The Durian Trail Life (Travel Hacks & Tips)

Where should I go and when?

Finally, we’ve created the ultimate solution for answering that question!

This fall (2019) we will be releasing our first App, with *live* *up-to-date* information about the durian season from our network of over 700 durian farms around the world.

This inter-active durian hunting map shows when durian farms, durian farmstays, durian stalls, and other durian points of interest that actually have durian NOW, and also includes 3-month predictions so you can plan your trip.

Get an Email When It Launches

When are your tours again?

Oooh tough question. We have tours departing different places and different durian season all the time.

Here’s an approximate schedule:

January & February: Malaysian Borneo

April & May: Thailand

June & July: Peninsular Malaysia

August & September & October: Philippines

Sometimes December: Borneo

If you want to keep up with upcoming tours, make sure to join my newsletter or check the Durian Tour Page.

Where can I buy durian in my home country?

That’s a toughie! Sometimes I know, but a lot of times I don’t.

In general, you can find durians at your local Asian supermarket. I’ve compiled two city guides in the United States:

If you don’t have an Asian grocer where you live, you can always buy it online and have it shipped to you!

So where can I buy durian online?

Oh, lucky you, I just happen to be neurotic enough that I keep lists of such things!

See Where to Buy Durian Online to see a list of sites where you can buy durian online and have it shipped to you whether you live in Australia, China or Hong Kong, Europe, or the USA.

Where can I buy durian in Bangkok even when it’s not in season?

First, I just want to warn you that it’s going to be expensive, up to 200 or 300 baht per kilo (US $6ish), and the quality is not going to be that great. Finding really ripe durians is going to be nearly impossible.

BUT I know you just can’t wait, and you’re there, and any durian is better than none at all, right? So here’s what you do.

Go to any of these three places: Or Tor Kor Market, The Emporium, or Siam Paragon. All will have durian any time of the year.

Where can I find durian in Kuala Lumpur all year?

I wrote a whole post just for you 🙂 3 Places To Find Durian All Year in Kuala Lumpur

Where can I find durian in Penang all year?

Penang normally has only one season per year in June and July, unlike the rest of Malaysia which has two seasons.

This means that if you visit Penang outside its short but sweet season, you will be eating durian brought in from another state like Perak or as far away as Pahang.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — it’s still fresh durian, after all — but don’t be expecting top-notch, dreamy Red Prawns or punchy Capris in February.

Because Penang is so well known for its durian, you can find places catering to tourists any time of the year. Many of these will even have Thai durians. Try to avoid durians sold in Balik Pulau or along the highway between Batu Ferringhi and Balik Pulau as these will be overpriced and not very good.

Check 5 Places To Find Durian All Year in Penang

How do I find accommodation in Southeast Asia?

It defies logic, but usually hotel prices are cheaper on Booking.com or Agoda than if you just walk into the hotel and pay cash up front. Hotels aren’t always listed on both platforms, so I will check both.

I haven’t been as happy with Agoda since they started adding inexplicable fees at check-out, but I can still sometimes find better deal here than on other sites, so I do still use Agoda regularly.

After a few years of traveling, I got tired of hotel rooms and started craving a house — bigger space, a table or desk, my own place to cook — so I started using Airbnb to find apartments. There are also a few durian farms now listed on Airbnb.

Couchsurfing.com is key for traveling super duper budget. The site connects you with a local host who, for free, will allow you to sleep on their couch or in a spare bedroom. I also use it to find locals who share my passions (durian) and make new friends

WWOOF

If you want to really immerse yourself in durian and local culture, you can volunteer on a farm. I haven’t done this in Southeast Asia, but I have worked on Wwoof farms other places. There’s separate WWOOF Thailand and WWOOF Malaysia and WWOOF Indonesia pages. Just type “durian” into the search bar and you’ll find a number of durian farms where you can volunteer.

How do I get there?

Air Asia

Air Asia offers most of the best deals for flying between Malaysia and Thailand and even to Australia, so I’ve ended up signing up for their BIG points program. If you book with Agoda, you can earn points toward your next flight.

Skyscanner

I’ve used Skyscanner almost exclusively to find good travel deals since 2010. Recently I’ve started playing with some other search sites, but I haven’t found one I like as much as Skyscanner. Try out the Destination search function to “Everywhere.”

What should I take with me to Asia?

What and how much we pack is such a personal matter! It depends a lot on if you want to travel light and fast or slow and long, if you like to dress nicely or hardly at all, and also how many electronics you carry with you.

As someone who lives and works out of my bag for most of the year, you can see what I just packed (Jan, 2016) to get back on the road. What’s in my bag?

Credit Cards for travel hacking

Wonder how I can afford flying around as much as I do? I couldn’t without a few credit cards. And I’m NOT IN DEBT.

From cash back (basically a % discount on everything I buy) to frequent flier points and mileage programs, (last year I flew roundtrip to Manila <—> USA for $32 USD and points), using different credit card programs and their affiliated frequent flier mileage programs helps me and my money go further.

Here are a few of the credit cards currently in my wallet:

Capital One Quicksilver
I use this card for all my personal stuff. No foreign transaction or exchange fees, and you get cash back, so it’s like a 1.5% discount on everything you buy, plus $150 bonus in cash when you sign up.

Should I get travel insurance?

Yes, yes you definitely should. When I got bit by a dog in Malaysia, I was so grateful that my medical travel insurance covered everything, from the taxi ride to the hospital to my rabies shots, when I got some nasty skin infection I was grateful for my insurance, and when my flight got grounded for 24-hours in Los Angeles, my credit card covered my hotel cost. Definitely worth it. I recommend both GeoBlue and Giving Back

If you’re long in durian-land, you may find yourself getting depressed about the state of the rainforest and the sad future for the animals and people who live there. Here are a few ways you can give back and use your durian powers to help the world become a better place.

Heifer International Gift of Trees

Now wait, why is a vegan recommending a charity that primarily distributes livestock? Because Heifer International now distributes trees too to provide families with shade, food, and fuel. Now you can buy a family a small fruit or timber orchard for only $10. In Souheast Asia Heifer is active in Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Habitat For Humanity

What I like about this organization is that they take a broad view of creating a healthy habitat for humans that acknowledges the role of forested areas and trees in human health and wellness. In addition to providing safe housing and sanitary conditions, in some areas they also provide trees for people to plant around their houses . They also replant trees to provide the timber needed to build the habitat for people.

You can donate your time, building materials, or money.

Volunteer with the Orangutan Foundation International

OFI offers short term (3 weeks) and long term volunteer opportunities to work in Central Kalimantan with the orangutans, but you can also help from home by volunteering to do website work, helping organize campaigns, and other online tasks. Here’s the Volunteer Page. They of course also accept Donations.

Rainforest Trust

For the past few years I’ve nominated the Rainforest Trust for Project For Awesome, and last year I filed it under the “Health” category because to me protecting forested areas is a matter of human health — protecting us from landslides and flooding, water pollution, malaria-carrying mosquitoes, weather changes, and more. Learn more by watching the video I made with my friend Megan or checking out their What We Do page.