It’s not hard to see why Thailand is a common vacation destination for many JETs. With friendly people, incredibly cheap travel costs, and deliciously spicy food, it’s a great place to spend an extended national holiday week. Phuket in particular provides an oasis from the heat and humidity in Thailand and is a welcome destination after exploring the steamy streets of Bangkok or Chiang Mai. My friends and I visited the island for five days over Golden Week this year and loved every minute of it. For those considering going, here are my Top Ten tips on traveling to Phuket.

Izu Nudibranch, Joshua Zimmerman

Palau is one of those places that you only hear about in wacky travel magazines or on mass emails that you get from that hippy guy/ girl you hung out with that one time in college. It’s a place that exists in the real world, but that no one you take seriously ever goes to. For instance me.

Learning how to dive is surprisingly simple and cheap. You can get your diving license just about anywhere there is diving. This includes Japan. Throughout Asia, the set rate for a beginner course in diving is around $300 USD. This usually includes all equipment rentals as well as 4 skill dives, but it’s best to contact the dive shop to find out the local rates. The course takes around 4 days and afterwards you can use your license anywhere in the world.

With its 10,000-odd islands offering beaches galore, geological wonders like the Chocolate Hills, an abundance of endemic wildlife, a turbulent but fascinating history, and astounding rice terraces that are considered by many to be the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World, there is no shortage of things to do and see in the Philippines. Like in so many Southeast Asian countries the prices are dirt-cheap and the people couldn’t be nicer. Yet due to its isolated location away from mainland Asia, the Philippines is often left off many travel itineraries, therefore making it an ideal destination for those in search of a country not yet spoiled by the wrath of tourism. Travelers to whom this unique experience appeals should book their tickets to the Philippines now – before the secret gets out and tour groups flock to this Southeast Asian treasure. Then, 20 years down the road you can boast about ‘What the Philippines used to be like’.