Cambodia was my second stop in Southeast Asia. I took a bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. Like Vietnam, Americans need a visa in advance to enter.

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Unfortunately, there are a few more steps, and you generally can't stay as long on a standard tourist visa. The only one available before you enter is valid for 30 days, but you can extend it by another 30 days once you're in the country (I explain how in the Phnom Penh section). Processing takes about a week, so I would make it a priority as soon as you enter. You can do it yourself, but I highly recommend using a visa service. I used One World Travel and Tours, and it was $45 as opposed to $35 to do it yourself. But doing it yourself means making two round trips across town to the Department of Immigration, where they require crisp US Dollars. The agency accepted credit cards.

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You can apply for the official e-Visa on the official government site. Use the official site and ONLY the official site. There are third-party sites that charge way more; I don't know if they are flat-out scams or if they actually get you the visa, and frankly, I don't care. Just stick to the official portal.

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Speaking of USD, Cambodia is a "dual currency" country, but really, I wouldn't bother messing with dollars whatsoever. When I used my credit card, it was slightly nice that they charged me in dollars so it was EXACTLY what I was told it would cost, no minor penny fluctuations from currency conversion. And when using cash, vendors just use a basic 4,000-to-1 exchange rate for dollars anyway.

 

One thing I was excited about and thought would be a game-changer was the Bakong Tourist App. It's specifically designed for tourists who want to pay electronically. Pretty much no street vendor takes credit cards, but almost every single stall or shop has a KHQR code on display that lets you transfer money directly from a banking app. I've seen these QR systems in other countries, but you usually need a local bank account to use them.

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The Bakong app was built so foreign travelers could sign up, link an account, and practically eliminate the need for cash. The problem? It probably won't work for you. I was able to download and sign up, but my bank back home refused to connect to it, and I didn't meet a single other tourist who could get it working either. I'd still give it a shot because it's a legitimate government-backed app and not a scam, but don't get your hopes up. I get why Western banks are leery of linking directly to an overseas digital wallet. Maybe in a few years these kinds of apps will work seamlessly everywhere, but the tech just isn't there yet.