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Other Backpacking across the world

Discussion in 'General' started by MrWillyWonka, 21 Aug 2009.

  1. MrWillyWonka

    MrWillyWonka Chocolate computers galore!

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    From next May, me and my girlfriend and part of the way, two friends and my brother are backpacking to various countries for a year.

    We have done loads of research and I'm nervous to be honest but it will be a great experience. What I'm asking here is recommendations of places to (and not) to go within these countries listed below - to anyone who has been. I'm budgeting £15,000 for the year including flights but not insurance and equipment, hopefully it's enough but I'll have emergency money just in case.

    Updated Itinery
    Russia - Trans-Siberian - 1 week
    Mongolia - 1 week
    China - 4 weeks
    Hong Kong - 5 days
    Vietnam - 4 weeks
    Cambodia - 1 week
    Thailand - 2 weeks
    Laos - 1 week
    Thailand - 2 weeks
    Malaysia & Singapore - 3 weeks
    Indonesia - 4 weeks
    Australia - 10 weeks
    New Zealand - 6 weeks
    Fiji - 3 weeks
    Hawaii - 10 days
    USA west coast - Depends on £$
     
    Last edited: 14 Feb 2010
  2. Fisher.

    Fisher. partially impartial

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    First off, the US might be a bit bigger than you are expecting. Secondly, where are you looking at traveling around here? Always an option to couch surf with some bit-techers, lord knows there are enough of us around here, even if we are a bit spread out across the country.
     
  3. jhanlon303

    jhanlon303 The Keeper of History

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    QFT

    I did a 10 day solo backpack in the bottom of the Grand Canyon and only saw a piece of it. Big, beautiful, and very very quiet. Our Nat'l parks are larger than some small countries. Let us know more about where in US, pls.

    john
     
  4. MrWillyWonka

    MrWillyWonka Chocolate computers galore!

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    I know the US is very big. I've travelled the UK and I know that some states are the same size as this country! The planned route is to travel the east coast of the US from Boston to Key West via Toronto. From there we will fly to Vancouver and travel the west coast heading pass LV and LA towards Houston. However I really want to visit the Rockies and Montana, but looks like we may have to miss the central states. (Or drive from Miami to Vancouver :jawdrop:).

    We will be hiring a large car and there will be 4 1/2 of us driving (my brother should be able to drive part of the way as he turns 21 whilst there). Unfortunately since we are under 25 we'll end up paying more for the hire but splitting the cost it should be fairly reasonable.

    Camping seems cheap in the US if I'm right? 4 months enough?

    We have drawn up a detailed itinery of the US but it's not here right now.
     
  5. kingred

    kingred Surfacing sucks!

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    Be sure to checkout luxemburg, its a crazy place. The south of france is good for wine, northern france for beer :)
     
  6. Cookie Monster

    Cookie Monster Multimodder

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    When you hit Vietnam start at Saigon use your shoeboxes full of 15 million Vietnamese đồng, purchase a green Piaggio Vespa, travel 1000 miles North to a floating dock in Ha Long Bay. That should be epic enough. Feel free to add in Clarkson type swearing, broken ribs and riding with painting strapped to your bike.

    When you hit America, use the other episode of Top Gear as your guide.
     
  7. C-Sniper

    C-Sniper Stop Trolling this space Ądmins!

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    Well if you are coming up from FL stop in the capitol of Tallahassee, I can probably give you a place to spend the night if you need it and we have some cool parks around the area.
     
  8. julianmartin

    julianmartin resident cyborg.

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    You mean Belgium for beer.

    And south of France only for wine is very naive. You have Burgundy which is somewhat central, home to plenty of the most expensive bottles in the world, then there is Champagne, also not south, then you have Alsace, which is entirely North. And that's just picking out a few.


    One place you must see if you goto Oz is Fraser Island - largest sand island in the world, quite incredible.

    I see you are entirely skipping out South America; the mid western coast of South America is one of the few parts of the world that hasn't been wrecked by civilization, absoloutely spectacular.
     
  9. MrWillyWonka

    MrWillyWonka Chocolate computers galore!

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    Yeah Fraser Island is one place that we'll go, the pictures look amazing, suppose we could stay there for a bit. We are skipping South America - I can't go everywhere! That will be somewhere we can go in the future.

    Not fussed about France or Northern Europe as it's only a couple of hours on the train and I can go there anytime.

    That did spring to mind!

    **** off.
     
  10. whisperwolf

    whisperwolf What's a Dremel?

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    Hang on if your driving to Houston from Vancouver, after driving to key west, would you not make more sense to drive from key west to Houston and seeing New Orleans? it just seems like your driving 3/4s of the outside of the USA but flying from one corner to another to miss out the last bit??
     
  11. yodasarmpit

    yodasarmpit Modder

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    I would suggest fitting in Israel and a trip into Palestine between the Azerbaijan and
    Turkey leg.
    Jerusalem is an amazing place to visit, such a mix of cultures and taking the time to visit the likes of Hebron gives you a real perspective on things.
     
  12. MrWillyWonka

    MrWillyWonka Chocolate computers galore!

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    Would that not pose some problems passport wise (i.e. I've been to America)? It's not somewhere I have considered.
     
  13. yodasarmpit

    yodasarmpit Modder

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    It wouldn't be an issue getting into Israel, and at the border checkpoint going into Palestine they didn't even check our passports.
    When I went, we left Jerusalem in a 7 seater minibus/taxi into the West Bank, there was an American, a French guy, a couple from England and me. None of us had issues at any of the checkpoints, which there were many.
     
  14. MrWillyWonka

    MrWillyWonka Chocolate computers galore!

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    Israel is a bit off from Turkey, in fact you have to pass through Syria. Probably visit Israel another time.
     
  15. Mr Mario

    Mr Mario What's a Dremel?

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    Israel is an amazing place, the only thing about passports is other middle-eastern countries might not like you coming in with an Israel stamp (heard Lebanon wasn't to keen on the idea) not sure if that's true or not.
     
  16. Burnout21

    Burnout21 Mmmm biscuits

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    You must have a kick ass job to have earned enough cash to backpack for a year all under the age of 25, during a recession!
     
  17. Elton

    Elton Officially a Whisky Nerd

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    Make sure to know how to haggle when you hit the Asiatic countries. You'd be surprised at the amount of stuff you can get with just a few words.
     
  18. knuck

    knuck Hate your face

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    as for Canada well you might as well visit the cities and not nature or else you will have to travel a lot since this place is so freaking huge. I would say come to Montreal but you will probably end up in boring Toronto instead :)D). At least in Ontario you would get to see Niagara falls though
     
  19. supermonkey

    supermonkey Deal with it

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    The trip from LA to Houston alone takes a couple of days if you're just going non-stop. And it's basically 2 days through the Mojave Desert and the Joshua Tree National Park. In other words, it's a long, boring drive with not a lot to see. If you have a couple days to spare, you might consider driving to Houston via Colorado Springs.

    Instead of going Vancouver -> Las Vegas -> LA -> Houston, I would recommend Vancouver -> West Coast to LA -> head ENE to Las Vegas -> I-15 NE to I-70 West in Utah -> I-70 West to Denver, then head south to Colorado Springs.

    It may seem a little out of the way, but you'll get to see and drive through the splendor of the Rocky Mountains, and from there you can make your way to Houston by a number of routes. If you go through Texas (Amarillo -> Lubbock -> Dallas -> Houston) you'll get a sense of just how big Texas is. It's a full day of driving in a single state, and you'll see everything from the caprock, to the staked plains, to the gulf coast. Alternatively, you can take I-25 from Colorado Springs all the way through New Mexico to I-10. Then take I-10 East all the way to Houston. That route will take you across Texas east-to-west, rather than diagonally NE-to-SW, plus you can stop off in Juarez to get a feel for Mexico.

    It will probably add a couple of days to your trip, but the Rockies are worth every bit. I miss our backyard panorama of Pikes Peak and the surrounding mountains.

    Camping is pretty cheap in the US, depending on where you go and which season you're in. For example, Huntsville State Park just north of Houston charges $4 per person per day. Some national and state parks can often book up, so you might consider making a reservation ahead of time if you know that you want stay a particular place. Also, keep in mind that some camp grounds are better than others. The state parks in Texas vary in the types of facilities they offer at each site. Some have running water, some don't.

    If you plan to do any camping in Texas, check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web page. There is a link to help locate parks within the state.

    EDIT: If you're going to Las Vegas, I highly recommend Battista's Hole in the Wall Restaurant, located behind the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. It's a locally-owned restaurant that serves some of the best Italian food I've ever had. It's a little expensive (roughly $25-30 per plate), but you get 2 complimentary carafes of wine and an espresso after dinner.

    -monkey
     
    Last edited: 22 Aug 2009
    MrWillyWonka likes this.
  20. chrisb2e9

    chrisb2e9 Dont do that...

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    Not a lot to see in Alberta. But if you do come through Calgary I can hook you up easily enough with a couch to crash on. I have a friend in Van, but I dont think I know him well enough to get you a place to stay.
     

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