Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Koreabound2004]

Just a question....since I am off for 6 weeks in the winter. I am trying to plan a vacation, and want to go to as many countries as possible, as cheaply as possible.

Can anyone help with a suggested itinerary?

Also, my vacay starts on Dec.31, when should I buy air tickets???

[itaewonguy]

euro pass.. start with london... france and then where ever you want to go.. euro pass is really yhe best way to see europe and can of course see many countries..

[oni]

get a round trip ticket to banghok and do some loop around thailand, laos,vietnam, cambodia. You'll escape winter and get lots of sun. That'd be my dream trip right now. Or India would be wicked too ..............

[Koreabound2004]

[yemanja]

I agree with oni, do Southeast Asia in the winter! I was there in the summer for six weeks, and still loved it- but I did wish it was winter! It's super cheap, especially if you avoid the overly touristic parts of Thailand. Go to talesofasia.com for good stuff on Cambodia, especially, but also the rest of S.E.Asia.

[the eye]

you are in asia, so it seems only logical to tour south, no?

if you are the adventurous type and don't mind roughing it a bit, i suggest starting at Hanoi Vietnam. very cheap if you look around.
Do a week there, see Halong bay, do some historical tours.
Buses are really cheap....take one down to HoChiMihn City. You could easily spend a few days there with tours of the tunnels and other stuff.

If you want some real beautiful experiences, try Laos as the second stop.. The country side is great and the people are less spoiled by tourism.

You can take a bus thru Laos and also thru Cambodia. But, you won't have time for both.
Angkor Wat is breathtaking, but a little expensive as it takes a few days to see everything. In Pnom Pen, there is the S-21 prison and the killing fields. The prison was quite the experience for me.
Travel thru cambodia is really cheap, but a little rough as rural roads are pothole ridden and slow.

You can take a bus all the way to Thailand and then change another bus for Bangkok. Another cheap and interesting city.
You can get an overnight train to Surat Thani, and then a ferry to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao. Phangan is good for some quiet R&R, Tao is good for diving.

OR!!!!!!!!!!
if you are interested in this idea...it is much easier to start in bangkok. Kaosan Road in Bangkok has numerous travel agents that specialuze in budget travel. I used one there, and they got me advance tickets and VISAs from Bangkok to Vietnam.

[Koreabound2004]

From what I've heard, flights to Bangkok are cheapest. I just don't know if I should wait, and buy a ticket a week before, or 2 months before. I am pretty big on planning in advance, but will wait, if it is in my best interest.

So, what I think I will do is just buy a return ticket from Incheon to Bangkok, and travel by bus around those above-mentioned countries....now which order??? Which places in those countries?

[peppermint]

check out www.airasia.com for some ideas- extremely cheap flights around South East Asia.

[the eye]

I would recommend looking around. Sometimes Vietnam can be cheaper to fly to.

The ideal thing would be a one way to Bangkok...bus travel...then a one way from Vietnam to inchon.

Otherwise....
Bangkok is the best starting place because they have the best resources for low budget travellers. Kaosan road in Bangkok is flooded with backpackers yearround and has reliable agents.

For itinerary, i suggest...
Inchon to bangkok....stay on Kaosan Road. you can get an airport bus to Kaosan for 150baht. taxi is 350baht.

on Kaosan road, you can get a package for the following:

Bangkok to Poipet by bus. Advance Cambodian VISA procesing.
Poipet to Angkor, Cambodia, by bus.
Angkor to PnomPhen by boat. (quicker and easier on the spine than the bus ...the roads are terrible.)

Pnom Phen to HoChiMin, Vietnam by bus. Vietnam VISA processing.
HoChiMin to Hanoi by bus.

HoChiMin to DienBienPhu, Laos by bus. Laos VISA processing.
DienBienPhu to PakBeng by Bus.

PakBeng to Chang Rai, Thailand by bus.
.....Chang Rai is gorgeous for jungle treks and wldlife. a must see.

Chang Rai to Bangkok by train. very cheap...and you can get an overnight sleeper berth with fresh sheets and pillow.

[indytrucks]

6 weeks ...

Philippines, man. Philippines. Avoid the rest of the herd.

[Paji eh Wong]

I'd do Thailand, Myanmar, India. Or just India. But I've already been to Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

I don't know what the visa situation is like with Myanmar at the moment.

ps. Don't try to pack as many countries into your vacation as possible. Go for quality, not quantity.

[yemanja]

[the_beaver]

Only 6 weeks? I'd complain.

[peemil]

Go to North Queensland.

[the eye]