Have about 14 weeks until we go now us two newby travellers on our 6 and a half month trip rtw... everything falling into place but just a few things we are abit rusty on any experiences or advice shared would be great! We are flying to Singapore first, travel SE Asia for 6 weeks then onto sydney for christmas and new year have a total of 2months in Oz doing the east coast, fly into christchurch Nz and leave auckland after 5 weeks. From the we fly to Santiago, Chile. We are hoping to book some sort of volunteering in South America Spend abit of time in Rio and then that is our last stop........
Hey,
Singapore is really nice, we only stayed two nights, did the city bus tour which literally takes you round the whole of singapore, did the night safari as well was ok but nothing special if your on a budget.
Best SEA i went to was Koh Tao, such a beautiful island can do diving there, chill out its perfect, changi mai is always very good, lots of trecking and thai boxing. Phi Phi is brilliant for partying its non stop beach parties.
Oz experirence is such a rip off, we got the Premier bus which is cheaper than the greyhound they just have less buses on which is fine we always got on a bus when we wanted to.
Sydney is definaltey the place to be on New Year, you'll probably meet up with friends you make at the hostel and go with the crowd, we was staying at Manly so we stayed on our side of the bridge and went to a park facing Torango Zoo, not as croweded as Botanical gardens, can take your own alchol not a lot of places let you, but sure the hostel your in will all be heading out to one of the spots where you can take your own beer. There was 30 of us from our hostel we got there around 1 in the afternoon, took lots of games like twister, bat and ball had a massive game of rounders, jumping in the harbour at midnight best experience ever, plus buses are free that night so get home pretty easy on the bus with a kebab.
I did the kiwi experirence its really good, i got a really cheap deal at the hostel at the time so just booked on it, bit annoying sometimes you have to go back to stay at the palces you've already been. But campvan in nz is very popular and really easy to get around.
South Island is i think better than the North, Queestown is very popular so i'd save extra days if you can to spend there, there is the bungy jumps, sking if your in season and lots and lots of bars. NZ everywhere is just amazing i cant choose.
Sorry cant help with south america i went north instead, you'll change all your plans probably when you meet with other people, its the best thing i've ever done only downside is when you have to come and get all depressed
Hope this helps
Lucy
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for getting back to me am quite new to this travellers point so wasn't sure if anyone would! sorry my reply is late rarely have time to log on....
That is so helpful we wasn't sure of a time frame to stay in singapore and understand that its quite expensive so i think a few days will now probably be enough.
I think we will make our way to kuala lumpur asap, and then onto to the southern thai islands to party! Did you go to the full moon party at all? what did you think we've heard all good stuff on it...sounds fun!
Im glad someone else think the oz experience is a rip off, and ill definately now keep an eye out for the premier bus. Did you also spend christmas in sydney, we are getting there on the 21st december so apart from the obvious of being away from home on christmas day how did you find it?
We've booked a hostel for xmas and new year although off the top of my head cant remember the name of it however i know its about 10/20 minute walk from the opera house which cant be too bad!..... I am excited for everyone of our stops but have nothing but good stuff about Nz...hopefully wont bottle out of the skydive or bunjy jump there lol fingers crossed! Ideally id love to find a cheapo campa up for sale in Nz the likelihood of this happening im not sure?
Thanks again really appreciate you getting back to me! all the knowledge we can get before we go really helps!xXx
Maxi your doing the exact same route (except singapore) as me and my gf...we start on 15th of sept so getting really excited now!...how is your planning going? have you sorted anything out yet? it is really weird were hoping to buy a camper in nz and sell it at the end of the trip...from what I have seen on here and elsewhere this should not be a problem...
We have been deciding whether to book our first few nights or just go for it and see what happens!...we have never been backpacking before so starting yto get a little nervous!
Antonio
Hi Antonio!
I know this is new to us as well i am really excited but always a few nerves there still! How long are you going for altogether?
It seems now as we are getting closer everything is coming together nicely just tying up a few loose ends. We originally planned to get a campa in Nz through Sta travel, they quoted us £600 each for 5 weeks with insurance and camping gear, but when we went to book it, it conveniently went up to £1500 each so we didn't do it! Id love to get a campa in Nz, what sites have you looked at for getting one or are you planning just to buy it off other travellers?
We are looking at doing a bit of volunteering in South America and have found a company called projects abroad it looks wicked and heard a few good reviews too, are you doing any volunteering?
The only reason that we are booking first few nights here and there is because after the two 12and a half hours flights we are catching we reckon we will be ratty and tired and we are both ginger so that is not the best combination for our tempers lol!
Hayley....xX
Hi Hayley,
we hope to go for a year all in all as long as we dont run out of money! lol
yeah STA are a rip off...in summer they all are...we are planning to either buy off a traveller or at one of the camper markets I have seen online...i have the link to a site with loads on for sale, not sure allowed to put it on here but dm me if you want it...
Yeah were doing quite a bit of volunteer work found a few free ones in s.e asia and they look really good as well...were also going with workaway for oz, spoke to a few families who will give us food and accommodation for 3-4 hours work 5 days a week...that should save loads of money on accommodation in oz.
I must say i think you might be right about the first few nights...we might just book some it prob makes life a lot easier...I know what you mean about everything coming together its wierd how that just happens! have you had your jabs yet? they are so expensive! spent best part of a grand between us for injections and malaria tabs.
Antonio
Hi there,
I did a similar trip a couple of years ago, and am currently booking another heading to South America, so...
1. If you've only got 6 weeks in SEA then I'd recommend only a couple of days in Singapore, its a really cool city but once you've done whats on offer theres little else to keep you occupied. Make sure you go for a curry in Little India... very tasty. Sentosa is a good day out too.
2. I stayed in the seventh storey hotel, its not a hostel as such but does have 'backpacker' rooms at good rates. Cheap and charming. Good location near China Town.
3. I flew from Bangkok to Singapore so can't help with travelling through Malaysia, but Thailand has a decent railway system, and a very good bus network. You can travel at different class levels, from local to VIP. I highly recommend taking a few local buses/trains, its extremely cheap and is great fun interacting with the Thai people. VIP also has its perks, its much more comfortable, not expensive, and ideal for travelling the night after a skin full.
4. Best in SEA would have to be full moon party on Koh Pha Ngan Thailand, tubing in Vang Vieng Laos, the slow boat from Chiang Khong Thailand into Luang Prabang Laos, and chilling in Sihanoukville Cambodia. The worst is hard to answer, I was a little disappointed in Luang Prabang, Hue Vietnam was a little disappointing too, but apart from that SEA is a fantastic place, everywhere is different and has its own attractions.
5. We got the greyhound from Sydney to Cairns, the premier bus is also an option which is cheaper but has less buses. We also did some hitching to get to some of the more remote locations on the coast.
6. I've spent New Years Eve in Sydney twice. First time I went down to the opera house, great atmosphere although extremely crowded. Second time I found a stairway in Kings Cross, just off Victoria Street, which overlooks the harbour and bridge for the fireworks, much less busy and only a couple of minutes walk from the bars.
7. In NZ we got the naked bus, dont be put off by the name, they dont have any rules!! If you book it in advance it can be very very cheap, although the buses vary in quality, one trip we had a very luxurious coach, another we had a cramped minibus. If you want to get a car/campervan, in all the hostels around Christchurch you'll find plenty of adverts for people selling them. As Chch is one of the main places people depart NZ they can be sold very cheapily as people end up selling them for whatever they can get before their flights rather than the true price, so although you can get one cheap, you may also have to sell it cheap yourself if you end up in the same situation.
8. Queenstown is a must for adventure sports and partying, a great atmosphere and positive attitude there. Paihia in the far north is beautiful. Rotorua and Taupo are good places to see (and smell!!) the volcanic activity and the maori culture. If you're interested in trecking then make sure you do the Tongariro Crossing on the north island. Its 18km but its over 3 volcanoes and some of the scenery is breathtaking.
9. I'm booking up my south american trip now so can't help you with Santiago. If you plan on doing Carnivale in Rio then everyone has recommended booking up a hostel ASAP.
I'm also looking at doing some volunteering in SA, but have been struggling to find some where, are you able to recommend any websites/companies you've found?
Have fun, and dont plan too much before you go as it'll all change when you're out there!!
Jay.
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