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I am going to buy a spontaneous plane ticket... where should I go?

Replies: 14 - Last Post: Nov 16, 2012 3:48 PM Last Post By: typicalhippiegirl

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nrd1304

nrd1304 avatar

Sep 27, 2012 7:39 PM
Posts:  2

I am going to buy a spontaneous plane ticket... where should I go?

I am a 20 year old, female uni student in Sydney and I am BORED so I am going to buy a plane ticket to somewhere for June-July next year. I don't care where as long as it gives me something to do and work towards.

I want to experience new things and remove myself from whatever cultural norms I take for granted and get a new perspective on things. I am interested in cultural studies, art, history, literature, red wine, blues and jazz, dancing. I don't mind roughing it and I have elementary conversational skills in Russian and French and a little conversational Italian under my belt, but hey I have a few months to learn.

Where should I go for 1.5 months? I am going to book this ticket as soon as I get a semi-convincing argument, I'm thinking 2-3 countries, probably somewhere in Europe or India or South Africa or just not a country that is predominantly English speaking.

I have been to New Zealand (1 months), Dubai (4 days), Paris (2 weeks) Rome (5 days) and Malta (5 days). Rome, Malta and Dubai were my favourites if this gives any insight?

yeah any suggestions would be much appreciated, I just feel like mixing things up but I don't know where to start (literally)

Nicola.

ToadofToadHall

ToadofToadHall avatar

Sep 29, 2012 10:50 AM
Posts:  906

1

Fly into Lima and out of Santiago taking in Ica, Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Titicaca, La Paz, Rurenabaque, Potosi, Sucre, Uyuni, San Pedro de Atitlan, La Serena, Santiago,

Good time to do this trip, both in terms time of year and time available to you. Non-Spanish, plenty of culture and history with some fantastic nature thrown in. You like red-wine, Chile's got it, literature - again plenty of great Latin American literature, Jazz - as it happens Santiago is full of Jazz bars, dancing - admittedly the best dancing is probably in Colombia but still you got some latin moves in all three countries. History - the Incas, the conquistadores, the pre-incas... tons of the stuff, culture, Peru and Bolivia are full of traditional culture, Chile's got more contemporary (and Peru also has plenty of contemporary culture).

Plus, mountains, jungles, saltflats, deserts, coastlines..........

nrd1304

nrd1304 avatar

Oct 2, 2012 12:06 AM
Posts:  2

2

Just to follow up, I booked a one way (woo) ticket to London. I'll spend however long there, probably 4-7 days and then I semi-plan to make my way east, my route is unknown at the moment, finish in Russia, catch the trans-Siberian and maybe fly home from China...

(but I have Maltese dual citizenship so maybe not)

ToadofToadHall

ToadofToadHall avatar

Oct 2, 2012 2:12 PM
Posts:  906

3

London to Beijing in 1.5 months? seems very, very rushed to me. I travelled St. Petersburg to Beijing in just over a 1 month and that was very quick only making a stops in St. Pete (3 days), Moscow (3 days), Irkutsk/Lake Baikal (3 days), Mongolia (UB plus an 11 day tour organised in UB - 2 weeks), Beijing (5 days) and about 7 days on the Trans-Mongolian, though obviously not in one go.

Of course you could rush through Europe from London to Moscow and rush through Russia and Mongolia but why?

Keaty

Keaty avatar

Oct 3, 2012 8:51 AM
Posts:  7

4

I'm actually doing a really similar trip. Around June next year I'm getting on a train from my house near Liverpool, to London, to Paris, through Europe pretty fast, then into St Petersburg and down to Moscow before doing the trans-siberean / mogolian railway and ending up in Bejing! Pretty similar timescale too, was thinking under 2 months to get to Bejing but I'll see how it goes :). Check out the website below, its amazing for details on the Trans-siberean and just loads of stuff about Visa's and actually getting from London to Moscow by train in the first place!

http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm

Pirate_at_50

Pirate_at_50 avatar

Oct 6, 2012 9:43 AM
Posts:  3,746

5

somewhere for June-July next year -- India

Dumb idea. Pick somewhere else.

ToadofToadHall

ToadofToadHall avatar

Oct 7, 2012 2:43 AM
Posts:  906

6

Also I wouldn't bother pre-booking hotels.

textibule

textibule avatar

Oct 7, 2012 3:48 AM
Posts:  177

7

Nicola,

You realize, of course, that the simple act of asking your question here on TT means your spontaneous trip will not be spontaneous? Having said that, Mozambique is good at that time of year.

mikegregg87

mikegregg87 avatar

Oct 9, 2012 5:12 AM
Posts:  4

8

why not take part in a volunteer project in south east asia or something like that? Not only would you have something to work towards but you'll also be working with locals for a greater cause?

Massman70

Massman70 avatar

Oct 12, 2012 7:23 PM
Posts:  9

9

Istanbul - that is where I would go given your description.

klaush

klaush avatar

Oct 27, 2012 2:57 PM
Posts:  676

10

Please help me be spontaneous. Please tell me what to do.

bjcoops

bjcoops avatar

Oct 29, 2012 5:20 AM
Posts:  4

11

How about the Côte d'Azure, down near Nice and the Italian border? Menton is perhaps one of the cheapest places to stay along there, or you can find some budget accommodation in Nice.

Istanbul sounds like a good idea.

Also: Portugal. I was in the Azores earlier this year, for example, and it's a great place to get away from it all. Totally different and new. But you'll need at least a week there to soak it up and let it grow on you!

ToadofToadHall

ToadofToadHall avatar

Oct 29, 2012 1:53 PM
Posts:  906

12

I think it's the first time I've heard of the Cote d'Azure referred to as cheap.

bjcoops

bjcoops avatar

Oct 30, 2012 5:18 AM
Posts:  4

13

Well, true. Sorry, I meant Menton is one of the cheaper places there, but you're right - in general the Côte d'Azur is not the cheapest place in France!

typicalhippiegirl

typicalhippiegirl avatar

Nov 16, 2012 3:48 PM
Posts:  8

14

I'd say Morocco. It's probably my favorite place to have visited. Super cheap, pretty much everyone speaks french (which I dont know, I made due with spanish) Foods good, mint teas great, as is the shopping if you know to ALWAYS haggle prices & have patience, certainly deals to be found. Chefchaouen is amazing. Trips to the sahara are to be had for cheap, again haggle. Buses are a great way to travel there so you can get anywhere for cheap. So yup, check out Morocco.
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