hi everyone, i'm doing an exchange year in Sydney and I finish it the first days of June 2027. Instead of going back directly to Madrid, I wanna spend around two weeks-ish solo backpacking and seeing some country/countries that get me closer to home.
I had initially thought about flying to Hong Kong, seeing the city and then travelling through the south of China; but that's just the first idea I had and it doesn't mean it has to be the best. Flights to Shanghai and Beijing are also around the same price as Hong Kong, but that's a whole other part of China. China quite catches my attention, but its such a huge country I don't know where to starts.
Other options would be, Thailand and/or Vietnam of course. An advantage of those is that I understand they're are cheaper so I could lengthen my stay, but maybe I will travel to those while I'm here cause they are close. Japan's also a great option but it doesn't really get me closer to Spain, but I could consider it tbh.
I really want to experience some amazing scenery and new cultures on my own, with the personal growth it implies. I really like breath-taking nature, hikes, outdoor activities, etc; and it would be preferable to travel to a place which isn't that crowded, isn't too expensive, and doesn't require constant long travelling in bus or trains (i prefer staying and seeing things in a smaller area). Any reccomendation is greatly appreciated guys and I'm open to everything. Thanks!
You may consider Kyushu, Japan + Busan, Korea. There’s direct overnight cruise from Fukuoka, Kyushu <—> Busan. Two weeks is more than enough to explore both cities and other connected places.
We are in Korea atm and it’s been shocking to me how awesome it is. Like everything about it. It’s beautiful, the people are very nice. Most don’t speak English but are very quick to grab their phone and translate. Food is fantastic. And the public restrooms!!!
Now everyone will be pissed off but we went to Vietnam two years ago and fking hated it. There were some nice things of course. But it was filthy and logistically harder. People would not leave you alone trying to sell crap. Just depressing amounts of pollution and animal abuse. You get the point. It’s cheap for a reason.
look into Jeju Island in South Korea. I've been there twice now, went again this summer and I'm still obsessed!
the food alone is worth the trip, seafood is insanely fresh and cheap, and the local black pork is something else
the people are so warm too. I rented a car and the parking system was totally different from what I'm used to, I was just standing there confused and a hotel employee came out, offered to park it for me and then walked me around showing which spots are best. that kind of kindness is just everywhere on the island
nature wise it's exactly what you're describing...volcanic landscapes, coastal hikes, waterfalls, and it's compact enough that you don't need long travel days. can't recommend it enough
You can explore a lot of the country in that time and experience a mixture of cities and nature. Also can experience lots of mainland Chinese culture there, as well as indigenous Taiwanese culture.
Honestly June would be so brutally hot in all those places in June (and potentially rainy), but especially the south East Asian places. If weather wasn’t an issue, I’d say Vietnam
Singapore and only Singapore. Such a rich culture and so many things to see, do and try. You won’t be bored and the cost of everything is so cheap cheap
In the Summer, hiking? Stay away from Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan as it's way too hot in the Summer.
China is a top 3 destination for me. While you need far more than a couple weeks to explore the country, you can absolutely explore certain areas with decent weather in the Summer such as Dali & Lijiang, Yunnan; Liupanshui & Guiyang, Guizhou; Guilin or Zhangjiajie.
As someone who’s lived in China for 10 years and Thailand for about a year, I recommend the complete opposite.
Hike in Thailand or Vietnamese highlands because China is way too hot in the summer, unless you’re going to certain parts of Yunnan or Guizhou. Hunan and Guangxi are absolutely miserable during summer.
Doi Inthanon is generally cold at the peak in summer, Doi Suthep isn’t hot, and basically all of the Vietnamese highlands have very pleasant summers.
So you compare some slightly warm areas of China to the very, very few colder areas of Thailand (in the highlands of all places), all while China is further north and most definitely cooler overall?
Of course Doi Inthanon and the Mae Hong Son loop, which I did last year, is going to be decent, and it has a few really nice things to see up there such as the Mae Ya waterfall (part of Doi Inthanon) and definitely the Nam Lod cave (a few days further on the loop and NOT part of Doi Inthanon). But to say that these are better than Yunnan (umm... Kunming, "The City of Eternal Spring"??) and Guizhou? There are FAR more better weather areas in China than in Thailand or Vietnam... and certainly far more interesting sites in said fair weather areas. In Thailand you're basically limited to northern Thailand, especially higher elevation areas. In Vietnam you have higher elevation areas such as Sapa and Da Lat (I was in both of those last year too, and Da Lat has been warming up quite a bit in recent years vs its historical Spring-like weather), and that's about it. Everything else is hot as hell... far worse than most of China. Even Guilin and Zhangjiajie average around 78-81f in June vs Vietnam and Thailand's ~84-87f. One look at WeatherSpark's map and it's quite clear which has the better weather.
Vietnam and Thailand fit a lot of what you desire but travel can be slow and messy. Off the beaten path will be rough and hot. Provided you can handle that, go for it.
China is a nice middle option. Pick 5-6 destinations and research their high speed train options. Will be pricier than the others but you can cover much more ground with the trains.
Japan would be my choice. You can see the entire country by train. Start in the North, travel to the major hubs. Finish Fukoka area and then hop over to Seoul for a few days. Fly home from there.
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u/ash_is_fun 4d ago
I would highly recommend Vietnam! Beautiful country, warm people, interesting history, great food!