Travel ideas (I'm wide open)

cantdecide

I'm 36, single (ish) and in May, I have some exams to take and will be between jobs. This summer, I will be trying to find a job later that I can keep for the foreseeable future but I believe it will be years before I'll have any meaningful amount of time or money for holidays and will be continuing to save for a house. I kind of want to get this out of my system and capitalise on my situation having been couped up for the last few years, I suppose.

I'll have a budget of about €2k - €2.5k (all in) for a trip and I've been trying to figure out how to stay away for the longest time possible over the summer for my budget. I've got my mind of a kind of backpacker experience. I don't know if my budget would get me to Asia (which I'd love to do - I have a buddy in Nepal that could maybe be a hub) but I've been thinking about Eastern Europe. I have no problem travelling solo.

I will consider ANYTHING in my budget.

cantdecide

My sister is probably the most traveled person I know and has made a good case for Indonesia in June...

irishrover99

2000-2500 budget might be pushing it.
If you could manage 3000 i'd say Thailand and the surrounding countries is possible for 2 months but you would certainly be getting the backpacking experience.
I've done about 5-6 months using Thailand as my base for Asian backpacking travel and but that was 12 years ago and prices have risen a bit since then although you can get a flight in May to Thailand for about 500 euro.
Once there, flights and internal buses and trains are very cheap.
Access to Cambodia, Laos is easy through border crossings.

As for getting it out of you system before you settle down, be aware that Asia is a eye opening experience and once bitten, you might change your plans for the future.

Tenigate

I visited Bolivia in South America & would like to travel more in South America. I'll just say, Bolivia isn't as cheap as you might expect & I've heard that other South American countries are even more expensive. And getting there is expensive.

Why am I mentioning this? Because while I was there, I met many travellers who previously spent time in Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, etc) and they all were surprised how much more expensive South America is compared to Asia. Their money went half as far.

thebsharp

Nepal, India and sri lanka are all good possibilities on a budget like that. Plenty to see and do. Travel would be a bit tougher than going to SE Asia, which is better set up for tourists and distances are shorter.
Also be mindful of the weather during summer months in the countries mentioned above.

CelticRambler

irishrover99 wrote: »

As for getting it out of you system before you settle down, be aware that Asia is a eye opening experience and once bitten, you might change your plans for the future.

Too right! :cool:

Cantdecide, I did exactly that: got my shiny new diploma on the 29th June (last century); shoved it in a drawer and headed off on an InterRail adventure on the 30th. Got back to Dublin two and a half months later.

Alas, the old style InterRail experience is no longer available, but Europe is not necessarily as expensive as you might think when you've factored everything into the equation. It really depends on what your interests are - history, geography, people, art, drinking, writing, photography ... Everywhere has something that'll "blow your mind" if you know where to look.

Regarding budget, one of the best ways to stretch this to the max is to get involved in volunteering, where you'll often get cheap/free accommodation laid on for a few days or a week, sometimes free food, and very often free transport to the next place. Here in France, there's almost always a board at the entrance to every festival asking for and offering lifts to the next one, and from about now onwards, they'll be looking for volunteers (it happens in Ireland too, but people tend not to notice!)

Take heed of irishrover99's warning though: I thought I'd "get it out of my system" going off for 10 weeks. Nope. It just made me more determined to have as many holidays as possible - even if that meant fighting with the school when I took my children out in term-time! :mad:

Right now, I'm planning a trek around the States for the autumn ...

irishrover99

CelticRambler wrote: »

Too right! :cool:

Cantdecide, I did exactly that: got my shiny new diploma on the 29th June (last century); shoved it in a drawer and headed off on an InterRail adventure on the 30th. Got back to Dublin two and a half months later.

Alas, the old style InterRail experience is no longer available, but Europe is not necessarily as expensive as you might think when you've factored everything into the equation. It really depends on what your interests are - history, geography, people, art, drinking, writing, photography ... Everywhere has something that'll "blow your mind" if you know where to look.

Regarding budget, one of the best ways to stretch this to the max is to get involved in volunteering, where you'll often get cheap/free accommodation laid on for a few days or a week, sometimes free food, and very often free transport to the next place. Here in France, there's almost always a board at the entrance to every festival asking for and offering lifts to the next one, and from about now onwards, they'll be looking for volunteers (it happens in Ireland too, but people tend not to notice!)

Take heed of irishrover99's warning though: I thought I'd "get it out of my system" going off for 10 weeks. Nope. It just made me more determined to have as many holidays as possible - even if that meant fighting with the school when I took my children out in term-time! :mad:

Right now, I'm planning a trek around the States for the autumn ...

Couldn't agree more. A good dose of the travel bug and a whole lot of eye opening experiences is worth more than any degree

cantdecide

Very good points there!

Alas, those types of choices are long gone for me. My parents ain't as young as they should have been and my thoughts are ultimately about putting down roots before it's too late and have been that way for ages. I've spent time abroad and had a mind blowing experience in Nepal a few years ago so this trip is more of a 'farewell for now' than anything else. I have a ton of adulting I need to resume once I get home.

I want to buy a tidy size camper (with a motorcycle trailer attached!!) in years to come and cover as much of Europe as is viable.

CelticRambler

cantdecide wrote: »

Alas, those types of choices are long gone for me. My parents ain't as young as they should have been and my thoughts are ultimately about putting down roots before it's too late and have been that way for ages.

Not sure where there's any conflict of interest. My parents are in their seventies and still galivanting all over the place (four different continents in the last five years), and all their grandchildren had a passport by the age of 6 weeks!

I considered it one of my adult responsabilities to give my children the best possible education, hence the fights with the school. Which is better - playing with play-doh with a bunch of snotty-nosed four-year-olds, or climbing a mountain in the Alps and to see a real glacier churning it's way through the landscape? Or sitting in a stuffy classroom of six-year-olds being taught "S is for Sun" versus ordering pizza in Siena using the Italian you've spent three months learning?

Ah well. After you've done your "farewell tour" will you come back to this thread in a few years and tell us that you're cured of your wanderlust once and for all?

Edit: oh, and yeah, I bought the camper too!

cantdecide

CelticRambler wrote: »

Not sure where there's any conflict of interest. My parents are in their seventies and still galivanting all over the place (four different continents in the last five years), and all their grandchildren had a passport by the age of 6 weeks!

You're living the life I want, CR!!

I don't bore you with my life story but trust me I would love nothing more than to travel EVERYWHERE (I mean l tell people if I won the lotto, they wouldn't see me for years!) but in my case, for many reasons, I'll have to keep my powder dry for now. I never thought that this trip might be on the cards and it's energising me.

Sooo....

I've been thinking about hitting Bali and quickly start moving East (not lingering there is something I keep hearing). I'd love to cover ground and see the country and possibly stop off in a few cities on the way home. I'm not one for beaches tbh.

I'm kind of anxious to get something booked soon. I'm also trying to incorporate Kathmandu. I could stay there with my friend for next to nothing for an extended time. Like a month or something (he's a very close and old friend)

CelticRambler

Bali to Khatmandu, starting eastbound from Bali? :eek: You'll be needing a decent pair of boots! :pac:

How long is your summer? That's quite a trek, especially if you're doing it at ground level. You should definitely be thinking in terms of months rather than weeks if you want to get the experience that it sounds like you're looking for.

Don't forget to take account of the monsoon season too and how that might affect your travel times.

cantdecide

CelticRambler wrote: »

Bali to Khatmandu, starting eastbound from Bali? :eek: You'll be needing a decent pair of boots! :pac:

Nah. I've checked with a ruler twice. It's less than six inches

CelticRambler wrote: »

Don't forget to take account of the monsoon season too and how that might affect your travel times.

I'm not down to brass tacks quite yet and I will look into the monsoon aspect (but I've heard from several people that Indonesia is one of the safer bets around July) but the shape of it is at this point is thus;

- End of May, flight to Bangkok and travel overland for about 4 weeks - (I'll take comments and suggestions as always)

- End of June, fly from Phnom Penh (or somewhere else?) to Bali and work my way to Jakarta over maybe 3 weeks (I'm really not a beach bum but I've heard about diving courses...)

- End of July, hit Kathmandu and go hang out with my mate over there for 7-10 days before heading home in the first week of August. This won't really be part of the travel experience, I'm just going to see my mate so budget will be very minimal.

CelticRambler wrote: »

How long is your summer? That's quite a trek, especially if you're doing it at ground level. You should definitely be thinking in terms of months rather than weeks if you want to get the experience that it sounds like you're looking for.

I'm finished exams in May and I'll be coming home to a job hunt so I have no hard date to come home for. I think my budget is firmish but negotiable but the way I'm thinking about it, I'd rather see fewer places better and reserve certain places for future travel (eg summer hols in Vietnam for 2 weeks) rather than a box-ticking experience.

Just in terms of the flights, what seems most viable at this point is a multi-city from Dublin - Bankok; Kathmandu - Dublin with one-way flights from Phnom Penh and Jakarta.

monty_python

2500 is an ok budget for 1 month in Thailand. Bit tight if you go to the South.

When you say "all in". Do you mean that amount includes the flights?

cantdecide

monty_python wrote: »

2500 is an ok budget for 1 month in Thailand. Bit tight if you go to the South.

When you say "all in". Do you mean that amount includes the flights?

Flights included, yes.

Would you describe the experience you'd have for that month, though I've been lead to believe that I could survive for much longer by many sources. I mean doing hostels etc

CelticRambler

cantdecide wrote: »

I'd rather see fewer places better and reserve certain places for future travel (eg summer hols in Vietnam for 2 weeks) rather than a box-ticking experience.

I understand the sentiment, but think you need to define "places" a more precisely, because getting to know a town/city "better" is a whole different challenge to seeing a country - although not necessarily quicker!

I've spent the last three years getting to know the place "France" better - bearing in mind that I've lived here for 15 years. Work has allowed me get well away from home and explore towns and landscapes in a way that your average tourist would never do.

Being able to get that deep into the experience of one country hasn't diminished the value of the here-today-gone-tomorrow InterRail tour I did two-and-a-half decades ago, and I've been surprised at how much I got out of a half-day visit to this city or 36 hours travelling through that region back then, when I revisit those places now (on my trips outside of France).

It's on that basis that I've been planning my Amtrak "sample-size" autumn trek around the States.

One other thing - people! The people you meet en route will have a huge influence on your experience, some good, some bad. Make sure your itinerary includes space and time to meet them.

monty_python

cantdecide wrote: »

monty_python wrote: »

2500 is an ok budget for 1 month in Thailand. Bit tight if you go to the South.

When you say "all in". Do you mean that amount includes the flights?

Flights included, yes.

Would you describe the experience you'd have for that month, though I've been lead to believe that I could survive for much longer by many sources. I mean doing hostels etc

If your paying for the flights out of that money then it's too tight. You won't last a month.
I paid 800 for flights and booked 3 months in advance

duffman13

cantdecide wrote: »

Nah. I've checked with a ruler twice. It's less than six inches



I'm not down to brass tacks quite yet and I will look into the monsoon aspect (but I've heard from several people that Indonesia is one of the safer bets around July) but the shape of it is at this point is thus;

- End of May, flight to Bangkok and travel overland for about 4 weeks - (I'll take comments and suggestions as always)

- End of June, fly from Phnom Penh (or somewhere else?) to Bali and work my way to Jakarta over maybe 3 weeks (I'm really not a beach bum but I've heard about diving courses...)

- End of July, hit Kathmandu and go hang out with my mate over there for 7-10 days before heading home in the first week of August. This won't really be part of the travel experience, I'm just going to see my mate so budget will be very minimal.



I'm finished exams in May and I'll be coming home to a job hunt so I have no hard date to come home for. I think my budget is firmish but negotiable but the way I'm thinking about it, I'd rather see fewer places better and reserve certain places for future travel (eg summer hols in Vietnam for 2 weeks) rather than a box-ticking experience.

Just in terms of the flights, what seems most viable at this point is a multi-city from Dublin - Bankok; Kathmandu - Dublin with one-way flights from Phnom Penh and Jakarta.

Your route sounds feasible however I'd be a little concerned with the budget and the timings. From what you have above is drop Bali/Indonesia. Cracking place but i found Bali in particular to be hard on the budget. With your timings you could go over land from Thailand into Laos and Cambodia. All of which are very budget friendly. You could easily spend a month in Thailand on its own, the North of Thailand was somewhere I only hit up on my most recent trip and it's spectacular as is Laos and parts of Cambodia.

No comment on Nepal, on the bucket list but was always a bit out of the way. If your on a tight budget, remember the most expensive part is the travelling piece. Flights and getting to and from accommodation is the single biggest killer of a budget IMO. Food and accommodation and even attractions for the best part are extremely reasonable.

The only regret you'll ever have though is the one when you've to come home. Enjoy

duffman13

monty_python wrote: »

If your paying for the flights out of that money then it's too tight. You won't last a month.
I paid 800 for flights and booked 3 months in advance

He'll comfortably last a month, also looking at his one way flight options to Bangkok, flights can be got for 300 or less, returns flights for similar money. Leaving between 1300-1900 for a backpacker is more than achievable while staying in decent places and eating good local food.

cantdecide

CelticRambler wrote: »

I understand the sentiment, but think you need to define "places" a more precisely, because getting to know a town/city "better" is a whole different challenge to seeing a country - although not necessarily quicker!

Agreed. I get it. I know that I'm never going to really get a sense of the place or the people unless you really embed yourself. I'm very realistic about how comparatively superficial my trip is. It's not ideal but it's perfect for me this time.

CelticRambler wrote: »

One other thing - people! The people you meet en route will have a huge influence on your experience, some good, some bad. Make sure your itinerary includes space and time to meet them.

You're right. I'll be hosteling all the way so that will definitely help. I'll travel out solo but I won't be a shrinking violet. I fully expect to team up with some friendly people for sure. That's always worked for me

duffman13 wrote: »

From what you have above is drop Bali/Indonesia. Cracking place but i found Bali in particular to be hard on the budget.

I keep hearing this so I'm really just treating Bali as a landing strip.

duffman13 wrote: »

With your timings you could go over land from Thailand into Laos and Cambodia. All of which are very budget friendly. You could easily spend a month in Thailand on its own, the North of Thailand was somewhere I only hit up on my most recent trip and it's spectacular as is Laos and parts of Cambodia.

Noted. I know those places are all possibilities. I know I need to start pinning down what kind of experience I want. My budget is probably more flexible than I was thinking initially. I've decided that I need to just have the best trip I can with the time I have and let the money sort itself out within reason. All I know at this point in time is that Bangkok is a good place to start.

duffman13 wrote: »

He'll comfortably last a month, also looking at his one way flight options to Bangkok, flights can be got for 300 or less, returns flights for similar money. Leaving between 1300-1900 for a backpacker is more than achievable while staying in decent places and eating good local food.

Cheers

cantdecide

Took the plunge today and booked a multicity thingie with Etihad

I fly on May 28th Dublin to Bangkok. I fly Kathmandu Dublin on August 1st. It's Etihad all the way which gives me peace of mind.

I paid €750 which is €75 more than it would have been with Emirates... but my travel consultant (d'sister) convinced me that there was too many benefits on all fronts to not pay the extra. She was worried about FlyDubai handling the leg from Kathmandu to Dubai because their ratings are atrocious.

Anyhoo. I'm delighted. Can't wait

Looking forward to fleshing my plans out some more.

cantdecide

Hey folks.

I still haven't fleshed my plans out too much for the trip (I've been up the walls with college work). I'm committed to the idea of spending a month in Indonesia traveling from Jakarta to Bali.

I haven't booked flights to Indonesia or onto Nepal as yet.

Regarding June, if you had a month in Thailand and Bangkok was your point A, where would you make your point Z and where would you hit in between?

I'm accepting that rainfall is going to be a part of my trip and that's okay with me. However, I'm struggling to find out if there are any trends regarding whether I need to travel in any particular direction away from Bangkok to give myself a better chance.

I really need to start pinning this stuff down

Tombo2001

Couple of things

(i) You say you arent sure your budget will allow you go to the really cheap place (Asia) and for that reason you are considering a much more expensive place (Eastern Europe). Think about that for a second.

(ii) In terms of 'cultural' experience....there are certain things that define culture no matter where you go....and that also differentiate cultures. Language, cuisine/food, religion, wealth levels, sport, landscape/ geography, climate.

So for example, if you go to South America you will be going to countries that use a European language, European religion, soccer is the dominant sport, chicken and chips is the dominant restaurant food. Not massively different to going to Spain. Different, but not massively different.

On the other hand, India. Religion is different. Language(s) different. Script for Languages is different. Climate is way different. Food is way different. Sport is way different (they dont follow soccer). Movies and music is way different. Rural China similar.

So think about what you want.

For my money - on that budget - If I was to recommend one thing, it would be this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna_Circuit

You could easily combine it with a month in India, say Rajasthan / Delhi/ Varanasi.

Finally - consider flying into one place and out of another. E.g. Fly into Beijing and out of Hong Kong, or something like that.

Edit: should have read whole thread; sorry.

Tombo2001

cantdecide wrote: »

Hey folks.

I still haven't fleshed my plans out too much for the trip (I've been up the walls with college work). I'm committed to the idea of spending a month in Indonesia traveling from Jakarta to Bali.

I haven't booked flights to Indonesia or onto Nepal as yet.

Regarding June, if you had a month in Thailand and Bangkok was your point A, where would you make your point Z and where would you hit in between?

I'm accepting that rainfall is going to be a part of my trip and that's okay with me. However, I'm struggling to find out if there are any trends regarding whether I need to travel in any particular direction away from Bangkok to give myself a better chance.

I really need to start pinning this stuff down

Consider Laos. You can get there from Bangkok pretty easy. Luang Prabang is gorgeous. Also, around Pak Beng area. You could come back into Chiang Rai and down to Chiang Mai that way.

cantdecide

Specific question - I fly into Bangkok at the tail end of May but there's a small chance I might have a college project to complete. My ambition is to have it done but that may not happen.

I was thinking about holing up somewhere for about a week at the very start of June to either a) finish the project (not due until July but want if out of the way) or b) just relax for a week.

Any suggestions for this?

monty_python

cantdecide wrote: »

Specific question - I fly into Bangkok at the tail end of May but there's a small chance I might have a college project to complete. My ambition is to have it done but that may not happen.

I was thinking about holing up somewhere for about a week at the very start of June to either a) finish the project (not due until July but want if out of the way) or b) just relax for a week.

Any suggestions for this?

Chiang Mai! Great city and very cheap to get to from BKK

cantdecide

Just did some googling. It looks like a dream world!

stratowide

If you get as far as Chiang mai you try to get to Pai which is further north near the Burmese border.
It was my favourite place in all SE Asia.Really relaxing with great food and stunning scenery.The drive on the bus from Chiang mai is
fairly harraising though.
Hire a scooter and go exploring,it's a fabulous place.

CastielJ

What about France? Paris is always a good idea I traveled solo and did all the planning myself. Everyone's must-sees are different - for me. I went to the summit of the Eiffel tower, visited Versailles (enjoyed the Trianons and Hamlet area far more than the palace), a flea market and certain museums. Also I assigned for a session of tantra massage on https://sweettouch.fr/info/tantra-massage . I read that in a tantric massage your masseuse awakens different energy spots. Which is why during the release, you will have orgasmic senses in the whole body. It was a great ending of my trip.

anther30

cantdecide wrote: »

I'm 36, single (ish) and in May, I have some exams to take and will be between jobs. This summer, I will be trying to find a job later that I can keep for the foreseeable future but I believe it will be years before I'll have any meaningful amount of time or money for holidays and will be continuing to save for a house. I kind of want to get this out of my system and capitalise on my situation having been couped up for the last few years, I suppose.

I'll have a budget of about €2k - €2.5k (all in) for a trip and I've been trying to figure out how to stay away for the longest time possible over the summer for my budget. I've got my mind of a kind of backpacker experience. I don't know if my budget would get me to Asia (which I'd love to do - I have a buddy in Nepal that could maybe be a hub) but I've been thinking about Eastern Europe. I have no problem travelling solo.

I will consider ANYTHING in my budget.

You can easily do this. While traveling a lot of money is spent living and eating. You need to find some place where you can stay like paying guest or similar to this and eat as the local people of that place usually eat.

Tombo2001

anther30 wrote: »

You can easily do this. While traveling a lot of money is spent living and eating. You need to find some place where you can stay like paying guest or similar to this and eat as the local people of that place usually eat.

I think 'this summer' is now 'last summer'.....

cantdecide

Tombo2001 wrote: »

I think 'this summer' is now 'last summer'.....

Yes indeed! I forgot about this thread.

monty_python wrote: »

Chiang Mai! Great city and very cheap to get to from BKK

Good call.

I flew into Bangkok and immediately on to Chiang Mai where I met my sister who had been diving down south.We went ziplinging and took a road trip to Chian Rai (although couldn't do the Burma thing). We trained to Bangkok where we both had to hole up for work/ college stuff. She flew home and I carried on down to Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan. The weather wasn't great down south so I went back up to Kanchanaburi to see the bridge over the river Kwai.

Decided at short notice to go to Cambodia for a stopover and saw some places out of Siem Reap but was basically there to see Angkor Wat which was breathtaking.

Flew on to Jakarta and trained across to Yogyakarta where I got trapped in the many wonderful vibes. An absolute paradise and I went out to the places like Borobodur and Prambanan. I befriend my hostel owner in Jogja and he took me on to Bali with his friends. I spent some time in Canngu and rented a CRF150 and toured solo for a few days before getting a mad notion to return to Java to see Ijen and that was just amazing to navigate into a volcano at night and have the sun rise around plumes of yellow gases burn our noses with mustardy badness! Spent a night in Denpasar before traveling on to Kathmandu. It was the only time I remember being depressed about leaving a country. It is a truly amazing place and the people just blew me away. Go.

When I got to Nepal, the pace of things changed as fundamentally I was there to see my dear old friend. I went to his farm and handed the care package I had carted all over Asia for him to his missus.... my buddy had to return to Ireland unexpectedly- he could have got his own bloody Barry's and baked beans! We went on a road trip to Pokhara which was a recce for a motorcycle tour himself and his missus are going to be offering. From there, we returned to Kathmandu and the farm and I broke off and did some road trips alone.

The flight home was grand. Thanks for all the help and advice. I may never get a chance to have such a trip again. To talk back to some practical matters- I was away for something like 9 weeks and I spent something like €4k - I had come to my senses that it was going to cost more than I originally intended but I was away for longer than intended and I just realised that no matter what happened, it was more important to have the best possible trip rather than sticking to a quickly forgotten budget.

Now..... 2019