Where have you travelled before?

[aj47]

As recently I’ve been getting slightly bored of where I live/England in general, a few months ago I decided to defer my entry to Uni and take a gap year to go travelling. I’m currently working stupid amount of hours to save up for this but I still need to work out where I’m gonna go. I may travel with a friend but I’d rather have the freedom to go where and do what I want so I will most likely travel by myself.

 

Anyway I’m in desperate need of some inspiration and or tips on travelling so I thought to be great to hear about the places you've travelled to before.

 

What it was like, what was good, what was bad etc?.

 

I'll start. For me, so far Russia was probably the most amazing place I've travelled to, which I went to over the summer to visit/travel with my brother who’s living in Moscow. We spent the first week going north through Moscow, Novgorod and St Petersburg, ending up in lake Ladoga close to the borders of Finland. I then left my brother and spent the last week in Cheboksary in Chuvasia which was slightly daunting as my Russian vocabulary was.. well non existent.

 

Anyway all of the trip was amazing but in particular St Petersburg which I’d loved to go back to. Meeting Russian people also made me realise why people think of the English as being stuffy….they are. It’s only when you meet people who aren’t afraid to show there emotions or speak their mind that you realise it unnecessary polite the English can be.

 

Here’s a few pics I uploaded if anyone wants to see…

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73047976@N00/ and ….

http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k80/aj47_01/

[YT2095]

Born in England, been around Most of Canada staying for protracted lengths of time in different Provinces (over 8 years), also Russia, been to the US too.

[Royston]

Russia is on the top of my list of places to visit, I'd like to exlpore Siberia as well.

 

As for recommendations, I've travelled to Mexico, Central and South America, the South Pacific Islands (Easter Island, Tahiti et.c) Australia, New Zealand, Japan, in the states, Nevada and Arizona as well as western Europe. TBH they were all unique, and that is the joy of travelling...I strongly recommend Peru, Mexico (especially Mexico city) the Alps, Arizona and New Zealand. The best places I've visited are Tikal in Guatemala, and Machu Picchu in Peru, utterly amazing.

[insane_alien]

a couple of my friends and i are going to go on a road trip round europe sometime next year maybe. should be awesome i'm looking forward to the autobahn .

i've been to most of western europe so i want to see the eastern side as well.

 

i quite fancy going to Greece see all the ruins and that

[bascule]

The only places outside the US I've ever been are Mexico and Japan. Japan rocks!

[aj47]

Russia is on the top of my list of places to visit, I'd like to exlpore Siberia as well.

 

As for recommendations, I've travelled to Mexico, Central and South America, the South Pacific Islands (Easter Island, Tahiti et.c) Australia, New Zealand, Japan, in the states, Nevada and Arizona as well as western Europe. TBH they were all unique, and that is the joy of travelling...I strongly recommend Peru, Mexico (especially Mexico city) the Alps, Arizona and New Zealand. The best places I've visited are Tikal in Guatemala, and Machu Picchu in Peru, utterly amazing.

 

Hmm yea i've been thinking about South America for a while now, it sounds like an amazing place, plus the fact that it so cheap would mean I travel for a lot longer.

 

One of my other brothers spent a long time in Bogotá in Columbia which i'd love to visit. According to him people there are the most hospitible in the world as Columbia has next to no tourism, so everybody really appreciates you travelling there. Although the only thing im worried about is that he's like a machine and learnt spanish almost fluently in in a few months, which I could never do. So if I want to go to anywhere non touristy (i.e. Bogotá) i'd be hard pressed meeting anyone. But then again I guess that would be the same in any country.

 

I've also vaugley considering going to Syria after speaking for hours with a family friend who convinced me of its safety, but then again it's the same situation and i'm not sure if i'd be able to cope in an Arabic speaking country on my own. Hmm I guess I just need to sit down and read up on these places.

[ecoli]

I live in NY, but I've tralleved a great deal into various states. Also, I've been to Canada, Mexico and Israel.

 

AJ47 - If you want to go to the middle east, but can't speak arabic, than you should consider Israel. It's one of the official languages of the country and lots of people speak it there.

[aj47]

I live in NY, but I've tralleved a great deal into various states. Also, I've been to Canada, Mexico and Israel.

 

AJ47 - If you want to go to the middle east, but can't speak arabic, than you should consider Israel. It's one of the official languages of the country and lots of people speak it there.

 

I never really thought about Israel but yea it does sound like an amazing place. I want to travel around as much as possible so I guess if I were to go, it would make sense to go to both Jordan and Syria, maybe Lebannon aswell, although tbh in terms of the safety of travelling in these countries, i'm slightly clueless.

[Severian]

Let me think...

UK (obviously), France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunisia, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Dubai, India and the US (athough only California, Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin, Massachusets and New York).

 

Probably missed a few.

[SkepticLance]

aj

I have travelled widely, but am not prepared to make recommendations till I know what you want. What is it that really blows your hair back?

Are you looking for arts and architecture, nature and outdoor activities, new people and cultures, sports and adventure etc, etc.

[aj47]

I think the main two things I want to get out of travelling are seeing different cultures and meeting people. What I want to see/do there really depends on the country itself so i couldn't say off hand.

[Royston]

Hmm yea i've been thinking about South America for a while now, it sounds like an amazing place, plus the fact that it so cheap would mean I travel for a lot longer.

 

Cool, though it's only cheap in certain countries...Bolivia and Ecuador were very cheap, Peru was a little more expensive, and Chile even more so. It also depends if you're visiting popular tourist areas e.g Cuzco.

 

If people and culture are your interest, then learning Spanish is a must...I didn't bother, and I regret it (just learning the very basics.) I went mainly for the archaeology though, so we started in Mexico where there's a wealth of ancient cities such as Teothuican, Chichen Itza et.c And went overland through Central America...Guatemala (home of Tikal), Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama (not in that order.) This was a few years ago now...so check political climate, exchange rates that sort of thing. When we arrived in Lima, the president had decided to do a runner, and there were riots going on, and huge congregations in the main square...very exciting.

 

One of my other brothers spent a long time in Bogotá in Columbia which i'd love to visit. According to him people there are the most hospitible in the world as Columbia has next to no tourism, so everybody really appreciates you travelling there. Although the only thing im worried about is that he's like a machine and learnt spanish almost fluently in in a few months, which I could never do. So if I want to go to anywhere non touristy (i.e. Bogotá) i'd be hard pressed meeting anyone. But then again I guess that would be the same in any country.

 

I only passed through Bogota (the airport) but most people I spoke to said it was amazing...you will meet up with other travellers, and go off on adventures, and then meet up with other people, and go off somewhere else, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Just find out where the popular hostels are...some of the best places we visited were from 'word of mouth' from other travellers, so it's best to find a popular hostel, and take it from there.

[blackhole123]

ive been all over the US (40 something of the 50 states) and i am going to the carribean sometime soon.

[Phi for All]

I think the main two things I want to get out of travelling are seeing different cultures and meeting people. What I want to see/do there really depends on the country itself so i couldn't say off hand.

The other thing you need to decide is quantity vs quality. Do you want to see a lot of places for a little bit of time each, or a few places and spend more time getting to know the people and the culture?

[aj47]

Just thought I'd give you an update as I've almost finished planning my travels and I'm far too excited to keep it to myself.

 

Anyway I'm starting out in Naples to visit friends then travelling South to Sicily where I'll leave them and get a boat to North Africa. Arriving in Tunisia I'll go West through Algeria (undecided), Morroco, Mali and maybe further South depending on how much time I have and how accessible the countries are.

 

I've then got a month or two to travel back to Croatia where I'm going to meet up a few people in August but I'm undecided on my root back. My first thought was going via Greece, Albania, Bulgaria etc but I haven't really had time to look into the these coutries and I know Greece is slightly costly to travel in. My other thought was going up through North East Africa and through Libya, Turkey, Syria etc but again more reseach is in order.

 

I'm trying to avoid planning this too much as iIm certain once I meet people I'll quickly change my mind, then again I still need a rough idea on how to spend my last two months. Can any of you recommend any relatively cheap/not too touristy countries in europe that would be worth visiting? I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed with choice at the moment.

[Lekgolo555]

So are you going to go on site-seeing tours when you get there, or are you gonna try to live there for a bit, get a job, and actually live amongst those people?

[aj47]

Not site seeing tours as such no. I'll stay in hostels where it will be easier to meet other travellers but I also hope to meet locals aswell. How long I stay in each place is dependant on a lot of things but I won't be getting a job or staying in one place too long.

[woelen]

If you like the nordic regions of Europe, then do the following. I've done that and it is really amazing to see so many different places.

 

I made a round trip as follows:

 

The Netherlands

Germany

Denmark

Sweden

Finland (by boat to Turku)

Norway (leaving Finland at Utsjoki)

Finland (going back to the south) along the Russian border (Kuhmo, Joensuu, Lappeenranta)

Russia (St. Petersburg)

Estonia

Latvia

Lithuania

Belarus

Poland

Germany

The Netherlands

 

This is a long trip (~10000 km) and it takes you several weeks, but it is great. I did the trip by car. You see many different things, nature, meet people of different cultures and see nice large cities (most natably Copenhagen, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Tallin, Minsk, Warsaw, Berlin).

 

Sleeping was done in tents, and that can be done for free in Scandinavia, Russia, and the Baltic states. In the other countries you best go to a camping place, or to a hostel. Belarus is somewhat spooky, you can skip that.

[aj47]

Thanks for the ideas Woelen.

 

At the beginning of this year I did briefly considered Scandinavia/Eastern Europe but for various reasons I decided against it.

I think the main thing was when looking into it I found Scandinavia to be far far more expensive I originally thought. My decision was final when I was told Beer averages at £3.50 a pint in Norway!

 

Why this might have been an overstatement, after travelling in Russia for so long last summer I also felt like I should go somewhere where the cultures are entirely different to any European country or place I'd been. However, of course for non European Countries you need to leave Europe and I need to stay relatively close by to get back in August so i'm a little stuck.

 

I think so far Turkey/Middle East is my best bet but I still keep on changing my mind. aargh I hate being so indecisive.

[Lekgolo555]

Hey woelen I hope you made that trip during the summer

[MolotovCocktail]

In my high school, my Latin classes are going to Italy sometime in April. The only other countries I've ever been to are Canada and Mexico, I've only stayed in North America (I live in the US). I look forward to going to Italy, and I always wanted to go to both Japan (Tokyo) and Russia (Siberia and Moscow).

[bascule]

Japan is the only place I've been which is truly outside of the United States. I've been to border towns but those don't really count.

 

Japan was totally awesome. Two years of studying the language sure helped. At one point I got drunk at karaoke and lost my camera, and was able to go to a police station and recover it, all without speaking a word of English. I also had an interesting trip home once, where I almost missed a necessary train transfer except for the fact that I managed to hear the announcer say "tomaranai de" (without stopping) and figured out I was on a kyuuko (express train) which would not be making a stop at the train station I needed to get off at. Then I managed to board the right bus. One of the friends of my host family pointed at a sign listing the 3 available routes when I took the bus with her and let me know "These kanji!" represented the proper route. I had absolutely no idea how to pronounce them, but I could remember "The ones on the left side of the sign" and pick them out again on the bus. After an apprehensious bus ride I got too nervous and decided to get off at a stop with a police box that could perhaps direct me back home. The bus driver was a little nervous to let me off after I told him I didn't know where I was or where I was going, but after a little bit of finagling I paid and got off only to realize I was at the proper stop. Phew, what a relief.

 

It's a crazy country to travel in, especially if you go to more exotic destinations. We ran into a group of Australians who spoke no Japanese and spent most of their time lost. I'm sure my experience would've been different if I didn't speak the language, at least to a certain degree.

 

Oh, and I got to ride on the world's fastest elevators and see the world's largest Buddha! And I drove up to past timberline on Mt. Fuji. Rock!

[The_simpsons]

Im born in Portugal (go there every year), and i live in Sweden. I have been in all scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Finland). I've been to germany, both passed by in the way to Portugal by car and on a trip with my class to Berlin. Also been in France, Belgium and Spain, but only bypassing on a cartrip down to Portugal(only went down there once by car, otherwise i fly), even though we stopped and saw alot of Paris. Never been outside of Europe though, but im going to New York next year:D.

[mamakosj]

I went on a meditteranean cruise a couple of years ago, stopping off in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Egypt. It was great fun, and i would love to go again. I've also been to South Africa, several places in North America, France, Spain, Belgium, and Norway. I'm hopefully going to Greece again this Summer, and American the year after. (if I can afford it!)