Today I’m green with envy – Emma has written a post about going to Cambodia, somewhere I’ve never been but a place that my husband loved so much it was his computer password for everything for a while. (Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s changed it since, I expect it’s now something like gemmaiscompletelyawesome or somesuch)
Emma (you may already know her as one half of Big Bouquet Photography who we love here at Florence Finds) has so much advice and so many inspiring photos to go with her jealousy-inducing destination guide that we’ve decided to split it into two parts. Over to Emma!
Cambodia – Photography by Emma Davenport @ Big Bouquet Photography
I’m a little obsessed with holidays. One of my guilty pleasures is to soak in a hot bath with a pile of travel magazines at my side. Being self-employed it’s harder than ever to get away. I don’t get any paid holiday, and if I’m not at home, hard at it, I’m losing out on business or freaking out I’m not getting my work done. But there are so many places I want to visit; places that are far away and do need a bit of time, effort and money to get to. My gap year days have been and gone and the chances of me donning a backpack ever again are slim; but I refuse to accept I can’t get to more off-the-beaten-track places without jacking work in altogether, or taking out a loan. So reasonably short visits it is!
Cambodia – Photography by Emma Davenport @ Big Bouquet Photography
Cambodia was one of those places that seemed like quite a distant goal. It doesn’t help matters the travel mags are filled with over-priced, grand tours, of which very few satisfy my desire for budget, yet characterful, accommodation. In full ‘travel operator’ mode I went on a mission to work out a way for us to take a trip to Cambodia on a budget of £2,500. We couldn’t be away from home for longer than two weeks. Since we’ve been together we’ve agreed (however painful and tiring it is) we’d much rather forgo a holiday for a year (or unfortunately, maybe more) and save our pennies to go somewhere we really want to go; somewhere to tick off the dream list.
The plane speaking bit…
Armed with an itinerary put together on Tripit.com we worked out the least gruelling, in-budget way to get from London to Siem Reap in Cambodia without a long stop-over.
We flew from Heathrow to Bangkok (via Dubai) with Emirates and lucked out catching a flight on the new, mega huge Airbus A380 (I want all my plane journeys to come with ceiling stars and mood lighting from now on, please!)
Cambodia – Photography by Emma Davenport @ Big Bouquet Photography
Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from the UK to Siem Reap and getting there involved the crazy short 35-minute flight from Bangkok with Bangkok Airways. Here’s a top tip! If you’re traveling on separate airlines check their “through Check-in” information. Some airlines work together to offer either Baggage Through Check, or at the very least Boarding Pass Issuing. You may need to get in touch with the airline before you book. Unfortunately, or leg from Dubai to BKK was delayed and we ended up missing our last transfer. Because we hadn’t twigged about the Baggage Through Check-in before we booked we had to clear customs and collect our bags before we could get onto our last flight, meaning what was always going to be a tight transfer ended up being impossible. Asking before we booked would have saved us a lot of grief, a £70 transfer fee and a 7-hour extra wait… Oops!
Cambodia – Photography by Emma Davenport @ Big Bouquet Photography
The bit about packing properly…
Make sure you think carefully about what you pack to take to Asia. Lightweight clothing that keeps you covered will make sure you’re comfortable in the heat, protected from mozzies and feel modest as you travel around the temples and town. You will stand out a mile if you’re out in T-shirts and shorts and we found we weren’t as easily identified as targets for being hounded when we were covered up.
Cambodia – Photography by Emma Davenport @ Big Bouquet Photography
There are a few clothing shops in town but they are thin on the ground. I’d say use your ‘case space’ on comfy shoes (yes, really) must-have toiletries, medicines and insect repellents, and outfit staples. Then, if you’re so inclined, you can pick up hats and light cotton pieces at the markets. The sun is strong; especially when you’re travelling in open spaces or by the water, so a hat is the number one accessory. I bagged myself a very pretty wide-brim straw number for $2.
The bit about needing a visa…
You need to kit yourself out with a tourist Visa before being allowed to enter the Kingdom of Cambodia. Although it looks a bit slapdash, http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/ is the place to apply for an e-Visa. For $25 you can pre-order your Visa to save time at Siem Reap airport. This takes 3 business days and you’ll need to upload a passport-sized photo but once it’s processed you are emailed your visa to print out and staple to your passport.
Well, now that we’re all ready to go, we’re going to leave you at the edge of your seats 
Part 2 is coming up later on, but for now, does anyone have any travel/packing/visa tips we’ve missed?
Love,
Gemma C-S
