South America vs Southeast Asia

hmm.. i haven't been to either but i have done extensive research on both, and im planing a trip to asia within the next year. in my opinion SA would be more suited to you, lots of oppertunities for the nature lover, and adventurer.

i live in new brunswick and from here it seems like i have been able to find cheeper flights to SA though it might be a little more expensive when you get there the Asia.

from SA america you may also take a boat to central america (if time and budget allows) i have spent some time there and your line "I want to do adventurous things, such as horseback riding, mountain climbing, zip lining, try my hand at surfing, etc." makes me think it would be very suited to you.

I've been to both regions quite a few times....two great destinations.I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot whichever you choose.Anyway....

Nature....overall I'd say SA.Particularly if you like mountains...though there are plenty in SE Asia too(particularly volcanoes).

Budget......SE Asia is considerably cheaper in general...especially compared to Brazil or Argentina.If you just want to stay in the Andean countries prices are a lot lower.What currency is your budget in? US dollars?

Whether or not you want to meet your friend/your mom......you need to decide ;-)

Neither is going to be very cold-but SE Asia will be hot for sure!
SA temperature is more variable,with great differences due to elevation and the size of the continent

You can do these 'adventurous'things in either...though for surfing I'd definitely go with SE Asia.

Long bus rides are common in both as well,but in SE Asia you also have the budget flight option,which you don't really have in SA (unless your budget is big enough-yours isn't).

Language.....of course you can practice your Spanish in most of SA...but you can get by with English and a few words of the local language in SE Asia too..its a very well-travelled place and most people (at least the ones you will need to deal with-hostels,restaurants,bus stations etc.)can speak/understand basic English.

You can go to Nepal or India they speak english there.

Both great destinations and you should definitely try and visit both at some point, as you're only 18 you've got plenty of time. Given your points above (Mountains, Spanish, Cotopaxi, cold, horseriding....) the decision seems easy - S.America.

Wow thanks for the quick answers everyone. I think that I'm leaning towards South America, I think it's kind of where I wanted to go all along, but it's good to know that considering my interests it really is the obvious choice.

@Lucapal
I am planning on the Andean countries, I'm thinking Ecuador Peru and Bolivia.

And with regards to the language, it's not that I'm afraid I won't be able to get by, I just want to be able to speak to people there in their native language instead of making them speak English. Of course my Spanish isn't really conversational level yet but I think if I'm immersed I'll pick it up pretty quickly.

Look at all the down falls in SA vs India. Crime, in India you will never get robbed or attacked vs SA where you can be sure to be robbed. Cost, SA is expensive.

Aurin, first of all the options being considered were between S. America and S. E. Asia not India, secondly saying that someone is sure to be robbed in S. America is just moronic. Is there crime, yes, but it's mostly opportunistic, I spent about 4.5years in Latin America, during 2 of those years I lead tours around the continent, meaning that I lead hundreds of people around. Of the hundreds I led only a couple people got robbed, and that due to not paying attention. As it happens I also know a couple who got robbed in India.

As for costs, India is cheaper, no doubt, but Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia are pretty cheap countries.

@Aurin, thanks for trying to help out, but India isn't on my radar at the moment, so to speak. I'd love to see it some day but that's for another trip.

@Toad
Thanks for the support. As for my path, should I start in Ecuador or Bolivia? I was thinking Ecuador first because I've read that it doesn't have many "Must-see locations" as the other two countries, so I thought it would be a kind of "South America crash course" for me. I'd like to get used to the idea of actually being in South America before I go see places such as La Paz, and the salt flats. thoughts?