So in my recent trip to Laos, I had the opportunity to trip balls on shrooms and I had a vision of myself backpacking. The idea of backpacking and wandering around foreign lands, facing inevitable hardships, and meeting people along the way always appealed to me. In my recent trip I mostly hung around backpackers and it was a great experience to meet all those cool people. Most of them were Europeans younger than me (early/mid 20s) and I have great admiration for them for being so adventurous. In my early 20s I was too much a pussy to do anything out of my comfort zone. Backpacking would've been a great learning experience for me but I had a lot holding me back.
While traveling with them I got a break from the routine of regular modern life and experienced more passion than I usually encounter. People were so open and friendly. Backpacking also seems to attract certain kind of people and I seem to get along with such people better. I've become disillusioned with meeting women where I live but I feel like if I ever fall in love again, it'll be while I'm traveling with a woman who is traveling as well.
It seems clearer than ever that I need this experience. I need to get away from first world life. So when my contract with my current job is over, I'm not going to renew and go backpacking. This is a thread for any tips and suggestions or to share experiences if you've have done it.
A few things I'm considering:
I'm leaning heavily towards South East Asia + India. Since I already live in Asia, the flights will be cheaper and closer, and with a Korean passport, it's easier for me get into most other Asian countries. I've also been to a few SEA countries so it'll be more familiar. Europe would be amazing but it's expensive, and Latin America is too far (flights are expensive). Africa would be quite the trip but it's also too far and perhaps way too unfamiliar. I want to go somewhere completely different from what I'm used to, which is why I added India to the list.
A very rough list of places is : India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. I've skipped some countries in between like Bhutan and Bangladesh, but I'm wondering if they're worth going. I would love to visit Okinawa on the way back home but I might not have the money. I might put somewhere in China on the list because it sounds ridiculous to have a trip around Asia and never go to China.
Money. This is going to be the biggest factor in how long I travel and and which countries I can visit. I'll likely stick to the cheaper ones and likely skip Singapore or Hong Kong. I'd love to visit Japan again but it's also too expensive. I'll need to learn how to budget tightly.
Weather. This is my most pressing concern at the moment. The earliest I can start is in March, where I know the weather in many SEA countries become rainier and hotter and more humid and conducive to mosquitoes. I'd prefer to go in the winter (start now) but I have a job to go to.
Any tips or suggestions for budgeting? Safety? Absolute essentials you need?
Has anyone here done it? What did you learn from it?
@KrazyKanadian @TheWorm
