HELP! Advice Please!
Hello All,I am a 32 year old first time backpacker travelling alone.
I am planning on leaving the country mid may next year and being away for 3 months until mid Aug. I was planning on visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos - however, upon looking at the weather for this time of year, it looks like monsoon season!
So.. my plan was going to be to travel to Indonesia / Bali / Borneo as the rainfall is less and it will be drier. Has anybody ever travelled to this part of the world? what are the people like? will I be ok as a single female traveller? are solo travellers welcomed? what is the 'backpacker scene' like here - will it be busy with other people? etc etc.
Also, I am struggling to figure out where to finish off my travels. If anyone knows any good routes around this area which won't coincide with the rainy season, I would be really interested to hear.
My lonely travel guide is my bible, but if anyone can offer me any practical advice I would be really grateful. It seems that there is so much to organise and I don't know where to start :-S
Thanks everyone for your help!
Cheers
Laura x
1
Its true that is 'rainy season' in Thailand etc....and the weather should be better in Indonesia.However this is not usually a great problem.It often rains heavily for an hour or two in the afternoon or evening and is sunny the rest of the time.
Anyway Indonesia is a great place...well worth visiting on its own merits.
2
If you have 3 months you can see a fair bit of Indonesia for a couple of months and have a month in Malaysian Borneo for example.You will need to either book some cheap flights (eg Airasia,Lion etc.) or use ferries to get from island to island.
There are many possibilities...depends on your interests really.What do you like doing ?
3
As an end point I like Bali.I always finish my travels in Indonesia in Ubud.A nice hotel,good food,some shopping.....before I have to go back to work ;-)Many other parts of the country are maybe more 'exciting'.....I prefer to do the more adventurous stuff first and relax at the end.
4
Thankyou Lucapal for your replies, this is helpful.I like to do allsorts - I like visiting temples and monuments, love nature and walking/exploring. I love the beach and relaxing but I also want to be near other people and backpackers. I like chilling out and people watching! I also like bars and good nightlife... Im a very outgoing person and would hate to be on my own all the time.
So long as I am seeing or experiencing new things then its all good.
I was thinking maybe of landing in Bangkok around the 18th May 2013 and travelling around Thailand for 3 weeks, then working my way south to Malaysia and then to Indonesia and perhaps booking on a tour in Borneo then finishing off in Bali. I aim to leave mid Aug 2013. What do you think, would this work?
I am really new to all this so I appreciate you helping me out :-)
Thanks again!
5
That should work fine..it will be the start of the rainy season in Thailand but as i said above,that is not usually a great problem.Are you thinking of Malaysian Borneo? if so,there is really no need to do a tour there...its very easy to do by yourself.Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) is a little more difficult but not impossible..you need time and patience though.
6
I was thinking of Malaysian Borneo yes.Are all the places I have mentioned easy to get around? etc. I am going to try and learn a little basic of the languages too if that would help.
Hopefully I will meet a few friendly people along the way!
8
Thankyou for your help!After speaking with a few people, I have decided to chance it and do Thailand / Cam / Vietnam and Laos after all.
I think it is going to be the better place to go for a first time traveller.
Thanks again for all your help and advice, its been really useful!
Happy Travels :-)
