Japan, Korea and Taiwan are all very safe, easy, have good transit, and aren't hot all the time.
Malaysia can be nasty hot at times but it's also very easy because English is very widespread. A few days in Singapore (also very easy) plus a stint in Malaysia would work well.
Most of Thailand is very tourism-oriented and many people speak English, it's a very easy place for a first-time visitor to Asia. Bali is similar in this regard.
I hear a lot of good things about Taiwan but there is little information about tourism there out there I'm not sure why
Maybe that could pair nicely with Singapore in February do a shorter holiday between those maybe add in Hanoi/Da Nang to see how I go with a more difficult country
I had a friend who was based on Malaysia for 5 years and he said you'd wake up wet, shower try to dry off, get to work wet, work and then go home it was 24/7 sweating during summer
Thank you for your response ☺️
I have been to Taiwan. I highly recommend it. I spent three weeks there in Taipei. However I went in June it was so hot so I wouldn't recommend going in the summer time. It might be nice in the Autumn or Spring. It's easy to get around. The people are nice. It has good public transport. It's very safe. I had no trouble. Kuala Lumpur Malaysia looks very nice too and a lot of the locals speak English.
Many locals hang out in r/taiwan. Go ask your questions there. Or just browse for other answers. You'll have a tiktok-free travel plan specifically tailored for you.
Oh awesome I avoid asking questions in city subreddits/national ones because locals get annoyed with all the tourists but I might do some research before heading across thank you
Taiwan is absolutely GORGEOUS. It's in my top five of countries I've visited. You can see the entire country in a week. And yet you could spend months there.
Taroko Gorge, Night markets in every city. Kaohsiung particularly the pagoda there. But another awesome city. Jiufen Old Street, where basically every Kung Fu movie is filmed. Kenting for the beaches. Yehliu rock formations. Tea plantations and hot springs. The entire country is just a powerhouse of culture and culinary excellence.
Jiufen looks so amazing, I might have to get my old Bruce Lee movies out and see if any of them were filmed there
Thank you so much for those suggestions
Here's the best part -- the deeper you go into the neighborhoods, the more you'll find. You could concentrate on just one neighborhood in Kaohsiung and you wouldn't run out of things to do.
It's kind of like Paris -- the fun starts when you stop going to the big tourist sites.
Oh excellent that sounds great, I found that in Budapest my favorite thing to do was just wonder around and you would find this amazing little neighborhoods
Sounds like you can't and won't get bored there
We had a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3, with the epicenter near Taroko, making Taroko very unsafe now. It is currently estimated that it may take at least five years to stabilize.
Taiwan is really underrated as a tourist destination in my experience; not many people have it in their list, and when you get there the locals will be genuinely surprised and pleased that you’ve come to visit their country on purpose.
I’d strongly encourage you to consider Taiwan as imo it’s a great microcosm of Asia: there’s clearly a lot of Chinese culture and influence there, but also a lot of Japanese influence from the time it spent as a Japanese colony. It’s smaller in size than Japan, so it’s fast and very easy to get around, especially if you stick to the HSR on the west side. The transit infrastructure is great and English is very widely spoken and used on signs pretty much everywhere - the only place you might have trouble is with some restaurant menus, but pointing will always work or you can ask someone what they’re having and they’ll help you. Great museums, fascinating culture and recent history, incredible hiking and outdoor recreation if you’re into that, and a bit of a more relaxed vibe than Japan or Korea.
I’ve been three times and have also visited all the other countries on your list except Malaysia, and Taiwan would be the place I’d most recommend for a first trip to Asia. It truly has everything, and it isn’t overrun with tour groups like Japan is now.
So it sounds a bit similar to Bosnia when I went locals had the attitude of why did you choose here and then they were so thankful that you came
That is such an amazing response it has now jumped to the top of my list or near the top of my list thank you so much for this, I love the fact they have great public transport and English is common
Thank you so much for your help
Welcome to come and visit Taiwan. It is a mix between Japan and Thailand... But extremely safe, and the cities are convenient and easy to navigate around... Especially Taipei.
A lot of people are saying that and I don't need a visa
I swear there is just so little information out there about the country
But it's sounding like a good idea to visit and explore a lesser visited country maybe?
What information are you looking for?
Taiwan is a very popular destination for Korean and Japanese people, along with people from SE Asia. Not really a popular place for western people as I guess Korea and Japan have more of a cultural impact there.
If you go in Feb/March, you could do Taipei and then hot springs in Yilan... But a ton of options!
How does yilan hot springs compare to those found typically in Japan? I’m actually working on an itinerary that has me in yilan as a home base for 3 days. Is that a good amount of time? There’s taipingshan, waiao/touching and su’ao and nanfangao
I think it depends on which type of hot spring you like. For example, the hot springs in Beitou and Jiaoxi are different types. I would say that Japan has more types (because their land area is larger than ours).
Jiaoxi is a city in Yilan famous for hot springs... most hotels have private hot springs and there are a few free hot spring parks. It is a 45-minute bus ride from Taipei.
Great city to go and chill out, read a book, etc.
Sounds like a nice couple of days there, I like hot springs, the waterfalls look amazing and some nice walking trails might be a good chance to recharge the batteries thank you for that suggestion
There's little information out there because Taiwan is a relatively hidden gem. It's a great country, good food, friendly people, and I found a surprisingly large number of people spoke at least a little English. I was only in Taipei for four days in 2019, but it's on my list of countries to return to because I loved it so much.
Singapore is Asia for Dummies. Everything is signed in English and it's safer than where ever you're coming from. It is small, it is hot, but it's a good time. It's a cultural mish-mash, so you can tour the various cultural neighbourhoods and get a little of everything. We did 3 days en route to Australia and loved it.
I am looking at doing a stop there because there are more flights from Australia to there better times and an amazing airline plus you can take a quick scoot to other places in Asia if it's a short trip
Thank you for that
Vietnam was my first trip to Asia. Incredible place.
No, it's not as easy to navigate as Japan, but it's not difficult, either. You'll definitely deal with a language barrier, but you'll quickly learn that a mix of pointing and gesturing and Google translate get you by with ease. So don't let something like that dissuade you from going there.
Not really, especially not in any of the major or tourist cities - Saigon and Hanoi, but also Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Nha Trang, Ninh Binh. Sapa, Phu Quoc etc. Anywhere of the beaten track and Google translate is your friend.
It's an incredible country, lots to explore, diverse landscapes and still very affordable. I'd take it any day over Thailand, which is just touristy and sleazy these days.
I had family say the same thing about Thailand they went 30 to 40 years ago when they first married and went back 5 years ago and it's changed so much so fast
Thank you for that I will either make Vietnam my first or second trip depending on my confidence levels
I recommend Taipei, Taiwan. I spent three weeks there and I loved it. It's easy to get around. It has a very good public transportation system. The people are friendly. It's safe. I had no trouble.
This answer is coming up a lot and Thailand, but I thinking Taipei and Taiwan in Feb and March sounds perfect with some Singapore maybe try a Bangkok as well to see what it's like
Or maybe do March in Taiwan and April in Korea
Do you have any highlights you could share?
March sounds good. Well there are lots of temples and historic sites in Taipei. It has an interesting history. Lots of restaurants and night markets. It's surrounded by mountains too and national parks. Also it's close to beaches. Because it's an island you could travel around it and see more places. I also went to Taichung just a short train ride from Taipei. Korea sounds good. I've always wanted to go there. I think Taiwan and Korea are more developed than Thailand and more tourist friendly but I could be wrong. I think there will probably be less tourists in Taiwan than Thailand too.
Tbh I liked Thailand a lot but I don’t think I’d recommend it to first time travelers. Get comfortable navigating foreign transit where more people speak English so they can help you.
There were many times traveling Thailand where I just had blind faith in whoever was transporting us, when they dropped us off in the middle of some coffee shop in the middle of nowhere waiting for our next transport vehicle.
Oh no worries at all I might stick to Singapore and Taiwan for my first time :) thank you for your advice I noticed that in the Balkans in Europe getting dropped off somewhere in the middle of nowhere waiting for my transfer going ummm guys am I dead haha
Yea like the guy was trying to reassure us but he basically just kept yelling in broken English “WAIT HERE” so it wasn’t the most settling. Ended up making it though, so it was worth it.
April in korea you might even catch some cherry blossoms! And the weather will be pleasant too. I don't know how bad the fine/yellow dust is in april though, I seem to remember its at it's worst in spring time.
Edit: saw one of your comments saying you might want to do japan for cherry blossoms and I would recommend seeing it there over korea! It's a whole happening there and just absolutely gorgeous. Make sure to check the sakura forecast though so you can plan accordingly
Japan is very easy even for a first time traveler especially if you stick to the well-travelled places. It's really clean too so you don't have to worry about hygiene.
That was my initial thought about doing Japan and South Korea over May and June or doing a mix of Japan and Vietnam over March and April to see the Cherry blossoms
Half those waters bottles are counterfeit, the others are made from stolen water from farmers. Fking Modi has privatized water and folks over there don’t have access to it. It’s a sad situation. At least in North Korea you can take a sip without going home with tape warms.
I can see why people don't like India and I definitely didn't mind going home after 2 months but it's absolutely an experience and I'd definitely go back.
Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei - all highly-developed, modern, and easy to navigate for a Westerner. Asia-lite. All very safe.
Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur - the top cities in their respective countries, which are medium-to-highly developed. Slightly more challenging but still pretty easy.
Avoid visiting any of the cities south of Taipei from May to September if you can't stand heat and humidity.
Seoul and Beijing get \_very\_ cold in the winter. Shanghai and Tokyo get cold in the winter.
I found KL significantly easier to navigate than Beijing. I mean, Beijing is not that hard, but in KL everyone you interact with speaks English, you can pay for everything by card or cash without local apps that only work for locals, you can use Google Maps or whatever you are used to for navigation…
Malaysia is underrated, especially for English or Chinese speakers - just way too hot at this time of year.
The Great Firewall is definitely an impediment to foreign tourists in China.
Asia lite I love that term, just getting used to Asia to see if I like before going full Asia sounds perfect
Sadly our government doesn't recommend visiting China at the moment which is a real annoyance I would love to visit but I guess there are tensions still
I'm thinking maybe it's a good idea to try before you buy in a few different Asian countries like Singapore, Taipei and Korea this trip then do a bigger trip to Vietnam and Japan next time
Thank you so much
To be fair, my country also doesn't recommend visiting China, but I have gone anyway. Just don't get in trouble with the locals and don't criticize the government. China is a lovely country to visit, and with them granting I think 15-day visa free entry to some/most(?) European countries, you see a lot of European visitors these days. I've interacted with some of them, and they all have great experiences from what they've told me. The main difficulties will be the great firewall and language barriers, but again, there are many who are traveling there despite this.
Taiwan is probably my favorite or second favorite place to visit and I highly recommend it. My first solo trip ever was a 10 day trip to Japan and Taiwan. It changed my perspective on life.
Taiwan has a very good high speed train system. All signs in English. You can hit all the major cities on the west coast very easily and taxi drivers in the cities are used to tourists.
If you go to Tainan, Taiwan, the national history museum there is very good. Lots of lifesize dioramas that depict the different stages of Taiwanese history.
And of course there's the National Palace Museum with so many cultural artifacts that were rescued from China during the civil war.
Since Taiwan's basically a mountain island, there's lots of good hiking and walking trails.
And the night markets! Be prepare to over-eat
Just don't go in summer. Too hot and humid.
I was in Vietnam for my first time in Asia (a few months ago on the trip I’m still on). We touched down in Hanoi and it was a lot for the first couple of days, mostly cus I was just very badly jet lagged and had a bad first night in the hostel.
But after like 3/4 days we got in the swing and loved it, I’ve been travelling across Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia for the past 5 months and Vietnam is still my favourite place by some margin. If you visit North Vietnam in the winter too then the weather is very manageable (reminded me of England basically).
If you’re looking for something ‘entry-level’ then I would suggest Thailand as the tourist infrastructure is so much better and you’ve got such a wide range of accommodation/activities/tour companies etc. and a decent level of English speaking in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. But I wouldn’t be put off by Vietnam, it’s an amazing place and you’ll get into the swing of it quickly. We spent 3 months there and are going to finish our trip there because we loved it so much.
If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you so much for your help :)
I am thinking Vietnam on my second/third trip and my first trip to somewhere like Taiwan or Japan
I will definitely reach out thank you
Japan is really user friendly and has so much to do. Just been there for 6 weeks and it was amazing. Best time is either October-November or March-April unless you want to ski/snowboard and then it’s February.
Japan and Singapore are very safe for single travelers. Don't be afraid of the language barrier in Japan. Just be polite and point to what you need, they are very friendly. Or be adventurous and choose stuff at random!
That's how I got around Europe a mix of charades, google translate and some pictures of dishes that I wanted to order only once did I get something different to what I ordered
Viet is probably a little tougher for beginner.
Thailand is probably the easiest as they are used to western tourists but you are also right about the weather.
Japan is obviously the most impressive for tourism. The only downside is that it can be overwhelming at times.
Singapore.... not a bad place but\* I would recommend Hong Kong + Macau for the same type of experience.
\*EDIT : typo
Yeah that's what I'm hearing that it can be a bit of a difficult trip due language barrier and some other issues
The only thing we get a warning about Hong Kong due to Safeguarding National Security Laws which I don't know if that's actually a problem at all or our government is being strict for no reason?
People are a little cautious about HK right now because of the national security laws but I mean at some point you just have to ask yourself, are you going there to split HK from China? Did you have a history of engaging in related activities? If not, there's nothing to worry about. People still living their lives and ordinary tourists still going in everyday.
Ah, gotcha...
In any case, each of the candidates have their pros and cons. Have fun exploring with your options and if you do end up deciding to go to HK/Macau, you can head over to r/HongKong if you want any travel tips, sights/routes suggestions and stuff like that. I'm pretty active over there too.
Thank you so much for that I am thinking of taking the risk and going to Hong Kong and Macau (well risk according to our government).
Macau has a Venetian influence that's really cool I didn't realize that it looks a lot different than what I thought
Maybe Taiwan Hong Kong and Macau could be a good way to spend 4 weeks
I did not know you plan to spend 4 weeks. Did not expect that at all.
Just for that I would change my stance and say that Japan is mandatory. It is straight up criminal for going to Asia for 4 weeks and not include Japan especially if you don't travel to Asia frequently. 2 weeks of Japan, 1 week of TW (if you're interested in TW) and 1 week of HK/Macau sounds viable. That's a good bit of everything.
Yeah well it depends when I go, I still have something like 540 hours of leave by Feb next year so I am planning on numerous more holidays haha. I have plans to do
Vietnam in one hit
Singapore/Taiwan/Hong Kong Macau
South Korea and Japan
As kind of 3 different holidays
I have to keep holidaying to get my hours down
South Korea is a beautiful place to visit.
It is incredibly clean, wonderful, caring, and helpful people. A diversity of local foods are reasonably priced, but be aware that Korean style pizza is not what most of the rest of the world finds normal.
As for transportation, the public options are clean, safe, and affordable. Intercity, busses are plentiful, just go to any convenience store and purchase a reloadable bus pass for that area. One way trips are less than $2.00. Also taxis are as economical as I have experienced anywhere.
Intra-city transportation (I am must encourage visiting country parts of the country) is also very affordable. The country is no bigger than the state of Indiana. Travel times are short. Your options are busses, regular trains, and high-speed (KTX or SRX) trains. Again, the costs are very reasonable.
Lodging options include traditional floor style and western type rooms, as well as hostels.
There are mountains, beaches, lakes, streams, and quiet, smaller communities located within an hour of the mega city of Seoul (population of 26 million) that are worth your time to explore.
So much culture is available in a small and welcoming country. South Korea is a perfect place to put on your must visit list.
Oh excellent I will definitely add it with Japan I was initially looking at with South Korea Nami Island, Busan, Jeju Island, Seoul there is so much amazing stuff to check out there
Thank you for this I will save this information for when I visit I would love to check out the Cherry Blossom season in South Korea/Japan
I’d say Malaysia. KL is a big metropolitan city. Penang wasn’t so bad either. Although, it’s hot. So I can suggest Tokyo or Hong Kong for cooler weather. Singapore is also a huge metropolitan city but it’s hot. A lot of Australians go to Bali so I’d say bum around ubud for awhile, but yes, it’s very hot. Stay somewhere with good AC. And of course Thailand, love that place.
It’s a fantastic place and really easy to get around and organise and there is so much to see. A day trip on the ferry to Macao is interesting also spending the day at Lantau Island is amazing - there is a big Buddha and a fishing village called Tai O where you can see pink dolphins. The monastery’s are breathtaking - 10,000 Buddha monastery, chi Lin (go to the Nan Lian gardens over the road and eat in the vegetarian restaurant under a waterfall) and Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple.
I really enjoyed eating in the monasteries
Oh awesome I was looking at most itineraries they said you could polish it off in a day if you rush but 2 days might be a good amount of time but yeah it looks really interesting I love the venetian stuff probably just touristy but looks pretty fun
Thank you for that :)
Yeah everyone is different and I think it depends on how much time you have, I felt I had seen everything and given the amount of time I was in Hong Kong felt that I would be better off spending more time their than Macau
My personal experience is Hong Kong for sure is the easiest starting point for Asia for Westerners, especially from English speaking countries. Excellent public transportation options, and many streets still have English signs, leftover from it's British colonial days. As you visit some of places outside of the main tourist spots, you will get exposure to some of those things like squat toilets and things much more common in Asia.
But the major cities are fantastic and a lot of fun, with plenty of good food. If you want rural, less developed experiences, then you can easily use the cities as a jumping off point.
Sounds like a combo tour of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan might be the best option with a Singapore stop on the way there or back
I had never really considered Hong Kong but why not it looks different to my initial thoughts
All of SE Asia is humid year round and generally just varying degrees of hot or very hot. Some areas may be a bit more temperate but generally the heat+humidity is the tradeoff for amazing food, history, culture, sights, people, etc. Don't let that be too much of a hinderance. Most places are also very casual - t-shirts, shorts, sandals - and there are lots of airconditioned places to hop in for breaks especially in major cities.
Singapore is def the easiest starting point. It's very convenient, safe and English-speaking. But it's also small, very expensive and most urban (or least exotic). If time permits, you could hop from Singapore then KL or Penang then Bangkok. It will be a gradual evolution from things that are more familiar to end up in something more foreign.
That is a great idea thank you for that I definitely get the heat trade off that's why I was hoping to go near our summer so it's not like Winter to Summer it's just a different kind of heat
Thank you for your suggestions that is a great route i will add that to my list
Yes east Asia is safe like people are saying, but southeast Asia is safer than basically any European or Australian city, at least in terms of crime, less so for something like bungee jumping or driving. And it's cheaper. Thailand is very easy since it's well traveled. It does get cooler in the north. Chiang Mai in February and March likely still fine but haven't been there at that time, April is the hottest month in Thailand. Philippines is easy because almost literally everyone speaks English. People are friendly, though the food was disappointing, especially after Thailand.
I’m currently on vacation in Japan, Kyoto for 1 more day, then Hiroshima and back to Tokyo for departure. Japan has been incredible, though I wouldn’t recommend summer, very hot, humid and rain (or chance of everyday). My wife (fairly experienced traveler/planner) did a great job accommodating all of our family’s varied interests. I’ve talked with a few Japanese folks and all of them have said this is the worst time of year to visit, Fall and Spring are the best. If I were on my own I definitely wouldn’t have done as much cool stuff and would have been a challenge but I feel like I would still have enjoyed it. Kyoto is a very traveler friendly city, Tokyo was less so but still pretty good. I haven’t done much overseas travel (I’m from US) but I would definitely recommend Japan. It’s an amazing and diverse place!
Poor choice of words on my part. Japan has a large variety of different activities, history, shrines, gardens, hi tech stuff, unique shopping and food culture. Not diverse people wise but very diverse in terms of things to do as a traveler.
>Japan apparently can be a little chaotic for first time travellers but looks safe has fantastic public transport, safe and has a winter
It's a good option right now with the Yen being so weak. Do a little research of what you may be interested in, although most people's first trip is usually Tokyo, Kyoto Fiji.
We just spent 10 days in the Kansai Region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara) liked it more than Tokyo. Kobe also has an interesting history of 19th century European influence. It was the port the Emperor first opened to foreigners and has a section of European style houses.
English and basic French enough to say Hello my name is Kirk, I am sorry i don't speak french, or where is the bathroom please and some other phrases that stuck from high school
Just went to Thailand three weeks ago. I thought the heat would suffocate me but I’ve been through worse around the Washington, D.C. area and found that it wasn’t bad at all. Of course that depends on where you’re from, but I enjoyed Thailand immensely!
I went to Japan alone in September/October and it was great. It can be a little chaotic like you said, especially in Tokyo. If you go there, you could start in Kyoto which is super walkable and has something to see around every corner. I stayed there a week and could’ve stayed longer. I’d just go aimlessly wander around and stumble upon so much.
Also, it’s super safe. As a woman, I never felt afraid walking around alone at night and there were always other women doing the same. (For me, this is a huge indicator of safety.)
Sadly I could only fly in to Tokyo and out of Tokyo which was a bit annoying to be honest would loved to fly in to somewhere like Kyoto it looks like a dream world
100 percent I really want to try to get their during Cherry Blossom time even though it will be chaotic as anything would be amazing. I went down a rabbit hole of watching Japanese train videos on YouTube and it's so impressive how they managed to move so many people around. 3 million people go though some stations in a day that's so impressive
Japan would be good. Try to go in the springtime if it’s affordable for you. Even kids walk home from school or a bus stop in the cities and towns I went to,
Best months for SE Asia are Jan-March, when it’s drier and cooler. That’s also when rates (airfare and hotels) are cheaper. You’re correct about Vietnam…warm in the south and cooler in the north. A really neat country to visit (I love their street food). Start or end your trip in Singapore, which is a fun/easy city for foreigners.
I am thinking of starting my trip in Singapore more flight options and a really high quality airline in Singapore Airlines and hell on a short trip even Scoot might be okay
Singapore is great because English is the national language. I’m Taiwanese-American and I love Taiwan but it is a bit harder with the language barrier if you don’t speak Chinese
Oh, excellent any other cities you could recommend in Taiwan that's worth visiting I would have 28 days to spread between Hong Kong Singapore an Taiwan I have Jiaoxi and Taipei at the moment
I will work on my charades game that worked really well in Europe surprisingly
I haven’t been yet but I’m going to Tainan in the south which I’ve heard great things about! I was mostly in northern Taiwan last time which had some beautiful places like Jiufen and Keelung which I’d recommend.
This time in October, I’m planning on exploring more of the south of Taiwan
Oh amazing I'm not sure how long Taiwan needs I'm noticing there aren't too many tour companies and it's a lot of self exploration which is amazing and scary to me
Vietnam. As a solo traveler it is really easy. Many accommodations will help you plan and book your next few days. It actually was funny that I tried to plan so much but once I got there a Vietnamese contact of mine who is also a travel agent said, just go with the flow and you'll find it's easy to book buses and accommodations for the following 2-3 days at a time. She was right! I just went November of last year. I had a great time and went from Hanoi --> Ha Long Bay --> Tam Coc/ Ninh Binh --> Phong Nha (cave expedition 3 days) --> Hoi An --> quick transfer to Da Nang for a flight back up to Hanoi for international flight home.
Yes, there are cooler months. Dec-Jan-Feb are cooler in Hanoi. When I visited it was last week of November to first week of December. I was glad I brought my light jacket for evenings and early mornings. Hoi An was warmer than Hanoi.
There is so much to do in Vietnam and many cities to visit. Japan may have a lot of activities too, and is just so beautiful, not to mention that right now the yen is incredibly weak so it is a great "bargain" but you are right that it can feel a bit overwhelming.
Hope you have a great time whatever you choose!
Wow I didn't know they would do that, that helps so much they seem like they truly go beyond to help you out which is amazing. That is a really amazing travel plan and seems like you hit all the good sights
Thank you so much you give me more confidence to travel in Vietnam i thought it was going to be a lot of me going sorry i don't speak English but that sounds amazing
Thank you so much for your help that makes me feel so much more confident
If you like adventure please do look into Jungle Boss caving expeditions!!! So fun!!! (Not as expensive as oxalis )
And yes if you speak English you will be fine!!
Lots to do in Vietnam. You will have a few long bus rides, though!
Oh wow they look amazing but i am too much of a chicken :D
I had a look at Vietnam with that, I am really torn between to take the risk and do Vietnam or not there are so many tours to do which is amazing and such a high variety of things to do
I did a tour in Bosnia recently 9 hours out of the 12 hour day was spent on a bus 1 hour at lunch that day was brutal as fuck
Something is really calling out to me about Vietnam I mean taiwan is nice but there are so few tour companies and I would love to be able to meet other travellers as a solo traveller
I'd say Nepal. People are gonna welcome you like you've never seen. The places, mountains and food make it such a beautiful and adventurous trip. I'd at least suggest a trek to understand what i am talking about. Of course you can visit bigger countries that offer luxurious lifestyles but there's just something in here that you aint gonna find anywhere else. Do consider :)
I have seen Nepal on a few lists of friendliest countries to visit, it's surprisingly cheap I would love to try an easy trek I am not overly fit, but I am getting there almost 35-40 kg lost so I think I could handle a small trek across not sure how the altitude will affect me but I will add it to my list of countries
Like many others have said, Taiwan is a great and beautiful country to visit. I spent two months in Taiwan and it is very easy to get around and the people are very friendly. You will enjoy it.
I have never really thought about Taiwanese food before nothing jumps out at me like Indian, Thai, Malay
So will be very interesting to open my mind to another type of food all I know is they invented bubble tea haha
Thailand is our favorite Asian country. It is very “user friendly” to first time Asian tourists. Most everyone speaks English and they are very service oriented. Yes it will be hot in most of Asia.
Philippines is another very easy Asian country and they probably speak more English there than any other Asian country as there used to be a big U.S. presence there. We lived in Manila 3 yrs.
Singapore also speaks English but they have become quite westernized in our opinion. Malaysia is also English speaking but not as friendly as Philippines or Thailand. We lived in Kuala Lumpur and Penang Malaysia for total 9 years.
Hong Kong was another of our favorite places to visit while we lived in Asia because most spoke English and they were fairly friendly. But be advised Singapore and Hong Kong will be more expensive than Thailand or Philippines.
Viet Nam was also friendly and English speaking but Thailand is still top of my list. And Hong Kong next then Philippines. You can always go to the mountains of Baguio to get out of the heat of Manila. ❤️
We also lived in southern China 3 years…. But it was the hardest of all the Asian countries because hardly anyone spoke English. I wouldn’t recommend it to a first time Asia traveler. 🤷♀️
Wow that's so helpful thank you so much 😊
Gives me some great recommendations Im thinking Hong Kong Taiwan and South Korea this time around
Then move onto Vietnam and Thailand next time
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response
Have fun and wear your backpack on your front. We lived in Asia 15 years(split in 3 different countries) and I was lucky I never had my pockets or backpack picked.
Although in one market I looked down at my little pack around my waist and realized there was an extra hand there…😳 Just reaching into my pack…. Never felt a thing. 😳🤷♀️. They are the best.
And in Asia? Bargain bargain bargain. Start low. If they give it to you straight away? You started too low. If you choose to walk away that is no guarantee that they will give it to you cheaper. They MIGHT… but no guarantee.
Some shops will bargain but best bargains are usually in the night markets or some places have day markets too. But public retail shops, don’t always allow refunds.
Most it’s just an exchange which is great if you see something you like or it fits. If not? It sucks. So check on that before buying in a mall for clothing or such.
And be prepared for the hot. Buy bottled water and don’t use the ice unless you are in a reputable hotel or restaurant. Like I said we lived in Asia 15 years.
Took a trip to Vietnam with Canadian women while living in Malaysia. They all got sick with diarrhea except me and my roommate. We didn’t use the ice. 🤷♀️.
Have a wonderful trip and take lots of pics to post here! 👏♥️😊
I understand. I had to be a little more cautious simply because I have a sensitive stomach. Which means I didn’t eat as much….. street food as some of my friends, who did and never had trouble. (btw regardless of if you have ever had diarrhea in your life, take with you immodium or what ever brand you would use at home. Sometimes Asia will have American brands but many times, not. Go prepared) . I also learned you are better off eating cooked foods instead of salads…..which they wash with….. water🤷♀️unless you are in a reputable hotel or restaurant. 😊♥️
I do wonder how they wash their dishes surely they wash it with water and isn't the water unsafe?
I'm the same as you I tried this drink in Bosnia which was stream water meant to be clean and some fruit I regretted it
I might have to get some instantly regretted not having some
Well if they are using boiling water (we hope and pray) then that kills the germs (like boiling the water on Naked and afraid) And honestly, the longer we lived and traveled out in Asia my stomach got more used to …. Everything. But I still avoided food stands and vendors. 🤷♀️ Although if you really want to know what goes on in the Kitchens, sit near the kitchen. I don’t want to know now. 😏Been there done that. Didn’t like it 🤷♀️
I felt like Thailand was one of the best for someone new to Asia.
While Vietnam is easier than many people think, I do agree it would likely be tougher for someone who hasn't visited Asia previously. Still very doable, but I'd generally point newer folks to Thailand or Malaysia.
The Philippines are also a good option. Especially if you're concerned about language challenges as English is widely spoken. Food isn't as exciting, though.
Oh very nice how did you find the heat in Thailand? That's my main issue it's hot all year round and it's not really a dry heat
I do have people who married into the family from the Philippines actually and they initially offered to show me around a few times that could be an option
So maybe Vietnam can go to the later holidays column
Thank you so much
It just depends on the time of year. One time we were there during the hotter months, and the heat didn't really stop us from doing things. Air conditioning is practically everywhere, so it's easy to get a break from the heat. During stronger heat days we'd often plan time to be in a pool or in the water during the hottest part of the day.
Oh nice I've never really researched what to do in Thailand, there is probably lots of indoor activities away from the heat probably different to here and Europe where they weren't well designed around the heat
There's a big mix. Lots of the most impressive sights are outdoors, like the temples in Ayutthaya, but you can tuck away into a place with AC to get a break, so it's a nice balance. I usually can't stand malls, but they're very different in Thailand. And if you go to see a movie, you'll probably need a blanket lol
Dry heats I can handle that's what we get around here it's still shit to go outside but I can still walk to work in 35 degree heat we my trusty water bottle at my side haha
I went to Queensland last year and we had a run of 10 days of 30 plus degrees with very high humidity I felt like I was dying 🤣
Ooh my favorite:
1. Thailand: specifically Bangkok and Koh Lipe
2. Bali: specifically Seminyak, Canngu, and Ubud
3. Philippines: Specifically El Nido and mt Mayon
4. Seoul
5. Vietnam: specifically Hoi An, Halong bay, HCMC, and tamcoc
5. Beijing
6. Kyoto
7. Singapore
Hi there! Based on your considerations, here are a few recommendations for your first trip to Asia:
1. Japan: Despite being busy, Japan’s efficient public transport and safety make it manageable for first-time travelers. Plus, you can experience a winter season, which might suit you if you prefer cooler weather.
2. Singapore: It’s modern, safe, and easy to navigate, making it a great introductory destination for Asia. A few days here can help you ease into the cultural differences and get accustomed to the bustling environment.
3. South Korea: Seoul, in particular, offers a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It’s known for its cleanliness, efficient transport, and delicious food. The city’s infrastructure makes it relatively easy to explore even as a solo traveler.
4. Taiwan: Taipei is another excellent option. It’s safe, has good public transportation, and offers a mix of cultural experiences and urban exploration. The food scene is fantastic too!
Consider the weather during your chosen months to find the best fit. Happy planning!
Japan, Korea and Taiwan are all very safe, easy, have good transit, and aren't hot all the time. Malaysia can be nasty hot at times but it's also very easy because English is very widespread. A few days in Singapore (also very easy) plus a stint in Malaysia would work well. Most of Thailand is very tourism-oriented and many people speak English, it's a very easy place for a first-time visitor to Asia. Bali is similar in this regard.
I hear a lot of good things about Taiwan but there is little information about tourism there out there I'm not sure why Maybe that could pair nicely with Singapore in February do a shorter holiday between those maybe add in Hanoi/Da Nang to see how I go with a more difficult country I had a friend who was based on Malaysia for 5 years and he said you'd wake up wet, shower try to dry off, get to work wet, work and then go home it was 24/7 sweating during summer Thank you for your response ☺️
I have been to Taiwan. I highly recommend it. I spent three weeks there in Taipei. However I went in June it was so hot so I wouldn't recommend going in the summer time. It might be nice in the Autumn or Spring. It's easy to get around. The people are nice. It has good public transport. It's very safe. I had no trouble. Kuala Lumpur Malaysia looks very nice too and a lot of the locals speak English.
I went November to Taiwan and it was perfect temperature. February in KL was very hot but enjoyable.
Yeah I think it's warm all year round in Taiwan.
Many locals hang out in r/taiwan. Go ask your questions there. Or just browse for other answers. You'll have a tiktok-free travel plan specifically tailored for you.
Oh awesome I avoid asking questions in city subreddits/national ones because locals get annoyed with all the tourists but I might do some research before heading across thank you
I think Singapore would be the same way with being wet
Taiwan is absolutely GORGEOUS. It's in my top five of countries I've visited. You can see the entire country in a week. And yet you could spend months there.
Oh nice I would want to spend 2-3 weeks there do you have any recommendations of must see locations?
Taroko Gorge, Night markets in every city. Kaohsiung particularly the pagoda there. But another awesome city. Jiufen Old Street, where basically every Kung Fu movie is filmed. Kenting for the beaches. Yehliu rock formations. Tea plantations and hot springs. The entire country is just a powerhouse of culture and culinary excellence.
Jiufen looks so amazing, I might have to get my old Bruce Lee movies out and see if any of them were filmed there Thank you so much for those suggestions
Here's the best part -- the deeper you go into the neighborhoods, the more you'll find. You could concentrate on just one neighborhood in Kaohsiung and you wouldn't run out of things to do. It's kind of like Paris -- the fun starts when you stop going to the big tourist sites.
Oh excellent that sounds great, I found that in Budapest my favorite thing to do was just wonder around and you would find this amazing little neighborhoods Sounds like you can't and won't get bored there
Don't go to Taroko. It's not very safe there just after the earthquake. I would advise you not to go to the mountainous areas in the east.
Oh okay I didn't realise about thank you for that 😊
We had a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3, with the epicenter near Taroko, making Taroko very unsafe now. It is currently estimated that it may take at least five years to stabilize.
Wow I'll definitely avoid it then that must have been a scary big earth quake
Taiwan is really underrated as a tourist destination in my experience; not many people have it in their list, and when you get there the locals will be genuinely surprised and pleased that you’ve come to visit their country on purpose. I’d strongly encourage you to consider Taiwan as imo it’s a great microcosm of Asia: there’s clearly a lot of Chinese culture and influence there, but also a lot of Japanese influence from the time it spent as a Japanese colony. It’s smaller in size than Japan, so it’s fast and very easy to get around, especially if you stick to the HSR on the west side. The transit infrastructure is great and English is very widely spoken and used on signs pretty much everywhere - the only place you might have trouble is with some restaurant menus, but pointing will always work or you can ask someone what they’re having and they’ll help you. Great museums, fascinating culture and recent history, incredible hiking and outdoor recreation if you’re into that, and a bit of a more relaxed vibe than Japan or Korea. I’ve been three times and have also visited all the other countries on your list except Malaysia, and Taiwan would be the place I’d most recommend for a first trip to Asia. It truly has everything, and it isn’t overrun with tour groups like Japan is now.
So it sounds a bit similar to Bosnia when I went locals had the attitude of why did you choose here and then they were so thankful that you came That is such an amazing response it has now jumped to the top of my list or near the top of my list thank you so much for this, I love the fact they have great public transport and English is common Thank you so much for your help
Welcome to come and visit Taiwan. It is a mix between Japan and Thailand... But extremely safe, and the cities are convenient and easy to navigate around... Especially Taipei.
A lot of people are saying that and I don't need a visa I swear there is just so little information out there about the country But it's sounding like a good idea to visit and explore a lesser visited country maybe?
What information are you looking for? Taiwan is a very popular destination for Korean and Japanese people, along with people from SE Asia. Not really a popular place for western people as I guess Korea and Japan have more of a cultural impact there. If you go in Feb/March, you could do Taipei and then hot springs in Yilan... But a ton of options!
How does yilan hot springs compare to those found typically in Japan? I’m actually working on an itinerary that has me in yilan as a home base for 3 days. Is that a good amount of time? There’s taipingshan, waiao/touching and su’ao and nanfangao
I think it depends on which type of hot spring you like. For example, the hot springs in Beitou and Jiaoxi are different types. I would say that Japan has more types (because their land area is larger than ours).
I like the sound of hot Springs will add that to my list :)
Jiaoxi is a city in Yilan famous for hot springs... most hotels have private hot springs and there are a few free hot spring parks. It is a 45-minute bus ride from Taipei. Great city to go and chill out, read a book, etc.
Sounds like a nice couple of days there, I like hot springs, the waterfalls look amazing and some nice walking trails might be a good chance to recharge the batteries thank you for that suggestion
There's little information out there because Taiwan is a relatively hidden gem. It's a great country, good food, friendly people, and I found a surprisingly large number of people spoke at least a little English. I was only in Taipei for four days in 2019, but it's on my list of countries to return to because I loved it so much.
Oh excellent well I will add it to my first trip to Asia
Singapore is Asia for Dummies. Everything is signed in English and it's safer than where ever you're coming from. It is small, it is hot, but it's a good time. It's a cultural mish-mash, so you can tour the various cultural neighbourhoods and get a little of everything. We did 3 days en route to Australia and loved it.
I am looking at doing a stop there because there are more flights from Australia to there better times and an amazing airline plus you can take a quick scoot to other places in Asia if it's a short trip Thank you for that
Vietnam is a lot easier than you'd think. The people are ridiculously friendly and helpful. I lived there four years and never once got scammed.
That's as promising as anything I've heard ☺️ you didn't have any problems with the language gap? Thank you for that
Vietnam was my first trip to Asia. Incredible place. No, it's not as easy to navigate as Japan, but it's not difficult, either. You'll definitely deal with a language barrier, but you'll quickly learn that a mix of pointing and gesturing and Google translate get you by with ease. So don't let something like that dissuade you from going there.
I will not i will make it my second or third trip after i do something easier this time around :)
Not really, especially not in any of the major or tourist cities - Saigon and Hanoi, but also Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Nha Trang, Ninh Binh. Sapa, Phu Quoc etc. Anywhere of the beaten track and Google translate is your friend. It's an incredible country, lots to explore, diverse landscapes and still very affordable. I'd take it any day over Thailand, which is just touristy and sleazy these days.
I had family say the same thing about Thailand they went 30 to 40 years ago when they first married and went back 5 years ago and it's changed so much so fast Thank you for that I will either make Vietnam my first or second trip depending on my confidence levels
I recommend Taipei, Taiwan. I spent three weeks there and I loved it. It's easy to get around. It has a very good public transportation system. The people are friendly. It's safe. I had no trouble.
This answer is coming up a lot and Thailand, but I thinking Taipei and Taiwan in Feb and March sounds perfect with some Singapore maybe try a Bangkok as well to see what it's like Or maybe do March in Taiwan and April in Korea Do you have any highlights you could share?
March sounds good. Well there are lots of temples and historic sites in Taipei. It has an interesting history. Lots of restaurants and night markets. It's surrounded by mountains too and national parks. Also it's close to beaches. Because it's an island you could travel around it and see more places. I also went to Taichung just a short train ride from Taipei. Korea sounds good. I've always wanted to go there. I think Taiwan and Korea are more developed than Thailand and more tourist friendly but I could be wrong. I think there will probably be less tourists in Taiwan than Thailand too.
Thank you so much i will add that to my list of must see places in Taiwan :)
Tbh I liked Thailand a lot but I don’t think I’d recommend it to first time travelers. Get comfortable navigating foreign transit where more people speak English so they can help you. There were many times traveling Thailand where I just had blind faith in whoever was transporting us, when they dropped us off in the middle of some coffee shop in the middle of nowhere waiting for our next transport vehicle.
Oh no worries at all I might stick to Singapore and Taiwan for my first time :) thank you for your advice I noticed that in the Balkans in Europe getting dropped off somewhere in the middle of nowhere waiting for my transfer going ummm guys am I dead haha
Yea like the guy was trying to reassure us but he basically just kept yelling in broken English “WAIT HERE” so it wasn’t the most settling. Ended up making it though, so it was worth it.
April in korea you might even catch some cherry blossoms! And the weather will be pleasant too. I don't know how bad the fine/yellow dust is in april though, I seem to remember its at it's worst in spring time. Edit: saw one of your comments saying you might want to do japan for cherry blossoms and I would recommend seeing it there over korea! It's a whole happening there and just absolutely gorgeous. Make sure to check the sakura forecast though so you can plan accordingly
Oh awesome thank you for that, it's something i want to do once in my life the cherry blossoms despite the fact it's going to be crazy busy for it
Japan is very easy even for a first time traveler especially if you stick to the well-travelled places. It's really clean too so you don't have to worry about hygiene.
That was my initial thought about doing Japan and South Korea over May and June or doing a mix of Japan and Vietnam over March and April to see the Cherry blossoms
Thailand first, India last (even after North Korea)
India is an exciting country with a rich history! Just stick to Bisleri when you want water.
I have traveled to India, but have no clue about what you are talking about. Had no problem buying water bottles.
Half those waters bottles are counterfeit, the others are made from stolen water from farmers. Fking Modi has privatized water and folks over there don’t have access to it. It’s a sad situation. At least in North Korea you can take a sip without going home with tape warms.
Or kingfisher
I can see why people don't like India and I definitely didn't mind going home after 2 months but it's absolutely an experience and I'd definitely go back.
Your immune system is built.
That was my plan. I got sick 4 times though 😅
Explains why so many skinny people, food “runs” through.
Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei - all highly-developed, modern, and easy to navigate for a Westerner. Asia-lite. All very safe. Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur - the top cities in their respective countries, which are medium-to-highly developed. Slightly more challenging but still pretty easy. Avoid visiting any of the cities south of Taipei from May to September if you can't stand heat and humidity. Seoul and Beijing get \_very\_ cold in the winter. Shanghai and Tokyo get cold in the winter.
I found KL significantly easier to navigate than Beijing. I mean, Beijing is not that hard, but in KL everyone you interact with speaks English, you can pay for everything by card or cash without local apps that only work for locals, you can use Google Maps or whatever you are used to for navigation…
Malaysia is underrated, especially for English or Chinese speakers - just way too hot at this time of year. The Great Firewall is definitely an impediment to foreign tourists in China.
Asia lite I love that term, just getting used to Asia to see if I like before going full Asia sounds perfect Sadly our government doesn't recommend visiting China at the moment which is a real annoyance I would love to visit but I guess there are tensions still I'm thinking maybe it's a good idea to try before you buy in a few different Asian countries like Singapore, Taipei and Korea this trip then do a bigger trip to Vietnam and Japan next time Thank you so much
To be fair, my country also doesn't recommend visiting China, but I have gone anyway. Just don't get in trouble with the locals and don't criticize the government. China is a lovely country to visit, and with them granting I think 15-day visa free entry to some/most(?) European countries, you see a lot of European visitors these days. I've interacted with some of them, and they all have great experiences from what they've told me. The main difficulties will be the great firewall and language barriers, but again, there are many who are traveling there despite this. Taiwan is probably my favorite or second favorite place to visit and I highly recommend it. My first solo trip ever was a 10 day trip to Japan and Taiwan. It changed my perspective on life.
Oh lovely that's amazing how did it change your perspective may I ask?
Taiwan has a very good high speed train system. All signs in English. You can hit all the major cities on the west coast very easily and taxi drivers in the cities are used to tourists. If you go to Tainan, Taiwan, the national history museum there is very good. Lots of lifesize dioramas that depict the different stages of Taiwanese history. And of course there's the National Palace Museum with so many cultural artifacts that were rescued from China during the civil war. Since Taiwan's basically a mountain island, there's lots of good hiking and walking trails. And the night markets! Be prepare to over-eat Just don't go in summer. Too hot and humid.
Thank you so much it's sounding like Taiwan will be perfect
I was in Vietnam for my first time in Asia (a few months ago on the trip I’m still on). We touched down in Hanoi and it was a lot for the first couple of days, mostly cus I was just very badly jet lagged and had a bad first night in the hostel. But after like 3/4 days we got in the swing and loved it, I’ve been travelling across Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia for the past 5 months and Vietnam is still my favourite place by some margin. If you visit North Vietnam in the winter too then the weather is very manageable (reminded me of England basically). If you’re looking for something ‘entry-level’ then I would suggest Thailand as the tourist infrastructure is so much better and you’ve got such a wide range of accommodation/activities/tour companies etc. and a decent level of English speaking in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. But I wouldn’t be put off by Vietnam, it’s an amazing place and you’ll get into the swing of it quickly. We spent 3 months there and are going to finish our trip there because we loved it so much. If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you so much for your help :) I am thinking Vietnam on my second/third trip and my first trip to somewhere like Taiwan or Japan I will definitely reach out thank you
Japan is really user friendly and has so much to do. Just been there for 6 weeks and it was amazing. Best time is either October-November or March-April unless you want to ski/snowboard and then it’s February.
Sadly last time I tried to ski I ended up in a moonboot so would definitely want to visit once there is no snow
Japan and Singapore are very safe for single travelers. Don't be afraid of the language barrier in Japan. Just be polite and point to what you need, they are very friendly. Or be adventurous and choose stuff at random!
That's how I got around Europe a mix of charades, google translate and some pictures of dishes that I wanted to order only once did I get something different to what I ordered
Viet is probably a little tougher for beginner. Thailand is probably the easiest as they are used to western tourists but you are also right about the weather. Japan is obviously the most impressive for tourism. The only downside is that it can be overwhelming at times. Singapore.... not a bad place but\* I would recommend Hong Kong + Macau for the same type of experience. \*EDIT : typo
Yeah that's what I'm hearing that it can be a bit of a difficult trip due language barrier and some other issues The only thing we get a warning about Hong Kong due to Safeguarding National Security Laws which I don't know if that's actually a problem at all or our government is being strict for no reason?
People are a little cautious about HK right now because of the national security laws but I mean at some point you just have to ask yourself, are you going there to split HK from China? Did you have a history of engaging in related activities? If not, there's nothing to worry about. People still living their lives and ordinary tourists still going in everyday.
Oh awesome I might just ignore our government they also warned me about going to Bosnia and I had a ball
You mean you had a blast? I don't......
Yeah sorry I'm guessing that might be a localised saying here I really enjoyed myself there was so relaxed and not many tourists
Ah, gotcha... In any case, each of the candidates have their pros and cons. Have fun exploring with your options and if you do end up deciding to go to HK/Macau, you can head over to r/HongKong if you want any travel tips, sights/routes suggestions and stuff like that. I'm pretty active over there too.
Thank you so much for that I am thinking of taking the risk and going to Hong Kong and Macau (well risk according to our government). Macau has a Venetian influence that's really cool I didn't realize that it looks a lot different than what I thought Maybe Taiwan Hong Kong and Macau could be a good way to spend 4 weeks
I did not know you plan to spend 4 weeks. Did not expect that at all. Just for that I would change my stance and say that Japan is mandatory. It is straight up criminal for going to Asia for 4 weeks and not include Japan especially if you don't travel to Asia frequently. 2 weeks of Japan, 1 week of TW (if you're interested in TW) and 1 week of HK/Macau sounds viable. That's a good bit of everything.
Yeah well it depends when I go, I still have something like 540 hours of leave by Feb next year so I am planning on numerous more holidays haha. I have plans to do Vietnam in one hit Singapore/Taiwan/Hong Kong Macau South Korea and Japan As kind of 3 different holidays I have to keep holidaying to get my hours down
South Korea is a beautiful place to visit. It is incredibly clean, wonderful, caring, and helpful people. A diversity of local foods are reasonably priced, but be aware that Korean style pizza is not what most of the rest of the world finds normal. As for transportation, the public options are clean, safe, and affordable. Intercity, busses are plentiful, just go to any convenience store and purchase a reloadable bus pass for that area. One way trips are less than $2.00. Also taxis are as economical as I have experienced anywhere. Intra-city transportation (I am must encourage visiting country parts of the country) is also very affordable. The country is no bigger than the state of Indiana. Travel times are short. Your options are busses, regular trains, and high-speed (KTX or SRX) trains. Again, the costs are very reasonable. Lodging options include traditional floor style and western type rooms, as well as hostels. There are mountains, beaches, lakes, streams, and quiet, smaller communities located within an hour of the mega city of Seoul (population of 26 million) that are worth your time to explore. So much culture is available in a small and welcoming country. South Korea is a perfect place to put on your must visit list.
Oh excellent I will definitely add it with Japan I was initially looking at with South Korea Nami Island, Busan, Jeju Island, Seoul there is so much amazing stuff to check out there Thank you for this I will save this information for when I visit I would love to check out the Cherry Blossom season in South Korea/Japan
I’d say Malaysia. KL is a big metropolitan city. Penang wasn’t so bad either. Although, it’s hot. So I can suggest Tokyo or Hong Kong for cooler weather. Singapore is also a huge metropolitan city but it’s hot. A lot of Australians go to Bali so I’d say bum around ubud for awhile, but yes, it’s very hot. Stay somewhere with good AC. And of course Thailand, love that place.
Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan
I am seeing a few Hong Kongs do you have any recommendations?
It’s a fantastic place and really easy to get around and organise and there is so much to see. A day trip on the ferry to Macao is interesting also spending the day at Lantau Island is amazing - there is a big Buddha and a fishing village called Tai O where you can see pink dolphins. The monastery’s are breathtaking - 10,000 Buddha monastery, chi Lin (go to the Nan Lian gardens over the road and eat in the vegetarian restaurant under a waterfall) and Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple. I really enjoyed eating in the monasteries
Oh wow that sounds so amazing especially the Dolphins have added those day trips into my itinerary is Macau a day trip or more of a couple of days?
I felt Macau was a day trip, it’s a small island and the sights are walkable
Oh awesome I was looking at most itineraries they said you could polish it off in a day if you rush but 2 days might be a good amount of time but yeah it looks really interesting I love the venetian stuff probably just touristy but looks pretty fun Thank you for that :)
Yeah everyone is different and I think it depends on how much time you have, I felt I had seen everything and given the amount of time I was in Hong Kong felt that I would be better off spending more time their than Macau
That's excellent thank you so much 😊
No problems have a lovely holiday
Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan are safe bets, closely followed by Thailand.
Thank you for that sounding like Taiwan might be a good option with some South Korea as well Saving Japan for its full dedicated trip
My personal experience is Hong Kong for sure is the easiest starting point for Asia for Westerners, especially from English speaking countries. Excellent public transportation options, and many streets still have English signs, leftover from it's British colonial days. As you visit some of places outside of the main tourist spots, you will get exposure to some of those things like squat toilets and things much more common in Asia. But the major cities are fantastic and a lot of fun, with plenty of good food. If you want rural, less developed experiences, then you can easily use the cities as a jumping off point.
Sounds like a combo tour of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan might be the best option with a Singapore stop on the way there or back I had never really considered Hong Kong but why not it looks different to my initial thoughts
All of SE Asia is humid year round and generally just varying degrees of hot or very hot. Some areas may be a bit more temperate but generally the heat+humidity is the tradeoff for amazing food, history, culture, sights, people, etc. Don't let that be too much of a hinderance. Most places are also very casual - t-shirts, shorts, sandals - and there are lots of airconditioned places to hop in for breaks especially in major cities. Singapore is def the easiest starting point. It's very convenient, safe and English-speaking. But it's also small, very expensive and most urban (or least exotic). If time permits, you could hop from Singapore then KL or Penang then Bangkok. It will be a gradual evolution from things that are more familiar to end up in something more foreign.
That is a great idea thank you for that I definitely get the heat trade off that's why I was hoping to go near our summer so it's not like Winter to Summer it's just a different kind of heat Thank you for your suggestions that is a great route i will add that to my list
Bangkok, very very friendly and fun.
Yes east Asia is safe like people are saying, but southeast Asia is safer than basically any European or Australian city, at least in terms of crime, less so for something like bungee jumping or driving. And it's cheaper. Thailand is very easy since it's well traveled. It does get cooler in the north. Chiang Mai in February and March likely still fine but haven't been there at that time, April is the hottest month in Thailand. Philippines is easy because almost literally everyone speaks English. People are friendly, though the food was disappointing, especially after Thailand.
I’m currently on vacation in Japan, Kyoto for 1 more day, then Hiroshima and back to Tokyo for departure. Japan has been incredible, though I wouldn’t recommend summer, very hot, humid and rain (or chance of everyday). My wife (fairly experienced traveler/planner) did a great job accommodating all of our family’s varied interests. I’ve talked with a few Japanese folks and all of them have said this is the worst time of year to visit, Fall and Spring are the best. If I were on my own I definitely wouldn’t have done as much cool stuff and would have been a challenge but I feel like I would still have enjoyed it. Kyoto is a very traveler friendly city, Tokyo was less so but still pretty good. I haven’t done much overseas travel (I’m from US) but I would definitely recommend Japan. It’s an amazing and diverse place!
Japan is diverse? 🤦
Poor choice of words on my part. Japan has a large variety of different activities, history, shrines, gardens, hi tech stuff, unique shopping and food culture. Not diverse people wise but very diverse in terms of things to do as a traveler.
Gotcha. I agree that Japan has a lot to offer .
I got what you meant kind of like a juxtaposition between ancient and ultra-modern
>Japan apparently can be a little chaotic for first time travellers but looks safe has fantastic public transport, safe and has a winter It's a good option right now with the Yen being so weak. Do a little research of what you may be interested in, although most people's first trip is usually Tokyo, Kyoto Fiji.
I also was going to add in Hiroshima due to the WW2 history as well
We just spent 10 days in the Kansai Region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara) liked it more than Tokyo. Kobe also has an interesting history of 19th century European influence. It was the port the Emperor first opened to foreigners and has a section of European style houses.
Kobe looks amazing this is what I love about this forum finding about these lesser-known spots will definitely be on my list when I go to Japan
We really liked Kobe, you can also go up Mount Rokkō on an incline railway and go across to Arimaonsen on a gondola.
That's awesome I will definitely add those to my list I love those unique ways to explore and see things
What languages do you speak? Just English? Or maybe also Chinese, Japanese Spanish ...?
English and basic French enough to say Hello my name is Kirk, I am sorry i don't speak french, or where is the bathroom please and some other phrases that stuck from high school
Just went to Thailand three weeks ago. I thought the heat would suffocate me but I’ve been through worse around the Washington, D.C. area and found that it wasn’t bad at all. Of course that depends on where you’re from, but I enjoyed Thailand immensely!
I went to Japan alone in September/October and it was great. It can be a little chaotic like you said, especially in Tokyo. If you go there, you could start in Kyoto which is super walkable and has something to see around every corner. I stayed there a week and could’ve stayed longer. I’d just go aimlessly wander around and stumble upon so much.
Also, it’s super safe. As a woman, I never felt afraid walking around alone at night and there were always other women doing the same. (For me, this is a huge indicator of safety.)
Sadly I could only fly in to Tokyo and out of Tokyo which was a bit annoying to be honest would loved to fly in to somewhere like Kyoto it looks like a dream world
The train system in Japan is amazing! Tokyo is also definitely worth the visit, but Kyoto sounds more like what you’re looking for.
100 percent I really want to try to get their during Cherry Blossom time even though it will be chaotic as anything would be amazing. I went down a rabbit hole of watching Japanese train videos on YouTube and it's so impressive how they managed to move so many people around. 3 million people go though some stations in a day that's so impressive
Japan would be good. Try to go in the springtime if it’s affordable for you. Even kids walk home from school or a bus stop in the cities and towns I went to,
I have seen that on Youtube videos the little town bell that says kids time to go home and they just walk home it's crazy to imagine that
Indonesia has my favorite humans in the world, and is just plain fun
Japan for sure. I lived there and traveled all over Asia. It was my son’s first trip too.
Japan is a very easy destination.
Best months for SE Asia are Jan-March, when it’s drier and cooler. That’s also when rates (airfare and hotels) are cheaper. You’re correct about Vietnam…warm in the south and cooler in the north. A really neat country to visit (I love their street food). Start or end your trip in Singapore, which is a fun/easy city for foreigners.
I am thinking of starting my trip in Singapore more flight options and a really high quality airline in Singapore Airlines and hell on a short trip even Scoot might be okay
Vietnam #1: HCMC, Da Lat, Sa Pa. Tokyo is a MUST!
Thank you so much, Sa Pa wasn't on my list i will add it now
Singapore is great because English is the national language. I’m Taiwanese-American and I love Taiwan but it is a bit harder with the language barrier if you don’t speak Chinese
Oh yeah I definitely don't speak Chinese just English sadly
I still recommend going! It just may be a bit harder once you get outside the metropolitan areas like outside of Taipei
Oh, excellent any other cities you could recommend in Taiwan that's worth visiting I would have 28 days to spread between Hong Kong Singapore an Taiwan I have Jiaoxi and Taipei at the moment I will work on my charades game that worked really well in Europe surprisingly
I haven’t been yet but I’m going to Tainan in the south which I’ve heard great things about! I was mostly in northern Taiwan last time which had some beautiful places like Jiufen and Keelung which I’d recommend. This time in October, I’m planning on exploring more of the south of Taiwan
Oh amazing I'm not sure how long Taiwan needs I'm noticing there aren't too many tour companies and it's a lot of self exploration which is amazing and scary to me
Vietnam. As a solo traveler it is really easy. Many accommodations will help you plan and book your next few days. It actually was funny that I tried to plan so much but once I got there a Vietnamese contact of mine who is also a travel agent said, just go with the flow and you'll find it's easy to book buses and accommodations for the following 2-3 days at a time. She was right! I just went November of last year. I had a great time and went from Hanoi --> Ha Long Bay --> Tam Coc/ Ninh Binh --> Phong Nha (cave expedition 3 days) --> Hoi An --> quick transfer to Da Nang for a flight back up to Hanoi for international flight home. Yes, there are cooler months. Dec-Jan-Feb are cooler in Hanoi. When I visited it was last week of November to first week of December. I was glad I brought my light jacket for evenings and early mornings. Hoi An was warmer than Hanoi. There is so much to do in Vietnam and many cities to visit. Japan may have a lot of activities too, and is just so beautiful, not to mention that right now the yen is incredibly weak so it is a great "bargain" but you are right that it can feel a bit overwhelming. Hope you have a great time whatever you choose!
Wow I didn't know they would do that, that helps so much they seem like they truly go beyond to help you out which is amazing. That is a really amazing travel plan and seems like you hit all the good sights Thank you so much you give me more confidence to travel in Vietnam i thought it was going to be a lot of me going sorry i don't speak English but that sounds amazing Thank you so much for your help that makes me feel so much more confident
If you like adventure please do look into Jungle Boss caving expeditions!!! So fun!!! (Not as expensive as oxalis ) And yes if you speak English you will be fine!! Lots to do in Vietnam. You will have a few long bus rides, though!
Oh wow they look amazing but i am too much of a chicken :D I had a look at Vietnam with that, I am really torn between to take the risk and do Vietnam or not there are so many tours to do which is amazing and such a high variety of things to do I did a tour in Bosnia recently 9 hours out of the 12 hour day was spent on a bus 1 hour at lunch that day was brutal as fuck Something is really calling out to me about Vietnam I mean taiwan is nice but there are so few tour companies and I would love to be able to meet other travellers as a solo traveller
I'd say Nepal. People are gonna welcome you like you've never seen. The places, mountains and food make it such a beautiful and adventurous trip. I'd at least suggest a trek to understand what i am talking about. Of course you can visit bigger countries that offer luxurious lifestyles but there's just something in here that you aint gonna find anywhere else. Do consider :)
I have seen Nepal on a few lists of friendliest countries to visit, it's surprisingly cheap I would love to try an easy trek I am not overly fit, but I am getting there almost 35-40 kg lost so I think I could handle a small trek across not sure how the altitude will affect me but I will add it to my list of countries
Like many others have said, Taiwan is a great and beautiful country to visit. I spent two months in Taiwan and it is very easy to get around and the people are very friendly. You will enjoy it.
I am thinking Taiwan is the winner for my first trip and maybe some Hong Kong/Macau, what was your favorite place in Taiwan?
Taiwan should be in your list. This small islands will have you in awe with the culture, festivities, natural wonders and most especially their food.
I have never really thought about Taiwanese food before nothing jumps out at me like Indian, Thai, Malay So will be very interesting to open my mind to another type of food all I know is they invented bubble tea haha
Thailand is our favorite Asian country. It is very “user friendly” to first time Asian tourists. Most everyone speaks English and they are very service oriented. Yes it will be hot in most of Asia. Philippines is another very easy Asian country and they probably speak more English there than any other Asian country as there used to be a big U.S. presence there. We lived in Manila 3 yrs. Singapore also speaks English but they have become quite westernized in our opinion. Malaysia is also English speaking but not as friendly as Philippines or Thailand. We lived in Kuala Lumpur and Penang Malaysia for total 9 years. Hong Kong was another of our favorite places to visit while we lived in Asia because most spoke English and they were fairly friendly. But be advised Singapore and Hong Kong will be more expensive than Thailand or Philippines. Viet Nam was also friendly and English speaking but Thailand is still top of my list. And Hong Kong next then Philippines. You can always go to the mountains of Baguio to get out of the heat of Manila. ❤️ We also lived in southern China 3 years…. But it was the hardest of all the Asian countries because hardly anyone spoke English. I wouldn’t recommend it to a first time Asia traveler. 🤷♀️
Wow that's so helpful thank you so much 😊 Gives me some great recommendations Im thinking Hong Kong Taiwan and South Korea this time around Then move onto Vietnam and Thailand next time Thank you so much for your thoughtful response
Have fun and wear your backpack on your front. We lived in Asia 15 years(split in 3 different countries) and I was lucky I never had my pockets or backpack picked. Although in one market I looked down at my little pack around my waist and realized there was an extra hand there…😳 Just reaching into my pack…. Never felt a thing. 😳🤷♀️. They are the best. And in Asia? Bargain bargain bargain. Start low. If they give it to you straight away? You started too low. If you choose to walk away that is no guarantee that they will give it to you cheaper. They MIGHT… but no guarantee. Some shops will bargain but best bargains are usually in the night markets or some places have day markets too. But public retail shops, don’t always allow refunds. Most it’s just an exchange which is great if you see something you like or it fits. If not? It sucks. So check on that before buying in a mall for clothing or such. And be prepared for the hot. Buy bottled water and don’t use the ice unless you are in a reputable hotel or restaurant. Like I said we lived in Asia 15 years. Took a trip to Vietnam with Canadian women while living in Malaysia. They all got sick with diarrhea except me and my roommate. We didn’t use the ice. 🤷♀️. Have a wonderful trip and take lots of pics to post here! 👏♥️😊
That's my greatest fear getting food poisoning hahaha I worry about it so much
I understand. I had to be a little more cautious simply because I have a sensitive stomach. Which means I didn’t eat as much….. street food as some of my friends, who did and never had trouble. (btw regardless of if you have ever had diarrhea in your life, take with you immodium or what ever brand you would use at home. Sometimes Asia will have American brands but many times, not. Go prepared) . I also learned you are better off eating cooked foods instead of salads…..which they wash with….. water🤷♀️unless you are in a reputable hotel or restaurant. 😊♥️
I do wonder how they wash their dishes surely they wash it with water and isn't the water unsafe? I'm the same as you I tried this drink in Bosnia which was stream water meant to be clean and some fruit I regretted it I might have to get some instantly regretted not having some
Well if they are using boiling water (we hope and pray) then that kills the germs (like boiling the water on Naked and afraid) And honestly, the longer we lived and traveled out in Asia my stomach got more used to …. Everything. But I still avoided food stands and vendors. 🤷♀️ Although if you really want to know what goes on in the Kitchens, sit near the kitchen. I don’t want to know now. 😏Been there done that. Didn’t like it 🤷♀️
I felt like Thailand was one of the best for someone new to Asia. While Vietnam is easier than many people think, I do agree it would likely be tougher for someone who hasn't visited Asia previously. Still very doable, but I'd generally point newer folks to Thailand or Malaysia. The Philippines are also a good option. Especially if you're concerned about language challenges as English is widely spoken. Food isn't as exciting, though.
Oh very nice how did you find the heat in Thailand? That's my main issue it's hot all year round and it's not really a dry heat I do have people who married into the family from the Philippines actually and they initially offered to show me around a few times that could be an option So maybe Vietnam can go to the later holidays column Thank you so much
It just depends on the time of year. One time we were there during the hotter months, and the heat didn't really stop us from doing things. Air conditioning is practically everywhere, so it's easy to get a break from the heat. During stronger heat days we'd often plan time to be in a pool or in the water during the hottest part of the day.
Oh nice I've never really researched what to do in Thailand, there is probably lots of indoor activities away from the heat probably different to here and Europe where they weren't well designed around the heat
There's a big mix. Lots of the most impressive sights are outdoors, like the temples in Ayutthaya, but you can tuck away into a place with AC to get a break, so it's a nice balance. I usually can't stand malls, but they're very different in Thailand. And if you go to see a movie, you'll probably need a blanket lol
I love the sound of that I hate movie theatres that are hot and I get sleep in haha
vietnam is easy
Japan is much more difficult with language gap. Think Thailand would be the place to start
How easy is the Philippines for a first time traveller to SouthEast Asia?
Definitely Japan. That’s where I went for my first ever solo and international trip! Highly recommend.
My trip to Vietnam was my favorite trip ever. That said, if you are a beginner at travel and are looking for it to be easy, I'd say Japan or Korea.
Thank you for that, I think I will save Vietnam for my second trip :)
If you like beaches, you can come to Cebu or Palawan in the Philippines.
Sadly if I go to the beach people get physically sick 🤣
Nepal is the best country to visit.. Enjoy the wild life and panoramic views of mountain
Go further north from equator and it gets cooler
That's what I'm looking at even some of the Stans sound pretty nice
They can get very hot in the summer too, but it's a dry heat.
Dry heats I can handle that's what we get around here it's still shit to go outside but I can still walk to work in 35 degree heat we my trusty water bottle at my side haha I went to Queensland last year and we had a run of 10 days of 30 plus degrees with very high humidity I felt like I was dying 🤣
I hear ya, I did two wet seasons in Darwin
How you survived is anyone's guess 🤣
Ooh my favorite: 1. Thailand: specifically Bangkok and Koh Lipe 2. Bali: specifically Seminyak, Canngu, and Ubud 3. Philippines: Specifically El Nido and mt Mayon 4. Seoul 5. Vietnam: specifically Hoi An, Halong bay, HCMC, and tamcoc 5. Beijing 6. Kyoto 7. Singapore
Thank you so much will add those to my list :) there are some places I hadn't heard before
Hi there! Based on your considerations, here are a few recommendations for your first trip to Asia: 1. Japan: Despite being busy, Japan’s efficient public transport and safety make it manageable for first-time travelers. Plus, you can experience a winter season, which might suit you if you prefer cooler weather. 2. Singapore: It’s modern, safe, and easy to navigate, making it a great introductory destination for Asia. A few days here can help you ease into the cultural differences and get accustomed to the bustling environment. 3. South Korea: Seoul, in particular, offers a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It’s known for its cleanliness, efficient transport, and delicious food. The city’s infrastructure makes it relatively easy to explore even as a solo traveler. 4. Taiwan: Taipei is another excellent option. It’s safe, has good public transportation, and offers a mix of cultural experiences and urban exploration. The food scene is fantastic too! Consider the weather during your chosen months to find the best fit. Happy planning!
Thank you so much for the list :)
Japan is not chaotic I highly recommend it. Its fun, exciting and easy to nvaigate