Feedback asked for my trip

Hi,

Lucky you! :-)

I recommend you to check out this great website: www.travelindependent.info

Unfortunately, you and I have been born into the world too late, and now there are such things as 'Visas'. First thing to get sorted is these processes. Some are easy, some will redefine your route unfortunately.

Amsterdam-Bangkok ..lol, that says only one thing XD

Fortunately most visas can be picked up easily en-route in a neighbouring country for example if VOA is not available. No big deal!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Dutch_citizens

To get a visa for China the easiest place is Hongkong.

#4, a link does not a reply make. Not everyone wants to click on a link to see what its all about. The idea of TT is to share information, not to post link bait.

I think you have the right idea in that you are giving yourself a fair amount of time (a year) in Asia, and you are only locking down the first part of your trip. A month in Bangkok and Thailand and then a month in Japan and Korea should give you a feel for whether you like the SE Asian countries or the more northern Asian countries more.

Are you thinking of going to Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam as well? I would definitely try to get to these. Indonesia is also amazing, and there are plenty of off-the-beaten-track locations there. It has a much less developed tourist industry than Thailand (except for Bali), which can make it a bit more of an adventure.

@balkanexpress
Wow thanks, great site! You know how they do the ratings? Pakistan is the best with a 9 while Vietnam is a 6 - hehe maybe I'm gonna find out if they are right ;-)

@standando
Guess it does mate!

@emma
Thank you! Now I feel it should be possible to travel the way I imagined. Yes, Laos Cambodia Vietnam seem great to me, if I could have left before March I would have gone first to these after Thailand. Still I think it is a good backup after Japan and Korea if it turns out to be hard to meet other travellers in these less touristy countries. Then I would rather go to SEA instead of Taiwan. Indonesia looks great too, especially Borneo and Sumatra seem amazing to me. Did you go there or to other islands?

@Townie
Hehe, I'm glad itineraries are not my thing. Though I will do a bit of it for Japan I think to keep the costs down/stay in the cool hostels.

The ratings are subjective of course based on personal experiences. The country description usually reveals the reason.

I haven't been to Vietnam yet, but I was in Pakistan before it was less dangerous than nowdays.

Northern Pakistan simply has the most amazing mountain scenery in the world and a good chunk of it is surprisingly accessible with spectacular mountain roads reaching some very off the beaten track villages, moreover you'll find in these villages a good tourist infrastructure: a couple of cheap and comfortable guesthouses, English is widely spoken and most people are very friendly and welcoming. All this and hardly another tourist in sight because of the bad reputation and risks of Pakistan. So, in case you like mountains and adventure it's heaven on Earth. For those who don't like mountains there's really no reason to go there.

Vietnam is a very nice tropical country, with beautiful landscapes, amazing food, but as much as I know about it's cultural sights(architecture, ruins, etc) can't compete with other countries in the region like Burma, Thailand, Cambodia. Yes it has some Champa ruins, pagodas, a nice old town in Hanoi and Hoi An, but nothing as spectacular as Angkor or Bagan, the Shwedagon stupa or the beautiful wats of Bangkok. The beaches are also much better in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. It's one of the best value countries in the world when it comes to food and accomodation. Unfortunately it's very crowded with tourists and the many people trying to make a living from tourism can be less than friendly to say the least.

I think the difference in visitor numbers in these 2 countries show that Vietnam appeals to almsot everyone, it's just a place that is nice to be there, has a special athmosphere, amazing food and landscapes. Pakistan on the other hand appeals to only a limited number of travellers(hardcore mountain fans), but for those few it is Paradise. It's only a pity the chaos and violence there doesn't seem to stop in the near future and it became so difficult to get a visa.