Best place for to travel on a budget outside of Taiwan?

Travel Taiwan Travel
1

I just arrived in Taiwan less than two weeks ago and will be here. Once I start getting paid, I of course will be exploring Taiwan, but I’d like to take some mini trips to outside countries because this is my first time in Asia!

I heard Thailand is cheap and fun… I’d love to ride an elephant there :slight_smile:

I’m betting that once I’m in the country, it’ll be relatively cheap, but how much do flights cost to go to other countries? From the limited research I’ve done, it looks pretty expensive (something like over 500 US$ for even the closest countries!)

I’m the type of traveler that likes to meet locals/new people in hostels, try out the night life and party at night, and wander around during the afternoon and take pictures of things I find interesting/beautiful in the city. I could honestly care less about museums and such, and I’m not a big nature/outdoorsy person, besides simpler things like hiking. I like big cities.

Any suggestions of countries/cities to visit?

2

Try airasia.com for deals from Taipei.

3

[quote=“rockinrobin714”]I just arrived in Taiwan less than two weeks ago and will be here. Once I start getting paid, I of course will be exploring Taiwan, but I’d like to take some mini trips to outside countries because this is my first time in Asia!

I heard Thailand is cheap and fun… I’d love to ride an elephant there :slight_smile:

I’m betting that once I’m in the country, it’ll be relatively cheap, but how much do flights cost to go to other countries? From the limited research I’ve done, it looks pretty expensive (something like over 500 US$ for even the closest countries!)

I’m the type of traveler that likes to meet locals/new people in hostels, try out the night life and party at night, and wander around during the afternoon and take pictures of things I find interesting/beautiful in the city. I could honestly care less about museums and such, and I’m not a big nature/outdoorsy person, besides simpler things like hiking. I like big cities.

Any suggestions of countries/cities to visit?[/quote]

Thailand (Bangkok) is cheap, friendly, vibrant, beautiful and easy to get around. A round-trip to BKK will set you back NT13,000-15,000 minimum. Check KLM for decent flights. I don’t recommend the elephant ride but a trip to Chiang Mai is a top 10 for any Asian traveler.

Hong Kong is a spectacle and since you’re a “city person”, it’s right up yer alley. Stay at Chungking or Mirador Mansions for cheap-ass accommodation (if that’s yer thing). Nightlife can be prohibitively expensive for the budget traveler. Right now you can get a R/T for NT8,000 on EVA Air, Cathay Pacific, etc.

Macau is a good time and as long as yer not a U.S. citizen, you can get a five-day SEZ entry visa at the Zhuhai (Gongbei) border crossing.

Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines: cheap and dirty, a feeling which does not wash off in the shower. Manila, however, is worth a look-see and R/T flights are NT10,000-12,000. You don’t care about temples and shit, so Cambodia: skip Angkor Wat. You’re just going to have to trust me on that.

Tokyo and Seoul will destroy your budget and not suitable for shoestrings travel (IMHO). In fact, this summer season I’ve met no less than a dozen vacationers from Seoul who all said they came to Taipei cuz “it’s pretty affordable” in comparison to other destinations. I dunno. May be other folks have cheapy tips for Tokyo? All in all, it’s the fucking place to see in Asia, but bring lots of cash.

Kuala Lumpur is affordable and as mentioned by rockinrobin, airasia.com is the go-to source for Indonesia and Maylasia flights. Some people rave about Singapore and it is an urban marvel. Just leave the chewing gum at home and make damn sure there’s no “foreign substances” in your bloodstream prior to arrival.

Overall, I would say that mainland China is still the best budget destination (in terms of what you indicated: urban photo-ops, interesting night life) even though it’s no longer the super-super-cheap place it used to be. A high percentage of major cities in the eastern half of China are worth a couple days wandering around. Use H.K. or Macau as a point-of-entry and head out. If you like meeting people in hostels, try Guangxi province (Yangshuo is backpacker mecca). The only downside to China is that it’s still China. Anything can and will happen, so you’ve got to be on-guard 24/7. Also, ask yourself, just how adventurous am I? Kunming might be fun…

As far as cheap flights are concerned, keep your eyes peeled for promotional fares and do your homework on high season/low season, e.g. don’t try to go to Thailand during Dec.-Mar., book flights for the day of Chinese New Year, not before.

Two indispensable links for you:

wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page
english.ctrip.com/

4

I would suggest Thailand, Bali, or India. Make sure you go to Mumbai. It has everything you are looking for.

5

Surely you mean maximum? You can get deals to Thailand for around NT$9000 (including tax).

Singapore is expensive now given the strong Singapore dollar. There are some backpacker hostels you can stay at for S$20/night. I recommend Fernloft. But you can eat cheap food at hawker centers, and visit places like the Botanic Gardens and Fort Canning Park with free admission. Nightlife in Singapore puts Taipei’s to shame (the clubs at Orchard Towers, f’rinstance), but whoppingly expensive… beer in a club will eat away at your bank account verrry quickly. Instead, buy some (relatively speaking) cheap beers at a 7-11 or a vendor at a hawker’s center.

May I recommend Penang? One of my favorite Asian destinations. A true microcosm of Asia. And quite cheap. But beer is very expensive in Malaysia because of the sin tax the Islamic-dominated government puts on it.

But all in all, in my humble opinion, Thailand offers the most bang for the baht.

All three places have plenty of great things to photograph. Penang probably has the greatest variety.

6

Hot tips, super-lucky.

Thailand and the Philippines are choice cheap destinations.

I’ll be over in Thailand in a few days, for about three weeks.

7

Surely you mean maximum? You can get deals to Thailand for around NT$9000 (including tax).

May I recommend Penang? [/quote]

I stand corrected. TPE-BKK R/T on KLM is NT9,940, all-in. Leave this week…

Expedia: forget it (NT25,000+)
EVA Air: NT14,000 (excl. tax)
China: NT13,700 (excl. tax)

Quote from a frequently-consulted travel agent: “I can get you on that flight for NT8,000.”

And thanks for the Penang idea, too. I’m always hot for a new destination. Got any mid-range to business class hotel recommendations?

8

I would check for the difference between getting a hotel and not getting a hotel and staying in a hostel. When I was doing visa runs to HK, it was often cheaper to get a package hotel/flight than pay for the hostel separately. You will also not have to worry about Chinese prostitutes keeping you up squawking and eating chicken feet.

9

Hell, Go to Bangkok and check out the elepant ride. We did and it was fun. We went through the Jungle for several kilometer and ended up at the river Qui. We rented a raft and rafted our way downstream to a small village that had one of the originginal “Train of Tears” stations. We took that back to Bangkok. Nice to sit in the open door with a cold beer that they sell on the train.
Got back to BK and hung at the pool. Damn nice and inexpensive trip.

10

Yes, Air Asia is the place to go for cheap tickets to Thailand…just bought a ticket a few minutes ago for Sept. 20th, it was 8,630NT, a couple thousand cheaper than what my travel agent was quoting me for, and about the same as a ticket to HK. In March I got a ticket to BKK for 6400NT, and I know a friend that got an amazing deal on Air Asia, it was around 2000NT. You just need to keep your eyes open for the deals, specials will jump up suddenly. Good luck!

11

i was as exchange student in HK for a semester recently and a few of the popular destinations for us (bar Taiwan) with cheap ‘living costs’ were the South East Asian countries. I went to Vietnam, Mainland China and Macau only (shouldve planned ahead and gone to more places but having a Taiwanese passport = visas for almost every country and i lived in Bangkok before so didnt go). As super_lucky (who basically hit the nail on the head already) mentioned, if you have a US passport it is more expensive to go to the Mainland… Plane tickets from Taiwan in general seem quite expensive to me, depends what you’re used to… could try some travel agencies? Ive seen a few eZtravels around train stations but dont know how english-friendly they are.

Thailand seems to be a must see place for people travelling to Asia, be it for the nature, history, or nightlife (sorry, i know i sound like a tourism commercial). Elephant riding is mostly available outside of Bangkok i.e. Kanchanaburi… good for a day trip where you can also see the floating market / tiger temple etc. that one is only about 30mins though, Chiang Mai will probably have better ones. Beaches are great too if thats your thing, Koh Samet and Hua Hin are close to Bangkok, as is Pataya, so cheaper to get to. Hostels in BKK are quite easy to find due to the many tourists/ backpackers there, Khao San and areas around Silom will have plenty, and many tourists for you to meet too. Apart from BKK, tubing in Laos, Siem Riep in Cambodia, Vietnam (was told the South was more fun after we got back from… yes, the North…fail), Boracay / Philippines in general and China could make for good budget trips.

12

http://whosetravel.com/Flights.htm

I’ve been using this agent for years, competitive rates and competent service. Thailand and Philippines are what you’re after and both under $300 US. Also, take some mini holidays around Taiwan. I’m going to Peng Hu this weekend for 3000NT, that’s around $100 US.