Where in the world?

Bodders11 wrote: »

Mexico would be nice but not really bucket list. My friend would like South America but not sure finances extend that far.

Depends where you go in South America really. Doubt you could afford Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires on that budget, but you could go to some of the less popular places. Bolivia has some amazing sights and is still quite cheap (you can get a reasonable hotel in central La Paz for £25/night, and a lot less than that if you consider B&Bs or hostels). Catch is that flights tend to be quite expensive and there are no direct flights from the UK. Colombia is very much an up-and-coming tourist destination but I'm not sure what prices are like.

However, nowhere in South America is as cheap as parts of Asia.

blindman wrote: »

Several threads on Vietnam and Cambodia on MSE

PompeyPete seems to be the expert :cool:

More like an enthusiastic enthusiast, usually on a shoestring budget.:)

With only 3 weeks to play with in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam a lot depends on how much travelling you're happy to do, and are you happy to travel overland between points.....too much travelling can mean too much precious time hanging round airports.

Travelling overland, particularly by train on fairly short journeys up to 5-6 hours or overnight is fun, it takes a bit longer, but you are moving along, seeing some of the countryside, and mixing with local people.

Trying to see more often simply means achieving less, and quickly losing enthusiam.

I think you're wise sticking to one country for a short visit.

Have a look at an easy side-trip from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi [WWII, Bridge over the River Kwai, Hellfire Pass]. Here's an excellent link giving all the detail for getting there and back...

https://www.seat61.com/Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai.htm

That area is a beautiful part of Thailand, and very easy to do under your own steam by train. A couple or three nights will give you time to soak up the place without hurrying round.

Khao Lak isn't a national Park, it's a 25-30 km beach stretch along the Andaman Coast just north of Phuket. There are a lot of resort hotels along the way, with a couple of close together townships, Bang La On and Bang Niang. Although that area isn't as built up or as touristy as Phuket, it's catching up fast. The National Park in the area [I think] is Khao Sok, which is a bit to the north of Khao Lak. I'm not going to recommend Khao Lak as it's becoming too westernised and relatively expensive, but some people like that.

Bodders11 wrote: »

Is Cape Town really feasible based on my budget? Would love to do a safari.

It's probably feasible if you're prepared to take connecting flights rather than fly direct. You can get return flights for £500 or so if you're happy to go non-direct. Once you're there, eating out is cheap and there's plenty of good wine and nightlife. There's plenty of Airbnb accommodation and Uber is well used for getting around, or the hopon-hopoff bus.

And if you're prepared to hire a car and drive yourself around a game reserve, then the safari element can also be done quite cheaply, eg. Pilanesberg park or Kruger national park.