Where in the world should I go?

May 22, 2010 9:13 PM

I just graduated from a U.S. university and I have the whole month of June to go anywhere and do anything before I start working. I need ideas! Especially travel abroad.

I have $3-4000 to spend (effectively, some on credit until I start working) on 2-4 weeks of travel in the month of June. Born and raised in the Midwestern U.S. but I've traveled pretty extensively, and would really like to go abroad.

My main concerns are safety, as a young American female traveling alone, and cost, as I'd like to go for at least two weeks on $2-3000 after airfare. Other than that I'm just looking for something exciting and culturally enriching.

I'm amenable to traveling via train/bus, or just staying put for a while in a hostel. I am a vegetarian but I recognize the need to be flexible and enjoy local culture when traveling. I don't know any foreign languages, but would do a French/Spanish immersion program if I could afford it. I'd also do a "voluntourism" program if I could find one that sounded like my participation could help more than sending my money would.

I'd really like to see Australia or New Zealand. I'd go to Europe again, but somewhere more exotic than Western Europe that's also not dangerous. I also like Central or South America, but I don't speak Spanish or Portuguese and that makes me wary of going alone.

The more I look, the more options I find, and I just need to pick something and buy a ticket. So give me any endorsements you've got for countries, cities, language schools, short-term work, or anything else cool I could do in a month on short notice. Where have you been that you loved? Where do you wish you could go?

posted by ista to Travel & Transportation (23 answers total)

You won't be able to go to Australia on $4,000 and such a short notice. It's better to go while it's summer down there anyway.

Do you really not have any friends who could join you? Not for safety reasons, but it's just so much more enjoyable to travel with someone. You may not feel the same way, but I found traveling alone to be an utterly depressing experience – you see all these great new things, and you realize how much better it would be if you could share them with someone, but there's no-one there... Of course, maybe you've traveled alone in the past and liked it.

If I were you, I'd save the money for a New Year's trip to Australia.

Other than that, if you want an "exotic" location where you'd feel safe, I'd recommend Istanbul. It's touristy enough for everyone to speak decent English, but at the same time your experience there will be quite different than that in Western countries. In June, there'll be relatively few tourists there and the weather will be just about perfect. There are plenty of hostels where you can stay for cheap and – again, that's a huge factor for me, but might not be for you – meet fellow travelers around your age.

I'd also do a "voluntourism" program if I could find one that sounded like my participation could help more than sending my money would.

Unless you just graduated from medical school, that's unlikely.
posted by halogen at 9:29 PM on May 22, 2010

I also just graduated, and I'm going to be living and working on a farm in the month of June. The program is called WWOOF: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and they connect people with farms all over the world (http://www.wwoof.org/). You basically work a few hours a day in exchange for food and a place to stay.

A similar program that is less oriented toward gardening is helpx (http://www.helpx.net/).
posted by MeowForMangoes at 9:34 PM on May 22, 2010 [2 favorites]

Being an Australian, as much as I'd like to say that you should come here, it is not particularly exotic or culturally enriching. :-) Added on to that, it's not particularly cheap (especially given the current USD/AUD exchange rate) , especially when you consider that some of the most popular sights in Australia are great distances away from each other. New Zealand on the other hand, might fit the bill quite nicely.... fantastic scenery for one...

My recommendation would be Turkey though - it is safe, the people are friendly and you should find it relatively cheap.
posted by ryanbryan at 9:34 PM on May 22, 2010

Normally, I'd love to recommend Australia or New Zealand - NZ especially, since I think with only a month it's easier to see than Oz. But because it's winter there in June, the weather is not great. Also, I'm not sure Oz/NZ is much more "exotic" than western Europe.

So, considering the time of year, I'd say Eastern Europe is your best best. The people recommending Turkey are right on. I wouldn't have any hesitation going there on my own as a lone female.

Happy travels!
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 9:40 PM on May 22, 2010

you could easily do a month in Europe if you sleep in hostels and travel by train. I'm a vegetarian too and am attempting to learn to eat fish, because traveling can become difficult if you are one, but I usually stick some protein bars in my bags to get by. I've only been to a few different countries, but if you plan where to go, spending a month and only spending $4000 in Europe would be totally doable. Especially considering the rate of the Euro at the moment (and it only looks to be getting better). Have a great time! Just don't buy too many shoes.
posted by Unred at 9:43 PM on May 22, 2010

I'd also do a "voluntourism" program if I could find one that sounded like my participation could help more than sending my money would.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here. But since you mention no alternatives in which you would stay home and send any amount of money, it seems like all voluntourism programs would help the world more than the amount of money you would consider sending. (I'm not against people spending money to travel; I'm against illogical comparisons.) Unless I'm missing something, a better comparison might be whether your participation helps the situation more than your presence burdens it.
posted by salvia at 9:46 PM on May 22, 2010

I haven't been to Turkey, but many widely travelled people tell me it has been one of their favourite destinations. You might like to consider a small group tour, if you are concerned about your safety. I think travel by yourself can be wonderful, but can be hard and lonely at times - it depends on your frame of mind going into it.

Don't know how much the airfare to Turkey is, but you could look at something like this Intrepid Travel tour. Fifteen days for A$1920 - which is about US$1600. Sure, you can travel cheaper, but this means there are lots of activities already organised for you.

Spend the rest on either more time by yourself in Turkey, or perhaps a European city stopover on the way.
posted by AnnaRat at 9:49 PM on May 22, 2010

I'll be a kill joy here and say that in this economy, if you don't have a job, don't use credit to finance a vacation! $4000 on a credit card is going to take forever to pay off! Don't do it! Instead of using credit, scrape together what cash you have and use that as your total budget for travel. Stay in hostels, stay in the US if financially necessary (air travel anywhere costs a lot now because it is the high travel season), CouchSurf, etc.
posted by MsKim at 9:55 PM on May 22, 2010 [2 favorites]

Krakow
Prague
Budapest
Bratislava
Corfu
posted by Paris Elk at 10:02 PM on May 22, 2010

Spirit Air has good deals to South America (be warned, though, that I've heard the bus from Lima to Machu Pichhu is inaccessible).
posted by spiderskull at 10:08 PM on May 22, 2010

Go to Croatia. Anytime I hear anyone talk about it, it sounds like amazing. (and very cheap). If you're street smart, traveling by yourself, although can be a little scary, is also the best way to meet the locals. Have a great time!
posted by Unred at 10:09 PM on May 22, 2010

Go to Japan. It's safe, totally weird, and in your budget, if you only go for two weeks, or if you live very cheaply while there. Don't forget to get a JR railpass before you go.

China is probably slightly less safe, but is significantly cheaper. You could go for a longer period of time. It's easy to get around without knowing Chinese -- just bring a Lonely Planet guide.

Or do both, as I did a few years ago. Many flights to China transfer in Tokyo anyway, so your airfare won't cost any more.
posted by novalis_dt at 10:18 PM on May 22, 2010

I did this last year, including the part where I bought tickets a week in advance. First of all, you should check ticket prices on Student Universe or STA Travel. For basic flights from the US to another country and back, it can have really great prices.

Istanbul (and Turkey in general) is indeed awesome, and quite safe. However, "safe" doesn't really mean "comfortable". If you're traveling without a male companion you will be constantly harassed and occasionally followed. Multiply by a million if you're attractive or, god forbid, blonde. Part of this is due to the aggressive nature of commerce in many of the tourist spots (like rug-sellers), and part is due to the mistaken belief that foreign women will sleep with anyone. I spent a week in Turkey and one of those days with a male friend, and the experiences I had were like night and day.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't go to Turkey-- you should just make it your last stop on a multi-country visit, so you've already adapted to the life of solo travel. For one option, you can spend some time in the former Yugoslavia, like Slovenia, Croatia, or Bosnia. Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia are less idyllic and less tourist-friendly, but equally interesting options. You can make your way through Greece or head straight to Turkey. Your trip can start even further afield, in Rome or Vienna. Bus and train travel in the Balkans is safe, but always full of fun oddities.

Working is nice but it would suck to end up on a farm with bad people.

Pack a travel guide-- or better yet, a homemade travel guide with printouts of interesting travel articles. Peruse Rolf Potts, Worldhum, and Straight Up Traveler (which aggregates some major travel journalism). I particularly recommend checking out the travel sections of British newspapers, especially the guardian.
posted by acidic at 10:42 PM on May 22, 2010 [2 favorites]

Second Japan, especially if your interests are more introverted. You probably already know the possibilities of a Euro-pass. I've also heard good things about Turkey but it can still be a little daunting for a female traveling alone, particularly if you venture very far from Istanbul or Ankara. I had to cancel a planned trip to Ankara recently and a friend who lives in Istanbul told me that the culture has a different mindset concerning financial arrangements than we do in the US. She advised me to research customary costs before arriving as vendors will state prices very high in the expectation of negotiation. She has Christian-Turkish friends in both Istanbul and Ankara if you decide to go and would like someone to meet you at the airport. Just PM and let me know.
posted by Pamelayne at 11:12 PM on May 22, 2010

Do you really not have any friends who could join you? Not for safety reasons, but it's just so much more enjoyable to travel with someone.

Eh, I think that's highly personal and it's hard to predict how much you'll like solo travel before you actually do it. I always assumed I would hate it (because I'm a total extrovert and I like having people around) until a totally random series of events led to me spending 2 weeks in Thailand by myself when I was 21. I loved traveling alone so much that I ended up putting my "real world" plans on hold when I graduated and traveled around Asia alone for 8 months and had a great old time.

Typically my go-to rec for a recent grad looking for an interesting trip would be Thailand. Not such a great idea at the moment, but elsewhere in Southeast Asia would be fun. Super cheap once you get there, friendly people, great food, completely different culture. Lots of great backpackers to travel with.
posted by lunasol at 12:41 AM on May 23, 2010

First of all, you should check ticket prices on Student Universe or STA Travel.

acidic, the OP is no longer a student. She'd be committing fraud if she were to buy tickets priced for students.
posted by halogen at 1:39 AM on May 23, 2010

Recommending China as well. It is cheap (comparatively speaking) and you can stay in one city for the whole time or travel cheaply through several. I'm here now and having loads of fun. Vegetarian eating can be tricky sometimes (I am a vegetarian as well) but as long as you are flexible and have a good humor about everything, you'll be fine.
posted by lucy.jakobs at 2:26 AM on May 23, 2010

halogen, both of those sites allow people up to the age of 26 to use the special deals!
posted by acidic at 2:31 AM on May 23, 2010

Choose your destination based on somewhere you can afford to go for the whole month. You are not likely to have another four weeks to travel for quite a while; use it! I have fantastic memories of travel around Europe when I was 21; conversely, all these years later, I have absolutely no memories of the bills.

Second of all, leverage the best STA deal to Europe you can get, and then look at using an internal flight to save money. For example, it *tends* to be cheapest to fly in and out of London, and you can grab a flight to Prague or Kos or Madrid or wherever to begin your adventure.

Don't worry too much about the language issue if you're in Europe. It's tourist season; finding people who don't speak any English is far more challenging than finding people who do.

What about something like Rome > Florence > Venice > Vienna > Prague? It might sound mundane on paper but each of those places is quite extraordinary.

You could fly to Greece and do the Greek islands. Athens is an armpit, but as soon as you get on a ferry to depart, your world becomes a magical place. The Cyclades (Ios, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini) are very varied and each island has amazing history.

The only thing I would add is that safety on a well-beaten tourist track is still a concern, doubly so when travelling alone. Every year there are stories of young women going on holiday and getting enormously drunk, which unfortunately makes them easy targets for crimes of opportunity. The older (and wiser) I get, the more I am convinced that limiting the booze so that you're aware of and responsive to your environment is the best safety precaution you can take.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:29 AM on May 23, 2010

Where have you been before? What do you like to do?

I studied abroad in Provence in the month of June once and it was incredible. If i had your finances and time I'd probably bike through Provence! If you were looking to learn French at all, I went to ELFCA, which I highly, highly recommend. It's run by wonderful people, and it's amazing what you can learn in a short period of time, but I'm not sure if it's suitable for your needs.

I'm a pescatarian (fish, eggs, dairy) and had no time finding great food to eat, there was lots of great local produce, cheese and bread.

I have no experience with pueblo ingles, where you volunteer (they pay for accommodations) to help non-native speakers learn English, but I've always wanted to check it out!
posted by inertia at 9:00 AM on May 23, 2010

One of the most enjoyable holidays I had, was indirectly through the organization Service Civile Internationale. It's a non-profit international volunteer organization. Usually, you have to provide your own resources (get there, pay a tiny amount in insurance) and then work on some project with a bunch of people, usually from different parts of the world. I was motivated to do this with a friend as we wanted to go somewhere foreign, and not spend much money. My friend and I traveled around after this project, partially with some of the people we met, and made lots of friends in the process.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 9:56 AM on May 23, 2010

I've always wanted to do this la tortuga feliz. It looks safe enough, you can learn spanish, and you're doing volunteer work. Cost also looks to be well within your range.
posted by ecks at 5:52 PM on May 23, 2010

I would recommend Japan because it's safe, easy to navigate via trains, a lot of signage is in English, and pretty much anywhere you go there will be something of historical/cultural interest to see. But please don't go with the attitude that the country is "totally weird" as someone upthread said. It's a normal place with normal people.

One tricky thing would be to maintain your vegetarian diet, it's not common in Japan and there is fish/meat broth in many foods.
posted by illenion at 9:29 AM on May 31, 2010