International Travel

I realized I've made it with less than 11 weeks left at my job and haven't used any vacation time. That said, no one I know has more than 2 vacation days (they all only got 5 total and I got 2 weeks).

I'm considering taking a trip by myself to the Philippines or Vietnam or something but don't really know a lot about either.

So my question is, has anyone done any international travel alone? And if so, what was your experience like? I think what makes me the most nervous is having no handle on the language...

i don't know asia at all, but i love travelling alone.  you get to make all your own decisions, go where you want when you want, and you will meet more people being on your own that you would if you're with a friend.

between the two, i think i would feel safer in the philippines.  that's not based on anything other than the most general of impressions, so please do your own research!!  get yourself a lonely planet book, check out travel advisories with your embassy, etc.

as far as the language, get a phrase book, learn what you can before you go, and pick stuff up when you get there.  if you can get by in korea, ali, you'll be fine wherever you go ;)

yay!  i'm excited for you!

Well, coming to Korea was really easy for me for some reason. I guess having a job and an apartment lined up eases the transition. And I could read hangeul (Korean alphabet) before I got here. I'm not sure I have the patience to learn more Asian alphabets.

But I think I'll hit up the bookstore this weekend and go through some Lonely Planets.

I've been all over Europe:  France, GB, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Greece...Europe isn't so bad language wise, any of the big areas will have english all over the place.  Looks like you're in the pacific though, so this might be tougher for you to get there.

Vietnam, the Phillipines, Thailand...any of those places I recommend large touristy metropolitan areas if you're planning to go alone.  Before you leave, make sure someone at home has a copy of your itinerary and that you check in with them frequently.  Take your passport AND keep a photocopy of it on your person just in case.  I'd also call the local US (if you're american) embassy or consulate and let them know that you'll be in country, I think the state.gov website lets you register your trip.

If you do think you'd be able/like to give Europe a try, look up Ryan Air on the internet.  You can fly into a Ryan Air Hub and get a killer deal on a last minute travel deal to pretty much anywhere with airfare and lodging dirt cheap, just come prepared for anything.   You can fly into Hahn in Germany and end up in south africa, have to be pretty plucky to try this, but it'd be fun. 

Have fun and be safe, and if you have a buddy you think would like to go with you, I'd recommend it.  Safety in numbers and all. 

a fellow teacher at my school has gone to Vietnam by herself three times - she loves it there

she doesn't speak the language either, but gets along just fine, she says

the only drawback about it, she told me, was that she tends to eat very little when she's over there because she doesn't want to eat dog meat and thinks they might serve it to her anyway... she says that as far as restaurants go, there's like 5 star places and then there's like the local shops that are (she says) borderline sanitation-wise and nothing in between

so she just eats rice and vegetables the whole time she's there and she also said she takes things like granola bars and that sort of thing with her

after thinking about it - i wonder if she might have a slight bit of a cleanness compulsion??  :)

And last year I met a lady from the philippines on a train ride and she said that the touristy areas are great and you'll never know (unless you get out of the resort areas) about the impoverished areas with the crime and poor living conditions

So I think you're fine either way.  She said the the resorts in the Philippines cater to Australians and Americans and so the people who work there tend to speak English.

I have travelled to Asia (cambodia, Laos, norther Thailand) and have had no trouble with the language.  You will always find someone who speaks English, and in my experience the locals try so hard to please tourists (not sure if its the same in Vietnam).|
Even if you use hand gestures you can generally get your point across.

Do learn the basics, Hello, good bye, thank you etc, the locals love it when you try to speak their language.

Oh.... i am so jealous, I want to come with you!

oh yeah, and good advice from sharpey about leaving a copy of passport etc with someone.  I like to scan them and send then to my email just in case I need them last minute....

If you do think you'd be able/like to give Europe a try

I'd love to go to Europe, it's just not economically a good choice right now. I'm in Korea so the flights are pretty expensive. I'm planning a big trip after I finish grad school so I can through Nepal/Bangladesh/India up into Kazahkstan, through Russia and go through Europe and fly home from London. However, I've got a couple years for that. Since I'm in Korea, I'm focusing on East/Southeast Asia right now.

Nomo-- I'm a clean freak too but I know it's something I need to let my guard down about. I've eaten at some pretty sketch places here in Seoul (cleanliness-wise). They eat dog meat here but at least it's restricted to certain restaurants. I only eat chicken and tuna anyway so rice and veggies will work for me. haha But I want to stay away from the tourist areas. For me, I want to experience the country and culture as much as I can and tourist areas just give you the watered down stuff. :P

Lola- I'd prefer to be going to Cambodia/Laos but for some reason the flights are crazy expensive right now.

Great advice though! :) I have a copy of my passport here but I'll definitely make sure to leave a copy with a friend. And try to scan one to email to myself.

We actually didn't fly into Cambodia.  We took a bus from Bangkok to the Thai/Cambodian border and then a taxi to Siem Reap.  I think it was about a full days travel, but worth it if a flight to Bangkok is cheaper.  There is a bus that leaves from Kho San Road to the border!

Check out the Thorn Tree forum on the lonely planet website.  Loads of great information and you can ask millions of questions!

I've been to Germany and Finland but knew someone there, so they tend to handle communication and stuff. I wish I could be more independent though (I wait til my bf gets home before I'll go shopping etc :s), but I feel so awkward and too shy to try and speak the words I know. I think you have an advantage being a different race than the people in the country you'll go to, since everyone here assumes I'm Finnish, at least they will know to speak English to you :P

Anyways I'm sure you'll be fine wherever you go, it probably won't be all that different than when you went to Korea and had to adjust there.

I lived in Germany by myself for acouple years and Greece for awhile. My cousin went to England and Ireland and Scotland by herself last year. You can always join tour groups and sight see but don't have to worry about what someone with you wants to do. Sometimes I just need to get away by myself. Europe is alway good they speak English most of the time.

haha Well, again, I can't go to Europe right now and tour groups in Asia are too expensive. They're geared towards the wealthy for sure. I'm looking for super budget travel (staying in hostels or renting a dirty, little cottage). I just didn't know if anyone (females mostly) had done any international travel alone.

Go to Singapore! Language won't be a problem, most do speak English (shouldn't be problem in Philippines either). I traveled in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, and Australia -- by myself while I was between 17-20. Slept in airports and cheap hotels. Things are actually probably safer now than they were then.  Just remember to keep a business card of the hotel you are staying at with you (so you can show a taxi driver), drink only bottled water (although your system may be ok since you've been in Korea for a while).  The rules for eating are pretty much the same as in Korea -- a little safer if you are staying in a major tourist resort area.

Have Fun!

You could also go to Vladivostok, Irkutsk, and Lake Bailkal in Russia since you're next trip won't take you through that region.  

I've actually thought about flying up into Vladivostok since it's not that far from here I just have been having trouble finding flights listed on the travel agency site I've been using here. And at least with Russia I have a decent grasp on the language. :P

Hmm... maybe I'll go there. I hate hot weather and it's gonna be hot and rainy in southeast Asia for summer...