Sunday, March 18, 2012
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to...
THAILAND! And I would backpack! I've been dreaming of going on this trip for years, and it looks like it may actually come together in the near future! Keep reading to see how my DREAM adventure/vacation may play out!
Why Thailand?
Yeah, there are a lot of other really cool places in the world. I could find great beaches in Panama, great night life in New York city, and rich history in England, and yet I can say with a great deal of confidence that Thailand is where I want to go. I can't pinpoint the reason for that, I just know that something about it intrigues me.
I can't pretend that there's some deeper meaning behind going on this trip. I don't think that going there would help me "find myself", and I definitely don't have any roots to discover in Thailand. For me, it's come to represent this great adventure that I want to take. I've done many resort trips. What I want now is to take a trip with less structure, go in not knowing what to expect, and just see where I'll wind up, who I'll meet, and what experiences I'll have.
Thailand kind of has it all. For one, the capital is Bangkok. That is one city that has definitely been on my travel bucket list for quite some time. It also has amazing natural beauty, from beaches to jungles to scuba diving. The totally different culture is also something that I'm drawn to. Lastly, the country has many very interesting historical sites, including ruins and temples.
So... Why do I want to go to Thailand? It just has it all.
I can't pretend that there's some deeper meaning behind going on this trip. I don't think that going there would help me "find myself", and I definitely don't have any roots to discover in Thailand. For me, it's come to represent this great adventure that I want to take. I've done many resort trips. What I want now is to take a trip with less structure, go in not knowing what to expect, and just see where I'll wind up, who I'll meet, and what experiences I'll have.
Thailand kind of has it all. For one, the capital is Bangkok. That is one city that has definitely been on my travel bucket list for quite some time. It also has amazing natural beauty, from beaches to jungles to scuba diving. The totally different culture is also something that I'm drawn to. Lastly, the country has many very interesting historical sites, including ruins and temples.
So... Why do I want to go to Thailand? It just has it all.
A couple of tips for backpacking Thailand...
I've never done a backpacking trip before, so I decided to look up a couple of tips for backpacking through Thailand. Here are the ones I found most helpful:
- The bigger the bag, the more unwanted items you'll have
- Bring a body belt
- Don't bring any heavy clothes on the flight there, because you definitely won't need them in Thailand
- Rolled clothes takes up less space than folded
- Don't keep your cash or passport in your backpack
The Details
WHO: Me and my best friends/roommates Erin and Nikki (we've been talking about this trip all year)
WHEN: summer 2013, probably for the entire month of August.
WHERE: Thailand!
WHY: I will have just finished my first year in law school, and it would be the perfect time to take an adventure. I want to do this trip soon, because I know the older I get, the more responsibilities I will have, and more things will be holding me back.
WHEN: summer 2013, probably for the entire month of August.
WHERE: Thailand!
WHY: I will have just finished my first year in law school, and it would be the perfect time to take an adventure. I want to do this trip soon, because I know the older I get, the more responsibilities I will have, and more things will be holding me back.
The budget
Eek... the budget. Not something one wants to think about when planning a month long trip, but here goes...
The three of us have committed to being very cheap travelers. According to our research, we can realistically do Thailand on 30$/day without forcing ourselves into starvation or sleeping on the beach. This price includes accomodations (we will be staying in hostels and guesthouses), food and drink.
So, if we assume we will be gone for 30 days, this brings our day to day budget up to 900$. Of course, we will obviously be splurging from time to time on side trips, gratuitous purchases, and travel costs once we're in Thailand, so I would expect to spend anywhere from 1500-2000$ over the course of the month.
Here are a few sites I browsed while trying to establish our budget:
http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/southeast-asia-travel-tips/
http://travelhappy.info/thailand/bangkok-on-30-dollars-a-day/
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006050218997
After comparing the prices of a few of the major airlines, I have come to the conclusion that the round trip will cost anywhere from 1700-2400$, depending on the deals available when I am ready to solidify my plans. We are going to make an honest effort to travel by foot or bike whenever we can (we are backpacking after all), but from time to time we will need to make use of public transit. I have incorporated these travel costs in the day to day budget.
All things considered, this trip is going to run each of us anywhere between 3200-4400$. Personally, I have been putting 100$/month into an account for the trip. When I have more steady employment in the summer, I will try to put aside even more. Hopefully by August 2013 I will have the money saved up.
The three of us have committed to being very cheap travelers. According to our research, we can realistically do Thailand on 30$/day without forcing ourselves into starvation or sleeping on the beach. This price includes accomodations (we will be staying in hostels and guesthouses), food and drink.
So, if we assume we will be gone for 30 days, this brings our day to day budget up to 900$. Of course, we will obviously be splurging from time to time on side trips, gratuitous purchases, and travel costs once we're in Thailand, so I would expect to spend anywhere from 1500-2000$ over the course of the month.
Here are a few sites I browsed while trying to establish our budget:
http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/southeast-asia-travel-tips/
http://travelhappy.info/thailand/bangkok-on-30-dollars-a-day/
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006050218997
After comparing the prices of a few of the major airlines, I have come to the conclusion that the round trip will cost anywhere from 1700-2400$, depending on the deals available when I am ready to solidify my plans. We are going to make an honest effort to travel by foot or bike whenever we can (we are backpacking after all), but from time to time we will need to make use of public transit. I have incorporated these travel costs in the day to day budget.
All things considered, this trip is going to run each of us anywhere between 3200-4400$. Personally, I have been putting 100$/month into an account for the trip. When I have more steady employment in the summer, I will try to put aside even more. Hopefully by August 2013 I will have the money saved up.
Places we NEED to go: the big city
I don't have a set itinerary for our trip... I basically want to fly into Bangkok and figure it out day by day from there. That being said, I definitely have a couple of places that I know I want to see.
destination one: Bangkok
I'm going to cheat and refer to Bangkok as one attraction, despite there being several things I want to see and do there. I believe that it would just be a crime not to go to Bangkok while in Thailand. It has a reputation for being somewhat overwhelming for first timers, which I find a little intimidating, but it also has a reputation for having phenomenal night life and being rich in culture.
There are so many things I want to see while in Bangkok, but I'll limit myself to three. First, I definitely want to visit Wat Phra Kaew, the temple of Emerald Buddha. I am not a religious person, but the architecture alone may turn me into one.
Lastly, I definitely want to experience Soi Cowboy, the red-light district of Bangkok. As a student who likes to party, it would be an un-missable experience. Soi Cowboy has a reputation for having absolutely amazing nightlife, with over 40 bars compacted onto the strip.
If you need any more proof that Bangkok is a city full of adventure, check out Hollywood's interpretation of it...
destination one: Bangkok
I'm going to cheat and refer to Bangkok as one attraction, despite there being several things I want to see and do there. I believe that it would just be a crime not to go to Bangkok while in Thailand. It has a reputation for being somewhat overwhelming for first timers, which I find a little intimidating, but it also has a reputation for having phenomenal night life and being rich in culture.
There are so many things I want to see while in Bangkok, but I'll limit myself to three. First, I definitely want to visit Wat Phra Kaew, the temple of Emerald Buddha. I am not a religious person, but the architecture alone may turn me into one.
Second, I have to see Chinatown. As a born and raised Torontonian, I am sorry to say that I find our version of Chinatown to be an unpleasant place where I'm constantly overwhelmed by things that am not familiar with. I can only imagine the culture shock will be significantly more intense in this version of Chinatown, but since I said that I wanted an adventure and to be removed from my comfort zone, I think that this is an important place for me to see.
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