Putting your bike on a bus or train in Southeast Asia is easy. It’s even recommended to get from highlight to highlight, unless you have literally months to explore the region.

You’re most likely to put your bicycle on a bus. In Thailand, this could mean turning the handlebars and taking off the wheels to make the bike fit in the luggage compartment. In less developed countries like Cambodia and Laos, your bike might be strapped to the back or roof of the bus - unnerving at first but the bus staff are generally quite talented at tying things down securely. Take a deep breath, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Whether your bike is underneath or on top of the bus, it can easily pick up a few scratches. You may want to use an old t-shirt or some plastic wrap to protect the frame. Expect as well to pay anything up to half the ticket price as an extra fee for your bike. If you’re good at negotiating, you might get it on for free.

Trains barely exist in Cambodia and not at all in Laos. In Thailand, the train is a viable alternative to the bus. Sometimes you can slip your bike in the third class carriage, depending on the journey and how the full train is. For longer trips, your bike will have to go in the cargo wagon so check beforehand that the service you want to take has a cargo wagon. A small fee, about 90 Baht, is charged for the bike.