from Thailand across the border of Malaysia overland, although the security situation there changes all the time.

Check with other travellers or better still, your embassy, and read the newspapers. If you have an onward flight out of Singapore, it's worth leaving the southern islands until last, since Phuket-Singapore flights tend to be cheap.

3. Visas for neighbouring countries can easily be arranged in Bangkok, and in a handful of major cities in South East Asia. You can either turn up at the embassy yourself, or in Bangkok, you can pay a travel operator in the backpacker enclave of the Kho San Road to do it for you.

We did the latter and it worked out more than £10 cheaper than if we had done it ourselves, since the agency sent its courier to the embassy in a smaller town outside of Bangkok, which simply charged them a smaller fee. Our Vietnam visas were bona fide and we had our passports back in just over 24 hours.

4. While Thailand is mainly a safe country to travel, there are unfortunately still a few tourist scams you should look out for. One of the most common is the bus scam. This usually involves theft on board the overnight buses out of Bangkok, perpetrated not by fellow backpackers, but by the bus companies themselves.

Being vigilant with your hand luggage in the main cabin is not enough. Although a thief on our bus tried his luck pulling at loose bags in the main cabin (which was conveniently plunged into darkness by "malfunctioning" lights) he also travelled most of the journey in the main luggage hold, armed with a torch. There, he had at least 12 hours to open every single rucksack on board, stash his loot and neatly repack everything.

It is worth checking the Thorn Tree forum of Lonely Planet for messages from theft victims who "name and shame" the companies concerned. However, the only way to avoid it yourself is to book your bus at the government-run bus station, and never from a private operator on the Kho San Road. And no matter which bus you take, remove all valuables from your main rucksack before it goes in the hold.

In the main cabin, sleep with your hand luggage strapped to your chest. Luggage padlocks, even the combination-type locks, are a joke. Andy's key-padlock was very cleanly picked; my expensive combination padlock was also breached and had to be thrown away afterwards. As a result, our £20 bus journey from Bangkok to Krabi and the islands ended up costing us almost £250.

5. Be conservative about how much Vietnamese currency (Dong) you withdraw from the ATM machine in Vietnam. If you don't manage to spend it all before you leave, you'll find yourself stuck with a substantial sum that no foreign exchange agent anywhere outside of Vietnam will buy from you.

Unable to offload my surplus currency to another traveller, I am now stuck with a paper "souvenir" of exactly one million Dong (about £40). US dollars come in very handy in South East Asia; carry plenty of ones, fives and tens.

THE BEST BITS OF SOUTH EAST ASIA

Dara's favourite place: The Hutongs (tiny, characterful backstreets) of Beijing

Andrew's favourite place: Phi Phi Island, southwest Thailand

Best accommodation: The Astor House Hotel, Shanghai, China

Bellboys in tartan kilts and oak-lined corridors add extra old-world charm to the Astor, the most historic hotel in Shanghai. Decent-sized rooms with all the trimmings, at reasonable prices. Albert Einstein (room 304) and Charlie Chaplin (room 404) were among the luminaries to stay here.

Best cafe: Pass By Cafe, Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China

One-third library, one-third bar, one-third eatery, this is the place to wolf down a fruit-heavy western breakfast and return at night for a pitcher of Sangria to watch the beautiful people from the nearby drama school.

Best meal: iBox, Le Thai To, Hanoi, Vietnam

For those in need of a break from Asian food, or a fusion take on it. Not far from the Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi, a chic, modern lounge-style restaurant with a long and reasonably priced menu. We tried the beef olives and grilled scallops with cheese; their creamy mash was a moment of Western escapism. After dinner, you can have a flavoured hookah.

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