Because walking can only get you so far

Don’t get me wrong – I love walking! While traveling, I walk an average of 15 km per day. Between cities though… you have to use a bus, train or plane.

So if you’re one of those ultramarathon runners, go check out some of my most fun moments, this page is not for you. For everyone else, I’ve curated a list of the apps I use while traveling around the world. Have a look.

Southeast Asia

Allow me to be an expert on traveling in Southeast Asia – it’s my favorite region in the world and the one I’ve most extensively explored. Here are my top apps and websites to use for transport in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc.

Trains, buses, ferries

  • Nothing beats the availability and variety of operators 12Go has on its website. Unless it’s a very small regional minibus in rural Laos, if it’s not on 12Go, then it doesn’t run.
  • Easybook is the other big player in the region. It has almost as many routes and companies, maybe even more than its competitors for Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Ridesharing apps

  • Grab is the regional equivalent of Uber. Cheap, fast, reliable, and with a ton of promotions all the time.
  • Gojek operates in fewer countries but usually has slightly lower prices. All in all, it’s on par with Grab.

As you might have noticed, this page doesn’t include flights. To find out what apps and websites I use to find cheap tickets, check out my flight tips.

Central Asia

Trains

  • In Kazakhstan, train travel is easy and convenient. You should book tickets directly from the Official Kazakh Railway website or on Tickets.kz.
  • In Uzbekistan, trains are one of the best in the world. The bullet trains called Afrosiyob will get you from Tashkent to Bukhara in 3 hours (compared to the 10-hour bus journey). Book online at Uzbek Railways.
  • In Kyrgyzstan, the railway network is very limited. In Tajikistan, it connects Dushanbe and Khujand but runs through Uzbekistan, so trains are inconvenient.

Marshrutka

  • A “marshrutka” is a minibus that has a set route (маршрут/marshrut in Russian). They are the predominant form of transport in Central Asia.
  • You will rarely be able to book any tickets online. Instead, turn up at the bus station and ask for the next one towards your destination.

Shared Taxi

  • A very common method for traveling in Central Asia – share a car with others. Usually you just have to turn up at the bus station and ask but for some routes you may have to call to reserve the night before. Ask a local to help.