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Advice on Asia/Australia, 12month tour, back-packing, sugestions on countries, locations, times and money?

13 years ago, December 11th 2010 No: 1 Msg: #124604 Delete Edit

normskiandpeach
normskiandpeach

N Posts: 5

Hi and really hope you can help

We are travelling a trip of a lifetime on a shoe-string budget; we have worked 9-5 in an office for too long and were getting out of here, we want to travel from London to Sydney via Asia. (We presume that an open return would be the best form of flight ticket?)

I know what you’re thinking that Asia is a broad generalisation, but we are in a need of suggestions and help in navigating our amazing trip.
The trip must include the cheapest form of travel, train/bus or sea. Please consider the weather and the best time to travel, including the best destinations in each country.

As a priority these are countries which we want to see, Nepal (including walk to Base Camp), India , Vietnam ( we particularly like this country and want to do Ho Chi Min trail – South to North, if you have seen Top Gear in Vietnam, it’s what has inspired us to do this) , Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China and Japan.

The following are countries we would consider if you suggest worthwhile; Philippines, Malaysia including Singapore.

We would really appreciate any feedback, advice and help on the matter.

Sorry, I should have given times, we are looking at 12 months, starting April.We dont know where to spend the 12 months though as were not sure what should dictate our route, should attampt to go from left to right on the map, then we need to consider avoiding monsoon season, which is the cheapest route. We dont know how much money to take, at the moment we have £6k and will save more by April.

We are very much outdoor people, with a sense of fun. We love history, nature,beach,mountains,culture,food,diving,hiking,sports,animals. As mentioned in the first post, those are the countries we would like to see, and we are also looking for suggestions on where within each country to go and spend our time, and for how long.

Thanks again and hope this info helps. Reply to this

13 years ago, December 14th 2010 No: 2 Msg: #124698 Delete Edit

Rat on the Road
Kris and Kate

B Posts: 1,411

Hi Normski and Pea

Are you planning to fly from London to Asia and then onwards from Asia to Australia? Or do the whole route overland? Are your 12 months in Asia or Australia? How long are you planning on each continent?

Your route may be dictated by where you initially fly into and how easy it is to travel between neighbouring countries. Check out the Asian budget airlines on Attitude travel . Often flying is cheaper than travelling overland, particularly when you factor in what you spend on the journey - i.e. not only the tickets but also food and stuff en route.

The timings of the monsoons vary from country to country, so do some research into the wettest times in your various destinations. There are two monsoon seasons in Thailand for example. In some countries, the monsoon won't prevent you from travelling. In others it might.

By the way, the route from the South to North of Vietnam taken on Top Gear wasn't the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This trail goes through Laos and was the route the North Vietnamese army took to transport stuff to the Centre and the South. The South-North route by rail or road is simply the most popular route through Vietnam.

As for what to see, your best bet is to read some blogs. See the area through other people's eyes and decide what you are interested in. Check out the blogs on Travelblog Asian blogs

Also consider buying a guidebook like Lonely Planet's South East Asia on a shoestring. You can borrow it from the library too.

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13 years ago, December 30th 2010 No: 3 Msg: #125582 Delete Edit

Nigel O Mahony
Nigel O Mahony

B Posts: 29

Hey if your on a shoe string budget you might aswell wipe japan off the list. Its an amazing place but it is easily the most expensive place i have ever travelled. We spent 19days there and spent 2000 euro not including flights to and from japan, staying in dorm rooms in hostels, but admittedly not cooking for ourselves and seeing/doing as much as possible. Amazing place but it sounds like it would be too tough on your budget! India and nepal are very cheap, and amazing places, where our money goes about 4times as far! Nige Reply to this