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A Trip A Month

A place where I plan, document and review my trips

03/12/2015

12 Tips for Safe and Fun Solo Trips

Summer 2012 I first travelled solo on a trip to Istanbul. It was a nervy start. With virtually zero preparation, Istanbul was the place I struggled, learned and eventually loved the very bright side of travelling alone. 3 years, 5 trips and 4 continents later, I still can’t have enough of it.

People go on solo trips for different reasons. Self-indulgence; getaway from stress or trouble at home; peace of mind; unfiltered and unbiased localisation; or a simply holiday your friends have no balls to join you, yadda yadda yadda. All I know is that for each solo trip I always returned home a happier man – replenished and more purposeful.

Still, a solo trip has its own risks – from safety to loneliness (not universally) to having no friends to take your photos! So in this post, let me share you some tips that might be useful for those planning to travel solo, especially the rookies. Tips are in the caption of each photo.

15/09/2015

foreign friends and fellow thais......here is some of the best my beloved country has to offer. the list is not exhaustive.

A paradise you won't want to miss.

23/08/2015

It's been a while since my last post. The circumstance over the past week somehow compelled me to spend my Sunday travelling around my hometown. I hope confidence be restored in the near future. Tourism has been ingrained in Bangkok's very fabric - and world tourism without Bangkok and its renowned heritage would all be too peculiar!

26/06/2015

for those who plans to travel to quake-prone countries. this might help.

สำหรับคนที่เดินทางในประเทศที่เสี่ยงแผ่นดินไหวครับ

25/06/2015

last year i made a personal list of must-visit sites in southeast asia: angkor wat, bagan, sukhothai, and borobudur. glad to complete the quest today. :D

24/06/2015

JAKARTA: A Bangkok with no (well, not yet) BTS/MRT

For all its notorious traffic jam, it was more than matched by hospitality extended by Jakartan hosts.They went to great lengths to ensure I have a good time. Terima Kasih!

Photo: An unassuming street in Jakarta's Kota Tua (Old Town)

18/06/2015

Java-Bali, Indonesia 23 June - 2 July
Another country on wanted list soon to be ticked. Stay tune!

11/06/2015

Travel back in Time | Skyline of Old Town Lijiang

10/06/2015

TRAVELLING IN CHINA (INDEPENDENTLY)

Some Observations about Seasonality:

1) Avoid Chinese festive periods such as Chinese New Year, National Day, May Day, etc. Crowded, expensive, sold-out tickets.
2) Overall, spring (a bit rainy) and autumn are the best time climatically.
3) Summer can be very hot in places, even by Thai standard. Note the so-called "four furnaces" of China: Wuhan, Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanchang. Highest level of precipitation.
4) Winter will be bitterly cold in Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and in the northern provinces. It is under this wintry weather that you'll get to see events like Harbin Winter Ice Lantern Festival though.
5) I, however, personally figured out that Yunnan Province, for one, has moderate weather throughout the year.

Photo: Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-la | 香格里拉虎跳峡

09/06/2015

TRAVELLING IN CHINA (INDEPENDENTLY)

G E T T I N G A R O U N D

CHALLENGE: In terms of development and transportation, China varies greatly from region to region. Sizeable differences persist between coastal cities and the hinterland. Along the coast, you are more likely to encounter locals speaking some English along with the convenience of infrastructure such as metro (for that matter, Kunming and some other hinterland cities also have smaller metro systems) and high-speed railway (although this is expanding fast). To make the matter worse, Google Maps, which many of us rely on when getting around, does not work in Mainland China.

SOLUTION: Well, if you speak some Chinese and (in some cases) know how to haggle, it would be straightforward get around. To substitute Google Maps, you have the Chinese-only Baidu Ditu (白度地图). This app is so great they estimate not only time but also cost of taxi ride for you.

If you don't, with some homework there are ways to mitigate it. To book trains and flights online, ctrip.com (both), chinahighlights.com (train), elong.com (flight), and qunar.com (flight) have English interface and are ideal places for flight search. To buy ticket at the station, all main train stations should have English signposts and at least one dedicated ticket booth for foreigners.

Within the city it is more complicated. Without knowledge of the price and the language, chance is that you will get ripped off. Ask for the direction and market price of the transports (so to avoid ripoff) from your hotel. Do some homework on where you want to go before flying into China and pre-download the map of the vicinity in your Google Maps. Still, I recommend Baidu Ditu even if you don't know Chinese. Again, ask your hotel for the name of your destinations in Chinese scripts and pinyin (to input the destination without Chinese keyboard).

Photos: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang｜里江玉龙雪山

08/06/2015

TRAVELLING IN CHINA (INDEPENDENTLY)

I got a chance to travel to Yunnan Province from 29 May to 2 June – my first trip to the Chinese mountainous southwest and my third as a solo traveller (after Istanbul and Morocco). In the wake of a very enjoyable journey, I would like to share for tips and PoVs to those who think of travelling to Mainland China independently. So today let's start with the first one.

L A N G U A G E

CHALLENGE: One factor that makes travelling on your own in China a big challenge for many is language barrier. Throughout the trip, the only two people I managed to converse in English were the hotel owner and a person sharing minibus ride who happened to hail from Singapore. The Chinese tourism, especially in the hinterlands, is constituted largely by domestic demand. In Lijiang, one of the country's most popular destinations, I encountered perhaps 10 westerners throughout my trip. Locals thus need not pick up foreign language to cater to the tourists who bound mostly from their own country.

SOLUTION: That being said, it is not impossible to travel without any command in Chinese. Book English-speaking hotel, ask for the location, its name and address (in Chinese), and how to get there from the airport/train station beforehand.

Buy a Chinese SIM card (High Street stores of China Mobile and China Unicom usually have one staff who speaks some English). Bring your passport. Use your Chinese number to communicate with your hotel or trip companion when you need help.

As I realised when travelling to Moscow, learning a dozen of useful phrases in the local language (Hello, Thank you, Excuse me, Do you speak English?, Goodbye, How much?, Where is....?) will save you tonnes of hassles. Buying the likes of Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook will get you far.

Photo: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang | 丽江玉龙雪山