You pick where I go travelling!

fufu_banterwaite

Ok here is the situation. I will be starting a new job in January. I am going to hand my notice in on my old job so I leave around end of October which leaves me November and December to go backpacking somewhere.

Initially I was meant to be starting the job in November and was going to travel around Eastern Europe in September and October as the weather would still be decent and it wouldn't be so busy. However now I am travelling November and December I don't really want to do Eastern Europe as it will be getting wet and cold and dark. So where should I go?

I will be travelling as economically as possible, staying in hostels etc. Not too bothered about lounging around on beaches and getting wasted ever night. But I do want decent weather and the odd night out here and there. I'd love to see some different landscapes, historic cities, anything a bit different really.

Where would you recommend I go for these two months?

hugheskevi

The obvious thoughts are southern Europe (Greece and Turkey maybe), south-east Asia (Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia) or maybe Australia/NZ. None of those really qualify as 'something a bit different' though.

Three thoughts that might meet criteria (although cost could be an issue for some or even all of them):

(1) Central America

Fly out to Mexico City, see Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize and fly back from Cancun.

(2) China

China is plenty big enough for even a 2 month trip. Fly into Beijing, see Xi'an, Tibet, Chengdu, Hainan and back up the East Coast to Beijing.

(3) Africa

November is when a lot of Trans-Africa trips depart the UK. You could look at joining for the first leg, which is typically UK to Accra (Ghana).

Something like this trip here (see link).

EDIT: I'll add a fourth that would be far lower cost and doesn't really meet your criteria, but you never know...

(4) The Baltics

Fly to Talinn (Estonia), work way back via Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. The cold makes the north of Europe interesting, and with a few decent clothes it isn't a problem. If there is snow there are fantastic landscapes and bus travel becomes amazing.

fufu_banterwaite

Thanks Kev, some good food for thought there! Central America does appeal to me.

Also I've travelled South-East Asia and New Zealand and Oz before. My heart is saying go back to SE Asia or NZ/Oz as I know I loved them and would love to go back, but then my head is telling me to go somewhere completely different!

PS - Oasis Overland looks great, I have looked into that before as well.

justjohn

China.....if it was not a bit dodgy at moment I would have said Russia


i have travelled a good bit. i fancy brazil or korea

fufu_banterwaite

China doesn’t really appeal to me. Not sure why, but it doesn’t. Neither does India.

At the moment I am erring towards Central America.

shinobidef

i know your not keen, but India would get my vote! You won't experience anything like it anywhere else in the world. Of course, I know all countries have their identities but I think India should be a must for all backpackers, even if just the once, as it really is unique. I have a love hate relationship with it but recommend it to everyone.

It's also cheaper flights than C America, hot weather, varied landscapes, and excellent and cheap train system, cheap food and digs, great wildlife, rich history and crazy culture, relatively easy to get by as most people have a reasonable command of English.

Nepal is wonderful too - from memory, you can stay for up to 2 months.

Central America is on my list of places to go but when I last checked, a lot of places aren't that safe so not sure how much risk you'd want to take with certain areas of Honduras, Guatemala, etc?

I liked SE Asia but didn't find it as interesting nor as rewarding as other places I've visited and far harder to have memorable experiences with the locals as they are so used to tourists. I found we had to get way off the beaten track and even then, it was hard.

I don't feel the need to go back to SE Asia (apart from Indonesia which is one of my favourite places ever and will go back a 3rd time!). I've been to China but isn't that cheap - sightseeing is expensive and I find you do ideally need to have a basic grasp of some phrases if you're away from the pricey East coast cities.

DUKE

There's too many places in the world to keep going back to the same one. I'll second southeast Asia. Whatever you do enjoy!

Doshwaster

DUKE wrote: »

There's too many places in the world to keep going back to the same one. I'll second southeast Asia. Whatever you do enjoy!

I have been going to SE Asia regularly for 10 years but there are still many places I haven't got around to seeing. It's easy to travel around, good value, great food and (mostly) friendly natives. What more could you want?

benjus

South America would get my vote - loads of contrast, amazing natural landscapes, some great cities, historic places, friendly people. You'd probably want to concentrate on a particular area (e.g. Peru/Bolivia/Argentina or Colombia/Ecuador/Peru) rather than trying to see the whole continent in 2 months, as you'd just spend your whole time travelling from place to place. English isn't very widely spoken though - learning some Spanish (Portuguese for Brazil) makes it a lot easier.

fufu_banterwaite

Shinobidef - Hadn’t thought about Nepal, that might be quite interesting.

Doshwaster – I agree, I loved SE Asia, but I have been there before and really I want to go somewhere new. I almost feel like I would be wasting this opportunity if I went back to somewhere I had been before.

At the moment I am thinking Central or South America.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions though!

Gavin83

South America.

Fly into Buenos Aires, Argentina, spend a few days. It's fairly European so a nice introduction.

Fly down to El Calafate in Argentinian Patagonia to see the glaciers and do some glacier trekking. It's also a fairly nice easy town to chill out in.

Get a coach to El Chalten. It's the only town inside a national park, indescribably stunning and is home to some awesome day treks. I particularly recommend the Fitz Roy trek.

Make your way back down to El Calafate and get a coach across the border to Puerto Natales in Chile. If your really into your trekking I'd recommend the 4 day W trail, otherwise move on after a few days.

Get a flight (or a coach if your hardcore, 50 hour journey though) to Pucon in Chile. Lovely little mountain town and you can climb the nearby active volcano. It is one of only 5 volcanos that you can see the lava in, so if your lucky you might get a glimpse.

Go to Santiago. It's an ok city but you can also nip across to Mendoza in Argentina, famous for its wine and visit some of the vineyards.

Next make your way up to San Pedro. It's the best place in the world for viewing the stars, several of the big observatories are based here. You can do night trips to observatories and use their telescopes to view the stars, pretty interesting, especially if you've a geeky streak. I also believe you can do sandboarding here, although I did it elsewhere.

Then head to Iquique. It's a beach town and while you said you aren't interested in the beaches you could probably do with the rest. You'll also need the stop as the next destination is a fair distance.

After Iquique you need to cross the northern border into Peru up to Arequipa. Great place, some amazing restaurants and probably my favourite town in Peru. I'd also recommend the 3 day Colca canyon trek, on the 2nd day you stay at an oasis in the bottom of the canyon. If my memory is correct I believe it's the deepest canyon in the world.

After this go to Cusco and do the Inca Trail. You did book this a good few months in advance didn't you?

Then head south, cross the border into Bolivia and spend a few days in Copacabana. Extremely relaxing lakeside town, great place to spend a few days enjoying a nice cold beer.

Move onto La Paz, very vibrant city but be careful where your coach arrives into and what taxis you get into, kidnaps aren't uncommon. The cemetery area has a particularly bad reputation. I liked the city though, particularly recommend going to watch the wrestling.

Then go to south Bolivia and do the 4 day salt flats tour. I'd recommend starting in Tupiza as you get to see the beautiful desert and end on the salt flats. It's the best order IMO. I'd also suggest seeing at the train graveyard at the end in Uyuni. The town itself is a craphole though.

Then cross the southern border into Argentina and make your way over to Puerto Iguazu to see the waterfalls. Amazing place. I'd also suggest spending two days here, using the 2nd day to cross the border into Brazil and viewing the falls from that side too. The experiences are totally different and worth doing from both aspects.

Then after this make your way back to Buenos Aires and fly home. If you find yourself with some extra time I'd recommend making the ferry crossing into Uruguay. Colonia del sacramento is a great little town.

It's what I'd do anyway!