Can someone explain me why people travel to South East Asia?

I made this exact same thread a couple times before I actually went to SEA. I had the same image of it you did, OP. Now that I've been (Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka) here's my response to you:
>bad image
That's just Thailand, tho. Everyone thinks it's cool to go to Burma or Vietnam. Amongst the traveling community as a whole, I suppose you might get judged for lack of imagination, or as a 20something who just wants to party. It's a shame because there's a lot of room for independent, original travel in these countries.
>attractions include: jungle, jungle, jungle
you know that's not true; I won't bother refuting it. But jesus, it would be nice if there were that much unspoiled rainforest.
>chock full of australians and generally the cancer of the backpacking world
yes you are right about that. If that is your reason for avoiding SEA, It's a valid one.
>no possible to talk with locals in their native language
English is more widespread than you think. And Indonesian is one of the easiest non-IE languages to learn.
>have to pay for visa
Welcome to the world outside Europe.

SEA has something for everyone; if you can tolerate the heat and the Aussies it's worth the trouble to go there at least once.

>>1271461
It's cheap, has nice weather, alot of beautiful nature, awsome historical sights, nice locals.

Also they are quite tolerant, the buddist religion does not have many weird rules like hating gay people or seein women as property (don't think this applies to most of indonesia)

The food is so good, that's reason enough for me all by itself. Imagine eating at restaurants 3 meals a day and not even having to think about cost.

>>1271464
The Indonesian brand of Islam is chill AF.

>>1271463
I don't know. I've been to Japan and liked it but I'd rather travel to Korea or Taiwan and China before looking at SEA. To me it seems like babbys first trip abroad.

>>1271464
>nice locals
why does everyone say this. i had locals trying to scam me almost every day.

>>1271473
maybe you're a dumb tourist, looking fucking expensive or sth

>>1271474
so because i have money its ok to try to squeeze it out of me at every opportunity?

>>1271476
well, yes
not because of yourself, but because so many rich dumb guys before you Pavlovian-taught locals of every desireable tourist destination to attempt it

>>1271461
>It seems the only reason people go there is because it's >cheap
actually a meme, you can live off the same in South America and no visa payments

>>1271490
Yes that's my whole thinking, why go to SEA when you can go to South America instead? You get

>amazing women that die for white men
>actually able to talk to anyone if you bother to learn spanish
>amazing variety: glaciers, mountains, desert, rainforest, natural wonders like galapagos and eater island
>world class cities

You can't tell me that you will have more fun in Laos than in Colombia.

>>1271500
>I want to go to america and not to SEA, so I'll explain those faggots why they are completely wrong and why they can't have fun doing what they do
>this will really boost my confidence and shit
have you ever been abroad, actually?

>>1271500
i fell for the digital nomad meme and have been in thailand for almost 2 years now. i think one of the biggest draws of se asia was how exotic and far away from the west it appears to be from an american perspective. when i considered going to south america instead i thought of tijuana, drugs, and poverty so even though i speak decent spanish already it never felt like an exciting option .

i will probably go there next though if i can ever decide on a country.

>>1271461
>bad image: tell someone you went to thailand and you get comments
Why are you so worried about the image you get at home for traveling somewhere?
>attractions include: jungle, jungle, jungle
>what is angkor
Granted, if you don't like a tropical climate, the region really isn't for you
>chock full of australians and generally the cancer of the backpacking world
These tend to concentrate in certain areas, which are easy enough to avoid. Most backpackers you meet in other places are generally bro tier.
>no possible to talk with locals in their native language
So you speak the language of every other country you travel to fluently? How is your Greek coming along?
By the way, in Malaysia, most locals speak better English than in most European countries.
>have to pay for visa
For western nationals, all SEA countries are visa-free except Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. And the visas for these countries are so piss-easy to get (at the border, airport or online) and 1/20th of your flight cost. You want to complain about visas? Try Central Asia or West Africa.

Seriously, I get why some people are skeptical about traveling SEA. But for many, this vanishes once they eventually go there.
I traveled to all continents and all kind of places so far, and still have a sweet spot for the region. The easyness of traveling there and the vibrant but laid back atmosphere while you still have access to all modern conveniences of life... it's pretty hard to find elsewhere.

>>1271517
If you speak English and Spanish you can talk to any person between Alaska and Patagonia. I just don't think it's very interesting to travel to places where you couldn't have a conversation with someone in their native language.

>>1271476
You are mixing up the 1B people who live in southeast Asia with the <100 individuals you interacted with. Is that fair?

>>1271500
Well for me, and for most european people, south america is very far and exotic. Flying there is super expensive for us, and asia is super cheap to fly to

>>1271471
don't go to korea if you've been to japan.

Yellow fever beta and omega males. That's literally it