Very kind offer mate but I spent half my holidays growing up at Minnamurra. I know all the coutryside around there like the back of my hand and know it from a time before rampant development
Travel Ideas
- Thread starter Simon
- Start date
Very kind offer mate but I spent half my holidays growing up at Minnamurra. I know all the coutryside around there like the back of my hand and know it from a time before rampant development
Don't discount the UK or the US or Europe just because you can't do it justice.
UK, and Europe, are beautiful lovely places, full of history. And flights are generally available and not too expensive- London may be easier than other destinations.
London can be a bit expensive for accommodation- well, OK, the last time I was in the UK, everything was expensive. Maybe pick on a handful of destinations- depending on what your interests are. My picks in the UK would be Cambridge, Cotswolds, Edinburgh, Winchester.
Or pick a small corner of the US. Say San Francisco/Coast road to LA/Grand Canyon/Yosemite. Or the NE- Washington/NY/Boston. All depending on your interests.
I'm assuming you are perhaps a little past Contiki tours (unless you were married at 17 years of age). But there may be equivalent bus tour things available where you can share and avoid the dreaded single supplement.
There are some good fares available with good stopovers- just to get a little taste of another country. Say LA via Tokyo or London via Johannesburg. Just another small thought.
UK, and Europe, are beautiful lovely places, full of history. And flights are generally available and not too expensive- London may be easier than other destinations.
London can be a bit expensive for accommodation- well, OK, the last time I was in the UK, everything was expensive. Maybe pick on a handful of destinations- depending on what your interests are. My picks in the UK would be Cambridge, Cotswolds, Edinburgh, Winchester.
Or pick a small corner of the US. Say San Francisco/Coast road to LA/Grand Canyon/Yosemite. Or the NE- Washington/NY/Boston. All depending on your interests.
I'm assuming you are perhaps a little past Contiki tours (unless you were married at 17 years of age). But there may be equivalent bus tour things available where you can share and avoid the dreaded single supplement.
There are some good fares available with good stopovers- just to get a little taste of another country. Say LA via Tokyo or London via Johannesburg. Just another small thought.
Why wouldn't he let you go cruising on a yacht with a newly single young man? It sounds perfectly OK to me
I think my family bought the Minnamurra fibro shack in 1969? Still in the family now and I was there for Christmas day.
I am getting old. 43 later this year. Fortunately I look 33, act 23 and have the intellect of a 13 yr old.
While I like Japan, and am heading back there myself in a few weeks, it's not the cheapest place around. The youth hostels make it a lot cheaper than staying in hotels, but food and travel can add up. If you're reasonably disciplined you can keep the cost down though.
A two week rail pass is currently ¥45,100 (about $480), and that would cover most of your travel, depending on exactly where you went. You might occasionally need to pay for a city bus or tram, or a subway train, but Japan Rail is excellent for getting around. You'd want to plan to travel a fair bit though, otherwise it would be cheaper without a rail pass.
Travelling solo and staying at youth hostels is definitely doable. I did it for two months back in '93, although I don't know how much the youth hostels have changed since then. In the more touristy places there'll be plenty of people at the hostels. The biggest concern may be too many people, with the blossom season coming on (ie. hard to get in). In some places it's better to find a small ryokan or minshuku though. Some youth hostels are not very conveniently located, and they tend to be strict with the curfew, which is not much fun when you're in a city like Tokyo. On the other hand, in some places it's worth staying in the youth hostel just for the experience, like in Takayama where there's one in a Buddhist temple (or was back then at least).
One thing with youth hostels though is I'm not sure if you can prebook. I didn't prebook any accommodation that time, and just arranged places from day to day as I went. Sometimes this did mean changing plans when I couldn't find anywhere to stay, but I had the luxury of time then. For the last trip with my wife, and this next trip, I've prebooked all accommodation, last time staying mainly at ryokan and this time mainly in business hotels.
Best idea if you're seriously interested is to buy the latest Lonely Planet guide and start reading!
Regarding being alone on trains and the idea of package tours, I think that depends on your preference. Personally I'd sooner be solo and be able to choose who I talk to and for how long rather than be stuck with a bunch of people and discover they're all boring farts after the first day. You may encounter less people that way, but it's really up to you. There are lots of people in Japan, including lots of western people, but the question becomes is the primary purpose of the trip to meet people or have a holiday? I met a lot of non-Japanese in that two months, and even got invited to dinner in Tokyo with a young American couple living there, one of whom I'd met on an island earlier on. In the big cities like Tokyo in particular, there are heaps of western people, and you'll undoubtedly find many at the major tourist attractions like the Kyoto temples, Hiroshima Peace Park, and Himeji castle. And let's face it: with all those famous temples and castles around, you shouldn't be short of conversation starters (but do try to avoid "do you come here often?").
Cheers,
GP
A two week rail pass is currently ¥45,100 (about $480), and that would cover most of your travel, depending on exactly where you went. You might occasionally need to pay for a city bus or tram, or a subway train, but Japan Rail is excellent for getting around. You'd want to plan to travel a fair bit though, otherwise it would be cheaper without a rail pass.
Travelling solo and staying at youth hostels is definitely doable. I did it for two months back in '93, although I don't know how much the youth hostels have changed since then. In the more touristy places there'll be plenty of people at the hostels. The biggest concern may be too many people, with the blossom season coming on (ie. hard to get in). In some places it's better to find a small ryokan or minshuku though. Some youth hostels are not very conveniently located, and they tend to be strict with the curfew, which is not much fun when you're in a city like Tokyo. On the other hand, in some places it's worth staying in the youth hostel just for the experience, like in Takayama where there's one in a Buddhist temple (or was back then at least).
One thing with youth hostels though is I'm not sure if you can prebook. I didn't prebook any accommodation that time, and just arranged places from day to day as I went. Sometimes this did mean changing plans when I couldn't find anywhere to stay, but I had the luxury of time then. For the last trip with my wife, and this next trip, I've prebooked all accommodation, last time staying mainly at ryokan and this time mainly in business hotels.
Best idea if you're seriously interested is to buy the latest Lonely Planet guide and start reading!
Regarding being alone on trains and the idea of package tours, I think that depends on your preference. Personally I'd sooner be solo and be able to choose who I talk to and for how long rather than be stuck with a bunch of people and discover they're all boring farts after the first day. You may encounter less people that way, but it's really up to you. There are lots of people in Japan, including lots of western people, but the question becomes is the primary purpose of the trip to meet people or have a holiday? I met a lot of non-Japanese in that two months, and even got invited to dinner in Tokyo with a young American couple living there, one of whom I'd met on an island earlier on. In the big cities like Tokyo in particular, there are heaps of western people, and you'll undoubtedly find many at the major tourist attractions like the Kyoto temples, Hiroshima Peace Park, and Himeji castle. And let's face it: with all those famous temples and castles around, you shouldn't be short of conversation starters (but do try to avoid "do you come here often?"
).Cheers,
GP
we found Japan relatively cheap...well coming from oz it's cheap for us. We expected it to be much more expensive isnce it is one of the most expensive countries in the world but yeah, its wya cheaper than Europe..even Oz.
expensive things are shopping and travel though there are a lot of 100 yen shops. accommodation is reasonably priced....around $80 to $120 p/night for business class hotel...so small that you don't even have space to put your luggage..it's a shoe box.
But everything else is quite cheap..i.e admisison charges, food, drinks, etc
for comparison: big botte of coke 120 yen AUD $2.60....it's way cheaper, there's always a vending machine less than 50 mtrs away and there's a huge variety of drinks.
Ueno Park Zoo - entrance 600 yen or AUD $6 and they have pandas and polar bears.. it's like $25 here and no where near as good.
taxis are cheap and efficient too. the railpass is well cheap...considering you only pay $480 for a 2 week pass to travel the whole country..it's well worth it.
GP - we went everywhere but the only people we spoke to were americans that we met at a guesthouse we stayed at. It was cheap and nasty. If I ever go back again, I will stick with business class hotels. Japanese are very quiet ppl and keep to themselves...probably also because they can't speak english. It's a weird country....they can be so nice but if you accidentally do something wrong they can become a completely diff person...it's just so weird. for example, it's really impolite to request something you haven't paid for and my husband did not know about this and asked for an extra pilloe for Josh (he's a baby so he's free) and the lady screamed at him for 5 mins and threw a pillow at him. We also paid a premum to stay in a Ryokan but the traditional japanese rooms on tatami mats felt eerie...just couldn't get used to it at all... If you go to Takayama...stay at one of the nice hotels. We stayed at Hida Plaza hotel which was probably the best on our trip.
we loved japan...it's a great country. will definitely go back. next time hokkaido in winter.
expensive things are shopping and travel though there are a lot of 100 yen shops. accommodation is reasonably priced....around $80 to $120 p/night for business class hotel...so small that you don't even have space to put your luggage..it's a shoe box.
But everything else is quite cheap..i.e admisison charges, food, drinks, etc
for comparison: big botte of coke 120 yen AUD $2.60....it's way cheaper, there's always a vending machine less than 50 mtrs away and there's a huge variety of drinks.
Ueno Park Zoo - entrance 600 yen or AUD $6 and they have pandas and polar bears.. it's like $25 here and no where near as good.
taxis are cheap and efficient too. the railpass is well cheap...considering you only pay $480 for a 2 week pass to travel the whole country..it's well worth it.
GP - we went everywhere but the only people we spoke to were americans that we met at a guesthouse we stayed at. It was cheap and nasty. If I ever go back again, I will stick with business class hotels. Japanese are very quiet ppl and keep to themselves...probably also because they can't speak english. It's a weird country....they can be so nice but if you accidentally do something wrong they can become a completely diff person...it's just so weird. for example, it's really impolite to request something you haven't paid for and my husband did not know about this and asked for an extra pilloe for Josh (he's a baby so he's free) and the lady screamed at him for 5 mins and threw a pillow at him. We also paid a premum to stay in a Ryokan but the traditional japanese rooms on tatami mats felt eerie...just couldn't get used to it at all... If you go to Takayama...stay at one of the nice hotels. We stayed at Hida Plaza hotel which was probably the best on our trip.
we loved japan...it's a great country. will definitely go back. next time hokkaido in winter.
I guess it depends on your idea of "cheap". The first time I went there, $100 a night for a hotel was expensive for me (since I was there for 2 months). A youth hostel then was typically between ¥1500 and ¥2500 per night, without meals, and I only got ¥68 to the dollar then (so around $25-$35 per night). Food was mainly noodle bars, bread shops, and occasional sushi packs from a supermarket, or eating at the youth hostels. Any more than about ¥500-¥700 a meal was too much. The occasional ¥1000-¥1200 meal was splashing out.
This next time I'm paying $150+ a night for one or two of the hotels, since I'm not on the same budget as that first time. And spending a few thousand yen for a meal is also not a problem. The last time I was there with my wife though, I did balk at paying ¥20,000+ for beef! (for sukiyaki).
And I agree that things like admission charges and local bus/tram/subway fares are fairly cheap. Long distance trains, especially the shinkansen, are pretty expensive - but then they probably are here too (I've never taken one in Australia).
A rail pass is extremely good value if you plan to travel a lot, and with their good rail system you can base yourself in just one or two places and day trip to many other places. You can get air passes which are good value too, especially over longer distances (they're a fixed price irrespective of distance). We're using both on this next trip.
(they were in a warmer out on the footpath with tongs and paper bags sitting on top, so I made the logical assumption it was self-serve then go in and pay - wrong!).
That first time I even spent a couple of nights in the alps in a cheap (quality - not price) rented tent, and froze the whole night both nights (the days were sunny and warm, but it got below freezing overnight and I didn't have a sleeping bag). But then I'm into the outdoors and camping, so I don't mind this sort of thing (except the freezing part), and I couldn't have afforded to stay there if I'd had to pay for normal accommodation.
My first time in Takayama I stayed in the youth hostel in the Buddhist temple, and last time when my wife and I were at the Matsuri (Spring) festival, we stayed in a small ryokan which wasn't bad.
The main thing I hate about Japan is the prevalence of smoking. They still smoke in restaurants and accommodation, unless you get into a bigger place with segregated non-smoking sections. And Murphy's law says that the moment your meal is served in a restaurant, someone will sit at the very next table (even if they're the only other customers in the whole restaurant) and smoke like a chimney. Ruins the meal every time.
Cheers,
GP
This next time I'm paying $150+ a night for one or two of the hotels, since I'm not on the same budget as that first time. And spending a few thousand yen for a meal is also not a problem. The last time I was there with my wife though, I did balk at paying ¥20,000+ for beef! (for sukiyaki).
And I agree that things like admission charges and local bus/tram/subway fares are fairly cheap. Long distance trains, especially the shinkansen, are pretty expensive - but then they probably are here too (I've never taken one in Australia).
A rail pass is extremely good value if you plan to travel a lot, and with their good rail system you can base yourself in just one or two places and day trip to many other places. You can get air passes which are good value too, especially over longer distances (they're a fixed price irrespective of distance). We're using both on this next trip.
That is one of the advantages of staying at youth hostels. Many of the people I met and talked to were staying in the youth hostels, but not all. It's probably also easier when you're solo, as I think you're less inclined to be bothered when you're with your partner.
If you don't mind dorm accommodation, many of the youth hostels are better quality than the low-end ryokans and minshuku. They often have good food too. The main annoyance though is the 9pm curfew. My wife put a couple of the places we stayed at last time in the cheap and nasty category (I thought they were fine though), so that's why we're mostly staying at business hotels this time.
This is more noticeable on the mainland. I found them far more open and friendly on the islands (Okinawa and south). Still, I only encountered a few outright aggressive Japanese people, one I remember being a youth hostel warden, and another a shopkeeper where I obviously did the wrong thing by attempting to self-serve a steamed bun
(they were in a warmer out on the footpath with tongs and paper bags sitting on top, so I made the logical assumption it was self-serve then go in and pay - wrong!).I like them, but the rooms can be pretty small. The way I look at it though, is how much time do you actually intend to spend in your hotel room?
That first time I even spent a couple of nights in the alps in a cheap (quality - not price) rented tent, and froze the whole night both nights (the days were sunny and warm, but it got below freezing overnight and I didn't have a sleeping bag). But then I'm into the outdoors and camping, so I don't mind this sort of thing (except the freezing part), and I couldn't have afforded to stay there if I'd had to pay for normal accommodation.
My first time in Takayama I stayed in the youth hostel in the Buddhist temple, and last time when my wife and I were at the Matsuri (Spring) festival, we stayed in a small ryokan which wasn't bad.
The main thing I hate about Japan is the prevalence of smoking. They still smoke in restaurants and accommodation, unless you get into a bigger place with segregated non-smoking sections. And Murphy's law says that the moment your meal is served in a restaurant, someone will sit at the very next table (even if they're the only other customers in the whole restaurant) and smoke like a chimney. Ruins the meal every time.
Cheers,
GP
i think you should go to Thailand.... (i knew i'd say that!), lots to see & do. Beaches, islands, monkeys, elephants, trekking, rafting, bars, coconuts, 60 cent fruit shakes, shopping, culture, great cheap food, buddhists, good company can be easily found -- loads of other solo travellers you can hook up with if you're inclined. You mentioned you'd been before but i think you'll love it more another time around.... it did that to me and now i'm addicted!
But it sounds like Japan is getting a good rap so i'll add some of my holiday experience there. I also got one of those rail passes that the Greatpig talked about and went to see a mate who went there to teach english in Chiba, a prefecture about 1hr on the train east of Tokyo. Lots of good bars around here, american themed was popular.... god knows why the japanese love american culture so much when you consider they've nuked them twice. I arrived on a saturday night and we caught a train to Shinjuku, a nightclub district in tokyo. Wow! The japanese are crazy, funky and conservative at the same time. After leaving a bar, a japanese girl approached me and my mate but couldn't speak english... luckily my mate could and she told him that she wanted to go to a love hotel with us! So we obliged and found a love hotel that charge you by the hour as there were many in this area. Manga porn was sold openly on the footpath and when we got the early morning train home we were stepping over businessmen in suits on the footpath totally wasted from too much drinking. Yeah it was an interesting night that first night in Tokyo.
You can eat cheaply at holes in the wall that sell noodle and rice dishes. My cheapest accom was in one of those capsule hotels in Osaka. I think it was about $17 a night. The yen was also stronger then.
I found the locals very friendly and we often ended the night eating out with some randoms we met in a bar. Schoolgirls would also ask us to pose with them in photos as my mate had blonde hair and the girls seemed to love foreigners. Very honest people too.... i noticed the locals didn't like to cross a road against a red man even though there was no traffic. My mate also lost US$300 cash in a pachinko parlour -- we came back 2hrs later looking for it and someone had handed it in. I spent most of my 6 weeks using the train pass travelling solo and met a few foreigners but it's not the same as SE Asia.
But it sounds like Japan is getting a good rap so i'll add some of my holiday experience there. I also got one of those rail passes that the Greatpig talked about and went to see a mate who went there to teach english in Chiba, a prefecture about 1hr on the train east of Tokyo. Lots of good bars around here, american themed was popular.... god knows why the japanese love american culture so much when you consider they've nuked them twice. I arrived on a saturday night and we caught a train to Shinjuku, a nightclub district in tokyo. Wow! The japanese are crazy, funky and conservative at the same time. After leaving a bar, a japanese girl approached me and my mate but couldn't speak english... luckily my mate could and she told him that she wanted to go to a love hotel with us! So we obliged and found a love hotel that charge you by the hour as there were many in this area. Manga porn was sold openly on the footpath and when we got the early morning train home we were stepping over businessmen in suits on the footpath totally wasted from too much drinking. Yeah it was an interesting night that first night in Tokyo.
You can eat cheaply at holes in the wall that sell noodle and rice dishes. My cheapest accom was in one of those capsule hotels in Osaka. I think it was about $17 a night. The yen was also stronger then.
I found the locals very friendly and we often ended the night eating out with some randoms we met in a bar. Schoolgirls would also ask us to pose with them in photos as my mate had blonde hair and the girls seemed to love foreigners. Very honest people too.... i noticed the locals didn't like to cross a road against a red man even though there was no traffic. My mate also lost US$300 cash in a pachinko parlour -- we came back 2hrs later looking for it and someone had handed it in. I spent most of my 6 weeks using the train pass travelling solo and met a few foreigners but it's not the same as SE Asia.
That makes me think you might be best seeing if you can get a crewing opportunity somewhere. You have experience don't you? If yachting appeals then check it out.
Essential factor - interaction with other travellers. Even backpacking you could find people nod and go off and do their own thing and you are alone. It is different to a holiday that has purpose/interaction built in.
eg; cooking retreat in Bali - all people will be staying close by and will probably grab a few meals together
Interested in a volunteering holiday? Friend currently in India doing this. Start from two week stints, and you can choose destination depending on how long you want to sit on a plane!
+ive........feel engaged in a community and connected with the others who also chose to spend their holiday like this. Making a difference sounds a good distraction.
Hey Simon,
Definitely check out Intrepid Travel. I have travelled with them twice and found it excellent both times. They travel in small groups only and the other travellers are usually of all ages and nationalities. They run a range of different trips, but I'd recommend one where you are left to your own devices more - they'll organise your travel and accommodation, but you can do what you like during the day with or without the group. The same thing goes for meals - if you want the company of the group, sit down and have a meal with them, or if you feel like being on your own and meeting new people you have the freedom to wander off and do so. Both times I travelled with Intrepid I travelled "on my own" but even so, I was never on my own if I didn't want to be.
As for where to go? With your change in circumstances of late, I'd be inclined to go somewhere that will take your breath away, be it beautiful and picturesque, culturally challenging, or both. There's nothing like going to a place that just makes you feel 'alive' if you know what I mean. Geoffw said what I was going to also - don't limit your choice of destination by feeling like you won't do a place justice, just go where you want to go and you can always return another time if there is plenty more to see.
Have fun deciding!
Definitely check out Intrepid Travel. I have travelled with them twice and found it excellent both times. They travel in small groups only and the other travellers are usually of all ages and nationalities. They run a range of different trips, but I'd recommend one where you are left to your own devices more - they'll organise your travel and accommodation, but you can do what you like during the day with or without the group. The same thing goes for meals - if you want the company of the group, sit down and have a meal with them, or if you feel like being on your own and meeting new people you have the freedom to wander off and do so. Both times I travelled with Intrepid I travelled "on my own" but even so, I was never on my own if I didn't want to be.
As for where to go? With your change in circumstances of late, I'd be inclined to go somewhere that will take your breath away, be it beautiful and picturesque, culturally challenging, or both. There's nothing like going to a place that just makes you feel 'alive' if you know what I mean. Geoffw said what I was going to also - don't limit your choice of destination by feeling like you won't do a place justice, just go where you want to go and you can always return another time if there is plenty more to see.
Have fun deciding!
I agree Thailand is winner, been there 15 or times when I was living abroad and I never get sick of the place. Japan is also a blast and the cheap Osaka flights look tempting.
My next trip, hopefully march, will be to south america to visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. Im a bit obsessed with Incas and the Mayans at the moment. Haven't looked into the costs yet but I'll sleep in a log if I have to.
Happy travels
Slingshot
My next trip, hopefully march, will be to south america to visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. Im a bit obsessed with Incas and the Mayans at the moment. Haven't looked into the costs yet but I'll sleep in a log if I have to.
Happy travels
Slingshot
A man after my own heart!
Hey Geoff I couldn't understand hubbys problem either - he knows I'm after a toy boy! LOL
My hubby has just come back (2 days ago) from Trekking in Nepal! April would be a great time to do it; it also gave him a purpose for the 3 months prior - ie a get fit programme - so it also filled in the 'waiting time' too. If you are interested I can give you heaps of information - let me know. He rated sunrise over the Himalaya's as one of the things to do before you die, kind of experience. He is older than you - didnt pick a tour that required oxygen or anything like that - only climbed to 4000' feet, so no altitude sickness etc.
He went on his own, and the other four people were solo travellers also!
And yes, it was with INTREPID TRAVEL!!!
He went on his own, and the other four people were solo travellers also!
And yes, it was with INTREPID TRAVEL!!!
Good idea. What is not soo good is that I have a back injury and a chronic pain problem. Trekking will just see me in a world of hurt after a few days.
I am currently looking at some of the pacific islands. A couple of weeks slowing the pace with a book and a native lass might be what I need. But I think things have changed since the Bounty days ...
I will come up with something and I appreciate all the tips.
