BBC’s Race Across the World is back for its fourth season – and three episodes into this travel spectacular spanning Japan, South Korea, China, Cambodia, and Indonesia, it’s no wonder that searches for ‘South East Asia tours’ are reaching breakout status on Google. Last night’s episode saw teams starting the third leg from Vietnamese capital Hanoi and racing over 2,000km through Vietnam and Cambodia to reach Phnom Penh, prompting holiday-makers to start busily planning their own tours across these awe-inspiring countries.
Whether you want to see more of the programme’s starting point of Japan, or you want to copy the teams and travel from Vietnam down to Cambodia, here’s how you can experience some of South East Asia’s highlights with tours from Travelsphere and Just You.
JAPAN
Travelsphere’s Japan – Land of the Rising Sun tour starts in dazzling Tokyo before taking in the sightseeing highlights of Mount Fuji, Matsumoto Castle, the traditional city of Takayama and Nara City (the first checkpoint in the show). Unlike the teams in Race Across the World, you’ll be able to take advantage of the famous Bullet Train to reach Kyoto, where you’ll be able to explore before visiting Hiroshima and bustling Osaka.
- 13 days
- From £5,124pp including travel and meals
- Departures from Oct 2024
CHINA
Despite a change to last night’s episode which saw the teams skip China, fans of Race Across the World’s first season will remember the contestants racing to the ancient town of Huangyao. Those wishing to see China for themselves should take advantage of a new 2025 Travelsphere tour – Unmissable China & Yangtze Cruise – which starts in Shanghai and ends in Beijing. It’s a true bucket list tour, ticking off sights such as the Great Wall of China, Xian’s Terracotta Army and the Summer Palace in Beijing.
- 16 days
- From £3,224 including travel meals
- Departures from May 2025
VIETNAM & CAMBODIA
Episode three saw the contestants travel from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi to Phnom Penh, Cambodia – a trip that travellers can recreate with Just You’s Discover Vietnam with Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh and Mekong River Add-on. Just like the teams, you’ll start in Hanoi before travelling down to the UNESCO-listed Halong Bay for an overnight cruise, journeying to the Mekong Delta and exploring Ho Chi Minh City. Then it’s a quick hop over the Cambodian border to visit Can Tho, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to take in the jaw-dropping Angkor Wat temple complex.
- 18 days
- From £5,398 including travel and meals
- Departures from Oct 2024
THAILAND
Next week’s episode will take the contestants into Thailand, where the remaining teams will travel across this beautiful country from the checkpoint of Mae Sariang to Koh Phi Phi. Those wanting to see the sights for themselves should book onto Just You’s Thailand – A Land of Smiles tour, which starts in the glittering city of Bangkok and travels to Kanchanaburi, home of the Bridge over the River Kwai, the UNESCO-listed ruins of Ayutthaya, Lampang and Chiang Mai, before ending in the coastal paradise of Krabi.
- 14 days
- From £3,499
- Departures from Jan 2025
