The principle underlying overland travel is that it is as good to travel as to arrive. Most guidebooks will jump you from site to site, city to city, beautiful beach to ancient temple, and tell you little if anything about the stretches in between - which is a shame, as this is often where you will find the vital heart of a country. For anyone with a sense of adventure, overland travel is best undertaken independently, using whatever local transport is available, self-propelled or otherwise. This way, not only do you have total freedom of movement, but your pace is adjusted to that of the life going on around you. If you travel by train, bus, jeep or any other local means, you still have the opportunity either to take a side road or to get out mid-way to do some exploring. If you don't feel like going off the beaten track completely, however, 'independent' travel can hover reassuringly close to the well-travelled tour routes. The down side of this is that you meet the same people on the same route in the same places, and the mystique of the exotic somehow eludes you.

Throughout South-East Asia, the choices of available transport are many and varied, and this is part of the fun. Not only are there buses and trains (which may bear little resemblance to their Western namesakes), but also trucks and jeeps, taxis and tuk-tuks, bemos and becaks, rickshaws and trishaws, pony and traps, coming in all shapes, sizes and speeds. For the weary traveller, a ride around town in a bicycle rickshaw - a sort of open-air armchair on wheels, decked out with bells and bunting - is a luxury hard to beat. You're also much closer to the action, namely the constant stream of tempting invitations at your ear ("Batik? Statues? Sarongs? My cousin's factory? I give you good price!"). What is more, it will probably only cost you about 30p an hour.

Nevertheless, travel on public transport can be less than fun. Simply buying a ticket can be a chaotic and frustrating experience, more akin to a perverse treasure hunt or mystery tour that you hadn't bargained for (and not speaking or reading the local language can be a huge disadvantage in such situations). In combination with the practice of some local drivers of refusing to set off before their vehicle is filled to three times its capacity, this conspires to prove a maddening and crushing experience for the average Anglo-Saxon traveller.

Once aboard, you have to contend not merely with your (numerous) fellow passengers, but also with their baskets and boxes, goats, birds (caged and uncaged) and occasionally even bats, babies and elbows, airlessness and cramp, perhaps the distorted wail of an amplifier in your ear, and a nagging feeling that you have paid over the odds for a conveyance that is heading in the wrong direction and provides nowhere for you to put your feet. Few experiences can be more alarming than being inside an Indonesian public bus as it bears down, avenger-like and with its holy shrine swaying in hectic fashion, on a group of yet more passengers waiting on a bend in the road - apparently intent on carrying them off into the next world (all too grim a reality on occasion).

In desperate straits such as these, try telling yourself that it is all part of the 'experience'. Assertiveness when necessary and an inexhaustible sense of humour are invaluable assets. And since your schedule is up to you, once you arrive at your destination you can give yourself time to recover from the rigours of getting there.

Most tourists in South-East Asia fly into Bangkok and head north to trek in Chiang Mai, then south to the beaches. For those who have been overlanding across India and Nepal, Thailand is a blessing, for travel is cheap, easy and relatively clean. When I cycled through the country, barely a day passed without a vehicle stopping to offer me a ride. Hitch-hikers should have no problem, and Thailand's public transport system is increasingly modern, efficient and relatively punctual.

The four trunk routes of the state rail system run to the north, north-east, east and south; long-distance trains have sleeping cars and/or air-conditioned coaches which are extremely comfortable. Slower than buses, they are also safer, and you have the added advantage of not being pinned to your seat.

Both state and private buses are cheap and uncomfortable, and the cheapest ones tend to be accident-prone; this is not unusual in Asia, and many travellers are not put off. The more expensive private buses are in some ways more civilised and safer, though you may find curtains sealing off the view while a video of 'Life in Rural Thailand' blares through the bus. Try not to be tempted by some of the ridiculously cheap bus fares on offer (for example £1 for Chiang Mai to Bangkok). If you can't resist, at least refuse all offers of food or drink: people have been known to wake from a peculiarly deep sleep to find all their belongings gone.

Reputable car rental companies such as Avis and Budget Rentacar operate out of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and there is also the usual panoply of taxis, tuk-tuks and bemos. Travel by motorbike or bicycle is easy, and increasingly seems the only way to see parts of the country that lie off the beaten track. Mae Hong Son, long cut off by mountains, is being promoted as one of the last undeveloped areas for trekking - but when you learn that Thai Airways flies from Bangkok and twice daily from Chiang Mai, you begin to see why the in-between bits become almost essential. Head out to the north-east, a dry plateau known as 'Isaan', meaning 'vastness', before the hordes arrive.

Overland travel is interrupted by Myanmar (Burma), impenetrable at present through any of its five land borders: unless you decide to ford a river, you have no choice but to take to the air. Some border crossings between Thailand and Myanmar are open to day-trippers or for short excursions, however. The situation could change, so check on the latest developments with travel agents or websites.

Travellers to Myanmar should note that visiting this country is the subject of fierce controversy, particularly among human rights activists, and has been criticised by the imprisoned pro-democracy leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. You should brief yourself on the issues before deciding whether to visit.

Those who do decide to visit Myanmar can now get a visa for one month, which allows plenty of time to visit the main sights and more. There are some restrictions on places open to tourists, however, so check this before deciding your itinerary. Avoid using state-run tour agencies, as they feed the coffers of the repressive, military-run State Peace and Development Council (formerly the State Law and Order Restoration Council, SLORC).

Trains in Myanmar are cheap, and tourists may use most lines. Cheap buses run everywhere. Jeeps run at random, leaving when they are full. Hiring is expensive, and if you stray off limits you may waste time being stopped. Bicycle trishaws and pony traps can be hired for the day - but you may end up walking some of the way out of compassion. Ferries are an excellent way of getting around: the 12-hour trip down the Irawaddy from Mandalay to Pagan is certainly a journey worth making.

To make the most of your time and concentrate on Pagan, take the night train from Yangon to Mandalay. After exploring Mandalay, fly to Pagan (or take a ferry in season). In Pagan, don't miss Mount Popa. Next fly to Heho, then take a bus to Yaunghwe for a scenic boat tour of Lake Inle. Then take a bus to Thazi followed by the night train to Yangon, getting off two hours short of Yangon to explore Pegu in the early morning and catching a later train out.

The 13,000 islands making up the Indonesian archipelago seem to offer as many different variations on the theme of transport. Only Java and Sumatra, for example, have a railway (consult a specialist guidebook for details). Java and Bali are now well served with new roads, but getting off the beaten track in Indonesia means just that: the road may be hard to locate. Parts of the so-called Trans-Sumatran highway are like a battlefield, pitted with pot-holes and scattered with boulders. Wooden bridges built for buffalo carts now take heavy goods traffic. Lorries favour a technique involving grinding to a virtual halt at the bridge, throwing themselves into top gear, and then lurching across with engines roaring, as if taking the bridge by surprise might somehow forestall its collapse. Roads in the less developed south-eastern islands, Nusa Tenggara, are even bumpier and likely to have been flooded and washed away in the rainy season (November to March). Here, outlying areas are served by an irregular public transport system, and you are better off under your own steam. At present, the Moluccas are a no-go area.

In Kalimantan, dense jungle, a sparse population and a natural network of waterways make rivers the main arteries. If they are not navigable, travel is virtually impossible except by air. Take outboard motor boats, longboats, dug-outs, ferries and water taxis. In Irian Jaya, you will need a spirit of adventure and a sharp implement for cutting your way through tangled vegetation.

Overland travel in the Philippines may be difficult, but is not impossible. Travel in the deep south, where Muslim insurgency has seen a recent upsurge, may be inadvisable: check with the local authorities first. While the Philippines boast very cheap internal flights, these get heavily booked, so be prepared for a wait. Overland travel here is quite hard work: boats are a must, but bear in mind that only the luxury end of the market will be relaxing. Every type of tub and ferry is available; ask at the port if you get no joy in the office.

Be wary of travelling in bad weather: safety precautions are non-existent and people regularly drown in shipping accidents. Unique to the Philippines is the jeepney, an ex-US jeep festooned with flashing lights, garishly painted cut-out characters, bells and baubles. Shout and gesticulate when you want to get out.

Although most current guidebooks will tell you it is not possible to travel independently overland in Indo-China, it is. Unlike Malaysia and Singapore, where travel is simple and far from alien, these countries have only recently been opened up after long periods of devastation, and there are things you need to know.

Vietnam has an extensive network of decrepit, overcrowded and exhausting buses. Trains are more reliable, but can average as little as 15 kilometres an hour. Thanks to the war efforts of the Americans, the roads are not bad, and you can always hire a car with driver. Initially, foreigners had to ask for an inter-province pass and report every time they came to a new provincial centre. This is no longer the case, but with the recent troubles the system may be instigated again. Talk to other travellers to find out the latest regulations.

In Laos, investigate flights: the country is incredibly mountainous, has no railway, and the roads are abysmal even by Asian standards. Tortuous dirt roads will defeat you utterly between June and September (the rainy season). The major towns are linked by air, and rivers form some of the country's main thoroughfares.

Tourists are no longer forbidden to travel on buses in Cambodia - although huge areas are without roads anyway. Again, ferries provide a useful service, and the railway functions despite frequent delays. A limited number of flights is available on set routes, and others are added when there is sufficient demand.

Everything about transport in Indo-China reinforces my initial point: self-propelled means are the most effective. People are already walking and mountain-biking in Indo-China; I do urge you, with undisguised bias, to try it. Paradoxically, self- propulsion is often less tiring than mechanical modes of transport, and it has an uncanny way of making everything seem more wonderful. Perhaps you are simply grateful for small mercies when you finally arrive. But appreciating the little things, and the everyday, is what overland travel is all about.