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Travelling


Deykari

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Anybody have any experience with independent travelling? I'm sick to hell of my minimum wage job and have always wanted to travel (and a reason to quit) - so why not do it prior to landing myself in a career I want to be in that'll restrict my ability to flit off for an extended period of time?

On the back of that train of thought, and after a lot of money-saving from paid gigs, I've booked a return flight to Bangkok and will be there for 2 months. I'm going on my own as nobody wants to go, and to be honest I quite like the idea of not compromising on my own plans. The plan is, considering I haven't done anything but book a flight, is to land in Bangkok, get myself a hostel for the night, and work my way around the East and get into all kinds of mischief.

Anyone have any experience with just going it alone and doing your own thing on a little travel adventure? Curious to hear any stories.

Dey

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Carry mace... dead serious. Something about tourist just screams hey come mug me! Also, never ever buy something the first place you see it...odds are it wasn't "one of a kind" and you might find it for half the Baht (do they still use the Baht in Thailand?) at the next little shop.

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In the last year I spent quite some time in Egypt as hotel entertainment - I've heard that 'one of a kind' speech a thousand times and it never ceases to amuse. I enjoy the banter that comes with it when you tell them their friend down the road is selling the same 'one of a kind item' for half the price.

I'm fairly travel savvy and know what it can be like to be the obvious tourist. 99% of the time I was wearing a money belt, then just carrying a wallet with about £20 in and a few nondescript cards just incase someone was going to hold me at knifepoint for my wallet. You just have to have a bit of common sense - and a good sprinkling of luck. ;) No weapon is substitute for common sense.

The real difference here is that I'm going to be on my own for quite a while, and I'm more curious about the whole experience of being away from it all without any familiar faces for an extended period of time. I've no problem at all sparking up conversation with anyone and everyone I can but I imagine that with the freedom will come times where I wish I was with someone I knew. Still an exciting prospect anyway. I met some fantastic people in Egypt by mingling with the locals and their culture, and had a lot of faith restored in people. :D

Dey

Dey

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Which means that you're either on Lakenheath or Mildenhall. And to think that I used to be stationed on Croughton once upon a time.

And I'm not much for the clubbing scene anymore. Guess I'm just getting old. Got that pretty well out of my system when I did my tour here about 10 years ago.

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For me, the best way to travel is to work. Get a job as a teacher wherever you want to go and your visa/living expenses will be taken care of.

I don't know if you want to be a young guy who took an extended solo trip to Thailand without work. Sounds like a special kind of tourist there.

Honestly though, I almost never would want to travel with people (maybe a resort trip). Kind of removes the point of traveling to me (to get out and see new people). You can make contacts with local people in advance from any range of websites, so you'll have plenty of friends before you even go.

If you don't want to do work, sign up to take some language/culture (anything from Thai language to Muay Thai boxing :P) classes while you are there. May as well get something out of the time and they can often be found for free. Offering language exchange with people is a good way to meet and major kudos to a westerner that shows desire to learn their way of life.

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If you don't want to do work' date=' sign up to take some language/culture (anything from Thai language to Muay Thai boxing :P) classes while you are there. May as well get something out of the time and they can often be found for free. Offering language exchange with people is a good way to meet and major kudos to a westerner that shows desire to learn their way of life.[/quote']

This is exactly what I'm talking about. I feel that if I'm on my own, I have the freedom to immerse myself in and do what I want. Whilst I'm flying to Thailand, I'm not staying there exclusively, it was just the cheapest place to fly to and research has shown that flights from there to other local areas are quite cheap, so I can use it as a 'base'. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are on my list. Funds permitting, I'm considering finishing the journey in China.

The language exchange idea is right up my street. I had a very small taster of 'cultural exchange' in Egypt. It's what prompted me to want to see a bit more of the world. It very much restored my faith in people, given that on home turf, I'm surrounded by mindless drunkards and drug addicts. :D

I'm going to look a little further into this sort of thing. Travelling whilst working would be fantastic, but would require more planning and this is more of a non-committal trip to see how I last alone. Always next time if things work out.

You say you (would) only ever travel alone. Out of curiosity, where have you travelled?

Dey

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