Where to go...?

[tonytiger55]

Im turning the big 4 ooooohhh this summer.

Im thinking of a trip. I got two weeks. Im a backpacker, I like one way tickets, figuring shit out, temples, museums, weird food and old shit.

Japan is on top of the list.


For the same price, skyscanner says I can fly over to Japan, make my way to the end of the island and fly over to South Korea for 3 days too. Japan will be expensive though... and im a cheap ass.

Colombia crossed my mind... Im a bit worried about safety and the Cali cartel.. Brazil crosses the mind too..

Any other ideas or recommendations..?

[max_boost]

One of my gf planned a 3 week trip for us and it’s so cheap so far like $1500 for Airbnb and flights, Lisbon, Bordeaux, Prague, Dubrovnik, perhaps see if something like that might work for you. I’m going in June.

[ExtraSlow]

Brazil is a really cool country, but many parts of it aren't that safe to just wander around in. Plus, it's fucking huge, so you you'll need internal flights if you want to see different parts of it.

Japan is amazingly safe, so you can save a ton of money there by just not giving a fuck. The cheapest shittiest hotel/hostel/backpackers might be shitty, but it'll be safe.

If you like the hot jungle countries, alternatives to Columbia are Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize.

[killramos]

I also +1 would not backpack through Brazil unless you want to come back in a cigar box. Lived there for 3 years and the local fun fact was that the state I lived in had more annual assasinations than Israel. They DGAF there, they see you and only see a payday.

If that’s what you want to do Japan is the only place on that list I would consider, but I am fairly risk averse.

Just my $0.02...

[msommers]

Japan is definitely on my top 3. So incredibly unique from what I've heard/read.

My fiance's uncles are from Brazil and they straight up said we should definitely all go down there, but only with them. They both looked very serious about that. Fiance has been when she was younger and loved it but again, was with her uncles.

[ExtraSlow]

Brazil is amazing. Go someday, but don't go alone. It's one of the few countries that has lots of organized crime AND lots of dis-organized crime. I'd feel safer anywhere in Mexico.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Misterman]

Can't say I've ever heard of Japan as being a great backpacking trip? But I've never been. If you're cheap and like backpacking, then Cambodia/Vietnam seem like great options.

[ExtraSlow]

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Can't say I've ever heard of Japan as being a great backpacking trip? But I've never been. If you're cheap and like backpacking, then Cambodia/Vietnam seem like great options.

It's very different than most "backpacking" destinations, but it's easy and safe to travel in, and it's really interesting.

[Gainsbarre]

I've been to all three in the past 5 years, and am going to Japan and Brazil again later this year.

I always say that Japan isn't any more expensive than western Europe, in fact for comparison I'd say that it's cheaper to travel around Japan than it is to travel around England and Scotland.

Colombia is an inexpensive destination and I wasn't concerned about my safety when I was there in the fall of 2017. Domestic flights are cheap in Colombia.

Brazil I was there during the World Cup, and it was safe then, but likely only due to the added security precautions and added police presence. All of my friends from Brazil love their country of origin but will quickly and openly admit that crime is an issue. One of my Brazilian friends even got robbed during her most recent visit to her hometown...

A possible alternative I'd recommend ahead of Brazil or Colombia would be Costa Rica. In fact I'd recommend Costa Rica ahead of pretty much any other country in the Americas (certainly ahead of Belize, Panama, or Mexico), as it's one of my favourite places to visit.

[Xtrema]

Japan hands down.

[Manhattan]

Japan is cool but it's a fully developed country and relatively expensive to travel in. Food, lodge, and train tickets are on par with Canada/US/Europe. I also find developed countries too orderly to be a divergence from the norms I'm used to.

If you have a couple weeks you could consider splitting your time between Japan and a much cheaper destination like Vietnam/Thailand/Cambodia. Although weather will be a consideration in SE asia (wouldn't wanna get caught there in middle of summer or rainy season). I have not been to Korea but I've been told its one of the less interesting places to visit. Sounds like there's not much to do there except to eat, shop, and drink. I think China gets often overlooked as a travel destination but it's such a large country that there's something there for everyone. It just gets a bad rep from the press.

[Misterman]

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It's very different than most "backpacking" destinations, but it's easy and safe to travel in, and it's really interesting.

Yeah it would be killer trip to go on. You just wouldn't be "backpacking" there in any traditional sense AFAIK. Maybe there is cheap hostels all over the place I haven't heard of?

[Strider]

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Maybe there is cheap hostels all over the place I haven't heard of?

Capsule hotels

[Xtrema]

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Capsule hotels

Meh... there are plenty hotels that will go for $90 or less a night with private bathroom. No need for capsule unless you want to see what sleeping in a coffin is like.

Going to Vancouver? $180 for 2* Travelodge.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Japan is by far the best place I have personally visited, so that gets my recommendation. It also can be done very cheaply. We spent 16 days there with direct flights, 2 week rail pass (Included bullet trains), full apartment AirBnbs in good locations, pocket WiFi, eating out minimum twice a day, PASMO cards for local transport, Tokyo Sky tree, souvenirs, etc. and 2 nights in a good Onsen w/dinner for about $3K each. You could do it WAY cheaper than that and there is an unlimited amount of stuff to do. Some of our AirBnB's were under $100 CAD/night for a full apartment. Capsule hotels are half that.

We used backpacks to move between accommodation which changed frequently, it was perfect. Western Europe is much more expensive than Japan, in my experience, for similar quality holidays. Central/Eastern Europe is pretty cheap.

[max_boost]

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Japan is by far the best place I have personally visited, so that gets my recommendation. It also can be done very cheaply. We spent 16 days there with direct flights, 2 week rail pass (Included bullet trains), full apartment AirBnbs in good locations, pocket WiFi, eating out minimum twice a day, PASMO cards for local transport, Tokyo Sky tree, souvenirs, etc. and 2 nights in a good Onsen w/dinner for about $3K each. You could do it WAY cheaper than that and there is an unlimited amount of stuff to do. Some of our AirBnB's were under $100 CAD/night for a full apartment. Capsule hotels are half that.

We used backpacks to move between accommodation which changed frequently, it was perfect. Western Europe is much more expensive than Japan, in my experience, for similar quality holidays. Central/Eastern Europe is pretty cheap.

Is it because you don't have to tip?

[tonytiger55]

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Can't say I've ever heard of Japan as being a great backpacking trip? But I've never been. If you're cheap and like backpacking, then Cambodia/Vietnam seem like great options.

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Japan is cool but it's a fully developed country and relatively expensive to travel in. Food, lodge, and train tickets are on par with Canada/US/Europe. I also find developed countries too orderly to be a divergence from the norms I'm used to.

If you have a couple weeks you could consider splitting your time between Japan and a much cheaper destination like Vietnam/Thailand/Cambodia. Although weather will be a consideration in SE asia (wouldn't wanna get caught there in middle of summer or rainy season). I have not been to Korea but I've been told its one of the less interesting places to visit. Sounds like there's not much to do there except to eat, shop, and drink. I think China gets often overlooked as a travel destination but it's such a large country that there's something there for everyone. It just gets a bad rep from the press.

I did Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam last year. I really liked it. I might do China next year.
Im just hitting a milestone in my life and want it to be a bit memorable and not too ghetto.

I'm meeting a friend later in the week who has regularly travelled to Prague. Im not ruling out eastern Europe yet, Max Boost got me thinking.
I'l start looking at Japan travel blogs.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Is it because you don't have to tip?

Japan was one of the countries I wanted to tip in more than anywhere else. The level of service and general attitude of the people there is not found anywhere else I have ever been. The people were one of my favorite parts of the country. We tried to tip everywhere, sometimes they would accept it, sometimes they wouldn't. The street vendors seemed happy to 'keep the change'. The most expensive restaurant we went to was run by a few guys from San Francisco and they gladly accepted tips. I tipped in Japan more than a lot of other countries, it was just harder to get them to accept so sometimes we would just leave it on the table. Lots of phenomenal Indian food there, surprisingly, and those places also accepted tips.

[flipstah]

Japan rules, hands down. Been there twice and wouldn't hesitate to go again and again.