7 Months Backpacking in SE Asia
Recommendation: Follow your intuition.
As my time in college came to an end, I was in a similar place of many twenty-something year old's. Asking myself: What's next? Since I was part of an accelerated program in high school, I was 20 years old when I graduated with my bachelor's degree. I had been working many jobs throughout college, so I had saved a good chunk of money. I can't recall how or when the idea came to me, but I knew exactly what to do after graduation: Buy myself a ONE-WAY ticket to Thailand.
My adventures consisted of mostly bus transportation between the ten countries I explored, accommodation in hostels, copious amounts of rice, and approximately $8,000 spent during the 7 months. The only thing I had planned was that I was starting in Bangkok. The rest of my travels continued based off recommendations from other travelers and research on blogs. I had no end date... I was going to keep traveling until I was all tuckered out.
My Route:
Thailand -> Bangkok -> Chiang Mai -> Pai -> Chaing Rai ->
Laos -> Luang Prabang -> Luang Namtha ->
Vietnam -> Diem Bien Vue -> Sapa -> Hanoi -> Cat Ba/ Ha Long Bay -> Ninh Binh -> Phong Nah -> Hue -> Hoi An -> Dalat -> Mui Ne -> Saigon ->
Cambodia -> Phonm Penh -> Kampot -> Koh Rong -> Battambang -> Siem Reap ->
Thailand -> Bangkok -> Koh Samui -> Krabi -> Ao Nang ->
Malaysia -> Penang -> Kuala Lumpur -> Malacca ->
Singapore ->
The Philippines -> Island #1: Cebu -> Cebu City -> Moalboal -> Island #2-: Siquijor -> Island #3-: Bohol -> Island #4-: Puerto Princesa -> Port Barton -> El Nido
Myanmar -> Yangon -> Bagan -> Madalay -> Hsi-paw -> Kalaw -> Inle lake ->
Indonesia ->Bali ->
China -> Shanghai
Fortunately, the lack of planning worked out very well. I wouldn't change anything about my route and would in fact recommend it to anyone backpacking in SE Asia!
