Over the last two years, my journey as a travel enthusiast and Business Insider's travel reporter in Singapore has brought me to almost every country in Southeast Asia.
In total, there are 10 countries in Southeast Asia, and I've traveled to nine of them — Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, and Brunei. Myanmar remains the only country in the region I have not visited, and while I am keen to explore it, I have held off on visiting because of the country's ongoing civil war.
I've watched the sun rise in Angkor Wat in Cambodia and cared for elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I've explored the Bornean jungle in Brunei and crawled the Cu Chi Tunnels in southern Vietnam.
But it hasn't always been easy. I've made several mistakes traveling across the region, especially as a solo traveler. Here are five mistakes I made and how to avoid them.