8 Weeks In Asia/8 weeks in Europe. Please Help!

Hey everyone, thanks for your help in responding to this. I'm 22 year old guy getting set to take off on January 24th for Asia. I am looking to hit Southeast Asia, a little China and India in 8 weeks before taking off for Western Europe. I need help with the spots in Asia that I should go as I am reading great things on sights to see, but I am concerned with staying busy and being adventurous since I will be doing it alone.

I am tentatively going to hit:

1. Sumatra (or Bali)
2. Kuala Lumpur
3. Phuket
4. Bangkok
5. Chiang Mei
6. Ho Chi Minh City
7. Delhi
8. Goa
9. Mumbai
10. Off to Europe

Is this unrealistic in 8 weeks? Are there things I should be more focused on, and will I meet other travelers to meet up with in these locations. Hopefully you can help me decide and finalize something. I feel like Sumatra will be lonely and I've been to Bali before, so maybe Indonesia is something to miss. I also feel like it's not enough time for India.

I think you have to go with what you think will be cool to see.

Everyone is different, some people like pretty temples, some like natural wonders, others like to sit around in a bar every night and spend the next day on a beach.

I think it's best if you make a basic plan, try to work out how you could get from one place to the next - part of the fun. But don't try and get to too many places, or book too much, as that makes it harder to change your mind, if you're not liking somewhere, or if you're loving a place so much you don't want to have to leave just because you've booked a flight.

Most of all, get a little book, work out how much money you have each day for spending and then for accommodation, and then write down everything you spend each day. This is a real must - though most people seem not to do it. But one of the main reasons people have to cut their trip short is because they over spend.

If you add up your money at the end of each week, and you're under, you can then do something special or cool.

My partner and I have a budget of GBP15 for spending and GBP10 for accommodation, and we're doing fine. (I think some travellers cope on half this).

Whatever you do, have fun and enjoy the planning.

Dante

Hi there,

*I personally would head for Cambodia and Angkor rather than Ho Chi Minh. Saigon was the place I enjoyed the least in Vietnam... Then again we all have different tastes.

*You say you want to go to China but I don't see it in your itinerary

* India: People love it or hate it. I was there for almost a month and it took a little while before I could start having an opinion on it... There's just so much to take in... but I did love it. In retrospect, it was amazing and I want to go back. I would never discourage someone from going but I do think the longer the better. I guess it all depends on what you're hoping to see there and whether or not you think you'll have another opportunity.

* Of course you'll meet other travellers. Did you plan on sticking to big cities?

* Did you plan on flying to India? Also, you didn't include Agra. Don't you want to see the Taj Mahal? (Don't feel obliged to. I'm curious...)

*You're talking about skipping Indonesia. Have you bought your plane ticket yet? If so from where to where?

"First-Time Asia" from Rough Guides is a great book for planning. It might help you...

I'd agree with the above in that you never know what you are going to like, so flexibility is important. I will say though that Mumbai and Delhi are two places where you want to have your accommodations squared away beforehand. Neither of those cities in my opinion necessitate more than 4-5 days. I highly recommend a side trip to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple. While everyone runs to the Taj as it's one of those sights you almost feel obligated to check out when you're in India, the GT is a place that people often miss but it's so spiritually profound that to me, it's more magical than the Taj. You can take an overnight train there.

PS - Don't travel any less than 2nd Class Air-Conditioned Sleeper. It's a must.

i disagree nothing wrong with planning a trip with fixed places sticking to it and enjoying yourself...this seems like plenty of time for asia...plenty of budget flights to get around quickly (flykingfisher india, air asia -SEA, and many more)..enjoy yourself and have a great time

I would recommend Hanoi over Ho Chi Minh, but travelclown's suggestion of Angkor Wat I think is a good one too. If you go to Malaysia you may want to go to Georgetown of something over KL. I've heard one of two nights there is enough if you go.

i second hanoi of HCMC...also i second 1-2 nights in KL is plenty...really not that much going on, hard to navigate city if you dont take taxis (but do its not that cheap and if the taxi doesn't use the meter, get out!) Be aware that if you are in a part of the city that few taxis run through, most few taxis will know this and gauge you on the price for the ride...

HCMC is cool, but Hanoi has a lot to offer, more nooks and crannies I felt like the old quarter which was really cool

I third Hanoi over Saigon.

You could easily spend 8 weeks in any one of those countries (especially India and Indonesia)...so to me your itinerary does seem a little rushed.

Everybody likes different things - I'd stick with Sumatra (I'm going at the end of this month!) but cut out Bali (you've been there) and most of the touristy backpacker stuff in Thailand...but that's personal taste there. I'd take a random hop through the middle of nowhere anyday over Chiang Mai.

India is fantastic and you could spend years exploring it - I found the Punjab quite interesting but not for tourist sites beyond the Golden Temple. I could spend ages in Mumbai just soaking up the craziness. The Taj is worth a visit but people inflate its importance in their trip...that's not to say it's not spectacular. The rest of Agra is a stinking hole, unfortunately.

I always tell people never to travel in A/C sleeper in India unless it's an overnight train. (better to travel AC for overnight trips for comfort). If it's a train that goes through the day though, you won't see anything out the window with AC, but you'll see all sorts of interesting things in non-AC as the windows open.

quote:

I third Hanoi over Saigon.

I suggested Angkor, but if you must go to Vietnam, Hanoi is the place to go... From there, you can also easily do a sidetrip to Halong Bay or Sapa (up north to see the minorities)

Hi. I did Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Japan in 10 weeks, and I also taught English for a week in Cambodia during this time. Your 8 weeks will be plenty of time. Have a proposed itinerary, with a about 8 places - so a week a place. But try not to have anything too much set in stone, like the others said, you may love somewhere and hate somewhere else. I didn't enjoy Laos too much so left earlier than intended (Laos seems to be like India, love or hate) and I loved Cambodia and ended up there for 2 weeks. If you book everything before you leave, you may end up losing money because you really love somewhere and want to stay longer and have to book a later flight.

Internal flights and other transport is so readily available and easily booked out there, don't worry about having it all sorted this end before you go. It is not like traveling 30 years ago when everything was very difficult and off the beaten track. You are following in the footsteps of millions of other backpackers and those countries will cater for you in every way with travel agents abound.

The only thing you might consider, in order to save money is to fly to Bangkok first. It may seem backwards, as you will then have to travel south, but it is the main airport in Asia and most travelers use this as a base for their travels because flights are much cheaper to Bangkok and domestic and local flights are very cheap also. (For example, I picked up flights: £50 to Laos and £20 to Cambodia from Bangkok). It is very much catered to westerners in Bangkok and so organising transport visas and trips from Bangkok is usually much easier than other countries, plus you will be immediately immersed into the backpacking scene (esp if you stay on khao san road).

I would try and add Cambodia into you schedule, also I disagree with the others about missing off Ho Chi Minh. You will not get to to see the Ku Chi tunnels and learn about the Khymer Rouge and the war in such great detail if you miss here. However, if it's a choice over Cambodia: Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh over Vietnam, I would def choose Cambodia.

If it were me I would do, spending about 1 week in each:
1.Thailand - Bangkok, Chiang Mei, islands, which ever bits interest you the most. (Don't bother with Phuket, it is the most touristy place after Pattaya). Maybe you could do a trek in Chiang Mei? Great way to meet other people and will break you in to traveling. Try to do the trek in the Pai region, which only has a bout 12 people doing the trek rather than 20-50.
2. Vietnam: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. (Poss stop half way for a day in Nha Trang or Hoi An)
3. Cambodia: Phnom Penh and Angkok Wat (Use the river boat as transport to get between the two, its a great way to see the river and great scenery)
4. Maybe head back to Bangkok for a night or fly straight to: Kuala Lumpar
5. Bali
6. Delhi
7. Goa
8. Mumbai.

Then head off to Europe! If you need any help, just email me. Have a fabulous time!!!!
daniellercorby@yahoo.co.uk