rooshvforum.network is a fully functional forum: you can search, register, post new threads etc...
Old accounts are inaccessible: register a new one, or recover it when possible. x


Traveling solo for a month in april
#1

Traveling solo for a month in april

As the title says. I plan on going solo for a month in april, which is in a little over 2 weeks time.

I have a few ideas, as to what I want to do, but thought this may be the absolute best place, to get alternatives or even more ideas, on what to do.

I thought about seeing Myanmar/Burma, which is rather high on my list at the moment.
Thought about going through Vietnam, from north to south as another alternative - doing both seems a little cramped in a month?

South America is also a place I want to explore in the future, but I have no good pointers on where to start and/or go from there.

Not looking for a total party-trip or anything, would of course do it if I crossed some good spots on the way, but my main focus is just exploring, trying to travel alone etc.

All recommendations and ideas are highly appreciated!
Reply
#2

Traveling solo for a month in april

Myanmar? I would look elsewhere.. Been there in December 2012 and it was most boring 3 weeks part of my whole trip (travelling solo for almost 6 months already).
If SE Asia, I would give a try Cambodia.. Been here for 11 days and so far really cool.
Classic backpacker route is Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia. But if you really want to feel the country, I would suggest spending more time in it instead of spending half the time being on the road.

Quote: (03-14-2013 08:34 AM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  

As the title says. I plan on going solo for a month in april, which is in a little over 2 weeks time.

I have a few ideas, as to what I want to do, but thought this may be the absolute best place, to get alternatives or even more ideas, on what to do.

I thought about seeing Myanmar/Burma, which is rather high on my list at the moment.
Thought about going through Vietnam, from north to south as another alternative - doing both seems a little cramped in a month?

South America is also a place I want to explore in the future, but I have no good pointers on where to start and/or go from there.

Not looking for a total party-trip or anything, would of course do it if I crossed some good spots on the way, but my main focus is just exploring, trying to travel alone etc.

All recommendations and ideas are highly appreciated!
Reply
#3

Traveling solo for a month in april

Quote: (03-14-2013 08:40 AM)artur jedi Wrote:  

Myanmar? I would look elsewhere.. Been there in December 2012 and it was most boring 3 weeks part of my whole trip (travelling solo for almost 6 months already).
If SE Asia, I would give a try Cambodia.. Been here for 11 days and so far really cool.
Classic backpacker route is Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia. But if you really want to feel the country, I would suggest spending more time in it instead of spending half the time being on the road.

Boring? In what way, did not meet that many other people, or not that much to see? From pictures at least, it seems as though the country has very much to offer.

I went from Bangkok to Cambodia, and finally to full moon party, during a 2 week trip, in October last year. Some parts of Cambodia I loved - other not so much. Sihanoukville was an absolute blast! And Phnom Penh was a positive surprise as well.
Reply
#4

Traveling solo for a month in april

I'm amazed to hear of anyone describing Burma as boring. From a cultural perspective, I thought it was awesome and even captured my Australian flag there in spite of very quiet nightlife. Highlights were Bagan, Inle Lake and doing a hill tribe trek. I found the locals very friendly - especially so relative to Vietnam. The country is in transition so now seems like a good time to visit before it becomes too commercialized. That said, I also liked Cambodia quite a bit as well. I found it a bit grittier, but it a good way, and there's definitely are more nightlife options than in Myanmar. Escaping the tourist scene of Siem Riep unlocks a completely different scene. If you go there, I strongly endorse Herb's Happy Pizza. Great pizza, great toppings.
Reply
#5

Traveling solo for a month in april

Quote: (03-14-2013 09:16 AM)enfuego Wrote:  

I'm amazed to hear of anyone describing Burma as boring. From a cultural perspective, I thought it was awesome and even captured my Australian flag there in spite of very quiet nightlife. Highlights were Bagan, Inle Lake and doing a hill tribe trek. I found the locals very friendly - especially so relative to Vietnam. The country is in transition so now seems like a good time to visit before it becomes too commercialized. That said, I also liked Cambodia quite a bit as well. I found it a bit grittier, but it a good way, and there's definitely are more nightlife options than in Myanmar. Escaping the tourist scene of Siem Riep unlocks a completely different scene. If you go there, I strongly endorse Herb's Happy Pizza. Great pizza, great toppings.

Yeah, you totally have to get out of Siem Reap, to enjoy Cambodia!

How did you go about seeing Burma? Where did you start, go to/from etc. And any do's and don'ts?
Reply
#6

Traveling solo for a month in april

I went to Burma 11 years ago. Nobody was going at that time. I went via Bangkok and spent two weeks between Yangon, Bagan, the hill tribe trek, and Inle Lake. That was roughly a diamond shape and I traveled between on a combination of planes and buses. All of those places were fantastic, though I did get bitten by leeches on the trek. My novelty factor as a blond, blue-eyed white man was huge and I was frequently asked to have my picture taken with locals.

Dos: The opportunity for local interaction is very high. I bought a five dollar painting from a temple in Bagan and was invited to a home cooked dinner by the artist. Nobody speaks much English, however, the hospitality is off the hook.

The few expat girls that were there were eager to meet someone a bit smoother than a scruffy backpacker.

Don't: The obvious stuff travelling in a conservative, third-world country with a repressive political regime. Mandalay sounded skippable and is far from everything else.

I was in Southeast Asia for two months on that trip and bounced around a lot. If I were to do it all over again in a month, I would spend 2.5ish weeks in Myanmar and the balance in Cambodia. The relative wildness of Cambodia would be a nice counterbalance to the conservative (though still friendly) culture in Myanmar.
Reply
#7

Traveling solo for a month in april

Quote: (03-14-2013 12:49 PM)enfuego Wrote:  

I went to Burma 11 years ago. Nobody was going at that time. I went via Bangkok and spent two weeks between Yangon, Bagan, the hill tribe trek, and Inle Lake. That was roughly a diamond shape and I traveled between on a combination of planes and buses. All of those places were fantastic, though I did get bitten by leeches on the trek. My novelty factor as a blond, blue-eyed white man was huge and I was frequently asked to have my picture taken with locals.

Dos: The opportunity for local interaction is very high. I bought a five dollar painting from a temple in Bagan and was invited to a home cooked dinner by the artist. Nobody speaks much English, however, the hospitality is off the hook.

The few expat girls that were there were eager to meet someone a bit smoother than a scruffy backpacker.

Don't: The obvious stuff travelling in a conservative, third-world country with a repressive political regime. Mandalay sounded skippable and is far from everything else.

I was in Southeast Asia for two months on that trip and bounced around a lot. If I were to do it all over again in a month, I would spend 2.5ish weeks in Myanmar and the balance in Cambodia. The relative wildness of Cambodia would be a nice counterbalance to the conservative (though still friendly) culture in Myanmar.

Thanks a lot for the tips. I won't make too much of a hassle to reach Mandalay then.

Unless I find some good plane tickets I will probably stick to Myanmar and some of Thailand, if I end up having Myanmar as my primary destination. I heard Chiang Mai should be a good place to see as well, and that would not be to far of.
Reply
#8

Traveling solo for a month in april

There's obviously tons of stuff on the board about Thailand, but I found Thaifriendly to be the easiest online game ever. I can't endorse it enough and the fact it's free too is just icing on the cake. Good luck - should be a great trip.
Reply
#9

Traveling solo for a month in april

Quote: (03-14-2013 09:22 PM)enfuego Wrote:  

There's obviously tons of stuff on the board about Thailand, but I found Thaifriendly to be the easiest online game ever. I can't endorse it enough and the fact it's free too is just icing on the cake. Good luck - should be a great trip.

Thanks. Although the thought of traveling alone for that long(even though a month is short) kind of scares me, I just feel a inner urge to do it, and I am certain that I will learn so much, from that trip.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)