Travel Ideas

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum so not sure I’m posting the right place!

I am a 29 y/o female and in September I have a break of 2 months between jobs, I want to use this time to travel and would appreciate some ideas!

I have travelled before but never solo.
I have travelled a fair amount of Europe, Cuba, some of SE Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia), I’ve been to roughly 35 counties in total.

Budget wise- I would like to keep costs lower but i do have a fair amount of money saved so it’s not a huge concern. I will likely stay in hostels etc.

Ideas
1) Return to SE Asia - Thailand, Cambodia, Laos
2) Australia and New Zealand
3) Central America - Guatemala, Belize and then maybe somewhere in South America
(Although I only speak some basic Spanish)

Just wondering If anyone has any ideas of routes or destinations for that time period (sept and oct).

Thank you,

Sophie

Hi Sophie

Welcome to the forums.

SE Asia will be the cheapest of your 3 options, though a lot of it will be quite similar to what you've done before. If that appeals then go for it.

Re Australia and New Zealand, I am biased but I think NZ has much more to see of the two. And two months is about the right amount of time to see it properly. I wouldn't attempt to see both countries in that timeframe, unless you want to sample briefly and go back another time. September/October is spring in NZ, you can get some unsettled weather but things will be much quieter than the peak season in December.

I've not seen much of Central America so can't really advise on that one. I imagine there will be less competition on flight routes there than to SEA so is likely to be more expensive. Certainly lack of deregulation for airlines means flights between countries in South America will be very expensive compared to Europe or SEA.

If it were me, I'd spend two months doing NZ end to end, hostelling as a way of meeting other travellers, and using one of the bus passes to get around cheaply. It's not the cheapest place, partly due to a supermarket duopoly, but aside from food costs an awful lot of the activity is seeing the outdoors so is free. Friendly culture, traveller-friendly, plenty of variety - volcanoes, glaciers, mountains, Maori culture, hot springs, beaches, wildlife, native bush, some of the best hiking trails in the world, Art Deco towns, lakes, fjords, and geothermal wonderlands. If you're outdoorsy it's the best.

September and October is the end of the low season AKA the green season (rainy) in Central America so it is a good time to go there. I've been to Belize, Costa Rica, the Yucatan and a little bit of Guatamalea. and my last visit to Costa Rica was in August because I wanted to see the turtle nesting. My last visit to Ecuador was in September (the Galapagos) Most people visit when it is winter in the northern hemisphere - that's why it is the low season - not because the weather is bad then. The rainy season isn't that bad in Costa Rica on the west coast or in the central mountains, and if it rains - well you are in a rain forest.

Belize is an English speaking nation and in Costa Rica the travel industry has a lot of English speakers. South America and Mexico are fairly inexpensive. Costa Rica has volcanoes, hot springs, beaches, wildlife, about 12 kinds of rainforest and some interesting museums. Belize has scuba and snorkeling and Mayan sites. Guatamalea has Tikal which is one of the best of the Mayan sites.

Also the ABC islands are quite close to the South American coast and they have all the beaches you could want.

I've been to Peru and Ecuador also and there is a lot to see there. Peru is very dry on the Pacific side.

As far as I know, none of those places have glaciers.

But I've always wanted to see New Zealand and I've already seen a lot of Central and South American and the Caribbean. So if I were doing it, I'd go to New Zealand. Although I think I am past hostelling.

Hi Soph,
If it is September-October then I South Asia would also be an option. Weather would be nice in this region as it would be the beginning of winter and end of rainy season. Also they celebrate some big festivals during October in Nepal and India. Trekking in Himalayas would be a choice too if you are a fan of long hikes. I think it is very affordable costwise too. Bhutan would be a bit costly as they have imposed some minimum criteria for daily expenditure for tourists, but still it is very beautiful country.

South Asia is a good suggestion, particularly in the Himalayas, such as Ladakh and Nepal, where there are harvest festivals. Australia and New Zealand also is a good suggestion. Spend a month in each. It will be cool/chilly in the South Island in September-October with changeable weather. You'll find a similar climate in Tasmania. If you're interested in both, fly to Melbourne, hop over to Tasmania, return to Melbourne or Sydney and fly to Christchurch or Queenstown on the South Island. Suggest Christchurch, where you can board the TranzAlpine to Greymouth, then take buses south. Be sure to take boat trips to Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. The North Island is worth visiting, too. Fly home from Auckland. I'll be traveling in Northeast India and New Zealand from Oct. 25-Dec. 28, with stopovers in Singapore and Brisbane. I'll fly Dec. 29 to Honolulu from Auckland.