Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crocadoodledoo]

Hi everyone!
You guys always give the best advice - here is my conundrum:

I'm finishing my contract in 30 days and have about 15 million to play with.

I've been to SE Asia but would like to check out parts I havent seen

Also I would love to go to Europe for 4 months or so then take the train across Russia to come back to my contract here in September

Anothe option is to go to South America and study spanish for a couple of months then travel all over

I know it is a general question, but if any6body has been in the same boat, share the wisdom!

PS I'll be travelling alone in case anybody wants to join

[VanIslander]

[D.D.]

Saving here for a year gives enough to do 2 years in India. I once took 15000 to Europe and it went so fast. After 2 months I was heading home as I was down to 3000, but in India I spend about 300 a month.

[crocadoodledoo]

thanks vanislander

Yeah the more I think of it the more sense it makes - I'm young, rich (if I go to SEA or SA, not Europe) and should enjoy my time right haha

Thanks for the tip about Europe too D.D. - I was in France this summer and blew so much money even though I was living like a beggar

you guys got me thinking about heading back to India again too.....

[Tiger Beer]

Depends on your interests...I've spent 10 months in South America, 10 months in Europe and quite a few SE Asian vacations.

Each one is so different...completely different...and they attract completely different people.

South America is the most interesting I was in...and mostly because you REALLY need to learn and speak Spanish or Portuguese. If you aren't interested in Latin culture or learning Spanish or Portuguese, then you might as well bypass it. I loved doing that while there, but the other thing is once there, it's FAR from everywhere else, and you are REALLY in to the Latin American world. It sounds like you are interested though.

Whereas the other continents, you can shift countries quickly and generally use English in almost all of them, not so in South America.

Personally, I think you just go to quick and easy SE Asia...see whatever you didn't see...then fly one-way to Europe...just do the places you most want to see...then fly to South America...if you see anything along the way, just stay there and be ready to toss all other plans out the window.

One last important note! Be sure to post on here and keep us updated...I'd be real curious where you go and what you do!

[soviet_man]

If I ever had 5 months off, I would look into freighter travel --- going by cargo ships. (Do a google search, various companies organize them).

I think it would be nice to just sit and relax for a month on a ship --- they cover huge distances and prices don't seem too bad.

[VanIslander]

[sobriquet]

head to Sarawak and Sabah, then onto mainland Malaysia andexplore there for a bit, so much more to Malaysia than meets the eye.

Then off to Indonesia and onto some of the more remote islands and Micronesia.

An old kiwi playboy was telling me about some of the solomon islands where they need more foreign DNA to help reduce inbreeding and you can get laid every day with a different woman for free if you want.

[mmstyle]

My partner and I are wrapping up 6+ months off. We bought around the world tickets. Check out the one-world option, it includes many airlines. We spent the most money in Europe (Scandinavia). However, I did have free housing for us there. Housing would have put our costs through the roof.

SE Asia was great (we had never been) and very inexpensive. We lived cheaply in some places then lived very well (but still relatively cheaply compared to home) in others. Because we were traveling together, our housing costs were lower, but we stayed mostly in nice places, not the cheapest we could find.

I think it is a great idea, whichever way you go! Enjoy!

[santafly]

OP, you forgot about Africa.

My original plan (this is if the won hadn't failed and my job paid me the money my contract stipulated) was: Thailand, Madagascar, Kenya to Zambia, Ethiopia, Egypt, India, and then back to SE Asia. With some research, the flights to do this aren't as much as you would think.

I love Latin America but it's just nowhere near as diverse or exotic as Asia (catholicism, colonialism, indigineous people) - It's the natural environment that stands out in S.America. Asia is also way cheaper.

and don't forget about the monsoon - that's a big consideration

[crocadoodledoo]

Hi guys - thanks for the great responses - D-Day (decision day) is going to be next week - I'll keep reading up and humming and hawing haha

I was looking at flights to Colombia and about 1.8 while SEA is so much cheaper. This around the world tickets look super cool too -

santafly - I lived in Africa for 2 years a while ago (Zimbabwe before Mugabe went mad) and it was really great, however my 'life plan' is to travel as many places as possible (but enjoying and exploring the cultures, not just checking off a country on the list) and then in a few years when I want to settle down somewhere, i'll think back to which place was the best and that will be it for me!

keep the great advice coming!!!

[Tiger Beer]

[santafly]

OP - that's a rather rude comment about checking things off a list - I was thinking of something like 7 months in Africa

[crocadoodledoo]

[DCJames]

15 million KRW = $10,867 USD