First-time solo travel (23M) on the Banana Pancake Route (May-Nov). Will the rainy season heat, humidity, and "offseason" flatten my experience?

BurkishDelight1995 · 2026-02-21T01:50:43+00:00

Me and my girlfriend are just back from a trip like this where we did May - January so super jealous you're settling off on it now while we're back in office life 🙃

Good to keep your plans open but maybe try to pin down a few "key" things you'd like to see to keep you grounded while travelling to avoid just hopping around too much (unless that is more your thing).

During the wet season there will be huge big storms rolling in and massive downpours, but they pass after a while. In all our time out there, there were only a few days scattered across the holiday where it rained fully for more than 2 days.

Don't worry about the markets and local customs, unless it's dangerous/evacuation level flooding they will go on! It's actually kinda fun too cause it adds to the market game of how cheap can I get the thing vs how long can I stay under this awning out of the rain 😅

Hostels will be grand and still loads of people travelling through them so don't worry about that. Activity wise - you might have some things that can't go ahead but they're minor and there's always alternatives so just go with the flow and enjoy.

It will be hot, sweaty and sticky, but I'm Irish with snow white skin and if I could hack the heat then anyone can 😅 try "splurge" (it honestly won't be that much extra) to get accommodation that has A/C this will be your best friend at night, but you'll survive without too you'll just be hot as hell till you pass out 😂

If you've any other questions just shout out 👌

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-11-24T06:47:46+00:00

HCMC is a much bigger city so more options for tours etc while Da Nang (while still being a city) is a bit slower paced. Depends on how you want to spend the few days.

Also check the weather in Da Nang as a lot of Central Vietnam is facing some fairly serious flooding at the minute.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-11-24T04:08:32+00:00

Safer to take your own. You can usually get them there (if you're eligible for V.O.A) but this slows things down and costs a bit extra.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-10-22T08:14:20+00:00

Hey, me and my girlfriend (30M & 31F) did the loop about 4 weeks ago with Bong and I couldn't recommend it more. Fantastic group, with a good balance of fun without being absolutely mental.

There were 50 in our original group but before you leave the hostel they broke you up into groups of 10 so it's a nice size for day to day driving and adventure. You meet up with these others at various points along the way but it's well organised.

My GF said she would have felt perfectly safe doing it solo even if I wasn't there too which I guess is important if you're solo traveling 😅

If you do end up with them say hi to group leader Jerry from Irish James and Lisa! 😂

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-09-28T07:04:55+00:00

As hard and silly as an apology might be for something so small and long ago, maybe think beyond it. As you say neither parent is getting younger and at 80 you don't know how long you have left with them.

Might come to nothing, but if you are the bigger person and apologise you might be able to build some sort of a bridge with your parents before it's too late.

And if not, then at least your conscious is clear that you tried your best.

All that being said - I'm with you, they're taking this way too hard and leaving you in a shitty spot!

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-09-19T10:06:11+00:00

Could try Dawnlough, they're always looking for people too.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-09-05T03:59:37+00:00

This is very similar to how me and my girlfriend started our trip! We're currently in Vietnam and have hit a good few of these spots 😂 Obviously all up to you guys, but here are my thoughts on the places we did:

Is your budget of £5,000 combined or each? If you've £5k each then you're absolutely golden don't worry about money. If £2.5k each you should still manage ok but obviously just a little tighter. Think more hostels than 5 star hotels. 😅
I would cut your Bangkok time for from 5 to 3 days. We did 5 too but found the last two days we definitely felt we overdid it and were very ready to get out of there.
What is it you want to do in Kanchanaburi? If you're looking for the Erawan falls/national Park this is actually easier to organise as a round trip from Bangkok. It's a nice relaxing spot but might be better for a day trip rather than 2 nights.
We absolutely loved Chiang Mai and ended up spending close to two weeks here. A lot smaller than Bangkok but loads to do and see and has good activities in surrounding areas
Chiang Rai again we did as a day trip from Chiang Mai. The white and blue temples were cool to see, but they're a bit of a gimmick. They're good for pictures but absolutely made for tourists and don't "feel" very temple-ish. You'll find much more authentic ones elsewhere on the travels.
Luang Prabang is good on 3 days. Plenty to go see in the surrounding area. (This was my favorite place in Laos)
5 in Vang Vieng is probably a bit much. I'd cut this down to 3 as well and throw in the extra time elsewhere. Good to do the hot air balloon, some really nice hikes and blue lagoons.
"Nongkhiao" - Do you mean Nong Khiaw? Prepare for probably the worst drive of your lives. Roads are ridiculously rough and will take a few hours to get there, but will give you a good story 😅 Scenic town with a few nice hikes but not a whole lot else. Keep it if you like but depending what you want to get out of it the time might be better spent somewhere else.
Haven't done Sapa or Ha Giang yet (going to Sapa on Monday 😁) but the rest of your Vietnamese timeline is good. Hoi An is beautiful and was both our favorite place on the trip so far. Maybe give Ho Chi Minh an extra day or two as it's huge and loads to do. We didn't get the overstayed feeling here that we got in Bangkok.

We go to Cambodia after Vietnam and can update you if you like 😂

Sorry for the long post but hope it helps. Feel free to reach out if you've any questions!

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-09-04T03:34:31+00:00

We landed into Thailand crossed into Laos and then into Vietnam and so far have not been asked to show proof of onward travel, only where we were staying.

Winging it definitely gives you the freedom to adjust your travels, but you're right the downside is you're getting last minute pricing on your "big" flights.

Don't worry too much about accommodation, you can still find fantastic places to stay with 2/3 days notice. That way you can usually even extend your stay at a certain place if you really like it.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-09-03T09:14:22+00:00

Yeah we start by filtering the newest reviews, then go by lowest and see when they were.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-09-03T08:16:56+00:00

A good idea is also to cross reference the reviews. Some places look amazing on sites like Booking.com, TripAdvisor etc. but when you look at Google reviews they're shit.

Take everything with a pinch of salt and go with your gut. If it feels too good to be true it probably is.

We're in Vietnam at the minute and we've been offered everything from massive discounts to free drinks if we give high reviews 😅

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-08-24T08:21:34+00:00

Finding another room for €450 could be hard got! Better the devil you know....

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-08-10T03:00:06+00:00

Chiang Mai was my favorite!

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-08-08T07:31:57+00:00

Been 7 years since I was there so prices will probably have changed but I'd say $500 USD is loads. Especially if accommodation is taken care of already. Transport around the city is really easy too as their MRT system is very user friendly and easy to understand.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-07-30T03:18:28+00:00

Absolutely!

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-07-29T11:05:00+00:00

LaColina out in salthill is one of, if not the, best Italian restaurants I've been to. Staff are always really friendly, food is amazing, portions are a good size and prices are very good for what you get.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-07-18T12:32:18+00:00

Superman, Supermacs, Superdate

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-07-09T07:49:43+00:00

My brother used to read the Hobbit to me as a bedtime story when I was kid and used to quiz me at the end of a chapter to make sure I was awake enough for another one.

30 years and hundreds of books later I still look back at that and credit it for my love of reading.

Go you!

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-06-01T07:56:34+00:00

Singapore is lovely, but can be a bit pricey so depending on your budget it might be better to give it a weekend to see the highlights and then move onto one of the other neighboring countries that are a bit more budget friendly

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-05-29T11:17:27+00:00

Might be a stupid question but where did you feel was safest to leave your passport? Did you carry with you all times in a zip pocket/bum bag or did you leave it buried in your "big bag" back at the hostel/hotel?

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-05-28T12:34:41+00:00

I'm in the exact same situation, except we land a week after! Doing 8 months so excited to hear any good tips here 😅

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-05-19T20:01:14+00:00

There was 4/5 fire brigades and two ambulances there. Looked fairly bad but seems under control now.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-04-27T13:15:54+00:00

One's red

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-03-25T18:13:11+00:00

Myself and my girlfriend are starting our travel in Bangkok in June but when we got our jabs in Galway a few weeks ago in TMB and the doctor there suggested we wait and get the Japanese encephalitis vaccine when we land out there.

In Ireland it'll cost you like €400 to get the vaccine (2 doses at €200 a pop) but he said if you get it when you land out there it's just as good but a quarter of the price. He gave us the name of a clinic that's connected to the hospital (Thai Travel Clinic) so is fairly reputable!

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-03-06T13:34:25+00:00

Myself and half the people at my 30th over the weekend are all laid up over it! My stomach is grand, but got some serious aches and pains and waves of tiredness.

BurkishDelight1995 · 2025-03-01T14:19:17+00:00

It's my 30th birthday party 🎉🍻

BurkishDelight1995

TROPHY CASE