Hello everyone.
My name is Ben, I’m an 18 year-old soon-to-be student. I’m working in my Gap Year job for my Gap Year, but luckily have a bit of a gap between leaving my job (July) and starting University (mid-September). I’m going to be travelling in this time but have nothing definite booked yet. I had previously intended to go to Australia (my uncle lives in Sydney so I could stay with him for free) and then onto Bangkok but have now decided to visit Thailand only due to time and financial constraints (I would like some of my savings left over for Uni).
I’ll be flying into Bangkok but not staying there for too long (a few days only) before going on a semi-organised tour first heading North from Bangkok and then down South finishing up on Koh Phang Nan. I don’t know a great deal about this tour other than it is run (or, rather, sold by) STA Travel and offers a relatively high degree of indipendence. It’s 12 days long so will take up only about a quarter of my total travelling time.
Following this, I will then just laze about on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phang Nan, staying in bungalow/chalet/hut style accommodation on the beach. The trip will commence with the Full Moon party on 30th August which also happens to be my 19th Birthday. I shall then return to England around the 5th-10th September.
I’ve read one travel book (Rough Guide I think, ‘first time around the world’) and am onto my second (Rough Guide again, Thailand’s islands and Beaches which has some great info on the 2 islands where I will be spending the majority of my time).
I hope to have about £2500-£3000 after buying the flights, which needs to last me for approx. 50 days.
Currently I am travelling on my own but would like to meet other travellers along the way, will this be easy? I have no problem in being the person to start off the conversation, I’m just worried that there might not be too many other travellers around? I have considered going with someone else for all or part of the trip, using a “find a companion” forum like the one on here (my friends will have either already travelled or be travelling in different places by the time of my trip).
I’d be most grateful for anyone’s thoughts on the above, and any advice would be very welcome!
Thanks.