Hi there! I am an 18 years old girl taking a gap year. I have been doing some light travel, only in Europe and North Africa, as well as working abroad to earn some money to go somewhere for 3 months.
I am seeking advice on where to go. My dream travel for this period would be to go somewhere exotic, completely new, natural, warm, with a totally different culture, nice people, good environment (I mean: forests, beaches, mountains, something like this, but also a good vibe as I would like to meet other backpackers and open-minded people in the way and perhaps go to a festival) and that could offer oportunites to volunteer whether in conservation, environment, agriculture or community projects or in medicine as I am an elective medicine.
I calculate I will hopefully have a budget of 2500€ (I know it's short but I won't earn more, I am sure) for everything, including flights and insurance.
I am willing to go anywhere really, I just wish it will be a dream journey! I don't mind staying at youth hostels, campings, share a flat rent for some weeks; travel in really cheap means of transportation and eat in the cheapest way too.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is that it is SAFE for a 18 years old girl travel. Not really because of me, as I am really looking for adventure and think I am brave enough and I can fend for myself very easily abroad and alone, but for my parents' sake eheh.
It would also be great if it was a place with some "freak hippie communities", transe festivals, beaches to surf and maybe wwoof farms, so that I could spend some weeks working in something I enjoy and not spending money!
I have thought about South and Central America, South-East Asia, India, Australia... what do you think it's my best option?
Oh, and I am flying from Portugal.
I would appreciate all the help and ideas you can give! Thanks.
Hi Dear given the budget ..you could travel whole India for 3 months .... its really a grt place to be ...and nevertheless you cud also go to places around and nearby india....there are a lot of beaches ,festivals,farms many adventure and heritage places...etc...i really doubt in the given budget you cud travel elsewhere for 2-3 months...not to forget india is a place where you cud take some incredible memories i cud well be ur dream journey which u wont forget ... so for any help in india you cud let me know.....anyways whereever you go have a safe and happy journey...
Regards,
Jigar
Thanks Jigar. Do you think India is safe for a female 18 years old solo traveller then? Where do you think I should go in India - Goa?
Hi tosca,
ya definately dear its safe in india infact i was travelling with 2 german girls last month in rajasthan and their experience was really great...wel regarding the places there are so many to travel its like 3 months may be not enough to completely explore india ....u can go to Goa for its beaches...rajasthan for its royal palaces and grt deserts like jaipur,jodhpur,jaisalmer,udaipur....north india for its adventures places like leh..ladhak..shimla..manali...dharamshala..etc..places in south like munnar...hampi...places like taj mahal in agra..qutub minar..amritsar for its golden temple places in punjab for their grt and beautiful farms...places like mahabaleshwar..matheran which are excellent hill stations..kodai kanak...coorg for its pleasant climate.. rishikesh and haridwar holy places for their spiritual beauty ...may be andaman nicobar for such beautiful islands..cities like mumbai,delhi,kolkata..etc etc ..... and the list goes on .....i m a Software Engineer at Accenture and i meet many british clients frm uk and scotland..and wheneven the come to india they jst fall in love wid this place....me being frm india still to explore much many places yet ...hope so u enjoy ur journey...
People seem to talk of India being quite difficult travel - any opinions?
Maybe not for this trip as 2500€ won't last 3 months in Australia (due to everything costing so much!), but it's a fantastic destination for what you're looking for. During the summer months there are some amazing EDM festivals, not to mention the infamous Rainbow Serpent Festival that's held in January each year.
To give you a rough idea of RSF - last years festival lasted 5 days out in the middle of two giant mountains with about 25,000 people dancing to some of the worlds best psytrance DJ's. I've a feeling it'd be exactly what you're after.
Another potential destination could be Thailand? I'm unsure of flights from Portugal to Thailand, but it's an incredibly cheap place to spend time and absolutely stunning. Magnificent beaches, beautiful tropical flora, a constant party atmosphere in certain areas (Patong Beach for example) and also beautiful quiet beaches/places to stay within a 15 minute drive if you get sick of the noise.
I'm currently stranded in Peru right now and a little hungover so I'm gonna try and get some sleep, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Hi tosca,
ya definately dear its safe in india infact i was travelling with 2 german girls last month in rajasthan and their experience was really great...wel regarding the places there are so many to travel its like 3 months may be not enough to completely explore india ....u can go to Goa for its beaches...rajasthan for its royal palaces and grt deserts like jaipur,jodhpur,jaisalmer,udaipur....north india for its adventures places like leh..ladhak..shimla..manali...dharamshala..etc..places in south like munnar...hampi...places like taj mahal in agra..qutub minar..amritsar for its golden temple places in punjab for their grt and beautiful farms...places like mahabaleshwar..matheran which are excellent hill stations..kodai kanak...coorg for its pleasant climate.. rishikesh and haridwar holy places for their spiritual beauty ...may be andaman nicobar for such beautiful islands..cities like mumbai,delhi,kolkata..etc etc ..... and the list goes on .....i m a Software Engineer at Accenture and i meet many british clients frm uk and scotland..and wheneven the come to india they jst fall in love wid this place....me being frm india still to explore much many places yet ...hope so u enjoy ur journey...
You just wrote what I was looking for: a brief-simple description of the places and respective environment in India. Thanks a lot - I am now deciding between India and Thailand but if I end up choosing GREAT INDIA I'll definitely have to come back to your post to plan my itinerary
Maybe not for this trip as 2500€ won't last 3 months in Australia (due to everything costing so much!), but it's a fantastic destination for what you're looking for. During the summer months there are some amazing EDM festivals, not to mention the infamous Rainbow Serpent Festival that's held in January each year.
To give you a rough idea of RSF - last years festival lasted 5 days out in the middle of two giant mountains with about 25,000 people dancing to some of the worlds best psytrance DJ's. I've a feeling it'd be exactly what you're after.
Another potential destination could be Thailand? I'm unsure of flights from Portugal to Thailand, but it's an incredibly cheap place to spend time and absolutely stunning. Magnificent beaches, beautiful tropical flora, a constant party atmosphere in certain areas (Patong Beach for example) and also beautiful quiet beaches/places to stay within a 15 minute drive if you get sick of the noise.
I'm currently stranded in Peru right now and a little hungover so I'm gonna try and get some sleep, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Hi IndiBan, you got me. The festival you describe is just what i am dreaming about... However I've been told Thailand is a bit cheaper than India, perhaps safer and better to go during the summer as India rocks during winter. So maybe I will head to Thailand - do you know any EDM festival there?
(Peru was my first idea for the gap year Enjoy that hangover)
Hi IndiBan, you got me. The festival you describe is just what i am dreaming about... However I've been told Thailand is a bit cheaper than India, perhaps safer and better to go during the summer as India rocks during winter. So maybe I will head to Thailand - do you know any EDM festival there?
(Peru was my first idea for the gap year Enjoy that hangover)
Thailand doesn't have any real EDM festivals like you'd see elsewhere around the world. They hold a Full Moon Party once a month though on a separate little island that is easily the most famous festival there. It can get pretty messy there though and unless you like drinking copious amounts of cheap vodka and nothing else, I probably wouldn't bother with it. With that said though - I'm not a big drinker and it's just my personal opinion!
Thailand is also a much safer tourist destination as opposed to India I think. It's been a huge tourist destination for years and years now and because of this, you'll find that there are as many foreigners about as there are locals in some of your bigger party areas. Most Thai can also speak English quite well because of this, so language barriers aren't much of a problem (although it might pay to learn some of the basics to be polite).
Hope I'm helping here!
[ 12-Jan-2013, at 03:04 by IndiBan ]
Hi everyone
Not really adding anything to this topic but I just thought I should stop and say WOW! This is exactly what I'm looking for too. I'm gonna be travelling from South Africa. I was thinking of going to India too but now you have me sold with Thailand. Being a first time solo traveller I think going to a much safer destination would be best. I would really love to get in touch with anyone willing to give me more information on Thailand so I can plan my trip. Thanx and I hope you enjoy yours ToscaGuru.
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