Transport infrastructure in Laos is barely recognisable considering what existed a few years ago. Huge, foreign-funded road construction projects have transformed the network of rough dirt tracks into relatively luxurious sealed affairs. The lack of potholes has ushered in a battalion of buses and scheduled services, and getting around Laos is easy and cheap, if sometimes very slow.

Many travellers are choosing to come and go via Laos's numerous land and river bor­ders, something we've acknowledged in this book by giving detailed descriptions of all border crossings that were open to foreign­ers when we researched this edition. While there are many border options, flying into Laos is refreshing in that you don't need to shop around much - only a few airlines service Laos and prices don't vary much.