First trip Abroad, want to see Asia
 

Hey guys. I'm 28 and a very experienced domestic flyer, but I have never been out of the U.S. I would describe myself as a bit of a history/culture buff, but I do love to go out at night and have a good time. I'm not the club type, but I would like bars with a local flare and some tourists from Europe possibly.

I have no experience booking multiple legs of a trip. I have always round tripped from one city back home. I'm looking for tips on to how navigate this, or websites that will allow me to search/research prices on these types of flights.

The facts:

-- Traveling Solo
-- 2,000-3,000 budget
-- Flexible Dates but I think about 9 days would be the maximum I could stay away from work
-- Leaving from ATL with flexible dates. Most connections from here that I've found generally go through Seoul (Incheon)
-- I don't want to "rough it," but I don't have 5-star taste either. I'm not the backpacking sort, so I assume with my budget that I will be looking at countries like Vietnam/Thailand as opposed to Japan/Singapore etc.
-- Shopping doesn't interest me unless it's trying local food

I just want to maximize my vacation and see at least two different areas. Any help is much appreciated.

Honestly, 9 days is not enough. The travel time alone can be 24 hours each way, so then you're looking at 7 days of vacation. I would shoot for a minimum of 14 days.

It would help if you could narrow down the areas or countries a bit more. With your budget any Asian country is possible. Some countries are easier than others for first timers as well. Some countries allow a visa-free visit which can save money.

I'm not a backpacker, but I would recommend carrying your stuff in a backpack unless you plan to stay in the same hotel room for the duration of your trip.

In regards to booking legs of flights... Basically you will determine what days you will have off work and book your roundtrip flight. You don't have to fly into and leave from the same airport, and many airline website's allow you to book trips with multiple cities. Personally, I create an outline of where and when I want to visit in the region, and then look into the airfares connecting my dots. Korean air offers some more interesting airline connections via Seoul.

Anyways, feel free to ask more questions or provide us with more relevant information. Lots of good advice can be gained from this forum.

Thanks so much.

Visa-Free is probably how I need to go for this trip, because I have zero experience with that stuff.

Just from my initial research, it appears like Korean Air will offer the best money/time balance because they fly non-stop to Seoul from ATL. It seems like all Tokyo connections want me to fly to JFK or Detroit first.

I wish I had more time but 9 days is probably my max with work schedule. I can telecommute but that's not what I want to do on vacation and I didn't even plan to bring a phone or computer.

As far as destinations, I find all of Asia fascinating and interesting. On this trip, however, I think I'd like to focus more on Southeast Asia. I'm fine with visiting one country or multiple countries.

I'm a planner and a bit of a budget hound so I just want to minimize my travel costs and have more to play with. I would assume flying to Manila, Bangkok, Phuket and Hanoi is cheaper than more obscure cities like Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur for instance. If I wrong, feel free to correct me.

Thailand is a great location for a first-time visitor - it's an "exotic" feeling destination but also has a very good tourist infrastructure. Many will tell you to stay in one place for the entire time, but you're young and I'm sure you in 7 days you could do both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, two culturally different locations.

Your money will go a long way in Thailand (and much of southeast Asia) too.

Visas aren't a big deal but some of them can be a bit pricey.
Obscurity doesn't mean expensive in regards to flights, but obscurity does mean less flight options.

It kind of depends on what activities you like or want to see (scuba, beaches, temples, historical ruins, war history, jungle trekking, fishing, etc).

Thailand is a relatively easy place to start in Asia. Korean Air flies into Chiang Mai and is a tourist friendly town. There are a variety of guest houses and oftentimes they have their own day-tour booking agent. I usually aim for around 800 baht per night which is about $28 per night. There are many day trip type of activities around Chiang Mai. Those are nice as a single person because then you are in a group of other tourists. Then you can talk with those people and arrange to meet up at night to see some nightlife or just hangout at a bar.

I think at 7 days you will need to limit your stay to basically two places.

I'm sure some other posters will chime in with other recommendations.

Given your time frame maybe you should try Europe instead? It's a much quicker trip travel-wise. Plenty of history, bars etc. And depending on where you choose to go you can get it done in your budget.

But if you are set on Asia I agree that Thailand is a good place. Your budget can take you a ways there, although $2000-3000 total including airfare will mean you need to watch things a little. But you can get perfectly fine hotels for $50-60 per night in BKK or perhaps less depending on your standards. Getting around is not too expensive but when you start adding on trips in-country (to Chaing Mai or wherever) the costs can start adding up a bit.

I don't really know much about costs in Korea but maybe if you just went there you could save some time at least by just taking those direct flights.

There's really nothing magic about booking a connection or multiple flights. I usually check fares using the ITA Matrix tool thing (http://matrix.itasoftware.com/). But you can also use Kayak.com or Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

I truly appreciate everybody's recommendations.

Couple of Questions:

1) I think that I'd like to see Chiang Mai or another easy to get to city in the north because it's so much different than some of the beach resort towns. Would two or three days suffice to see some temples, ruins, quick river cruise, etc?

2) I do want to go to the beach. If I flew to Phuket and then on to Chiang Mai and back, would I be missing out and full of regret for not visiting Bangkok? Would it be a better option to fly to Bangkok and then take a trip down to Pattaya so that at least I get to see a bit of the capital?

3) Are there less crowded beaches/islands/tourist areas in an easy trip from Phuket? Likewise for Bangkok instead of having to go to Pattaya? I'd like a place that is open to Westerner's but isn't only full of them if that makes sense. I want a place that's not just overrun with tourists.

You also may want to consider the Philippines. It may be a little more expensive to reach, but the internal flights are generally pretty inexpensive and there's certainly enough to do here to kill a week and a half. You don't need a visa, people speak English, and Filipinos are very friendly and open and like to engage with foreigners, especially Americans. You can basically avoid foreigners if you want to by staying out of the more expensive resorts. The tourist infrastructure isn't as established as Thailand, but it's easy enough to get around for a first timer.

Putting that aside, i haven't been to Phuket, but I did enjoy Chiang Mai for the most part. The first time I went, it struck me as a backpackers' haven, which isn't far from reality. It's a jumping off point to neighboring countries like Laos and likely now Burma. I stayed largely in the city and didn't love it. I appreciated it much more on my second trip because I hired a driver for three days and got outside the city to some of the surrounding villages. I don't know about prices these days, but in the past 10 years, the PHP has appreciated 10% while the THB has appreciated close to 50% compared to the US dollar. I was surprised when I was last in Bangkok how expensive things had become, in part due to inflation and in part due to exchange rate differences. I wouldn't personally bother going to Pattaya unless you are completely out of things to do in Bangkok, which isn't going to happen in a few days.

If you are coming all the way to SEA, it would be a shame to miss Angkor Wat.

Based on time constraints, and the fact that you'd be glad to go somewhere in (presumably East) Asia, I'd throw Japan out there. Since you mention history/culture, you might want to fly into Osaka Kansai (KIX), which makes getting to Kyoto (arguably the historical/cultural epicenter in the country), Nara and indeed, Osaka much easier than a flight into Tokyo.

Which isn't to say you should ignore Tokyo, but then to maximize time you'd have to take a bullet train to the Kansai area (where Kyoto, Nara and Osaka are located), or one of many daily flights (including low-cost carriers) to Osaka. If this is more your speed, here is a list of budget (but not necessarily guesthouse) accommodations in Tokyo: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/budge...els-tokyo.html.

I don't drink, but Tokyo and Osaka (and likely Kyoto too) have thriving bar scenes. As for encountering Europeans/fellow Westerners in them, that depends on the neighborhood.

As for SkyTeam flights to KIX from the US, non-stops include China Airlines from JFK or Delta from SEA.

I too recommend Japan. For a first solo trip abroad Japan is a good country to visit to develop travel skills. You will definitely encounter the language barrier (sooner or later that is bound to happen to an independent traveller), there are virtually no touts, pickpockets or tourist scams to be worried about. Japan doesn't require a visa for US citizens (assuming you are a US citizen). A week in Japan is doable with the budget you mention.

If you choose Thailand it would be worth considering Hua Hin as your beach resort. Nice quietish town with a mix of western & thai tourists. This you could combine with BKK, it's around a 3hr drive.

I assume you know about monsoon season?

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In my opinion, 9 days for Asia is a little insane, sorry (but very true). The problem being that Americans are very fast paced, and most of the locations in SE Asia are laid back and very slow going. If you want a real experience, then I suggest my favorite of all - Hanoi. Certainly not the prettiest, but I feel it's the most exotic, very affordable, and the Vietnamese are very outgoing - and they love Yanks!

Korean from ATL is a very good choice. My last trip in Dec '12 was on both Korean and Asiana through Seoul (this airport is one of the 3 best in the world). Seriously, you need at least to double that 9 days.

Go with the prearranged VOA visa for Vietnam (buy from any agency in VN, but I use visa4vietnam.com). Your airline will not let you board for VN without a visa or VOA letter. In Hanoi, I like the Art Hotel on Hang Dieu ($35. to $65.) - these people really treat their guests like kings! Have the hotel meet your flight - Hanoi taxis are a pain in the rear.

First time to leave the country, I HIGHLY discourage Hanoi for your first time.