Hi, I'm 28 and I've always wanted to travel but I never had the chance, after beating cancer I now want to chase my dream and see more of the world, please give me some advice?
Hi,
I've always wanted to travel and see the world, but I never got the chance, you know how it is, work work and more work. Last year I was diagnosed with cancer, now I'm cancer free, and better I have decided to finally do it. You only live once!! I've read quite a few things on here which are very interesting and informative but I'm still lost, I just dont know where to start planning!!
I'm interested in traveling through the below countries and am thinking of going for 3 months (because I have to go to my hospital checkups every 3 months still). Hopefully in a couple years when I'm on yearly checks I'll be able to go for longer.
So, in 3 months what can I realistically see and enjoy??
I'm very interested in Italy, Turkey, Morocco, Colorado, Far East and Austrailia....
There are lots lots more, but I know I cant do them all in 3 months. Sooo can you please help me decide?
Also budget wise I'm quite confused. How much roughly will I need??
Are there any websites you recommend?
All advice welcome.
Many Thanks in Advance
Liz
Reply to this Welcome to TravelBlog Liz. 😊
I'm cancer free..
It is wonderful that you decide to tell us your good news. 😊
How much you need depends on where you go and which style of travel you choose.
Maybe a round the world plane ticket might be an option for you. You could spend one month each in 3 different continents.
Mel
Reply to this Congratulations! That's great!
Where are you flying from?
If it's the UK, you could get a return flight to Oz with a stop off in SE Asia.
Or you could do a tour of Europe, taking in Morocco and Turkey too....
Reply to this Hi,
Thank you so much!!
I'll be flying from London, I really dont know how to go about it though. Do I book a tour and go with a group of people or do I just book the ticket and then go alone,,, how do I then book hotel/hostels?? Sorry I m very new to this I've only ever booked flights or package deals for a week or 2. This will be my first and hopefully not last travelling venture.
Can you reccomend any tours?? Or RTW tickets?? I've looked at STA travel but I then got confused with all the choice. I can only do 3 months so I want to get the most out of it.
I want something inbetween budget and comfortable (I can no way afford a luxury ticket or hotel) .
The max I can spend is £5k,is this enough or not?
I was also considering maybe doing a language course in Italy or something....... really am not sure, I just want to see the world and enjoy my life and my health.
Many Thanks in advance
Liz
Reply to this Hi,
Firstly, I am very admiring you for your finally beating the cancel, while I am now still suffering from the pain of treatment in China.
Here, I recommand that you should come to China for your holiday, because it is the right place for relaxing and having fun. Touring the country, you can enjoy the low pace of life and recognize that the life is so beautiful. There are much more to expore and experience.
As I'm concerned, you donot need to employ any tour guides, because you can ask for the local people who are all absolutely hospitable and warm-hearted. From them, you can better understand the life here.
Lastly, I have a great website which collects all tourist maps of China:
Wishing you have a good holiday!
Reply to this I'll be flying from London, I really dont know how to go about it though. Do I book a tour and go with a group of people or do I just book the ticket and then go alone,,, how do I then book hotel/hostels??
I generally travel indendently without tours. You could actually just book the flight and then go. If you get a good guidebook such as the Lonely Planet, it will give you all the information you need about travelling in the various countries. For some countries it is best to book hostels and hotels ahead, but for others showing up is OK and also more economical. Hostels in many countries are easy to book online.
Maybe RTW tickets can be bought online, but I will leave that one for others to explain. I dont know enough about it. A RTW ticket is something I want to get when I have enough time to use it properly.
The max I can spend is £5k,is this enough or not?
I certainly could do plenty of travelling on that amount.
Mel
Reply to this Hello,
Thank you so much for th advise.
Goodluck with your treatment Carriup, I hadn't thought of China, would love to go there but not sure if I can fit it it 3 months,,, or can I...
I need to decide where I want to go and then look at tickets.
Would a Lonely Guide book be enough to just take with me as a guide?? I'm scared and excited at the prospect of going away finally.
So would Sept - Dec be ok, or is it too short notice now?
Thank you
xx
Reply to this I hadn't thought of China, would love to go there but not sure if I can fit it it 3 months,,, or can I...
If you mean spending the whole 3 months in China, then that would be lots of time. I was only there for 2 weeks and I enjoyed it. Of course, with the amount of time I had, I had to be selective about which places I visited.
Reply to this Would a Lonely Guide book be enough to just take with me as a guide?? I'm scared and excited at the prospect of going away finally.
A Lonely Planet book is all I take with me when I travel. And if you need more advice there is internet almost everywhere in the world, so you can go on a travel site such as TravelBlog and ask. Also, you will meet other travellers who you can ask, while you are travelling.
People are very often scared before taking the big step of independent travel. It always seems more complicated and scary when you are planning it, than when you are acutally doing it.
So would Sept - Dec be ok, or is it too short notice now?
Not in my opinion. Over a month to plan is quite a lot of time.
And there are lots of blogs by travellers here on TravelBlog. If you have a few counties in mind reading the blogs may help you decide which ones you prefer. Reading the travel experiences of some people is truely inspirational. It is often what prompts me to visit a particular country.
Reply to this Welcome to travelblog Liz.
For a first timer with 3 months - in Sept-Dec - I'd recommend south east asia - very easy travel, warm, and still very exotic. (Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos)
You don't need a tour - you can do this solo - meet so many people on the way - and if you like it - there is a whole world to explore later - and Europe is so much better to travel in the summer 😊 (unless skiing in Romania is your thing!)
This is worth a read as well
TB Travel Guide Reply to this Helloo,
Thank you, everyone is so nice here.
I have a 2003 edition of lonely planet guide to turkey (this is how long i've wanted to travel turkey) but this would no longer be valid would it? i've been to turkey a few times and i can see how much it has changed myself.
Hi Ali, the southeast has also really appealed to me, but I just dont know where to start or if I'll have enough time now. Ive just remembered that I have to go to Jury service in December, so now i may have to cut my travel time shorter.
Also, should I backpack, or take a case???
Love Liz
xxx
Reply to this The 2003 ed. would be a little out of date - but usable - so long as you're prepared for the odd hotel to be gone, and prices to be completely out.
To start in south-east asia - the two now competing hubs are Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur - it used to be Bangkok but due to protests and airport closures KL is taking advantage. Either of those two would be a very good start. If you have more than 2 months - fine - if you don't see everything there is to see - it really doesn't matter - just aim to enjoy each day - and go at what feels like the right pace.
Part of the beauty of independent travel is being able to change your plans any time you like.
I would always recommend a backpack - but keep the weight to below 15kgs - more than that - it's heavy - and you have to pay excess on budget airlines.
Talking of budget airlines -
AirAsia does long haul KL-Stanstead.
Reply to this I have a 2003 edition of lonely planet guide to turkey (this is how long i've wanted to travel turkey) but this would no longer be valid would it?
I think that would be OK. The important stuff does not change much. For example, old churches and castles will be where they have been for centuries.
I use these books as a loose guide for health, safety, customs, things to do.... Some things like accomodation prices will have changed in the newer editions, but the older ones are still useful enough in my opinion.
Also, should I backpack, or take a case???
A backpack. Carrying a heavy case would become difficult with the weight not distributed to both sides of your body. You could also choose to travel very light and have just a bag that you carry in your hand or sling over one shoulder. This it would need to be less than 10KG that you are taking in order to not use a backpack to make the carrying more comfortable.
Also, a moneybelt to wear under your clothes to conceal your credit cards, passport money etc.
I didnt read Alis post yet, so he probably mentioned the following. If you decide on SE Asia, then there is one guidebook that covers all the countries there, which is very convenient. It is 'South East Asia on a Shoestring by Lonely Planet'
Reply to this Hello, I hope everyones having a great weekend?
I will have to go and check the back packs out, id do tend to have lower back ache though. I'll speak to the people at the shop about that though.
Shall I just get a one way ticket to Italy/ Turkey and then use the rail/buses to make my way through the country? Or would it be advisable to book in advance? I feel so lost thinking about where to start as there is so much I want to see.
I'm now beginning to get scared about this swine flu thing, has it put anyone off travelling??
Also after your travels, did you find it difficult to find a job, settle back in??
Reply to this Shall I just get a one way ticket to Italy/ Turkey and then use the rail/buses to make my way through the country? Or would it be advisable to book in advance?
You might be able to book trains on the internet in advance. I book mine on the Germany train company site in advance. You can generally get cheaper ones if you book in advance on the internet. You would have to search for bargains though. You could check the Italian and Turkish rail sites to find out if you can get good priced tickets in advance. Night trains may also be good for you, so you save time getting from here to there and save money on accomodation.
I'm now beginning to get scared about this swine flu thing, has it put anyone off travelling??
No, and apparently it isnt that bad. Not worse than other flus anyway. There are very often scare stories about travel, but there are not many that people should avoid travel completely for.
Also after your travels, did you find it difficult to find a job, settle back in??
I didnt find it difficult to get a job. But, there was the complication of needing travel in my life because the first travel experiece made me want more. I had to find a way to fit it in with the rest of my life.
Reply to this Hi Mell,
Thank you, I'll try and look into the rail tickets then.
How often do you travel? it sounds like you've had a very interesting life.
xxx
Reply to this At the moment I travel 3 to 6 times per year for anything between 2 days and a month at a time. I have a daughter to look after, which keeps me at home for the rest of the time.
Reply to this Hello,
Sorry I havent been around for ages, I had to put off my travel plans for a while.
However I'm now actively planning to go off in March, yay!!!
I have slightly changed my plans and now have less money (due to a few unfortunate circumstances involving a sick pet and no insurance....)
For a first time traveller, what do you think on the below itenerary I have received?
London - Bangkok overland Singapore - Perth - Cairns -overland Sydney - Shanghai - London
I ideally wanted Tokyo instead of Shanghai but they couldn't find any flights suitable for my dates.
What do you think?? Is it do-able in 3 months?? Is it a good route??
If you think that's ok, any idea on how much money I will need to budget for on daily spending?? I dont want to get there and then be stuck for money in Austrailia.
Many many thanks in advance for your advice.... and Happy New Year to you all
xxx
Reply to this Yeah, I think it is doable in 3 months.
If I was doing this trip, I would spend around 1 month on Bangkok to Singapore, 6 weeks on the Australia part and divide the rest of the time on the others, if the money you have is enough for this plan. Otherwise, I would spend a bit longer in Bangkok to Singapore, because that will be the least expensive day to day.
I think for Bangkok to Singapore around 20 Euros per day. For Australia around 60 Euros per day. Shanghai maybe 50 Euros per day, and the visa costs.
Mel
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