Where Do I Go?
June 5, 2012 4:35 PM Subscribe
The world is my oyster: there are so many places I want to travel to, I am having trouble figuring out where.
Single male traveler, late 20s, looking to take a backpacking trip for a week. Where do I go?
I want to take a week to 10 days to collect myself outside The States at the end of June/early July.
This would be my first trip on my own, without a guide/group.
I'm looking to:
- meet people in my age range, who are backpacking as well
- fit in some fun nightlife activities (bars/clubs)
- do some physical activities (i.e. hiking, biking)
These are by no means requirements, but it would be great to fit them all in. What locations do you have in mind that would fit my interests?
Thanks for your help Mefites.
I want to take a week to 10 days to collect myself outside The States at the end of June/early July.
This would be my first trip on my own, without a guide/group.
I'm looking to:
- meet people in my age range, who are backpacking as well
- fit in some fun nightlife activities (bars/clubs)
- do some physical activities (i.e. hiking, biking)
These are by no means requirements, but it would be great to fit them all in. What locations do you have in mind that would fit my interests?
Thanks for your help Mefites.
Canmore, Alberta... Fly into calgary, get a taxi to Banff / Canmore rent a bike to get around. There is tons of white water, mountain biking, backpacking, climbing and mountaineering ... The beer is plentiful and the social life is decent if you stay in town for a day or two on both ends of any backpacking treks.
Banff is also cool if you want a little more... Aspen... than Canmore.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:46 PM on June 5, 2012
Banff is also cool if you want a little more... Aspen... than Canmore.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:46 PM on June 5, 2012
La Paz, Bolivia. Solid nightlife (both gringo-ey and not), several good hostels (one really great one,) lots of hiking, mountain biking, golf, climbing, paragliding, canyoning... Also, it's a pretty low cost destination once you get there and pay your visa fee. If you really want to run yourself down, you could do the Salar de Uyuni in addition to a short trek into the Andes and a bike trip down the "World's Most Dangerous Road" and still have a couple of nights for partying.
posted by piedmont at 5:12 PM on June 5, 2012
posted by piedmont at 5:12 PM on June 5, 2012
Barcelona was my first thought as well, although there are plenty of Italian spots that would also qualify. Stay in private hostels (in my travels I found the IYHF ones kind of institutional and not as social.) (When evaluating where to stay, make sure that there is a common kitchen and social area like a patio or something, that's where people will gather and make friends.)
So fun!
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:14 PM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
So fun!
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:14 PM on June 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
I second deliciae, Barcelona is a great place for traveling and meeting people. The Gothic quarter is my favorite. If you want to do something more outdoorsy and spiritual (not necessarily religious) you can take "El camino" and do a week long pilgrimage and meet people along the way. A wonderful way to explore a larger area and do a lot of thinking and introspection along The Way.
posted by i_wear_boots at 5:20 PM on June 5, 2012
posted by i_wear_boots at 5:20 PM on June 5, 2012
Since you're in New York and can only go for a week or so, I'd suggest somewhere in Europe or maybe Central America.
I like deliciae's suggestion of Barcelona. You might also like Prague. What about a bike tour of Belgian breweries (I'm assuming this is a thing) or a visit to Amsterdam or a German city with an outdoorsy biking/hiking component added in?
Costa Rica is the obvious choice for backpacking combined with outdoorsy-ness.
Oaxaca or Chiapas would be worth looking into. I'm tempted to suggest the Mayan Riviera for the ease of travel from the US and the potential for exploring cool ruins, but it's less backpacker and more package tourism. I think you can find interesting options, but it's not a backpacker mecca like San Cristobal is.
Arequipa, Peru, is great for a combo of outdoorsy activities, nightlife, and backpacker scene. That said, it's a little far -- you'd have to fly NYC-Lima, then either get an expensive connecting flight or an overnight bus. In both directions (so that's 2 to 4 days of travel for a week's vacation). And you'd have to console yourself about the fact that you went all the way to Peru and didn't get to do any of the Bucket List worthy stuff like the Inca Trail or Macchu Picchu, which pretty much can't be done in your timeframe.
You're talking backpacking like hostels and eurail passes, right? Not like hiking and camping? If the latter, yeah, probably Banff or something.
posted by Sara C. at 5:27 PM on June 5, 2012
I like deliciae's suggestion of Barcelona. You might also like Prague. What about a bike tour of Belgian breweries (I'm assuming this is a thing) or a visit to Amsterdam or a German city with an outdoorsy biking/hiking component added in?
Costa Rica is the obvious choice for backpacking combined with outdoorsy-ness.
Oaxaca or Chiapas would be worth looking into. I'm tempted to suggest the Mayan Riviera for the ease of travel from the US and the potential for exploring cool ruins, but it's less backpacker and more package tourism. I think you can find interesting options, but it's not a backpacker mecca like San Cristobal is.
Arequipa, Peru, is great for a combo of outdoorsy activities, nightlife, and backpacker scene. That said, it's a little far -- you'd have to fly NYC-Lima, then either get an expensive connecting flight or an overnight bus. In both directions (so that's 2 to 4 days of travel for a week's vacation). And you'd have to console yourself about the fact that you went all the way to Peru and didn't get to do any of the Bucket List worthy stuff like the Inca Trail or Macchu Picchu, which pretty much can't be done in your timeframe.
You're talking backpacking like hostels and eurail passes, right? Not like hiking and camping? If the latter, yeah, probably Banff or something.
posted by Sara C. at 5:27 PM on June 5, 2012
If only going for a week, I would head to South or Central America because I prefer to avoid losing much time to jet lag.
I know a ton of friends in their late twenties/early thirties doing the Machu Picchu thing in Peru, backpacker style, and loving it. It looks like there are a variety of options depending on how much hiking you might like.
posted by skermunkil at 1:05 AM on June 6, 2012
I know a ton of friends in their late twenties/early thirties doing the Machu Picchu thing in Peru, backpacker style, and loving it. It looks like there are a variety of options depending on how much hiking you might like.
posted by skermunkil at 1:05 AM on June 6, 2012
There is just no way in a million years to do Macchu Picchu in a week on a budget in a "backpackerish" type way.
I mean, you could fly to Lima, get a connecting flight* to Cusco, sleep there, then IMMEDIATELY (as in 4 or 5 the next morning) leave for one of the Inca Trail hikes, do that, spend a few hours at Macchu Picchu, haul ass back to Cusco, fly back to Lima the following day, then fly home. But it would be hell, and you wouldn't even get to experience much of anything. And you'd be risking debilitating altitude sickness. And it wouldn't be cheap, either, since you're basically doing all the most expensive aspects of visiting that part of the world in a way that is super time-intensive and doesn't allow for taking the budget-friendly way out, ever.
Having been to Peru, I'd say you need at least two weeks to do Cusco, Macchu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley justice, especially if you don't have a ton of money.
*I'm not sure if this is true across the board, but when I was there in 2010 the typical flight from the East Coast of the US didn't mesh up well with the timing for flights to Cusco, so the trip involved spending a night in Lima. Which is half the reason that a week or ten days just isn't enough time.
posted by Sara C. at 8:14 AM on June 6, 2012
I mean, you could fly to Lima, get a connecting flight* to Cusco, sleep there, then IMMEDIATELY (as in 4 or 5 the next morning) leave for one of the Inca Trail hikes, do that, spend a few hours at Macchu Picchu, haul ass back to Cusco, fly back to Lima the following day, then fly home. But it would be hell, and you wouldn't even get to experience much of anything. And you'd be risking debilitating altitude sickness. And it wouldn't be cheap, either, since you're basically doing all the most expensive aspects of visiting that part of the world in a way that is super time-intensive and doesn't allow for taking the budget-friendly way out, ever.
Having been to Peru, I'd say you need at least two weeks to do Cusco, Macchu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley justice, especially if you don't have a ton of money.
*I'm not sure if this is true across the board, but when I was there in 2010 the typical flight from the East Coast of the US didn't mesh up well with the timing for flights to Cusco, so the trip involved spending a night in Lima. Which is half the reason that a week or ten days just isn't enough time.
posted by Sara C. at 8:14 AM on June 6, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
- If you stay in a hostel, you are sure to meet other travelers in your age range.
- There's plenty of nightlife, the food/drink are fantastic and not terribly expensive, and there is more art & culture than you will know what to do with.
- I was there while Spain was playing in the World Cup and made it a point to watch every game with locals in a bar off the beaten path - these were some of the best experiences of my trip. We made LOTS of friends this way.
- The city lends itself to all kinds of physical activity, both through the topography (lots of hills in some parts, lovely beaches in others) and by design - bike rental kiosks abound throughout the city, relatively inexpensive, and SO FUN. I can't wait to go back!
Enjoy your travels wherever they take you. :)
posted by deliciae at 4:44 PM on June 5, 2012 [2 favorites]