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CivicBlues · 11-09-2016, 08:23 AM

Safety is definitely a concern for a woman but I can only speak so much to it. I travelled Egypt with my girlfriend back in 2011 and while nothing bad happened to us, there was definitely a lot of hassle since we were one of the few tourists around (to to the fact it was 3 months after Mubarak was overthrown). From the news, things are still pretty unstable there and they are hurting for tourism even more.

I wouldn't worry too much about Peru, which is in South America btw (not central

). Its pretty much well worn on the backpacker trail and is heavily geared towards foreigners. It's probably not as safe as SE Asia or Western Europe, but I wouldn't be scared off by news reports from other Latin American countries. Machu Picchu is amazing but IMO you need to set aside 4 days to do the Inca Trail to fully appreciate it. If you want to see pictures of my trip in 2009, I created a thread way back: http://www.revscene.net/forums/563077-peru.html

Hard to say depending on your taste in comfort, but $5000CAD is probably not going to cut it very long in Australia. Flights are usually at least $1200 r.t. and accommodation will be your biggest expense. Hostels will probably run the range of $25-$40 depending on where you stay. Transport is also not cheap (there are backpacker buses but I didn't take them - keep in mind distances are large in Australia) but food costs can be minimized with grocery stops. That being said, the East coast of Oz is beautiful (Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Sydney, Gold Coast, Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef are must sees) but you will pay dearly to see the best of it.
So $5000- $1200 = $3800
only leaves you with around $125/day, of which $25will probably go to finding a bed. Leaving you with $100/day to spend on everything else. Doable, but you will be pinching pennies.

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Taiwan will definitely make your funds stretch much farther. It's also a totally different experience, but having family in Vietnam you are probably used to the environment. Cambodia is totally different from Vietnam - much more laid back and peaceful as is Laos. Also consider Myanmar (Burma) which I loved. It's just opening up I recommend you go before it becomes the next Thailand (beaches are great, but way too many tourists for my taste!).

I wouldn't worry about the language barrier through most countries. Most of the time people can get by with English unless you are going completely off the beaten path - in which case a smile and sign language works as well.

I brought a small laptop with me back in 2011 when I did my year long trip thru SE Asia/Australia/Middle East. It was mostly to keep in touch with people, to upload photos, and write my blog (let me know if you want I can PM you the link). Now that I go on shorter trips and technology is better, I just bring my smartphone and iPad mini.

11-09-2016, 08:23 AM	#8
CivicBlues linguistic ninja Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 17,222 Thanked 5,465 Times in 2,002 Posts Failed 156 Times in 93 Posts	Safety is definitely a concern for a woman but I can only speak so much to it. I travelled Egypt with my girlfriend back in 2011 and while nothing bad happened to us, there was definitely a lot of hassle since we were one of the few tourists around (to to the fact it was 3 months after Mubarak was overthrown). From the news, things are still pretty unstable there and they are hurting for tourism even more. I wouldn't worry too much about Peru, which is in South America btw (not central ). Its pretty much well worn on the backpacker trail and is heavily geared towards foreigners. It's probably not as safe as SE Asia or Western Europe, but I wouldn't be scared off by news reports from other Latin American countries. Machu Picchu is amazing but IMO you need to set aside 4 days to do the Inca Trail to fully appreciate it. If you want to see pictures of my trip in 2009, I created a thread way back: http://www.revscene.net/forums/563077-peru.html Hard to say depending on your taste in comfort, but $5000CAD is probably not going to cut it very long in Australia. Flights are usually at least $1200 r.t. and accommodation will be your biggest expense. Hostels will probably run the range of $25-$40 depending on where you stay. Transport is also not cheap (there are backpacker buses but I didn't take them - keep in mind distances are large in Australia) but food costs can be minimized with grocery stops. That being said, the East coast of Oz is beautiful (Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Sydney, Gold Coast, Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef are must sees) but you will pay dearly to see the best of it. So $5000- $1200 = $3800 only leaves you with around $125/day, of which $25will probably go to finding a bed. Leaving you with $100/day to spend on everything else. Doable, but you will be pinching pennies. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Taiwan will definitely make your funds stretch much farther. It's also a totally different experience, but having family in Vietnam you are probably used to the environment. Cambodia is totally different from Vietnam - much more laid back and peaceful as is Laos. Also consider Myanmar (Burma) which I loved. It's just opening up I recommend you go before it becomes the next Thailand (beaches are great, but way too many tourists for my taste!). I wouldn't worry about the language barrier through most countries. Most of the time people can get by with English unless you are going completely off the beaten path - in which case a smile and sign language works as well. I brought a small laptop with me back in 2011 when I did my year long trip thru SE Asia/Australia/Middle East. It was mostly to keep in touch with people, to upload photos, and write my blog (let me know if you want I can PM you the link). Now that I go on shorter trips and technology is better, I just bring my smartphone and iPad mini. __________________ http://www.en.wikipedia.org Still a card carrying member of the SFC :) Last edited by CivicBlues; 11-09-2016 at 08:46 AM.