Plane - Pros: Fast, on time (normally/ish), easily acessible. Cons: Expensive, normally outside of main areas of town and full of barangs (western people).
Train - Pros: Fast, on time, great people watching. Cons: More expensive, limited hours of service, limited locations.
Sleeper Bus - Pros: Cheap, easily booked, saves money on lodging (overnight buses). Cons: Somewhat uncomfortable, only fits people about 5'10" and shorter, some Lao sleeper buses are doubles so if you're a single rider, you'll be sleeping next to a random person, slower.
Tuk-tuk - Pros: Very easy to find, cheaper (watch getting charged the "Barang Price"), exciting people and traffic watching. Cons: Bigger so they can take longer, overcharging drivers, easy to get belongings stolen.
Motos - Pros: Fast, cheap, easily found. Cons: Life threatening driving experiences, not for long distances.
Bus - Pros: Cheap, they will go all over and stop anywhere, easily accessible, full of nice locals. Cons: A million and a half stops for random people getting on and off, longer times, crowded at times.
Cars (personal or taxi) - Pros: fast, easily booked, can go anywhere and at anytime, direct door to door service. Cons: Expensive, longer times if a lot of traffic (in city), crowded at times if you put 4-5 people plus bags in a car.
All are amazing experiences though, very entertaining from watching locals and all they can fit into a tuk tuk/moto/car to watching Barangs that don't know how to travel. It's a humbling and growing experience I truly suggest for everyone!
