Press Releases
Nov
Mad Monkey Launches 10-Day Laos Group Trip From USD 400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LUANG PRABANG, LAOS — NOVEMBER 026 — Mad Monkey Hostels launched its Laos ALL IN Trip, a 10-day social group journey through the country’s two most-loved backpacker towns. The route starts in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang and finishes among the karst mountains and river valleys of Vang Vieng. Laos joins Mad Monkey’s ALL IN routes in Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia. Like those trips, it is built for travellers who want to go solo without being alone. Most guests arrive knowing nobody and leave with a group chat that keeps going long after the flight home. Built around the new Laos Laos has changed fast. The Laos–China Railway has cut the Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng leg to under an hour by train, replacing a long, winding road trip. That has opened up a country many travellers used to skip for lack of time. The Laos ALL IN Trip is built around that new rhythm: Every night is spent in a Mad Monkey hostel, never a third-party dorm. Evenings run on Mad Monkey’s social calendar: games nights, pool hangs and the sunset pool at Mad Monkey Luang Prabang. Free time is built into every day, so travellers join what they want and skip what they don’t. What’s included Prices start from $400 USD per person. A USD $99 USD deposit holds a spot. The first departure leaves on 22 November 2026. Optional add-ons “Laos is the country travellers tell us they wish they’d given more time,” said Lexie Hadley, Head of Marketing at Mad Monkey. “It’s slow, beautiful and a little intimidating to plan alone. ALL IN takes the planning off the table, so the only thing left to figure out is who you’re sitting next to on the train.” Bring your own crew Travellers can also join Mad Monkey’s Squad Leader scheme. Squad Leaders get a personal referral code and earn rewards that grow with every friend they bring along. For bookings: madmonkeyhostels.com/all-in-trips/laos 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.
Oct
Mad Monkey Hostels to Open a Riverside Base for Social Travel in Kampot, Cambodia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KAMPOT, CAMBODIA, OCTOBER 2026 — Mad Monkey Hostels will open its newest Cambodian property, Mad Monkey Kampot, on 1 November 2026, bringing its social approach to travel to one of the country’s most atmospheric riverside destinations. Set on Riverside Road, Mad Monkey Kampot is designed as a base for travellers who want to experience Kampot beyond a checklist of sights. The property offers direct access to the river, sunset views and a social setting where guests can connect before and after exploring the province’s waterways, countryside and food culture. The launch adds a new stop to Mad Monkey’s growing Southeast Asian network, pairing a place to stay with a hand-picked lineup of local adventures. Guests can kayak through the Green Cathedral mangroves, visit a pepper farm, and join the Firefly River Boat Tour as the landscape changes from daylight to evening. The experiences are designed to connect travellers with Kampot’s wild landscapes and farming roots while giving them an easy way to explore beyond the town centre. Back at the hostel, the fun keeps going after dark with nightly Mad Monkey events like Karaoke Night, Bar Olympics and Pub Quiz. Everything’s built for joining in, not watching from the sidelines, so solo travellers and small groups have an easy way to meet people during their stay. And when the night winds down, a comfy bed is waiting, whether you’re bunking in a dorm with new mates or keeping it low-key in a private room. “Mad Monkey Kampot is a place to slow down without switching off,” said Johan Oosthuizen, General Manager. “You can spend the day on the water, learning about Kampot pepper or looking for fireflies along the river, then return to a space where there is always a shared table, a conversation or an event happening. We wanted the property to feel connected to Kampot from the moment guests arrive — relaxed, social and ready for exploration.” Mad Monkey Kampot comes with a swimming pool, bar and restaurant, gym, ice bath and jacuzzi. Add the riverside setting and the activity lineup, and the hostel covers both sides of Kampot: slow days outdoors and a lively, welcoming place to come back to at night. The opening comes as more travellers look for destinations that combine connection, local discovery and flexibility. Rather than treating the hostel as a stopover, Mad Monkey Kampot positions it as a launchpad for exploring the wider region — from mangrove waterways and pepper farms to the river at night — while keeping the social centre of the trip close at hand. Mad Monkey Kampot is now accepting bookings for stays from 1 November 2026. For more information and reservations, visit madmonkeyhostels.com/destination/kampot 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.
Oct
Do Good, Then Go Big: Mad Monkey and DO MORE TRAVEL Launch a 24-Day Vietnam Trip for Under US$60 a Day
SOUTHEAST ASIA, OCTOBER 2026 — Social hostel brand Mad Monkey and Melbourne-based volunteer travel specialist DO MORE TRAVEL have teamed up to launch 24 Days in Vietnam: Volunteer + Backpack, a trip built for travellers who want their time abroad to count and still come home with the stories. The first half is slow and grounded. Travellers spend 13 days living with host families or in a volunteer house in the Thot Not region, north of Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. Depending on local needs, they help with English lessons, food distribution at the local hospital, farm work and small repairs to local bridges and roads. Weekends are for floating markets, rice fields and island hops. Then the trip flips. On day 14, the group flies from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and checks in at Mad Monkey Hanoi. The next ten days cover a Hanoi street food and beer crawl, Train Street, a four-day Ha Giang Loop with licensed Easy Riders and village homestays, and an overnight Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay cruise with kayaking and a sundeck sunset session. “Travellers get told to pick a lane: do something meaningful, or have the time of your life. In Vietnam, you don’t have to choose. Two weeks volunteering in the Mekong Delta, then the Ha Giang Loop with our crew. Twelve strangers in, twelve friends out.” — Hayley Plummer, Sales & Partnerships Manager, Mad Monkey Built for Gen Z budgets. The full 24 days costs US$1,399, which works out to under US$60 a day. That covers all accommodation, most meals, the domestic flight to Hanoi, the Ha Giang Loop, the bay cruise and airport transfers. A US$200 deposit secures a spot. Small by design. Each departure is capped at 12 travellers to keep the community placement manageable and the group tight. Trips start on the fourth Monday of every month, with 2027 departures running from 22 February to 22 November. Safety sorted. DO MORE TRAVEL has run international volunteer placements since 2004 and vets every host family and partner project. Mad Monkey runs the northern leg with English-speaking guides and a set daily structure, with Mad Monkey Hanoi as home base at both ends. The trip is open to travellers aged 18 and over, with no volunteering or riding experience needed. Book the 24-day Vietnam volunteer and backpacking trip. 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. About DO MORE TRAVEL DO MORE TRAVEL is a Melbourne-based organisation that has connected young travellers with volunteer projects, internships and purpose-led trips across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America since 2004.
Aug
Mad Monkey Hostels Shift Beyond Bar Crawls with Culture-Led Travel Across Southeast Asia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mad Monkey builds heritage tours into its hostel network as travellers move away from bar-crawl-only stays. SOUTHEAST ASIA — Backpacker travel across Southeast Asia is moving past the nightlife-first itinerary of a decade ago, with more budget travellers routing trips around temples, historical sites, and local traditions rather than beaches or bars alone. While the desire to meet new people remains a core reason to stay in hostels, guests are increasingly looking to forge those connections over shared cultural experiences rather than just drinking games. Hostel brands are rebuilding their guest programming to match. Heritage Sets the Itinerary Siem Reap’s flagship is a sunrise tour of Angkor Wat, timed ahead of the heat and the crowds. Phnom Penh’s version is more sober: a Cambodian history tour through the Killing Fields and S21 Genocide Museum, described as “devastating yet necessary” education on the country’s past. The format repeats with local variation across the region: Festivals Pull Travellers Off the Standard Route Heritage tours draw the steadiest numbers, but festival timing is increasingly shaping when—not just where—guests book. Temple routes in Bangkok and Luang Prabang see sharp seasonal spikes around Songkran and Pi Mai, while Hanoi sees a similar pull around Tet and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In each case, it’s the local calendar rather than a landmark list deciding the itinerary. It represents a smaller but faster-growing slice of bookings than the standing Signature Tours, and one the network expects to lean into further. Room for the Model to Grow Mad Monkey’s head of marketing, Lexie Hadley, notes that the shift shows up clearly in guest research patterns: “People aren’t booking a hostel and figuring out the culture once they land anymore. They’re finding the tour or the neighborhood story first, and picking the property that’s already built around it. That’s changed what we prioritise — a Signature Tour isn’t an add-on next to the bar, it’s often the reason someone chose Siem Reap, or Manila, over the next stop on their route.” Active Network Footprint Signature Tours are currently active across six main regions: Country Signature Tour Focus Cambodia Angkor Wat sunrise (Siem Reap); Killing Fields & S21 history (Phnom Penh) Thailand Temple and heritage walking tour (Bangkok) Laos Kuang Si Waterfalls, Pak Ou Caves, Royal Palace Museum, Mount Phousi (Luang Prabang) Vietnam Ha Giang Loop (Hanoi) Indonesia Mount Rinjani trek and Sasak village visit (Lombok) Philippines Heritage walking tour (Manila) The Ha Giang Loop as a Model If one tour captures where the network is headed, it’s the Ha Giang Loop. Beyond just driving past dramatic scenery, the multi-day trail serves as a model for true cultural immersion—giving travellers the chance to meet local people, share regional dishes, and learn directly from the hill-tribe communities along the way. It represents the type of experience that requires in-house development rather than third-party booking, serving as the operational template for expanding Signature Tours elsewhere in the network. The Story Behind the Story For an industry still associated primarily with pub crawls and dorm beds, hostels are increasingly competing on cultural depth rather than price or nightlife alone. Mad Monkey’s network offers a live case study of properties integrating heritage and neighborhood storytelling into daily operations. Whether culture-led travel holds up as a lasting shift or proves cyclical, properties that build these experiences directly into their model are positioned to capture travellers looking for more than a bunk bed and a bar tab. 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…
Jul
Mad Monkey Hostels Revamps Loyalty Checkout Experience
Mad Monkey Hostels is rolling out the biggest upgrade yet to its destination-based membership program, Mad Loyalty, giving members the ability to see and claim their perks the moment they book, no separate step required. What is Mad Loyalty? Mad Monkey first launched its revamped Mad Loyalty program this month as a way to reward its most dedicated travelers. Mad Loyalty is designed as a destination-based membership rather than a traditional points-based system, which aims to encourage guests to explore multiple locations within the Mad Monkey network, sort of like a passport for the brand’s expansive footprint. As Mad Monkey describes the program, it is built for “people who love paying less than everyone else.” Members unlock escalating discounts and exclusive perks as they stay at different properties, connecting them to the broader Mad Monkey community while enjoying the benefits of direct booking. Who is Mad Monkey? Mad Monkey is known for affordable accommodations, highly social environments, and community-driven impact. Basically, it’s a brand for young, fast-moving travelers visiting major cities and remote destinations alike. The company opened its first hostel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2011 with an attention-grabbing focus on social responsibility and community events. The company currently counts over 20 hostels in 7 countries, including locations in Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, and Australia. Among the experiences Mad Monkey offers, locations range from vibrant city centers and remote island retreats to adventure-focused outposts. The chain has plans to continue expanding its footprint, offering even more destinations for Mad Loyalty members to explore. How does the new instant-claim feature work? Mad Loyalty has been fully live across the network for months, with travelers able to sign up for free directly through Mad Monkey and unlock benefits immediately. Now, the program is getting its most member-friendly update since launch: real-time perk eligibility built directly into the booking flow. Previously, members had to already know which perks they’d earned and separately apply them. Under the new system, as soon as a logged-in member selects their dates and room on the booking page, Mad Monkey automatically checks their Mad Loyalty tier against that stay and surfaces any perk they qualify for, whether that’s a free-night stay, a discount, or another benefit tied to their level. Members simply toggle the perk on and it’s applied straight to the total, before they ever reach checkout. That means no promo codes to track down, no digging through account pages, and no missed perks. If a member is eligible, the booking page shows it to them in the moment, and claiming it takes one tap. Mad Monkey has structured the program into four distinct tiers based on the number of properties visited. Creating an account instantly unlocks the Member level and initial perks. Booking a stay at one property elevates the guest to the Mad level. Exploring further and booking three different properties unlocks the Madder level. Finally, guests who book stays at five distinct properties reach the top-tier Maddest level, which grants the most significant discounts and exclusive benefits. Unlike traditional hostel loyalty programs that require thousands of points for a single reward, Mad Loyalty members level up simply by traveling to new destinations. This destination-based progression encourages guests to experience the diverse cultural offerings and signature weekly events across the Mad Monkey portfolio. Existing guests who have previously booked directly will have their past stays recognized, potentially fast-tracking their path to higher tiers. Bottom line Mad Loyalty remains Mad Monkey’s signature rewards program, and its newest update makes it easier than ever to actually use. Guests can sign up for free…