South America vs Southeast Asia

Yay for choosing South America! The vibe is totally different there than SE Asia, and I think much better for a first trip by an introspective person. (If you're a partier, SE Asia as young and irresponsibly as possible is practically a right-of-passage, and you will deal with many of these types in your travels there).

Where to start - let price be your guide! It doesn't matter all that much as far as pros and cons of one place versus another and what it's like to be there for the first time. Don't overthink it. I'm guessing Buenos Aires or Santiago will be cheapest to fly into. Maybe Lima.

If you are planning only the Andean countries,and you have enough time (like 3 months)then I'd probably fly into Quito and work my way down....fly out of Bolivia.If you want to go to the Salar in Bolivia that means you'll have to do a loop there,heading south and then back to La Paz or Santa Cruz.

Alternative would be go on to Santiago or BA,but you really need more time for that....or else start in Lima and leave out Ecuador(but the best mountains are in Ecuador/northern Peru).

I think Ecuador is probably a good place to start, it's a smoother landing than starting in La Paz and though you'll be zig-zagging up and down the Andes it's also lower than La Paz so altitude won't be as severe. THough if you're going to climb Cotopaxi give yourself some time to get used to altitude. In terms of flying out, you could actually consider getting your return flight from Santiago de Chile. That way you can visit Bolivia ending with Uyuni, cross over to San Pedro de Atacama and then just bus from there to Santiago (it's about 24hrs bus ride but a comfortable bus) or if you have time you can break the journey. Quito/Santiago is likely to be cheaper than Quito/La Paz.

@backpackbogger
Yeah I don't think partying is my main concern at the moment, you're right. If I'm to meet people I'd rather be there for the place and people rather than just to party. I think I'll fly into Lima because I'd like to start in Ecuador.
@Lucapal
I could extend the trip a bit, I just set 2 months because I don't know what to expect in terms of homesickness, since this will be the longest I've gone from home. But would just popping into Chile to grab a flight home really extend my trip by much?
@ToadofToadHall
I thought that made lots of sense but it turns out that flying back from la Paz is actually 200$ cheaper! Of course I'm not booking the ticket right this minute so that could change. Yeah I've read about possible altitude sickness, I've got a Rough Guides travel guide so I've been reading through that.
Could you explain to me why I'd be zigzagging? Do the Andes run kinda parallel to my trip?

If it's cheaper to fly back from La Paz then you can loop back from Uyuni, it's shorter.

By zig-zaging what I mean is that though you'll be following the Andes and will spent most of your time in the mountains chances are that in Northern Peru you'll find yourself on the coast (Lima is by the sea), you may also chose to do a side trip into the Amazon in Ecuador, Peru or Bolivia.

Op...if you want to start in Ecuador,better to fly into Quito not Lima....

As Toad suggests,definitely worth doing a side trip into the Amazon...if you are concerned about budget,I'd do that in Bolivia.

And if you don't want to rush too much I'd really try to push it up to 3 months...there's a lot to see and do and travel is slow-particularly in the mountains.

@Toad
Yeah I definitely will be zigzagging in that case, I'd like to see the the coasts, mountains and plateaus, and rainforests are also definitely on my list.
@Lucapal
Hahaha total brain fart on my part.
As for 3 months, aside from the budget aspect, I have no idea how I'll react to being in South America. I'd like to think that I'll be gung ho and ready to take on three months once I get there, but the truth is by the end of even a month I might be homesick and tired of being in South America. If my budget allows I'll see if I can push it to 2.5-3 months, and hope for the best. How'd you feel during your first solo trip?

My first long solo trip was in Europe,many years ago ;-)

One whole summer on a tiny budget......cheapest possible hostel beds,sleeping on benches and in parks type trip.It was great!

Haven't been to South America but Southeast Asia is awesome.

It has everything really. Amazing food, interesting cultures, places with great nightlife (and on the flip side places that are incredibly tranquil), some great sites, hiking, diving. As I said.. just about everything.