Can anybody suggest any great places to go??
My friends are keen to go South East Asia, and possibly teach English there. However I've already been backpacking in Thailand and Vietnam.. I'm sure revisiting will be in no way boring, but I want to ensure that I see somewhere new and make the most of the trip.
I'm keen to visit Cambodia and Laos, but if we do the SEA loop will there be time to see anywhere else??
I'd love to go somewhere completely different, like Morocco/South or Central America/India but I'm concerned about time.
not Australia or NZ as we're on a budget.
Does anybody have any suggestions about how this 5 month trip could work? Any advice or suggestions regarding place and itineraries etc would be really really helpful!
Thanks so much x
Hi there,
I am from Southern California and have been backpacking several times for between 4 - 6 months to Central and South America, and I am lovin' it.
My itineray this year (6 months) looked like this.
Flew to Bogota/Colombia and another 1 1/2 hour flight to Leticia. Leticia is located in the middle of the jungle on the Amazon river right at the border with Brazil and Peru.
Took a boat from Tabatinga/Brazil (across the border from Letecia) to Mananus. Slept in a hammock and the trip on the Amazon to Manaus/Brazil for 3 nights cost me about $ 100.00 including 3 meals a day.
Stayed a few days in Mananus, then took another boat to Belem/Brazil which is close to the Atlantic. 4 nights and I paid about $ 150.00 including 3 meals a day.
From Belem I went by bus to Fortaleza, Natal, Pipa Beach, Recife, Salvador, and then flew to Florianopolis. Stayed there for a while and then continued by bus to Uruguay, then the ferry across the Rio de La Plata to Buenos Aires. Stayed there a few weeks, flew to Rio de Janeiro, and from there I flew a few weeks later to Cartagena in Colombia where I stayed 2 1/2 months.
I had the time of my life, and the 6 months trip cost me about $ 10,000.00 including all airfares, food, drinks, entertainment, etc.
You could do it a little cheaper by traveling not going to Brazil because Brazil is a little pricey. The cheapest countries in South America are Colombia (except Cartagena), Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
Another trip I took (6 months) was to Nicaragua and Panama, Both countries are beautiful, pretty inexpensive and safe.
If you like some ideas about the places I visited you can check it out on facebook. Just type in my name "Norbert Giessmann" and you can see a lot of pictures from all the places I have visited.
Wherever you go, have a great time.
South America and South East Asia would both be great but if you have a limited budget and only 5 months then you should not do both - you need to choose one or the other (or an alternative - I agree with a previous answer avoid Africa for now - apart from a week's tour of Morroco possibly)
I have been to Laos and it was not as interesting as Thailand but there is a lot to see in that area - without doubt there are beautiful locations (islands) in Thailand you have not visited (there are hundreds in total) If you have you done Phukett, Phi Phi, Koh Samui, the Anthong Marine park and the full moon parties there are still great places to visit in the south not to mention the Golden Triangle etc in the north.
I am currently in South America - I speak spanish so the language is easier for me. Be prepared to be hit on a lot here by local guys and overall it is still not as safe as South East Asia - but very beautiful. Most places here are slightly more expensive than South East Asia - living in a comparable style. Although it is not as safe the people overall are atleast as friendly and kind and there are fewer attempts to scam people.
My Colombian wife said while in SE Asia at least in Colombia you know when you are being robbed here they just smile at you.
There are so many possibilities in either location you are unlikely to be bored.
You have to see how much your friends want to go to Thailand and the surrounding countries - if that is really where they want to be then you probably should lean in that direction as if you drag them to SAmerica (or central) and they are not happy then you will be to blame and the whole experience will be fairly depressing.
Best of luck
Avoid North Africa at present, Peru looks good.
Turkey would be gorgeous, but stay away from the syria border. Black forest in germany. Nepal would be legit.
