Armchair Travellers Assemble!
January 21, 2015 10:07 AM Subscribe
I am hatching a plan to start saving now for a KICK-ASS trip at years' end. I have three possible destinations in mind. Help me decide between them.
Through a quirk of family holiday habits and probable office vacation day closings, the timing may very well be good for me to travel somewhere the last week of 2015 (for a week-long trip). And since I'm realizing this now, I'm going to try to save up to go somewhere really awesome. (If I don't save up enough to go on any of these trips, I'll have amassed enough money to go somewhere else so it'll still be okay.) However, I've identified three potentially awesome places, which are all going to cost me about the same in terms of budget - so I can't for the life of me decide between them. I've even tried making a list of possible pros and cons, and that's not helping:
OPTION 1: MORROCCO
I most likely would spend a few days in Marrakech, then head out to one of those little fishing villages on the coast for another couple days before a last couple days in Marrakech again before heading home.
PROS: It's a place that I've recently gotten fascinated about going. I also understand that it's pretty okay for solo female travelers.
CONS: Even though it'd be okay for solo female travelers, I would still be a Western solo woman traveling alone and don't know whether I'd get any shit because of that. I already tend to avoid the "tacky American tourist" dress sense and behavior, which would cut down on that considerably, but don't know whether this would be A Thing or whether some travel sites are just overly worried about it.
OPTION 2: NEW ZEALAND
My itinerary would largely be determined by "whee LORD OF THE RINGS locations", and exploring what other awesomeness is there. I would probably move around most on this trip.
PROS: It seems that there's just a staggering amount of things to DO.
CONS: this is the most expensive of the three options (by just a couple hundred bucks) and I fear that the logistics in moving from one city to the next could turn out to be a hassle at some point. Also, since I'll just be there for a week I'm afraid it may simply not be enough time, and suspect it may be better to wait until I have more time.
OPTION 3: SOUTH PACIFIC
Somewhere on Fiji or Tahiti or somewhere like that.
PROS: It's FREAKIN' TAHITI.
CONS: ....I'm not actually much of a "beach" person, and I'm afraid that after, like, two days of basking like a lizard I'll just get bored. I'd also like to avoid the "we are an insulated resort type of place that caters to Western tourists and insulates them from the actual real place" syndrome, and am afraid I'm more likely to find this here than any other place.
So. Any pros or cons that anyone sees which I'm missing? Any other things I should consider?
Thanks!
Through a quirk of family holiday habits and probable office vacation day closings, the timing may very well be good for me to travel somewhere the last week of 2015 (for a week-long trip). And since I'm realizing this now, I'm going to try to save up to go somewhere really awesome. (If I don't save up enough to go on any of these trips, I'll have amassed enough money to go somewhere else so it'll still be okay.) However, I've identified three potentially awesome places, which are all going to cost me about the same in terms of budget - so I can't for the life of me decide between them. I've even tried making a list of possible pros and cons, and that's not helping:
OPTION 1: MORROCCO
I most likely would spend a few days in Marrakech, then head out to one of those little fishing villages on the coast for another couple days before a last couple days in Marrakech again before heading home.
PROS: It's a place that I've recently gotten fascinated about going. I also understand that it's pretty okay for solo female travelers.
CONS: Even though it'd be okay for solo female travelers, I would still be a Western solo woman traveling alone and don't know whether I'd get any shit because of that. I already tend to avoid the "tacky American tourist" dress sense and behavior, which would cut down on that considerably, but don't know whether this would be A Thing or whether some travel sites are just overly worried about it.
OPTION 2: NEW ZEALAND
My itinerary would largely be determined by "whee LORD OF THE RINGS locations", and exploring what other awesomeness is there. I would probably move around most on this trip.
PROS: It seems that there's just a staggering amount of things to DO.
CONS: this is the most expensive of the three options (by just a couple hundred bucks) and I fear that the logistics in moving from one city to the next could turn out to be a hassle at some point. Also, since I'll just be there for a week I'm afraid it may simply not be enough time, and suspect it may be better to wait until I have more time.
OPTION 3: SOUTH PACIFIC
Somewhere on Fiji or Tahiti or somewhere like that.
PROS: It's FREAKIN' TAHITI.
CONS: ....I'm not actually much of a "beach" person, and I'm afraid that after, like, two days of basking like a lizard I'll just get bored. I'd also like to avoid the "we are an insulated resort type of place that caters to Western tourists and insulates them from the actual real place" syndrome, and am afraid I'm more likely to find this here than any other place.
So. Any pros or cons that anyone sees which I'm missing? Any other things I should consider?
Thanks!
I know of two people who have been to Morocco. One was a single Muslim woman in her mid-twenties. She got a LOT of attention from Muslim guys, while travelling with her sister. The other was a middle aged white woman who travelled with her white husband, and did much more touristy sorts of things - lots of restaurants, bars, etc. She didn't mention any male attention.
Both of them said they really enjoyed themselves. In fact, I think the latter individual has gone back a couple of times since, to the same hotel.
posted by Solomon at 10:21 AM on January 21, 2015
Both of them said they really enjoyed themselves. In fact, I think the latter individual has gone back a couple of times since, to the same hotel.
posted by Solomon at 10:21 AM on January 21, 2015
I've been to both Morocco (just this past October) and New Zealand (many years ago) and would recommend the latter. I've travelled fairly extensively and Morocco was definitely the most challenging place I've been too. I was there with my husband, which really shielded me from harassment, though the one time I did walk around by myself, I got a lot of unwanted attention. (And I met a couple of solo female travellers while I was there who experience a fair bit of day-to-day harassment.)
New Zealand is totally beautiful and really easy to travel in. If you're in to spectacular landscapes and outdoor activities, it's a great place to go.
posted by toby_ann at 10:24 AM on January 21, 2015
New Zealand is totally beautiful and really easy to travel in. If you're in to spectacular landscapes and outdoor activities, it's a great place to go.
posted by toby_ann at 10:24 AM on January 21, 2015
I loved Morocco (went to Rabat and Marrakech in 2007). Seriously it was one of the best, friendliest, most interesting places I've ever been. I was traveling with another woman and a man, and the main weird thing was that in conversation people tended to address him rather than either of us women, even though we were the only ones who spoke any French. On the handful of occasions when I was walking around by myself, I didn't get *no* attention, but it wasn't any worse/more than I've gotten in Turkey, Italy, Ecuador, or frankly New Orleans.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 10:26 AM on January 21, 2015
posted by goodbyewaffles at 10:26 AM on January 21, 2015
Thailand? Beach + Cultural bonanza! You can skip up to Chiang Mai or over to Cambodia / Angkor Wat too.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:33 AM on January 21, 2015
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:33 AM on January 21, 2015
Christmas/New Years is the worst time to visit NZ. The weather always sucks (rainy, windy, humid), there are lots of public holidays, roads and beaches are crowded, camping grounds are full of drunks, townships are deserted, things are either shut or more expensive, and plane tickets both to/from and within NZ will be extortionate. Also one week is far too short to see the main LOTR locations since they're spread all over the suprisingly big country. You will definitely have to fly within NZ to try and that's expensive at the best of times (very little competition).
Go when you can take a longer trip and when you can go at a better time. Late January through to early March is lovely, for example. Kids go back to school by the end of Jan so things are less crowded right when the weather gets good. Universities start up around then too so there's always lots on in the cities. Personally I'm going back to visit end of Feb to catch the Chinese New Year Lantern festival in Auckland (highly recommend btw). It's a great country, go when you can do it justice.
posted by shelleycat at 10:57 AM on January 21, 2015
Go when you can take a longer trip and when you can go at a better time. Late January through to early March is lovely, for example. Kids go back to school by the end of Jan so things are less crowded right when the weather gets good. Universities start up around then too so there's always lots on in the cities. Personally I'm going back to visit end of Feb to catch the Chinese New Year Lantern festival in Auckland (highly recommend btw). It's a great country, go when you can do it justice.
posted by shelleycat at 10:57 AM on January 21, 2015
With only a week for this vacation, and coming from America, I'd pick Morocco. I've done Australia/New Zealand/Fiji as a big three week trip and it was amazing, but the travel time to get there and back is not to be underestimated. I don't think I'd want to deal with that many hours of travel again for anything shorter than a two week trip. And if you're not much of a beach person, Fiji on its own is... not that exciting (at least in my memory.) As someone mentioned above, it's a better add on when you're already traveling in the area than a stand alone vacation.
posted by MsMolly at 11:00 AM on January 21, 2015
posted by MsMolly at 11:00 AM on January 21, 2015
Almost anything you might want to do in the South Pacific can be done somewhere in the Caribbean, with much less travel time. It's easy enough to find islands where you can move around and not just get stuck in a walled garden of an all-inclusive resort (in short, avoid places that seem like they're only all-inclusive resort places, because that's probably what they are (e.g. the Dominican Republic and many places in Mexico).
My wife and I thought we'd get bored on the beach, but we split our honeymoon between Vieques (quiet, beachy) and Old San Juan (touristy city places, forts), and we wished we'd had more time on the beach and less in Old San Juan. For the money and time you'd spend getting to NZ or the South Pacific I'd look at some island or combination of islands that will allow you to get a bit of each. You could spend the money island hopping on puddle jumpers instead of sitting in the middle seat of a 777 for 16 hours. Each way. And then it's just a couple hours back home.
So you could do something like St. Kitts AND Nevis (instead of just picking one), Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, or Guadeloupe, Domenica, and Martinique. Or, indeed, Puerto Rico (the main island), Vieques, and Culebra. Or the US and British Virgin Islands. Or BVI and then an unauthorized jaunt to Cuba.
Seriously. The Caribbean. Look into it. It's not all Sandals and Secrets. In fact, most of it isn't.
posted by fedward at 11:05 AM on January 21, 2015
My wife and I thought we'd get bored on the beach, but we split our honeymoon between Vieques (quiet, beachy) and Old San Juan (touristy city places, forts), and we wished we'd had more time on the beach and less in Old San Juan. For the money and time you'd spend getting to NZ or the South Pacific I'd look at some island or combination of islands that will allow you to get a bit of each. You could spend the money island hopping on puddle jumpers instead of sitting in the middle seat of a 777 for 16 hours. Each way. And then it's just a couple hours back home.
So you could do something like St. Kitts AND Nevis (instead of just picking one), Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, or Guadeloupe, Domenica, and Martinique. Or, indeed, Puerto Rico (the main island), Vieques, and Culebra. Or the US and British Virgin Islands. Or BVI and then an unauthorized jaunt to Cuba.
Seriously. The Caribbean. Look into it. It's not all Sandals and Secrets. In fact, most of it isn't.
posted by fedward at 11:05 AM on January 21, 2015
BTW I'm not saying "don't go to NZ and the South Pacific" I'm saying "go when you have enough time to make the flights worth it." Some day I'm going to go to NZ and visit the South Pacific from there. Like, Niue, which has one flight a week from Auckland. Given the travel constraints I wouldn't try to visit NZ for anything less than two weeks, and probably three. Your willingness to sit on a plane may vary.
posted by fedward at 11:15 AM on January 21, 2015
posted by fedward at 11:15 AM on January 21, 2015
Response by poster: Much food for thought thus far, all; thanks. And some observations thus far:
* I have the feeling that with Thailand I'd run into the same problem it sounds like I'd run into with New Zealand - "I'M SO DUMB WHY AM I ONLY SPENDING A WEEK HERE". But it is food for thought, still, and I'll ponder.
* The Caribbean or Costa Rica is probably where I'll end up going if for some reason i'm unable to save up enough for the other end of the world. :-) I'm at least AIMING big for the time being, under the "aim for the stars because that way if you miss you still land on the moon" principle. (Iceland may also be a place I consider for the second-tier trip, unless that's more of a "HOLY FUCK IT'D BE FREEZING ARE YOU KIDDING ME" situation.)
* I'm leaning towards Morrocco now, but still open to other suggestions. ....Hmm. How about a single carefully-selected area of India? Or Japan?
Oh, a couple other points I should mention that may help you to help me:
* I am planning on either the cheapest decent AirBNB I can find, or private rooms in youth hostels, for my lodging; I do not need 4-star luxury (in fact, that'd probably freak me out), and I also kind of look forward to the possibility of being able to buy food while I'm there and cook for myself ("okay, let's try that recipe that that little old lady in the market stall suggested for this vegetable and see what happens").
* I will also be having a lengthy discussion about all of this with my brother and sister in law (they backpacked around the world before they married, and NOW are both travel agents), so I will also have an in on things to do, I'm sure.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:17 AM on January 21, 2015
* I have the feeling that with Thailand I'd run into the same problem it sounds like I'd run into with New Zealand - "I'M SO DUMB WHY AM I ONLY SPENDING A WEEK HERE". But it is food for thought, still, and I'll ponder.
* The Caribbean or Costa Rica is probably where I'll end up going if for some reason i'm unable to save up enough for the other end of the world. :-) I'm at least AIMING big for the time being, under the "aim for the stars because that way if you miss you still land on the moon" principle. (Iceland may also be a place I consider for the second-tier trip, unless that's more of a "HOLY FUCK IT'D BE FREEZING ARE YOU KIDDING ME" situation.)
* I'm leaning towards Morrocco now, but still open to other suggestions. ....Hmm. How about a single carefully-selected area of India? Or Japan?
Oh, a couple other points I should mention that may help you to help me:
* I am planning on either the cheapest decent AirBNB I can find, or private rooms in youth hostels, for my lodging; I do not need 4-star luxury (in fact, that'd probably freak me out), and I also kind of look forward to the possibility of being able to buy food while I'm there and cook for myself ("okay, let's try that recipe that that little old lady in the market stall suggested for this vegetable and see what happens").
* I will also be having a lengthy discussion about all of this with my brother and sister in law (they backpacked around the world before they married, and NOW are both travel agents), so I will also have an in on things to do, I'm sure.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:17 AM on January 21, 2015
CONS: Even though it'd be okay for solo female travelers, I would still be a Western solo woman traveling alone and don't know whether I'd get any shit because of that.
Anecdotal, but my sister travelled through Morocco with a male friend of hers, and while she loved it there, one cab driver offered to buy her from her friend at one point.
posted by Hoopo at 11:24 AM on January 21, 2015
Anecdotal, but my sister travelled through Morocco with a male friend of hers, and while she loved it there, one cab driver offered to buy her from her friend at one point.
posted by Hoopo at 11:24 AM on January 21, 2015
I have gone to cold places in winter (e.g. Sweden and Norway in February) and I would totally go to Iceland in December, although the equinoxes apparently have a higher likelihood of northern lights, if that's what you're looking for.
posted by fedward at 11:40 AM on January 21, 2015
posted by fedward at 11:40 AM on January 21, 2015
Response by poster: Last comment: I should probably mention my own level of comfort/discomfort with street harassment. I'm one of those people for whom, unless it feels majorly dangerous, would have no problem backing up and asking a guy "hold up, exactly where the fuck do you think you get the right to say that to me?" I actually looked into a couple of stock phrases to say in Arabic already (one of which translates to "I don't talk to dudes on the street", and I think the other is some variant of "shame on you"), and I would have NO problem telling a guy off, if the situation felt safe enough.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:43 AM on January 21, 2015
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:43 AM on January 21, 2015
I've got nothing on the places you've selected, but you did mention perhaps going to Japan for which I can give an answer.
A week would be a decent amount of time to visit either Tokyo or Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe). You could do both but would be really skimming the surface.
As a single female it will likely be the safest place you could possibly visit.
The weather in either Tokyo or Kansai would be better than what you'd have in New York (although it would still be winter).
There is huge variability in cost for food and hotels so you can find things to suit your budget. (You can spend a night in a capsule hotel or themed love hotel as an added experience)
A week would also be long enough for Cambodia. 2-3 days seeing Angkor Wat. A day or two in Phnom Penh and maybe a day or two on the coast (ie not long enough to get bored). I went there alone, but I'm a brown guy so can't comment on the level of harassment you may get.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:08 PM on January 21, 2015
A week would be a decent amount of time to visit either Tokyo or Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe). You could do both but would be really skimming the surface.
As a single female it will likely be the safest place you could possibly visit.
The weather in either Tokyo or Kansai would be better than what you'd have in New York (although it would still be winter).
There is huge variability in cost for food and hotels so you can find things to suit your budget. (You can spend a night in a capsule hotel or themed love hotel as an added experience)
A week would also be long enough for Cambodia. 2-3 days seeing Angkor Wat. A day or two in Phnom Penh and maybe a day or two on the coast (ie not long enough to get bored). I went there alone, but I'm a brown guy so can't comment on the level of harassment you may get.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:08 PM on January 21, 2015
I was actually thinking of Japan as I read through the initial responses. A week long trip to Tokyo would be perfect! Cold in winter, but it makes the onsen and ramen better! Good food, great public transit, clean & safe - you could see soooo much in one week in Tokyo (vs. say, India where there's less efficient transit and having more time would be super beneficial; also you're not expending any brain/emotional energy wondering if you're safe/getting harrassed or whatever). Christmas in Japan is kinda like Valentine's Day - it's not a public holiday by any means, mostly commercial, and mostly used to take your sweetheart to KFC (seriously - I lived there). You'd still get some Christmas decor - LOFT and Tokyu Hands usually have big Christmas displays if you want one. New Year's is a bigger deal, but more religious than it is a big party.
Bonus for Tokyo is that you can make it whatever type of vacation you feel like having at the time: you can stay in capsule hotels and go clubbing, or tour a bunch of temples and go to onsen, go thrift store shopping and to a traditional tea house etc. (Hello Sandwich has some good blog posts on Tokyo/Japan and is re-releasing her travel zine; ) It's also easy to scale it to whatever budget you're on.
You could easily pick one urban area (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc.) and spend the whole week there - that's what I'd do, but I really dislike feeling rushed. However, train transport is superb and you could totally do a few days in a second place if you wanted.
posted by jrobin276 at 1:32 PM on January 21, 2015
Bonus for Tokyo is that you can make it whatever type of vacation you feel like having at the time: you can stay in capsule hotels and go clubbing, or tour a bunch of temples and go to onsen, go thrift store shopping and to a traditional tea house etc. (Hello Sandwich has some good blog posts on Tokyo/Japan and is re-releasing her travel zine; ) It's also easy to scale it to whatever budget you're on.
You could easily pick one urban area (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, etc.) and spend the whole week there - that's what I'd do, but I really dislike feeling rushed. However, train transport is superb and you could totally do a few days in a second place if you wanted.
posted by jrobin276 at 1:32 PM on January 21, 2015
My wife traveled in Morocco as a young, single woman and found the harassment easier to deal with than in Europe -- I think like many places it is hard to generalize accurately and there are a lot of reasons why people's experience vary so widely.
New Zealand is great for all the obvious reasons but I agree with everyone saying that a week is way too short for that much flying. Iceland is also great but even in the summer it wasn't exactly tropical (though the hot springs must be magical in the winter). Personally I agree with the Caribbean suggestions, or somewhere that is a direct flight to Central or South America, in order to minimize travel time while maximizing the enjoyable parts. Your tolerance for long, multi-stop plane flights may be higher than mine, so adjust accordingly.
posted by Dip Flash at 1:33 PM on January 21, 2015
New Zealand is great for all the obvious reasons but I agree with everyone saying that a week is way too short for that much flying. Iceland is also great but even in the summer it wasn't exactly tropical (though the hot springs must be magical in the winter). Personally I agree with the Caribbean suggestions, or somewhere that is a direct flight to Central or South America, in order to minimize travel time while maximizing the enjoyable parts. Your tolerance for long, multi-stop plane flights may be higher than mine, so adjust accordingly.
posted by Dip Flash at 1:33 PM on January 21, 2015
I've been to Japan (Tokyo, Yokohama & environs) and yes that is a great trip. But the 1-week-is-too-short may also apply. If you stick to Tokyo, maybe not!
Coworkers went to Iceland during the 'winter' months and loved it fwiw.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:34 PM on January 21, 2015
Coworkers went to Iceland during the 'winter' months and loved it fwiw.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:34 PM on January 21, 2015
If you pick tokyo, book the Jiro dreams of sushi restaurant NOW.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:36 PM on January 21, 2015
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:36 PM on January 21, 2015
Came in here to write about Morocco, where I've been twice and will definitely go again. But upon reading the above and your updates, I will support the Japan suggestion. For an AWESOME holiday, Japan is far better than Morocco.
I might focus on Kyoto and do one day trip from there, because you only have a week. You could easily spend all week in Kyoto, though. For a day trip, maybe with one night - I'd suggest going to an island (I really loved going to Naoshima which is also an art site) - or up into the mountains, maybe to a spa or something. It isn't New Zealand, and not at all LOTR, but there are really unique natural sites in Japan.
Though the airfare to Japan can be expensive, its easy to live well there on a budget. Hostels are very clean and orderly and safe. The food is just amazing, even if you can't afford the sushi or the traditional tofu restaurants (I'd save up for one visit to the latter..). Public transportation is excellent, and bike-rental is a good way of getting around.
Since you would be landing in Tokyo, you could also plan a layover there, but then you would have to decide in advance where you want to focus. It is a huge city, and you will not be able to see everything you want to see. On the other hand, if you stay in Tokyo all week, in my view it will not be that wonderful holiday you are planning for. Tokyo is a amazing, but also challenging, and you will get a skewed impression of Japan.
Back to Morrocco: this is a beautiful country, rich in culture and nature, with a very friendly and open population. As a single woman over 40, I have felt entirely safe at all times, though I might decide to pay for a guide or join forces with other travellers if going around the city after 10PM. Morocco is a country with extreme inequality, and there are criminals. BTW, you don't tell people off, you say no thanks, maybe with a firm and friendly hand gesture. Moroccans are very polite.
The cultural sites are amazing, as is the landscape. The food is just gorgeous. Even though Marrakesh and the coastal villages have tons of tourists (many French) they are still very authentic, as in: they may be asking three times too much for the berber carpet - but it is a real berber carpet, and three times too much is probably less than what it costs in New Jersey. Same with the food. You don't get "westernized" food anywhere.
Now to the problem: In my experience, you can really go too cheap in Morocco. You need to stay in nice riad or a western style hotel. The hostels are too rough on so many levels, unless you are 18 and a pothead who doesn't care about bedbugs, mildew, rotten food, used sheets and towels, dirty bathrooms, etc., etc. The same goes for many of the popular cheap food options.
I am going back to Morocco, it is my favorite North African country, and favorite among the Arab-speaking nations. But I am saving up to be able to live in comfortable quarters. I was ill for a month after my last visit to a Moroccan hostel.
posted by mumimor at 1:59 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I might focus on Kyoto and do one day trip from there, because you only have a week. You could easily spend all week in Kyoto, though. For a day trip, maybe with one night - I'd suggest going to an island (I really loved going to Naoshima which is also an art site) - or up into the mountains, maybe to a spa or something. It isn't New Zealand, and not at all LOTR, but there are really unique natural sites in Japan.
Though the airfare to Japan can be expensive, its easy to live well there on a budget. Hostels are very clean and orderly and safe. The food is just amazing, even if you can't afford the sushi or the traditional tofu restaurants (I'd save up for one visit to the latter..). Public transportation is excellent, and bike-rental is a good way of getting around.
Since you would be landing in Tokyo, you could also plan a layover there, but then you would have to decide in advance where you want to focus. It is a huge city, and you will not be able to see everything you want to see. On the other hand, if you stay in Tokyo all week, in my view it will not be that wonderful holiday you are planning for. Tokyo is a amazing, but also challenging, and you will get a skewed impression of Japan.
Back to Morrocco: this is a beautiful country, rich in culture and nature, with a very friendly and open population. As a single woman over 40, I have felt entirely safe at all times, though I might decide to pay for a guide or join forces with other travellers if going around the city after 10PM. Morocco is a country with extreme inequality, and there are criminals. BTW, you don't tell people off, you say no thanks, maybe with a firm and friendly hand gesture. Moroccans are very polite.
The cultural sites are amazing, as is the landscape. The food is just gorgeous. Even though Marrakesh and the coastal villages have tons of tourists (many French) they are still very authentic, as in: they may be asking three times too much for the berber carpet - but it is a real berber carpet, and three times too much is probably less than what it costs in New Jersey. Same with the food. You don't get "westernized" food anywhere.
Now to the problem: In my experience, you can really go too cheap in Morocco. You need to stay in nice riad or a western style hotel. The hostels are too rough on so many levels, unless you are 18 and a pothead who doesn't care about bedbugs, mildew, rotten food, used sheets and towels, dirty bathrooms, etc., etc. The same goes for many of the popular cheap food options.
I am going back to Morocco, it is my favorite North African country, and favorite among the Arab-speaking nations. But I am saving up to be able to live in comfortable quarters. I was ill for a month after my last visit to a Moroccan hostel.
posted by mumimor at 1:59 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Visit Tokyo so we Japan MeFites can use you as a perfect excuse to get together for our annual let's-welcome-a-visiting-MeFite-because-otherwise-we-never-meet Tokyo meetup. Seriously, come to Tokyo, the MeFites here are good people and would love to meet you!
On a slightly more serious note, Japan at the end of the year is a good time to visit because after the ridiculous glitz of Christmas passes, everything suddenly shifts to traditional Japanese New Years mode, including the Muzak in supermarkets! Lots of areas are lighted up at night, which is nice, and not much is closed until New Year's Eve so you probably won't run into any problems in that respect, either. Traveling solo wouldn't be a problem at all.
posted by misozaki at 3:41 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
On a slightly more serious note, Japan at the end of the year is a good time to visit because after the ridiculous glitz of Christmas passes, everything suddenly shifts to traditional Japanese New Years mode, including the Muzak in supermarkets! Lots of areas are lighted up at night, which is nice, and not much is closed until New Year's Eve so you probably won't run into any problems in that respect, either. Traveling solo wouldn't be a problem at all.
posted by misozaki at 3:41 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: One week?
IMHO, the traveling solo issue is much less important than the flight time/ jet lag issue. I see you are based in NYC. Places like Thailand, Cambodia are 12 hours time difference and the flight is like 22 hours, which seriously eats into your vacation time.
You can power through jet lag, maybe, with the excitement of a new country but re-entry/going back to work jetlagged after a 20 hour flight is much less fun.
Note that Argentina is only 2 hours time difference.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:11 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
IMHO, the traveling solo issue is much less important than the flight time/ jet lag issue. I see you are based in NYC. Places like Thailand, Cambodia are 12 hours time difference and the flight is like 22 hours, which seriously eats into your vacation time.
You can power through jet lag, maybe, with the excitement of a new country but re-entry/going back to work jetlagged after a 20 hour flight is much less fun.
Note that Argentina is only 2 hours time difference.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:11 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
The good thing about jet lag and urban Japan is that Japanese cities are 24/7... So you don't necessarily have to adjust at all if you don't want to!
On preview: I'd choose Kyoto over Tokyo too, depends on what you like and want to do.
posted by jrobin276 at 11:36 PM on January 21, 2015
On preview: I'd choose Kyoto over Tokyo too, depends on what you like and want to do.
posted by jrobin276 at 11:36 PM on January 21, 2015
Response by poster: Hi - great answers, all, and I think I'm starting to come down to a verdict - which is:
Peru.
What?
Well, I shot this question to my brother (he and my sister in law are travel agents, and they also backpacked around the world twice) in January, and asked what he thought: Costa Rica or Morrocco? He said he'd give it a think, but then for my birthday, his whole family sent me three Lonely Planet Guidebooks to "help me decide" - Morocco from my brother, and Costa Rica from my sister in law. And from the kidlets: a guide to Peru. Which I hadn't considered. And after flipping through that guide a little, I'm moving from "....Peru?" to "....Huh. Peru." It's got the beaches if I want them, but it's also got the desert climate and culture that I was looking for in Morocco. And it's in a much closer time zone. It's distant, but not, like, takes-a-whole-day-to-get-there distant. And much cheaper flightwise than Morocco.
Peru. Huh.
Even though I only marked one answer as "best answer", your advice all did help - you pointed out some flaws I hadn't considered, and that's always good (and I'm still determined to go to Morocco the year after next, maybe, after I've saved a bit more money away).
So until I post the freaked-out question about "I don't speak Spanish and I'm about to go to Peru is this crazy", thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:25 PM on March 4, 2015
Peru.
What?
Well, I shot this question to my brother (he and my sister in law are travel agents, and they also backpacked around the world twice) in January, and asked what he thought: Costa Rica or Morrocco? He said he'd give it a think, but then for my birthday, his whole family sent me three Lonely Planet Guidebooks to "help me decide" - Morocco from my brother, and Costa Rica from my sister in law. And from the kidlets: a guide to Peru. Which I hadn't considered. And after flipping through that guide a little, I'm moving from "....Peru?" to "....Huh. Peru." It's got the beaches if I want them, but it's also got the desert climate and culture that I was looking for in Morocco. And it's in a much closer time zone. It's distant, but not, like, takes-a-whole-day-to-get-there distant. And much cheaper flightwise than Morocco.
Peru. Huh.
Even though I only marked one answer as "best answer", your advice all did help - you pointed out some flaws I hadn't considered, and that's always good (and I'm still determined to go to Morocco the year after next, maybe, after I've saved a bit more money away).
So until I post the freaked-out question about "I don't speak Spanish and I'm about to go to Peru is this crazy", thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:25 PM on March 4, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
...but the travel time would be a bit of a bear, and so ultimately I'd say you'll get the most travel-per-day out of Morocco. Don't want to spend half of your time suffering on planes & in airports.
posted by aramaic at 10:15 AM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]