CVByrne Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Ok I'm off travelling around the world in July, first going to Thailand then north into Laos then into Vietnam down through Vietnam, into Cambodia then back along the coast of Thailand down to Singapore. I fly out to Australia, Melbourne and Sydney and then on to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup for a month. I fly then on to Santiago in Chile and get a bus through the mountains to Cordoba in Argentina for Octoberfest. I'm staying in South America until after Carnival in Feb 2012. So knowing that there are many VTers who've travelled the world and indeed some who live in these places I'd love some advice on what to do and what to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted May 25, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted May 25, 2011 Travel forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Ah I see that forum is for more than just travelling to games. Would be the obvious place to move the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I can give you some advice from a don't hang about point of view as I did a whistle stop tour in 2009 .. will give you an idea of routes and a few pointers I really recommend Burma whilst you are down that way .. some great night-life as well , almost makes Thailand look tame first going to Thailand ditch your girlfriend and pack millions of condoms then north into Laos don't plan to spend too long there , Vientiane isn't that big and can be done in a day or two ..the back packers go off into the "jungle" and go white water rafting and wearing beads in their hair but it isn't really necessary .. little tip for getting there from BKK is Air Asia (FD 3364 ) to Udon Thani (was very cheap) from there you can take a private car over the friendship bridge into Laos , visa on arrival at the bridge ..or if you get a visa in advance you can take a bus ( without a visa I think the bus wont wait for you) through Vietnam Hanoi is nothing special but from there you can get down to Halong Bay and spend a few days cruising the islands ... Hue is very interesting from the Vietnam war point of view , visit the DMZ but there are also some Emperor tombs and a good tunnel system there HCM - also very interesting , Ch Chi tunnels are a good day out .. i nearly got stuck in the tunnel :-) Cambodia from HCM we got a car down to Chau Doc (5 -6 hr drive) and then after spending the night there we entered Cambodia by boat ( the hotels arrange the boat and your visa and entry , very smooth and efficient) Phonm Penh - see the killing fields and the School that was a prison ( very harrowing ) ..called Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum now then head onto Siem Reap ( 30 min flight ) .. have a few days there , good night-life as well we went onto Singapore from Siem Reap , liked my brief visit , went on the Singapore eye , saw some exhibition of the dead sea scrolls , wandered around , spent £26 on a singapore sling in Raffles , my first one was free as i was a guest , little did i know the price of the second one !! Few pics of my trip here : Piccies if it helps with flight numbers etc : Oz was last years trip .... if you want some pointers then ask away Samoa has moved time zones now though so you can't have two 40th Birthdays (I turned 40 in Auckland on the 26th Aug , flew to Apia where it was still the 25th Aug :-) Oceania My mate did Melbourne whilst I did Brisbane ealry on hence the conflicts and it gets a tad confusing after the 25th as we gained a day so I did my day trip to American Samoa the same day I left Auckland even though I spent a day in Apia first :confused: :-) not been to Chile but if you are spending a month in S America head up to Peru and Ecuador ..LAN Chile do some great air pass deals S America Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Man, awesome. Cheers for that, it's exactly what I was looking for. Will have plenty to look through there. So basically you advise flights over buses as they are good value. Did you pre book accomodation or just wing it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Flights all the way , Vietnam airlines do some good multi fares just a case of looking on their website for multi flight deals but Asia has airlines like tiger , airasia and a few others ... I'm meeting my mate in Taiwan for this years trip and he just got a flight Manila to Taiwan for £17 Inc taxes For Oz and NZ virgin blue do (or did when I went) 50 Aussie dollars per flight airpass Skyscanner is a handy start point for finding airlines then visit their website and see what you can find I tend to pre book hotels with booking.com Or hostelbookers.com depending on your budget.. As I'm on flying visits I like to have everything lined up before I leave the UK , but if you have loads of time then you'll be fine just turning up on the day armed with a guide book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 Yeah I use skyscanner and do like to do most bookings before I arrive anywhere. Always need to chuck my stuff in my hotel asap before I do anything else. Will have a look at the different airlines sites now. Cheers tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 When I visited Argentina last year my young (29) colleague suggested that we went from BA to Cordoba on the luxury bus, as he had used many of these while touring the country. Apparently they are very cheap, comfortable, with at seat catering. They also move overnight, saving hotel costs, so if you are on a budget.... I told him not to be so stupid and we flew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Well my budget for the whole trip is €15,000 excluding my round the world flights. New Zealand will be the expensive leg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Very jealous! I love SE Asia. Tony makes many good points especially about cheap flights. Air Asia is your friend out there. I would advise getting a bus/coach from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Its only about 6 hours and you get to see a lot of the Cambodian countryside. Costs about 15USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Ok I've done a bit more planning, Here's what I've decided on. Fly into Bangkok on 10th July, stay for 3 nights then fly up to Chiang Rai, spend a night there then head to Chiang Khong and cross into Laos for two nights in the Bokeo National Reserve After that I head up to Luang Namtha then down to Luang Prabung where I'll spend a few days then on to Vang Vieng which is supposed to be a great chilled out spot, will spend 4 days there before heading to Viang Chan to get on a 24 hour over night bus to Hanoi. That's where I've got to on my planning. I've also looked at the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia for a nice relaxing few days before I fly out of Singapore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Perhentian Islands in Malaysia for a nice relaxing few days before I fly out of Singapore. have a look at Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia.... small Island almost like it's straight out of Jurassic park , even have little jeeps to take you around the island to your room .... very very relaxing place ... I saw my first ever whale shark there as well :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 It looks a very nice resort but it's $464 a night!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 thought you had a 15k budget to blow , was just giving you a helping hand :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Yeah but 15k over 7 months, not one month. Can you suggest where I can find a good ha long bay tour from Hanoi. I've read that they vary in quality so want to make sure I get a good one. Are night trains the way to go in vietnam? Edit: predictive text prob. Bought = Night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I booked my hai long bay trip in advance through a Vietnamese agency called http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/ Private car down to hai long bay etc but you can travel by bus from Hanoi of you wish Booked all of that leg with them and found them very helpful with suggestions and putting the itinerary together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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