At the time of writing, parts of Southeast Asia (mainly Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore) are blanketed by haze due to the hot, dry weather and prevailing monsoon winds that fan the forest fires within the region. Not only this phenomenon dents travellers' plans to explore the various parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, it is also found to be depressing.
However, fret not, because there are still parts of Southeast Asia that are less affected by the September 2019 haze such as Langkawi, Sandakan, Tawau, Semporna and Mabul in Malaysia; Brunei; Krabi and Phuket in Thailand; Danang in Vietnam; and Banda Aceh, Banyuwangi and Lombok in Indonesia. It would be best for travellers to earmark the mentioned places as alternative getaway destinations whenever the almost annual haze hits Southeast Asia. The lesson to be had is this: travellers are urged not only to research on the weather forecast but also the air quality or pollution index of the places they are heading to as part of their travel preparation...
