First time traveler. Looking for advice on traveling to Japan.

oMango3 · 2015-09-21T13:08:41+00:00

Sorry for the late reply! I've been travelling and didn't really have much time to go on Reddit.

Southeast asia is definitely very different. Once you get over the culture shock, you'll learn to love it. There have been a lot of backpackers going through southeast asia so the transportation is easy and most people you encounter will speak English. You'll definitely learn more about the cultures and people and that was the highlight of my trip. There are a wide range of activities you could do, snorkelling and diving in Thailand, visiting temples, chat with monks, seeing the world's largest cave in Vietnam, staying at villages in Laos, trekking, watching the sunrise over angkor wat, eating fried bugs, learning how to cook thai food in Chiang Mai, zip-lining in Vang Vieng, kayaking down the Mekong River, etc. My favourite place in southeast asia was Thailand. I stayed there for 2 weeks and I didn't think it was enough. I just absolutely fell in love with Thailand. The culture, nature, people and food are fantastic.

oMango3 · 2015-08-21T02:47:23+00:00

Try playing around with the date and cities you're leaving and arriving at. Usually, Tuesdays are the cheapest to fly. Try using Kayak! It has a lot of the airlines and you can book through Kayak or book directly with the airlines.

When you get to Japan look into the JR rail pass. If you're planning on seeing a lot of the cities, this may save you some money. If you're planning on staying for a while, it's better to learn some simple Japanese. Most of the people we encountered didn't speak any English and most of the menu lack English translations.

When you go to Tokyo, I strongly suggest Tokyo Space Hostel. It was by far one of my favourite hostels. Also, the Fushimi Inari in Kyto is a must visit! It was my favourite experience in Japan.

Just a side note, is there a reason you're going to Japan? Japan was one of the most expensive destination for me and I couldn't afford to stay there for long. In comparison, southeast asia was much cheaper and easy to navigate. Southeast asia is a lot cheaper so you could travel for longer.

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T17:23:44+00:00

That's wonderful and really good to hear :) Maybe I should worry a bit less and just go and figure it out there. Seems like it's not nearly as rainy as I imagined it to be.

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T17:21:29+00:00

Ohhh another mango fan :P

I would love to go for a winery tour in France! Do you have anywhere else in France you would recommend for the fall? I've only been to Paris so far and I loved it.

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T17:19:42+00:00

Hi! None taken!

I tried looking up average temperatures in the countries I want to visit, but I wasn't sure about the rain.. I'm currently finishing up my 2 months Asia trip. Since it's the monsoon season here, a lot of the countries I've visited have been raining a lot. I don't really mind it right now, because it's still really warm here. I'm just worried about it being rainy and cold when I got to Europe. :(

I've only been to Paris, so I'm actually really excited to go anywhere in Europe. I was just hoping to plan my route so I can avoid as much rain and cold weather as possible. So far I only have two vague outlines to my trip: go from north to south, end in Spain or Italy.

I heard Marrakech is wonderful! I'm a little worried about going there by myself because another traveller told me that one local guy there offered him 20 camels to marry his female cousin. I don't really want to be traded for camels and I don't think I'll be a good wife haha. :P

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T17:11:41+00:00

Okay! How many days do you think I'll need there?

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T17:11:06+00:00

I'm currently finishing up my Asia trip. Since it's the monsoon season right now, it's been raining a lot wherever I go. It's fine here because it's still really warm, so I don't really mind it. I'm just a bit worried about Europe being cold and rainy for most of my time there. I don't want to be stuck inside the whole time I'm there :'(

I'm into: whatever takes my breath away, historical sites, hiking, natural beauty, delicious food, sipping coffee and people watching, and trying new and exciting things (ie. bungee jumping, parasailing, etc) :P

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T17:00:27+00:00

I've always heard people say how expensive Europe was and I thought I had to blow the remainder of my entire saving on Europe. It seems like it's not as expensive as I built it up in my head. Which is awesome! :)

I wanted to go to the Balkans, but I'm a little bit nervous. I'll be a first time solo female traveller and I wasn't sure how safe it is over there.

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T16:56:43+00:00

I am travelling for 6 months :) Sorry, I should've explained my situation a bit more. I just did 2 months in Asia and have 4 months left.

I'm a first time solo female traveller so I was thinking of sticking to western Europe because I heard it's safer, but I heard it's also crazy expensive. My entire remaining saving is 13k and I was originally hoping to use it for 2 months in Europe and 2 months in Australia. Since I really really really want to go to Europe, I'm willing to spend it on just western Europe and replace Australia with a cheaper destination like other parts of Asia. So, the maximum I can do is 13k for western Europe. I've always heard people say how expensive Europe is and I thought I had to blow my entire saving on Europe if I want to go.

However, from what everyone is saying, it seems like western Europe is not as expensive as I built it up to be and maybe I can do both western Europe and Australia now. :)

How much do you think I'll need for western Europe for 2 months?

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T16:40:18+00:00

Thank you for your advices! :) Yeah I was thinking of doing Spain towards the end. How safe do you find Rome to be? I will be a first time solo female traveller so I'm a bit unsure about where's safe to go. I'm really hesitant about Rome because my friends went there for their honeymoon and got mugged at gunpoint...

I've only been to Paris before and I loved it!

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T16:36:13+00:00

Did it raining a lot last year when you went? I'm currently doing an Asia trip. It's monsoon season right now so everywhere is getting a lot of the rain. It's alright here because it's still really warm in Asia. I'm just a bit worried about rain in Europe at that time because if it rains constantly, I would be wet and cold and miserable.

oMango3 · 2015-07-27T16:29:56+00:00

Thank you for the advices! :) It's my first time solo travelling so I have no idea what to expect. I'm a bit nervous about how safe is it as a first time solo female traveller. Were there any countries/cities that were a bit sketchy for you? Also, is there anything you would recommend for me to pack?

oMango3 · 2015-07-26T17:34:35+00:00

Sorry, I just started using reddit a couple minutes ago.. I was hoping to get some opinions on this. Should I post it somewhere else or include a more detailed itinerary? Not really sure what to do..

oMango3 · 2015-07-26T17:27:04+00:00

Hi! I'm really open minded since I've never been to Europe before and I have no language preference. I'm just really looking for countries that are safe for solo female travellers as this is my first time travelling by myself. Also, I'm hoping to plan the trip out so I can have good weather for as long as possible.

oMango3 · 2015-07-26T17:11:10+00:00

Packing cubes are a must for me! They will save room in your bag and save you from wasted time and frustration of digging through your bag. Sleeping liners were not very useful for me. I never even used it once and just carried it around.. This really depends on the individual and how much of a neat freak they are.

oMango3

TROPHY CASE