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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

koh rong

    A couple walks down the beach in beautiful Koh Rong, Cambodia

    One Week in Cambodia | 7 Day Itinerary

    by Nick & Raychel March 7, 2019

    We’ve lived in Cambodia for a year and are so lucky to have had so many friends and family visit us during our time here. With that said, we’ve been personal tour guides more than a few times now.

    The biggest thing we should mention right off the bat here is that this itinerary does not include Siem Reap. This is for two reasons:

    1. Many people fly into Phnom Penh
    2. We believe Siem Reap is a whole different trip, and you will likely need more than one week to see it.

    That said, we have added 5 days onto the end of this article to represent your time in SR. If you’re planning on going, find our Siem Reap guide here.

    So here it is, our suggested one week travel itinerary starting in Phnom Penh.


    Day 1: Phnom Penh

    You’ve just arrived in the capital city and there is so much that you could do.

    Here are a few suggestions:

    (Daytime)

    • Visit the Royal Palace
    • Take a walk along the riverside
    • Visit Wat Phnom
    • Get some goodies at the local markets – Central Market, Russian Market (see our guide to the markets here)

    (Nighttime)

    • Visit the night market
    • Grab a beer near the riverside / independence monument
    • Take a walk to Wat Botum and watch the locals dance after sunset
    • Go see a traditional dancing show at the museum


    Day 2: Koh Rong

    How to get there: You can take a bus or private taxi to Sihanoukville. A private taxi is $55 for the entire car, so if you have a group of 4 people you will pay only $13.75 each for a much more comfortable ride. If you are looking for a taxi, join the Facebook group Taxi Share Cambodia.

    For the sake of this itinerary, we took an overnight taxi on Day 1 so we could arrive in Sihanoukville by the morning.

    We then took the first ferry sailing to Koh Rong and spent the entire day at the beach.


    Day 3: Koh Rong

    Wake up in your beachy bungalow and prepare for the day.

    Here are a list of things you can do in Koh Rong:

    • Explore the different beaches. Do not stay at one beach! There are so many beautiful beaches to see such as: Long Beach, Palm Beach, Lonely Beach, White Beach, Lazy Beach…. the list goes on…

      Note: You can hire water taxis to get between beaches for $5
      Tip: Walk the trail from Koh Toch to Long Beach –  the trek is amazing


    • Snorkeling or diving
    • Ziplining at High Point Adventure Park
    • Go on a boat trip to Koh Rong Samloem
    • Get a tattoo at one of the great tattoo shops
    • Have a cocktail and relax on the beach in a swing or hammock

    We went snorkeling with the luminescent plankton at night – although we don’t necessarily recommend it. Although it was sort of cool, the waters in Koh Rong are sadly very polluted the further out you get into the ocean, and swimming with rubbish in the dark isn’t all that appealing.


    Don’t leave home without travel insurance. Trust us, we never do. You can get a quote with World Nomads right here.


    Day 4: Kampot

    How to get there: Catch a ferry back to Sihanoukville. From there, take a bus or hire a private taxi for $45 if you have enough people to fill the car.

    Kampot is not only our favourite place in Cambodia, but one of our favourite places in the entire world. This sleepy french-colonial town is the ultimate place to relax. At the same time, there are so many things to see. The laid-back lifestyle in this river town is unbeatable. We don’t suggest missing out on this place!

    Since you’ll be arriving in the afternoon, you will have half a day to explore the old town, get some delicious food and hit the night market once it gets dark.

    If you get there early enough, you can do one or two of the things we suggest to do on Day 5.

    We checked in to our bungalow and hung out by the river.


    Day 5: Kampot

    Our favourite thing about Kampot is that there’s so much to do, but it’s so relaxed that you won’t necessarily feel pressured to do all of it.

    Here are some of the things you can do in Kampot:

    • Visit the pepper plantations and/or salt fields
    • Take a tour up Bokor Mountain to see the buddha statue, abandoned casino, and remarkable views
    • Rent a kayak and go for a ride along the river
    • Take the day trip to Rabbit Island
    • Hop in a taxi or tuk tuk and go to Kep to see the beaches
    • Try the highly regarded Kampot river crab with fresh pepper
    • Up for some adventure? Visit Arcadia and go down the steep water slide

    Taxi back to PP: We wanted two more days back in Phnom Penh so we left this evening around 8pm. You could skip the next day and stay an extra day in Kampot, but there is still more to see back around PP. A private taxi is $45.00 from Kampot to PP.


    Day 6: Phnom Penh / Takeo Province

    Start the day off in Phnom Penh. Get some breakfast then prepare for your half-day trip to Phnom Chisor.

    How to get to Phnom Chisor: You could rent a motorbike and drive there yourself, but the dirt road close to Phnom Chisor is long and bumpy. If you do this, make sure your motorbike is in great shape. Only take this route if you are experienced on a motorbike. Regardless, we recommend just renting a tuk tuk. That way, you can snack and hang out along the way, and you won’t miss any of the views of local Cambodian living.

    Phnom Chisor is a 133m tall hill in Takeo Province. On top of the hill, you will find an ancient temple built in the 11th century, part of the Angkor Wat family.

    Read our full blog on Phnom Chisor here.

    After you’re done taking in the beauty and history of Phnom Chisor, head back to Phnom Penh for an ice cold beer near the riverside.


    Day 7: Phnom Penh

    It’s your last day in Phnom Penh and this is when we recommend visiting Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields.

    Visiting the Killing Fields/Tuol Sleng is very heavy and very emotional. You will learn so much about the horrifying events that took place during the Khmer Rouge. This is such an important part of your visit to Cambodia.

    We specifically put this on the last day of the itinerary as we took a few days to recover from visiting these very somber places. We were so emotionally affected that, personally, we wouldn’t be able to jump up in the morning and go ziplining two days after experiencing this.

    That said, some people may disagree with us. Some people may say that you should visit the Killing Fields/Tuol Sleng on your first day so that you have a full grasp on what happened in Cambodia before travelling to the different provinces.

    Whatever you decide will be the right choice for you.


    We absolutely love Cambodia and we are so excited for you to visit the Kingdom of Wonder. As always, if you have any questions – please feel free to contact us.

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • Working to TRAVEL✈️🚐

If you’ve been following along with our vlogs and stories, it will come as no surprise to you when I say that our days are long right now. When we chose to start travelling, we signed up for a work-save-travel-repeat cycle and have been living in for the past 4.5 years. 

We chose this life.
But we still get tired. 

And between fixing up the van, preparing for our next adventure and working full time in that Southern Ontario heat - it’s a lot. But our minds are set on travel, on exploration, on adventure, culture, and learning. So we adapt to the seasons and understand that this point in the cycle is  just that - a season -  and we are so damn grateful to be doing it together.

📍 Traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas.
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Tags: #notluxe #worktotravel #travelcouple #vanlifecouple #traveldiaries #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #vanliving
  • **CLOSED** GIVEAWAY!! 🎉

We are giving away a Bluetti EB70 portable power bank. Having a power station on hand is a sweet backup for those who are already set up completely for off-grid living and/or a good start for weekend campers looking to try out van or camper van life. We are stoked to have another way to work outside, charge more appliances and get out adventuring.

The winner will win ONE Bluetti EB70 power bank & charging cables. 

Specs:
• 716Wh capacity and 800W rated wattage
• The ultra-stable LiFePO4 battery chemistry,2500+ life cycles
• 4*110V AC outlets, 2*100W PD ports, 2*5V/3A USB-A ports, 2*regulated 12V/10A DC outputs, 1*12V/10A car port,1*15W wireless charging pad.
(Note: does not come with solar panels)
-

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Like this post 
2. Must be following @nickandraychel & @bluetti_official
3. Tag a friend in the comments below (more tags = more entries)
4. Bonus entry - share this post to story for 5 extra entries! 

Open to USA & Canada residents. Giveaway closes on June 22, 2022. 
Winner will be announced on 06/25/22. 

-

Disclaimer: No purchase necessary. Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram.

The contest period will run from 06/15 to 06/22 2022.

— 

Tags: #vanlifecouple #vanlifeing #notluxe #vanlifediaries #vanlifegiveaway #campinggiveaway #campervan #vanconversion #camperliving #tinyliving #tinyhomeonwheels #tinyhomes #vanlifenewbie #vanlifers #livinginavan #livingoffgrid #offgridliving #vanlifedreams #travelinspo
  • Slowing down 🚐 

The whole appeal of van life and many alternative living options is the freedom to take a go at your own speed.

But sometimes it feels like you just want to see it all.
And we’ve seen SO much in the past twenty months. 

Especially in the past six.

As Canadian travellers, I find that our slow season is the opposite of others. We escape the cold weather and have been abroad for many Christmases and snowfalls. During those times, we’re cliff jumping, waterfall hopping, cruising, skatepark hunting, friendship building…

Then, when lake season rolls around we’re ready to take on a more conventional work schedule, to save up to do it all again.

But we have to tell ourselves to relax, to enjoy the downtime, to take in the peaceful moments just as much as the epic ones. To soak up the sun, to drink water, to slow down.

It’s a constant learning process.

📍Traditional Hohokam, Patayan, and Yavapai land ⁣

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  • But how do you SHOWER? 😅

This photo is from the most ridiculous YouTube thumbnail we’ve had to date. We took so many funny photos this day, we couldn’t NOT share. Or maybe we could. Oh well.

But let’s answer the question while we’re at it.

🚿 We primarily go to Anytime Fitness which is a little pricier than Planet Fitness. In our opinion, however, the equipment is way nicer, there are usually less people, they’re all over Canada & the US, it’s open 24/7, and the showers are private.

🚿 When we’re not near an Anytime Fitness (this has only happened one time when we were in Quartzsite), we find a truck stop shower to go to.

🚿 And that’s about it. We bought a camping shower at the beginning of van living and only used it one miserable time.

Do you think a shower is necessary in a van build?

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  • We have been doing so much stealth city camping lately that we felt like we needed a break. When we first moved into our van, we set off to Vancouver Island, where we were constantly surrounded by nature - and even though we had no idea what we were doing, it was just easy to be outside.

As you guys know, we’ve lived all sorts of van life. From brick & mortar jobs, to off-grid living, to city dwelling, to full-time travelling. Lately, we’ve seen A LOT of cities and while we’re grateful to have covered so much ground, we knew we needed nature. 

So we nestled ourselves into Starved Rock State Park and reset.
Full video is on YouTube. Link in bio.

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  • “The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have” – Anna Quindlen

I can’t imagine committing to being the person I was 5 years ago for the rest of my life. I can’t imagine committing to one mindset or one way of life. 

It would be impossible to put into words how much we’ve changed through travel and meeting people. And as we start to hype ourselves up for our next big journey, we’re excited to dive head first with an open mind. 

Whether you’re building a van, starting a new job, buying a plane ticket, or even walking out of the house every morning - you have no fucking idea what’s in store.

Travel has a special way of changing you. 
And the best thing you can do is allow it. 

📍 Traditional Kumeyaay land
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