Laos is a dirt-cheap country with very friendly, gracious people, amazing scenery, an extremely low crime rate, and great food. But, there are some things you must do to stay safe.

For example:

• Be extremely careful about local alcohol. In November of 2024, several backpackers staying at a hostel in Vang Vieng died and more were hospitalised after being given free shots of local hard liquor that were laced with methanol. Lao Lao rice wine whisky is a frequent element of local hospitality, and many of us have drunk it when offered (although I have only done so in villages, never in big rave parties). This tragedy is a reminder to all of us to be careful at all times. A bottle of Beer Lao (Laos’ remarkably tasty and inexpensive national brew) is probably the safest alcohol you can drink. And I personally think cocktails are safe if you see them being made using branded, bottled ingredients and then handed directly to you, and you pay for it. Ice cubes are generally fine at tourist bars in the cities, but I try to avoid them in the villages where they might be made with tap water. But if someone is passing out big quantities of free local alcohol, say no! Laos is a very poor country, and anyone giving out massive quantities of anything for free may be skimping on quality.

• Don’t get stupid with drugs. All narcotics are illegal in Laos. They are tolerated in a few places, but know your boundaries. Down in the 4,000 Islands you’ll find marijuana just about everywhere, and this does not seem to cause any legal or health problems for tourists. You can even carry it around with you in that local area and you should have no problem. By contrast, in Vang Vieng (Laos’ adrenaline junkie and hard partying capital), 3 bars have handwritten Happy Menus,from which they’ll sell you not just marijuana but almost every drug known to man. But the undercover police in each of those bars are watching you at all times — you’ll rarely get in trouble in the bar, but if you leave the bar with ANYTHING, you WILL be arrested and you WILL pay a $250 fine to get out – more if you get argumentative. And no, your embassy won’t rescue you from your own stupidity. Generally, if you see drugs openly offered for sale, you can buy and use them there, in that spot – but don’t assume you can take them anywhere else.

• Laos is really cheap. Enjoy that, but don’t get greedy. If you see a bus ticket, motorbike rental, meal, etc. on offer for 30% less than you can find it anywhere else, something is usually wrong. The “nice comfortable bus” might be overloaded with freight and livestock, and making huge detours. The motorbike might be an old, poorly maintained death trap. The normal prices are cheap enough. DBAFI (Don’t Be a F***ing Idiot).

• Spend the $10 to get a Lao SIM card. Things in Laos don’t always go to plan. Relying on wifi won’t work when you have an injury, motorbike breakdown etc. in the middle of nowhere. Spend the $10. DBAFI (Don’t Be a F***ing Idiot).

• If you rent a motorcycle (which I highly recommend – I had never ridden a motorbike ever before Laos, but I loved it), ALWAYS wear a helmet and ALWAYS wear long trousers and sturdy close-toed shoes. The vast majority of motorbikers have a fantastic time without incident, but just in case you’re not one of them, DBAFI.

• Outside of the main cities, Laos has little concept of health and safety. Paving stones sometimes turn over when you step on them. Trails sometimes have sinkholes that can twist your ankle. “Bridges” are often just a tree laid across a river, or a flimsy thing like the one in the picture above (which I had to cross). Guardrails (if they exist at all) may fall out when you push or pull on them. Always watch your step.

• This close to the equator, dawn and dusk are very short. After a mountaintop sunset, you’ll have at most 35 minutes to get down before it’s too dark to see. Trails are full of trip hazards, handholds are often not secure, you may have to balance on narrow fallen logs. So when you climb to a sunset overlook, bring a headlamp, and as soon as the sun goes down, start walking.

• Know the metric system and the 24-hour clock. From one American to another, if you can’t think in kilometres, centimetres, litres, kilograms and Celsius, FIX that. BEFORE you arrive. Because no non-American understands the medieval measurement system used in our country.