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For years, the same story has played out in Mad Monkey common areas across Southeast Asia. Someone arrives solo, bonds instantly with a crew over a pool game, and quietly rearranges their whole itinerary to stay together. The alternative has always been the group chat that never becomes a booking — friends who don’t commit, dates that never align, trips that die in the planning stage.
Mad Monkey was already sitting on the fix. Fifteen years of building social infrastructure — from a single hostel in Phnom Penh to 25+ properties across seven countries — gave the brand a working knowledge of how to build collective energy among strangers. ALL IN Trips is the next step: handle the logistics, let travelers focus on the social pulse.
“ALL IN exists because there was a gap between what young travelers wanted and what the industry offered,” says Kyle Kenny, Commercial Director at Mad Monkey. “The 60-person coach-bus tour is over. People want intentional, small-scale adventures rooted in real local subculture, without giving up the freedom of independent travel.”
What Makes It Distinct
No coach buses, no mega-groups — departures run in small, capped cohorts. Every route is built around must-see stops with a twist, plus experiences guests can’t book solo — access that comes from fifteen years of local relationships, not a tour-operator markup. It’s real culture and real places, not plastic tourist stops. Free time is built into every itinerary, so the trip never feels over-programmed. Most guests arrive without knowing a single other person on the trip; most leave with a group chat that’s still active months later.
Three Routes, a Mad Monkey Hostel Every Night
Indonesia Island Hopping — 12 days, from $700. Sunset at Panorama Point in Uluwatu, a pre-dawn Mt Batur trek, island hopping through Nusa Penida, a bike tour on Gili T, and four nights at surf camp in Kuta Lombok.
Cambodia Coast to Coast — 14 days, from $650. Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Koh Rong, and Koh Sdach, closing with a community BBQ of locally caught fish, hosted alongside Mad Monkey’s local team.
Vietnam North to Central — 14 days, from $850. Hanoi’s Old Quarter, an overnight cruise through Lan Ha Bay, motorbikes on the Ha Giang Loop, and the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An.
How It Works
A $99 deposit holds a spot. Every route stays in real Mad Monkey beds every single night — no mystery dorms, no third-party swaps. Daily breakfast is included, along with a free night at the property the day before departure, so travelers arrive rested rather than racing the first stop. Evenings are built in too: games nights, pool hangs, and the kind of social pulse Mad Monkey common areas are known for. Domestic transport and 24/7 local crew support run throughout the trip.
Bring Your Own Crew: The Squad Leader Program
Not everyone waits for the group chat to fall apart before doing something about it. For the ones who’d rather build the crew themselves, Mad Monkey launched Squad Leader alongside ALL IN. Apply, get a unique referral code, and share it with the people already asking “wait, are you actually going?” Bring enough of your crew along and the rewards scale with you — full tiers and terms are available on application. It’s less an affiliate scheme than a bet on the person every friend group already has — the one who sends the flights, picks the dates, and gets everyone to actually commit.
ALL IN isn’t a booking package. It’s a bet that the best trips still start the same way they always have at Mad Monkey — with a stranger who becomes the reason you stayed an extra week.
About Mad Monkey Hostels
Mad Monkey is a leading hostel operator in Southeast Asia, known for experience-driven stays that blend affordable accommodation with community, adventure, and unforgettable social energy. With locations across Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, and Australia, Mad Monkey is more than a place to stay – it’s a place to belong.
