Where would you go for a year or two?

Daydreaming here a bit about taking a break and going somewhere new for a while.

Time zone is pretty important and I couldn't be too far from South East Asia, and I'd need good internet. Expats speaking English would also be important and the language of the country being English would be good. Work not really an issue if I have good internet.

A cursory glance at the map has Russia, the Caucasus, Turkey, and some of Eastern Africa sticking out. Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi maybe but I don't know much about them at all. Not India or Sri Lanka and probably not Nepal. Not South East Asia. Maybe one of the stans. Low air pollution would be amazing after living in one of the worst in the world.

Don't really know. My major ties to where I am have mostly been cut so 2020 or 2021 seems like a decent time to try something new. Probably won't happen but it's interesting looking at the map.

Where would you consider?

I would love to do the USA mostly in an R.V i could go where i wanted then, would love to do the old route 66 and most of there National Parks, then a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway and finish off down in Florida at Disney World.

But it's the attractions like the worlds biggest ball of string and gimmicks like that, that would really catch my attention.

But it's only a dream.

shanec1928

Definitely not Ethiopia. Internet is provided by the government. They have a habit of pulling the plug at a moments notice. Especially around exams time. Malawi has pretty crap internet. Uganda is alright. If picking African countries Rwanda is one of my favourites. It’s a pretty nice place. While SEA, Myanmar is a pretty nice spot with great connectivity.

MidlanderMan

In East Africa I'd recommend Kenya or Tanzania, but go coastal. Kenya has really good internet connectivity and really good 4g coverage in every major town and city. Coastal Kenya (Mombasa area) is gorgeous. Nairobi is fun moat of the time and it's great to be able to see lions and elephants in the wild like 5km from your house, but taxi strikes, terror alerts and unending rain in winter get boring really quick.

Dar es salaam in Tanzania is really nice, good connectivity too.
Worth considering Zanzibar too.

From there you have cheap flights through a few airlines where you could see the other east African countries the way Irish people visit European cities on Ryanair flights.

zerosugarbuzz

shanec1928 wrote: »

Definitely not Ethiopia. Internet is provided by the government. They have a habit of pulling the plug at a moments notice. Especially around exams time. Malawi has pretty crap internet. Uganda is alright. If picking African countries Rwanda is one of my favourites. It’s a pretty nice place. While SEA, Myanmar is a pretty nice spot with great connectivity.

Interesting, the places you mention feature endlessly in Concern and Trochaire Ads, makes you wonder what exactly is going on.

shanec1928

shanec1928 wrote: »

Definitely not Ethiopia. Internet is provided by the government. They have a habit of pulling the plug at a moments notice. Especially around exams time. Malawi has pretty crap internet. Uganda is alright. If picking African countries Rwanda is one of my favourites. It’s a pretty nice place. While SEA, Myanmar is a pretty nice spot with great connectivity.

Forgot about Rwanda. Haven't been to Myanmar but I would like to get out of SEA if I was going anywhere. Been here ages.

I suppose moving around would also be an option but I feel like getting stuck into another country that is completely different.

Could you see yourself spending significant time in Rwanda?

weemcd

Me, personally I'd go to New Zealand. Not sure about your specifications OP.

zerosugarbuzz

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Interesting, the places you mention feature endlessly in Concern and Trochaire Ads, makes you wonder what exactly is going on.

Best mate spent some years working in various African countries as part of an NGO and his talk about them piqued my interest. If I ever do it, it would be this decade.

Peatys

Galway is good for a year. You'd get bored of the crusties after that.

shanec1928

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Interesting, the places you mention feature endlessly in Concern and Trochaire Ads, makes you wonder what exactly is going on.

Just because a place has good connectivity (btw I’m talking about in capital cities in these areas) doesn’t mean everything is all ok in these countries.

MidlanderMan

MidlanderMan wrote: »

In East Africa I'd recommend Kenya or Tanzania, but go coastal. Kenya has really good internet connectivity and really good 4g coverage in every major town and city. Coastal Kenya (Mombasa area) is gorgeous. Nairobi is fun moat of the time and it's great to be able to see lions and elephants in the wild like 5km from your house, but taxi strikes, terror alerts and unending rain in winter get boring really quick.

Dar es salaam in Tanzania is really nice, good connectivity too.
Worth considering Zanzibar too.

From there you have cheap flights through a few airlines where you could see the other east African countries the way Irish people visit European cities on Ryanair flights.

Tanzania does seem to stick out. Would living costs be ok?

shanec1928

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Forgot about Rwanda. Haven't been to Myanmar but I would like to get out of SEA if I was going anywhere. Been here ages.

I suppose moving around would also be an option but I feel like getting stuck into another country that is completely different.

Could you see yourself spending significant time in Rwanda?

Kigali is one of the cleanest cities in Africa so it’s nice in regards to some of the other cities. It’s a functional place. People take head of the rules of the road for the most part. If you’ve been in sea you’ll be used to the staring for being foreign.

Anyways it's just daydreaming. I fear I may have lost the gumption to leave comfort and try something new. Which I guess is also a reason to go do it.

MidlanderMan

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Anyways it's just daydreaming. I fear I may have lost the gumption to leave comfort and try something new. Which I guess is also a reason to go do it.

Rent somewhere nice with manned gated security would be similar to Hanoi or Saigon id say. Food is not as cheap and definitely not as good but will be pretty varied in terms of cuisines available.

shanec1928

shanec1928 wrote: »

Kigali is one of the cleanest cities in Africa so it’s nice in regards to some of the other cities. It’s a functional place. People take head of the rules of the road for the most part. If you’ve been in sea you’ll be used to the staring for being foreign.

Damn I'd have to relearn how to drive..

Captain Havoc

I'd cycle around the world.

Captain Havoc

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I'd cycle around the world.

I actually spent years working my balls off to save enough to ride a motorbike around South America, and then my interest waned.. Cycling would be great though for those who could do it. Removes a lot of the problems of using a motorbike.

JohnnyFlash

Tuscany. Tuscany is lovely.

Courtown.

mandrake04

If it was me it would be Japan, I been there about 5 times and the more I go they more I find it to be a happy place. The language is the hardest hurdle but the Japanese people are very helpful and extremely polite...with Google Translate its easy to get by. The air quality is not the best but for culture, food and experience its awesome.

new zealand would be cool

zerosugarbuzz

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Best mate spent some years working in various African countries as part of an NGO and his talk about them piqued my interest. If I ever do it, it would be this decade.

Friend of mine did the same in Malawi, lived like a king.

Plumbthedepths

I would love to spend a year touring Italy, followed by a year doing the same in Eastern Europe, eg Czech Republic, Romania......

tayto lover

Vietnam. Lovely people and beautiful country.

Witchie

tayto lover wrote: »

Vietnam. Lovely people and beautiful country.

Considering a month in Vietnam myself. Am based in Malaysia but need to get out for visa purposes and they are suspicious of you going for a few days or even a week so looking at a month.

Any better suggestions?

Ads by Google can I sublet your place? 😊

wakka12

Regarding air pollution, those countries overall may have low air pollution like Russia because it's so vast but I'd imagine the built up areas(which I presume is where you would settle) would have much worse pollution than Irish cities. Dont Moscow and Istanbul have the worst traffic in europe?

Though I've never been to Thailand, Philippines or Vietnam, I think they look like such beautiful, safe and liveable places despite not being as wealthy as europe

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

But it's the attractions like the worlds biggest ball of string and gimmicks like that, that would really catch my attention.

I've visited a museum in Minnesota that housed one of the four or five pairs of ruby slippers as worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz. They were stolen a few years ago and dramatically seized back in a complicated sting operation. The docents talk about it like it was a global event.

Highlight of my year, it was. :P

Muahahaha

Consider Indonesia, check out the Gili Islands and nearby Lombok east of Bali. You could live the beach life there for cheap, no air pollution, great scuba diving and decent internet. Lake Toba also a good spot in Indonesia but internet there wouldnt be great. Temples at Borobudur and Yogyakarta the best in Asia outside of Angkor Wat. The three coloured volcanic lakes of Kelimutu also well worth seeing as are Komodo Islands and nearby Rinca.

Stheno

Malta?

Raconteuse

I have totally romantic ideas about the western US plains and prairies - Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado etc. Probably hard going but I'd like an auld look anyway.

Thelonious Monk

Raconteuse wrote: »

I have totally romantic ideas about the western US plains and prairies - Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado etc. Probably hard going but I'd like an auld look anyway.

These places can be nice to look at but the vast majority of USA and Canada are just so incredibly boring, which I put mostly down to the people and the towns and cities being graveyards at night due to sprawl and car based societies.
A few months in summer on the med would do me fine.

Itssoeasy

Prague or the Czech Republic German border. I've been there three times and I just love prague because of the history and the architecture where even the most mundane building looks great. The Czech German border because the countryside was amazing. Now obviously this is Day dreaming but with a bit of actually having been there.

twignme

It would have to be Alaska for me.

Tzardine

Tartu in Estonia.

Beautiful university city, give it a google. Loads to do and see. Not too busy but not dead either.

Estonia has declared internet to be a human right. English widely spoken (most dissertations in the university are written in English apparently). Really modern, high tech economy about to explode there.

Everything is cheap, weather is lovely in summer (very cold in winter - but thats a positive for me)

And the most attractive women of any country i have been to by a long shot. Its so noticeable how good looking everyone is. Honestly the average woman there is stunning. They are good craic too the Estonians.

alchemist33

I see you've probably ruled out Nepal. I was there in 1998 and it had internet. I'd imagine it would be pretty decent in the cities still. Fantastic scenery and the friendliest people - it's completely different to the chaos of India and much more chilled.

alchemist33

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Prague or the Czech Republic German border. I've been there three times and I just love prague because of the history and the architecture where even the most mundane building looks great. The Czech German border because the countryside was amazing. Now obviously this is Day dreaming but with a bit of actually having been there.

What I remember of the Czech-German border is gnomes. House after house selling them.

Itssoeasy

alchemist33 wrote: »

What I remember of the Czech-German border is gnomes. House after house selling them.

Didn't see them but I heard that that was a thing.

Dj Stiggie

The Stans always interested me too. I looked into going to college in Astana, Kazakhstan about ten years ago as they have two English speaking universities and plans to make it a major English business hub in the region.

I was put off by the fact that one in ten people there have tuberculosis and you have to submit a chest x ray before being allowed attend university.