I remember backpacking in South East Asia 10 years ago and how much more challenging it was. Nowadays, it couldn't be easier.  

First of all, back then wifi and a reliable internet connection was pretty much non-existent, so booking anything online was almost impossible. Sure you could go find an internet cafe, but it just wasn't as convenient. 

On this trip so far, we've had access to wifi almost everywhere. I'm not talking about big cities either. Some of the smallest towns had pretty decent connections. Plus, if the hostel or hotel didn't have it, surely a cafe or a convenience store nearby did.

Because of this, getting directions, booking accommodation and flights was basically as easy as a few clicks or taps from your smartphone apps. That being said, having wifi doesn't mean it's very good. Some places had wifi that was worse than dial-up (which made blogging really frustrating especially when it takes 30 minutes to upload 5 pictures), BUT it was available.

Having a smartphone is very helpful especially with all the apps available nowadays. Here are some of our favourite apps and websites that we've been using on our travels.