Travelling S.E Asia partly solo(little worried)

MarkY91

Hi guys so im going away for 8 weeks (1st march - 24th april). 4 of them weeks are with my brother. ill go to dubai, bangkok, sydney and gold coast with him then he goes home i originally planned that too but i then changed my flights as i have a dose of wanderlust. so ill be solo in singapore, saigon, siem reap and bangkok(i may jet off to krabi shortly after arriving).

about us: im 26, brother is 24 from dublin. typical irish lads who like having a good time, im into history and culture as well as boozing where as he is more into boozing..so recommend away

i know the route for me is a mess but it is what it is. next time ill plan it better. ill write a little about the plans for each destination, i would love some opinions, tips and recomendations, its up to me to plan all of it as my brother only cares about the closest bar or club. i keep joking with him that he should have just went to magaluf instead :rolleyes:

*most flights are late flights so we can save money and sleep on the planes*

Dubai - 1 night i thought it would be a shame not to stay over while connecting to bangkok. we stay at the al murooj rotuna across from dubai mall. we will do shopping for the trip ahead, do the burj khalifa, fountain show etc and relax at the pool.

Bangkok - 7 nights we stay at the dang derm hotel on khaosan road. i plan to see everything bangkok has to offer with temples, markets and any other recommendation. by night, we will have some craic on khaosan.

Sydney - 8 nights we stay at basebackpackers and will do the typical stuff like bondi, opera house and other sightseeing. sydney looks packed full of activities to do. we meet our uncle on day 6 on paddys day. he even has plans to go to the horse racing.

Gold coast/brisbane - 12 nights we fly up to our uncles house in pottsville. hes got lots planned like golf, kayaking, water park, theme park etc.., we will venture off for a night or two to byron bay, surfers paradise. we will be in brisbane the days before our flights (i fly a day before the brother)




this is where i go solo. im a bit nervous of being bored and lonely so im hoping my shy self can man up and be social at the hostels.

singapore - 1 nighti stay at the inncrowd backpackers. hopefully its social and i can get talking to fellow travellers, ill have a walk around the city and do whatever i see online or recommended at the hostel.

saigon - 6 nightsill do the cu chi tunnels, meekong delta tour, explore the city etc.

siem reap - 7 nights i kind of regret booking so long here as the city seems to have nothing to offer but pub street. but at least i can take my time at angkor wat which is my most anticipated place to visit in my whole travel. again, id like to mix with people in my hostel and hopefully get invited to go out with them.

bangkok - 10 nights basically, i fly back into bangkok and fly home 10 days later, ill stay a few days in bangkok to experience the other side of the city to khaosan and experience the songkhran festival then fly down to krabi and see how many islands i get to.

dubai - 1 night breaking up the flights a bit and staying over, booked myself into a hotel far from the hotel from the first visit to dubai so i can see another part of the city. ill probably be bored as there will be no hostel scene.


what can you guys tell me in regars to tips, and what to see that i may miss out on? im really into seeing the culture but also have good craic at night.

we both have revolut mastercards, i even got an osprey porter 46 litre backpack with an ironed on ireland flag to look the part:cool:

Well, I'm no expert but I would think so long in Siam reap, would be boring, you can do ankor wat in a day, especially if you get out there for dawn.
Maybe you could go somewhere else in Cambodia?
Hotels are cheap, maybe go to the killing fields, or a few days by the beach.

When your in Bangkok alone, I would advise going on some tours, out to the grand palace, maybe even a night or two up north, get a tour when you're over there, you will travel with others for the couple of days. You can check out the travel agents/ tour operators when you're there.

Also Dubai, I don't know what you are planning on buying over there, but it's really expensive. The malls are big, with lots of western shops that have the same stuff as here, but more expensive. I wouldn't be buying my holiday stuff there.
And one day is enough, there's nothing to see unless you like hotels & big western buildings. Down around the original part, with the gold souks is grand, but you will see in a day. Wouldn't bother stopping on the way home!
That's all my opinion though, some may differ.

Actually if you can change your time in Vietnam & Cambodia I would recommend going further afield. Staying in Ho Chi Ming & Siam Reap for so long, you're missing out on a lot!

killbillvol2

Why would you shop in Dubai on the way to Bangkok? Bangkok will be much cheaper.

If you have 7 nights in Bangkok get away from Khao San for some of them at least. It's a huge city with great restaurants, live music etc etc. On a purely practical level the bars close earlier around Khao San than they do in the Thai areas like Huai Khwang/Ratchada.

I also think 7 nights in Siem Reap is way too long. Even the most avid temple fan will have seen the best of Angkor Wat in 3 days. (I actually think it gets repetitive after the first day). You should change that and see somewhere else in either Cambodia or Vietnam.

On your way back via Bangkok don't get too excited about Songkhran - after you get soaked the first time the novelty wears off pretty quickly and Bangkok isn't a particularly good place to experience it anyway. Up north would be much better.

You'll have no trouble filling 6 days in Saigon, especially if you do a Mekong Delta tour.

MarkY91

I just reduced my stay in siem reap by 3 nights. I'm basically left with more time in Bangkok but like I said, I'll be doing some island hopping instead of staying in Bangkok too long.

Hmm so even h&m will be dearer in Dubai? I'll scrap the shopping and do it in Bangkok then. We will go sightseeing in Dubai instead.

MarkY91

MarkY91 wrote: »

I just reduced my stay in siem reap by 3 nights. I'm basically left with more time in Bangkok but like I said, I'll be doing some island hopping instead of staying in Bangkok too long.

Hmm so even h&m will be dearer in Dubai? I'll scrap the shopping and do it in Bangkok then. We will go sightseeing in Dubai instead.

H&m is way dearer in Dubai, all shops are more expensive in Dubai!
Forget about shopping in Dubai unless it's for gold or diamonds!

Ticking and Bashing

3 full days for siem reap is enough! 2 days to see temples and 1 day to cycle the country side! The town itself is tacky and touristy! I flew direct from siem reap to hoi an (danang airport!) It's a great little town!!

duffman13

MarkY91 wrote: »

I just reduced my stay in siem reap by 3 nights. I'm basically left with more time in Bangkok but like I said, I'll be doing some island hopping instead of staying in Bangkok too long.

Hmm so even h&m will be dearer in Dubai? I'll scrap the shopping and do it in Bangkok then. We will go sightseeing in Dubai instead.

Fly from Bangkok to Surat Thani on your second trip, you can get bus and boat Combo cheap to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao and it's about 30 euro all up if you fly in early in the morning. Flying to Samui is about 80-100, Phuket is a little cheaper. You'll have done the palace and temples and markets on your first 7 days

MarkY91

I booked a flight to krabi from Bangkok. I can get a boat to some islands from there.

I'm hoping to some some mountain hiking in krabi or one of the island's. I can't wait for this trip to start. Almost a week away now!!

duffman13

MarkY91 wrote: »

I booked a flight to krabi from Bangkok. I can get a boat to some islands from there.

I'm hoping to some some mountain hiking in krabi or one of the island's. I can't wait for this trip to start. Almost a week away now!!

Handy to get to phi phi or lanka from Krabi. There's a cracking little hike in phi phi up to the top of a small mountain and gives a great view. Have fun mate, you'll be back over for an other visit fairly sharp I reckon. Sit in the common area in hostels and you'll meet people easily enough

MarkY91

MarkY91 wrote: »

I booked a flight to krabi from Bangkok. I can get a boat to some islands from there.

I'm hoping to some some mountain hiking in krabi or one of the island's. I can't wait for this trip to start. Almost a week away now!!

Krabi is great, there's loads of different trips you can go on & meet people on them.
The islands are lovely
You will have a great time

MarkY91

I reckon I'll be back soon enough too. I want to explore the Philippines and see Hong kong.. They'll be in my list for next time.

I'll be sure to go out of my comfort zone in regards to mixing with others. I'll probably come back a new man!

One thing I must ask, I'm seeing conflicting opinions online but how much euro would I spend on a night out on khaosan road? For example, I would spend about €80 - €100 on a night out in a pub then club in Dublin.

solerina

I think 6 nights in HCMC is way too long, I didn't find it particularly interesting, we went to the Mekong Delta but it was only for 2 nights, I loved Hoi An and Hà Nội, much more to see and Drohan HCMC in my opinion !!!

Lyle Lanley

MarkY91 wrote: »

I booked a flight to krabi from Bangkok. I can get a boat to some islands from there.

I'm hoping to some some mountain hiking in krabi or one of the island's. I can't wait for this trip to start. Almost a week away now!!

I lived in Koh lanta for a bit. Nice place, very chilled compared to the other islands! I would do Phi Phi first for the parties then Lanta to chill.

If you fancy doing a dive course when you're there (or some fun dive if you're certified) you can PM me, I worked with most of the dive centres there so can point you in the right direction. It's a great place for it!

MarkY91

Guys I have a question. I was in Thailand on 3rd march for a week. I'm now in Australia and fly back into Thailand from Vietnam on april 4th. Will I be ok getting another visa?

killbillvol2

MarkY91 wrote: »

Guys I have a question. I was in Thailand on 3rd march for a week. I'm now in Australia and fly back into Thailand from Vietnam on april 4th. Will I be ok getting another visa?

Yes.