Ask HN: Where is a good place for a college student to vacation?

[ntumlin]

I've gotten more work this semester than I'd planned on and have a bit of money saved up, that I wouldn't mind spending part of on a vacation. I live in the southern US and have never been out of the country, so I think that would be a fun experience.

I've seen good things about Africa and Southeast Asia, but I doubt I can get any friends to put up the money to come with me, and I'm not sure I'd like to go there alone with no experience traveling.

I'm looking at going either over winter break (2nd week of December to 2nd week of January) or over spring break (2nd week of March).

[mattnumbe]

I spent time in Eastern Europe while in college. You'll meet plenty of people on your way and everything is cheap compared to the US. You can find $10 hostels, tons of people on couch surfing and drink $1 liter-of-beers, meet the locals or hit the larger cities for guaranteed English speaking travelers that are usually more than willing to share travel experiences. I went to Romania, Check Republic and Hungary. I was with 3 other people and we bought a used car for next to nothing and drove everywhere. I live in Japan now and go to SE Asia often. I wouldn't not recommend it, but it would be really intense for first time alone travel. I'd go spring break if you do Europe.

[_kyran]

> I live in Japan now and go to SE Asia often. I wouldn't not recommend it, but it would be really intense for first time alone travel.

On the contrary, there's something to be said for indulging in something that's vastly different.

For what it's worth, the first time I travelled alone overseas was to SEA. I booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur for $100 leaving the next day without having any plans, or even any accommodation booked for when I arrived. I would recommend people to at least have their first night booked for their arrival, but with the internet these days, travelling overseas with a different culture/language really isn't that difficult.

[xrange]

If we are serious about climate change, shouldn't we be thinking long and hard about flying anywhere for a vacation? Maybe take a ferry/cruise to the Bahamas or some other Caribbean island?

https://www.frs-caribbean.com/ferry-routes

Or drive to Mexico or another Central American country?

[shoo]

Taking one long international return flight per year accounts for about 15% of an estimated UK person's annual energy usage: [1][2] . So that's indeed a pretty big impact to the environment.

If we're serious about climate change we need to regulate the economy so that the price of externalities from CO2 emissions is priced into those activities that generate CO2 pollution.

[1] https://www.withouthotair.com/c18/page_103.shtml [2] https://www.withouthotair.com/c5/page_35.shtml

[lpasselin]

La Habana, Cuba!

It was the cheapest interesting flight from google flight suggestions. We decided to go and it was great.

We rented a casa on airbnb and bought tickets 2 weeks before.

I don't speak spanish and it was fine.

We simply enjoyed walking and exploring the 3 main parts of the city. If you go for more than a week, you could visit more of the island.

Cuba is safe, even alone at night.

[totalZero]

South America.

You don't need to get a visa prior to arrival for most countries.

Everything is inexpensive, including cell service. Young South Americans are very big on social media, so you can find reloadable SIM cards on the cheap. Plus, there is WiFi all over the place.

Buses from city to city are cheap and comfortable.

Ecuador is very cool, and you can take a short flight from Quito or Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands and see a natural treasure of unimaginable richness.

Uruguay is probably the chillest country of all time.

Santiago, Chile, is pretty damn cool too.

People think South America is dangerous, but places like Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay are a far cry from the violence of Venezuela or the horror stories you hear about street crime in Colombia. Still, the slight whiff of danger makes a South American adventure all the more exciting.

And believe it or not, a lot of folks love Yankees down there.

[75j]

> Uruguay is probably the chillest country of all time.

I really want to visit or live in this beautiful, progressive country. My wife and I live in Cambodia now, but we've talked about spending a year or two in South America. Uruguay is my first choice!

[Jtsummers]

I'll also recommend Argentina, though I've only been to Buenos Aires. Enough people speak English that you can get by pretty decently without a lot of Spanish knowledge, and it's a ferry ride to Uruguay (Montevideo, Colonia and others). Similarly, you can travel to Uruguay and make an easy trip to BA.

Regarding phones: I picked up a Nexus 5X specifically to start with Project Fi. I highly recommend this for traveling now. You can keep your US number, get free text messaging, inexpensive data (not the cheapest at $10/GB, but not terrible, and it's sorta pay-as-you-go, you get credit for unused data).

[tedmiston]

For a month long-period with your first time out of the country and by yourself, choosing an English-native country simplifies a lot of things.

Perhaps consider Australia or New Zealand (or both).

Melbourne is a cheery, relaxed, wonderful and relatively inexpensive city.

[fillskills]

Thailand, Vietnam, Southern India - Cheap places with good expat population

[bemmu]

You could even just fly in to Thailand without making any bigger plan from the outset. Stay at one of the more popular hostels with communal areas. For example your initial plan could be to just fly to Bangkok and stay somewhere on Khao San road.

When it's evening and you are enjoying drinks in a pool packed with other tourists, you'll hear all about their adventures and probably get invited to join some.

[justanton]

Go to Greece: it's cheap, people are incredibly friendly and warm; the food is delicious and there is a huge historical heritage

[_kyran]

> I've seen good things about Africa and Southeast Asia, but I doubt I can get any friends to put up the money to come with me, and I'm not sure I'd like to go there alone with no experience traveling.

Going alone and staying in hostels, you'll find it incredily easy to meet other people.

From December through to January, the weather in South East Asia is fantastic as it's in the cool season (still quite warm). I'd encourage you to grab a flight in and out from Bangkok, and figure out the rest upon arrival.

Australia would also be a great choice at that time of the year.

[ShinyCyril]

FWIW, Thailand is the perfect place to fly into and just make things up as you go. Everything is super-cheap, and there are minibuses and trains which can be booked a day before (and probably even on the day) which can get you anywhere you need to go for practically nothing.

If you haven't done much travelling before then it can be a bit of a culture shock, but is so forgiving if you make mistakes because everything is so cheap.

[aaron695]

Thailand is a very easy start and cheap and from there you can jump to other countries in the region.

Stay at backpackers to meet people.

Traveling alone and for your first time can be hard but also amazing as you meet people on the way.

[eb0la]

Berlin.

First time there I stayed in a hostel boat in the spree river 10 meters from the Wall.

Nightlife is crazy, and the thech scene is great. If you go there, drop at the betahaus cafe and ask the locals for directions.

[mattnumbe]

Agree, Berlin is fantastic! All the bars along the Spree are so cool. I was surprised how reasonable it was as well.

[arethuza]

You'd be welcome here in Edinburgh

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-best?...

https://edinburghshogmanay.com/

[twillin]

Doing mission work in a country such as Haiti is a great way to travel with others and make an impact for the better.

[orthur_b]

Russia especially Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Our currency is weak and it would be cheap for you to spend time here. There are a lot of beautiful places. I am living in Saint Petersburg and you can ping me for any questions.

[tropo]

Well, where will your parents be going? They are getting older. You won't have them forever.

If that doesn't spend all the money, good! You'll be needing it. Starting a new household is full of expenses. That includes minor things which add up, everything from a salt shaker to a mop.

[mattnumbe]

I say spend your money on experiences while you're young. There's always time for salt shakers and mops later in life.

[GomezSandra]

India! Its so cheap and hospitable