Where to go?

May 30, 2006 7:30 AM

Where should I go in July and August?

If I have the opportunity to go travelling in July and August, where are the best places to go? I would prefer to be outside Europe, and in Asia or Africa, though I know that Asia has its monsoon season around this time, so I don't know how uncomfortable it would be (given that I live in the UK and have little experience of seriously hot/humid climates).

I am female (20-something) and would be alone, so although Africa would be amazing, there is a lot of it I don't think I'd feel safe in. Money would not be huge concern, but I would be backpacking. Any suggestions?

posted by speranza to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Have you considered the Baltic countries? I went to Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, last year, and it was spotless, safe, clean and cheap.

The most expensive restaurant in the city was McDonalds.
posted by randomination at 7:52 AM on May 30, 2006

South east asia is fantastic for single female travelers and the people are very kind to single female travels. Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia. I prefer the north of it to the south.
posted by zia at 8:02 AM on May 30, 2006

zia, those would be my ideal places to go, I am just a little worried that the weather would make the whole trip very uncomfortable.

randomination, although I would love to go to those countries, I am applying to uni for 2007 entry and all of the courses I'm applying for have European years abroad. Plus, I've never travelled anywhere outside Europe and just feel like I'd like to have a real culture shock.
posted by speranza at 8:12 AM on May 30, 2006

have you considered a trip to New Zealand? I've travelled a fair bit in both SE Asia and East Africa, but the 1.5 month long trip around New Zealand i took in my early 20's (around the same time, July/August) has always been one of the most memorable. Also, it wouldn't be too difficult to include NZ along with a trip to, say, Thailand or Malaysia - companies like Sta Travel might be worth looking at for multi-country fight packages or possible stopovers.
posted by tnai at 8:32 AM on May 30, 2006

For somewhere remote and way out of Europe, but where the weather is not as fiercely humid as SE Asia, what about Patagonia? and/or the Andes? I spoke Spanish so it may not suit but there were lots of backpackers who didn't.
I also find that I can stand heat if it is dry so I'm dying to visit to the Nasca lines in Peru.
Also, maybe you can log-onto a back-packing website and see if one or two others are going somewhere unusual and join in. Friends of mine visited the Kamchatka peninsula (former USSR) and had a blast. Between 4 backpackers they were able to buy a jeep for £100 and basically rode around this wild and beautiful place.

Having said all that, nothing compares to SE Asia. It's worth a bit of discomfort.
posted by Wilder at 8:58 AM on May 30, 2006

Friends went to Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia around this time last year and had the time of their lives. They don't speak Spanish but, apparently, were fine. Lots of great photos, they met lots of other travelers hitting some of the same sites, and were invited to stay at a Chilean family's house pretty much out of the blue, which they accepted and really enjoyed. Two months sounds about right for a leisurely journey through these places.
posted by mdonley at 9:23 AM on May 30, 2006

Don't let the notion of a monsoon necessarily put you off. In many places it just means that it will rain heavily for about an hour each day. The result: lower prices, fewer crowds.
posted by rongorongo at 9:31 AM on May 30, 2006

Monsoon is not so serious. Just take your waders.

Of course it depends where you go. But the climate varies so much across the region, that if you are miserable in one area, just pick up and go to another and it will be completely different.
posted by zia at 9:58 AM on May 30, 2006

Costa Rica?

It's paradise. And all kinds of cheap. If I remember correctly, there was a hostel on the main drag in San José that cost seven dollars a night, and even had internet access.

I loved Miguel Antonio (some of the most beautiful beaches in the world). I have friends who traveled to Guanacaste province and found plenty to do there while staying in hostels on the beach. My parents fell in love with the town of Samara (there's a small hostel there too, I think). The Caribbean side of the country is completely different from the rest, as they speak English and the population is mostly black.

There's plenty of nature preserves, it's warm without being scorching, the rain is tolerable, and the food is actually pretty good. All kinds of fresh fruit, coconut popsicles and lychees sold at the side of the road, and it's small and relatively easy to get around. There's a bit of machista harassment, but as a single woman traveler I think you'd be safe. I tooled around San José during the day on my own for a couple weeks, and I was fine.
posted by anjamu at 11:56 PM on May 30, 2006