Where to go to hole up and write?

I'm working a long soul-crushing gig, that, while it allows no time for creative pursuits (12+ hour days!!!), pays pretty well. The plan? As soon as it's over and all my holiday family dues are paid up, I'm taking my little chunk of savings and hitting the road.

I'm a writer and a slow traveler, and while obviously I'd like to see amazing sights and experience new things, I mainly want a place I can hunker down and let my creative juices flow. Preferably for not very much money.

The particulars:

US passport holder, female, leaving from New York in January or February. Traveling alone.

Hoping to stay in one country for a couple or three months. Not interested in places which issue only 30 day visas, or places where there's a built in "circuit" that forms the main mode of travel with no one spot that's worth more than a few days.

Not over concerned about being someplace in the "right" season. I'm totally fine with Ukraine in the snow, Vietnam in the rain, whatever. In fact, being somewhere in the off season might be nice because I'll be forced to stay indoors and write. That said, I need to actually be able to get there and find a room.

I am not afraid to be A Woman Traveling Alone In [Scary Place]. Touts irritate me, but I'm aware of the distinction between annoyance and actual danger.

I'm not too worried about Dangerous Places in general, though I'm not up for anywhere that is really physically unsafe for tourism (i.e. not Libya). Also I need to be able to bring my laptop without being a walking target.

Decent internet access would be great.

I love food, culture, art, language, and history, and I'm fascinated by religion (but not in a "believer" sort of way). Former anthropology major.

My budget is going to be somewhere around $3000. I would like to stay wherever I go for at least a month. This would include a little bit of sight seeing, but mostly just basing myself in one place. I would like to not spend all of that money on flights.

Past travels have brought me to Italy, the former Yugoslavia, Peru, and India. Of those places, I'd be up for returning to India but otherwise fairly keen to see new sights. Lifetime bucket list includes Russia, Tibet, Spain, Iran, Egypt, Cambodia, Turkey, Morocco, Ethiopia, Mali, Singapore, Afghanistan, and probably some others I'm not thinking of. Africa is my next continent I'd like to cross off the list, but I'm not married to that if it's not perfect for this trip.

Ideas:

A second visit to India, this time basing myself in one city. Last time I backpacked all over the country.

Marrakech, or possibly another Moroccan city that's more picturesque/affordable?

Ethiopia, basing myself in Gonder, Lalibela, Axum, or Harrar. Yes, I am aware that Ethiopia barely has ATM's, let alone good internet access.

Argentina, basing myself in Buenos Aires or Mendoza, whatever's cheaper and/or more interesting.

Vague notions out of left field: somewhere very cheap in Eastern Europe? Laos? Southeastern Turkey? Syria? Oaxaca?

Thoughts? Advice? Recommendations? Where would you go if you had a few thousand USD and wanted to hole up and get creative for a few months?

Iceland

Iceland? On that budget. No way.
I'm planning on staying in Vietnam for two months (you can get a three month, multiple entry visa). I researched and I'll live quite well on 1000 dollars a month. You can travel across the country on cheap trains. Train travel takes ages but you can take the opportunity to write as there will be no other distractions. You can easily stay in Ha noi for a month, then head down to a beach area and spend the following month there, or hop over to Cambodia as it's really close.

On my RTW Vietnam came in #16 on best bang for the buck, with Iceland #17. Guess just depends on how one travels, plus Iceland is 1/2 a world closer to the US than SE Asia. Not to mention that I could spend 3 months in Iceland very well , where a month in Vietnam would drive me bonkers.

hotel room in Iceland: Minimum 100 dollars (I suspect much more)
In Vietnam: from 20 dollars

Dinner in Iceland (proper one, not just a hot dog) - 30-40 dollars
In Vietnam: proper dinner from 1 dollar

Train in Iceland - there are no trains, but long distance buses are super expensive
In Vietnam: can remember exactly where but trains and buses are cheap

I could go on and on

How exactly did you find Iceland cheap?

City Hostel Reykjavik Aug 09 $35 breakfast included, average $23/food (not hot dogs) + a beer or 2

All day bus tour only $68

Traveled backpacker style, NOT the 5* tourist prices you are quoting

Besides the OP is talking about settling in & writing not traveling so I am sure she could keep expenses down & not have to put up with rude, scamming Vietnamese like I found in Hue.

BTW no trains in Cambodia either! Perhaps you should visit Iceland before making assumptions on costs!

I'm assuming the writer doesn't want to stay in a dorm since she wants to write. She will need a quiet room on her own and maybe even something like a desk. A hotel is as much as I mentioned. I have researched iceland well as I was planning to visit but then found it to be expensive.
The difference in food price is still huge.
She said she'd like to move around every month or so. Considering the distance covered, there is really no comparison between the high cost in Iceland and the relatively cheap one in Vietnam.

You've also quoted prices from 09. Prices have gone up since then.

I did not mention a train to Cambodia. You can get to Cambodia by bus from Ho Chi Minh City.

Even if a hostel bed was what the author was looking for, at the price quoted that would still add up to 2000 dollars for three months. Then, she'd have 1000 dollars to live off (after paying for the flight, of course). Wait, if you mean 35 dollars per night, then that's actually 3000 dollars for accommodation alone.

Back to the OP...

Argentina would be a good choice I think as they have an amazing cafe culture which is very European but at a fraction of the price. I was only there two weeks but it was enough for me to decide that if I ever write a book spending some time down there to do it would be ideal! But then I really enjoy working in cafes and coffee shops and the like.

When I was there btw I was primarily based in Mendoza province for my work and didn't get to BA at all (flew through Santiago). From what I hear it would certainly be a much more vibrant city to be based in, Mendoza was fine enough but not too much going for the city proper (though the best hostel I've ever stayed at is there, Hostel Lao).

Also if you like India but are interested in something slightly different, Nepal does 3 month visas. Kathmandu and Pokhara have decent Internet, and it's dirt cheap.

From what little I've seen and heard about Ethiopia from those who were based there as NGOs, I don't think Ethiopia is a good choice for what you want to do.

Wow.

I'm probably not going to pick Iceland. I've priced it out a few times - for a short trip, not something like this - and it just doesn't seem worth the money. Icelandic cuisine is also one of the few that I find distinctly unappetizing. Also, isn't Iceland more "sporty" than cultural as a tourist destination?

If I were going to head for Europe on this trip I'd be more likely to head for Berlin or a smaller/less touristed city outside the Eurozone.

Similarly, SE Asia is also probably not in the cards. It sounds nice, but better for a traveling jaunt than as a place to hunker down. There are just too many countries and too many amazing experiences.

Re a dorm/hostel vs. a room of my own: honestly I can get my writing done just about anywhere - I'm a big fan of working in cafes and libraries, and I find that one of the best things about a good hostel is the ability to find your own little corner and veg out. I also like the potential of working for the hostel and being able to stay longer and cheaper. That said, one of the reasons I'm tempted to head back towards India is that when I was there in 2008 I could have a room of my own - often in really lovely hotels - for almost nothing. I had a huge room in a colonial mansion in Darjeeling during the off season for something like $4 a night. That's exactly the sort of place I have in mind for this trip.

I don't really plan on changing venues every month - I'm not sure where folks got that from my post? I see myself more basing myself in one place and heading on short side trips from there. So for example spending a month in Marrakech with a week in Spain, a few days in Essouaria, a trip into the desert, etc.

Glad to hear opinions on both Argentina and Ethiopia. Also, the El Salvador idea is an interesting one.

Sorry! I got the impression you wanted to move after one month from here:

'Hoping to stay in one country for a couple or three months.'

and here:

'I would like to stay wherever I go for at least a month.'

This is one of those cases when the poster has already made up his mind while posting (I mean it in a good way). You seem really keen on India, so go for it!

I think people are misreading both of those statements - in fact I meant the exact OPPOSITE of wanting to change venues regularly. I meant I'd like to choose one country or region and stay there for my whole trip, and I'd like said trip to be at least a couple or three months.

In other words I'd prefer to spend two months in Oaxaca rather than a week in Mexico City, another in San Cristobal, two more traveling between Mayan sites, a couple weeks in Guatemala, over to Honduras to check out Copan, blah blah blah. I just want to go somewhere and be.

(And yes, a part of me really just wants to go back to India. I'm surprised there aren't more people here telling me to head for Morocco or Turkey, though!)

Sara C. wrote:Wow.

That said, one of the reasons I'm tempted to head back towards India is that when I was there in 2008 I could have a room of my own - often in really lovely hotels - for almost nothing. I had a huge room in a colonial mansion in Darjeeling during the off season for something like $4 a night. That's exactly the sort of place I have in mind for this trip.

No need to think about working for a cheaper bed I'd say! Just concentrate on the writing.
If you've been to India, know you like it (people seem to either love it or hate it) and know it offers what you're looking for, then save the rest of the world from Turkey to Iceland to Cambodia for another trip!

If you were wanting a slow pace of life, I'd suggest Luang Prabang, but South East Asia will wait for you too!

Sara C. wrote:I think people are misreading both of those statements - in fact I meant the exact OPPOSITE of wanting to change venues regularly. I meant I'd like to choose one country or region and stay there for my whole trip, and I'd like said trip to be at least a couple or three months.

In other words I'd prefer to spend two months in Oaxaca rather than a week in Mexico City, another in San Cristobal, two more traveling between Mayan sites, a couple weeks in Guatemala, over to Honduras to check out Copan, blah blah blah. I just want to go somewhere and be.

(And yes, a part of me really just wants to go back to India. I'm surprised there aren't more people here telling me to head for Morocco or Turkey, though!)

*shrug* Dunno about others, but I don't like espousing about places I've never been is all.

And yep, it sounds like your're interested in India, so you can always just go there and pick some part of it you haven't been to yet to keep things interesting. No shame in that.

Getting back to the OPs original question...I have to admit that I'm a bit confused by what you want. On the one hand, you talk about wanting a place where you can "hunker down" to do some writing. On the other hand, you talk about wanting to do day trips and experience things, etc.

In my opinion, you've got to choose one or the other. If you really want to hunker down and do some writing, then you're best off in a place with few distractions. Rolf Potts, for example, wrote his book Vagabonding in Ranong, Thailand, a boring little town on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. (and yes I've been there and yes it's boring).

Anyway, just something to think about.

What I mean is that I want to be able to stay a while and get some work done, and I don't plan to be constantly on the move. But I'm not looking for some godforsaken nowhere, either - if I wanted that, I could probably stay in my grandparents' cabin in rural Mississippi for almost free.

What I'm thinking of is more like the three weeks I spent in Cusco, Peru. I never ventured out of Cusco and the Sacred Valley, but I had my pick of whether to have writing time, do something around Cusco, or go visit other parts of the valley. But I was based in Cusco - even if I went to Ollantaytambo for a couple days or whatever, I came back to Cusco in the end. I wasn't overlanding from Ecuador to Bolivia or something like that.

Anyway, I think I have the advice I need. I'm now deciding between India, Mexico, and Morocco, as well as trying to figure out where in those countries I'd base myself.