Amount of time in each country?

I am in the process of planning my Gap year and abviously one of the things I need to think about is the amount of weeks/months I spend where.

At the moment, I am thinking of
Thailand, Aus, NZ, Fiji, that sort of area.

I still need to talk to people I am going with and obviously this is no final plan, it could change completely. I will probably be travelling for around 6 months, depending on funds ect.
Anyway, I guess my question is, those of you who have gap year/travelling experience, how much time did you spend/would you recommend spending in each country.

Or know any sites that have this kind of info?
thanks.

Reply 1

jamessimth5

2

Spend ages in New Zealand.

Reply 2

gemini89

1

Obviously depends on what you want to do, and which countries you're most interested in......I spent 2 weeks in the US, 9 months in NZ, one week in Oz and then a week in Hong Kong. I was most interested in NZ, though had planned to spend about a month in Australia but by the time I got there I wasn't very interested in it. So my advice is - prioritise, and be flexible!

Within your 6 months, I'd probably spend about 5 weeks in NZ minimum if you're wanting to do all the 'usual' sights. 2 weeks on the North Island and then 3 on the South. That's a decent amount of time to get around if you're only there for a short time, see the highlights and not be too rushed.

Fiji....I'd say 2 weeks or less. Depends what you want to do of course, whether you just want to head out to the islands and find a beach to relax on, or explore the larger main islands visiting towns, rainforest etc.

Australia is obviously huge, so unless you make that your absolute priority and spend most of your time there, you won't see too much - probably the well trodden path of the East Coast (incl. Sydney) & Melbourne.

Reply 3

gcampb

You might want to consider spending a little longer in SE Asia, your budget will stretch alot further - Malaysia, Laos(especially Laos!), Cambodia and Vietnam are right there, it would be a shame to just hit Thailand.
If your set on one place go for it, but I wouldnt advise trying to cram everything in.

Reply 4

JoeJBB

13

Depends what you're doing - if it's just the normal backpacker stuff, I'd say one month in most countries, more if it's a massive country and you want to see lots of it, less if it's quite a small country, more if you want to really understand the place etc. etc.

The key with the one month rule though is not to try and do everything - eg. one month in Thailand would be enough time for Bangkok and some Islands and Beaches (if you're into that thing), but don't try and hop round the whole country, seeing everything.

Obviously, Australia is massive, so if you have a month there, I'd to one area, eg. southwest, southeast etc.

J

Reply 5

smash and grab

If you're going to the SE Asia, you pay enough for the flights so you might as well spend ages there since it's so cheap

Reply 6

Ewan

15

Spend atleast 2-3 months in SEA: Singapore + Malaysia 2 weeks, Thailand 3 weeks, Laos 1 week, Cambodia 1 week, Vietnam 2 weeks. Even that is one hell of a rush, could easilly spend double that time (I certainly did).

Reply 7

JoeJBB

13

Ewan

Spend atleast 2-3 months in SEA: Singapore + Malaysia 2 weeks, Thailand 3 weeks, Laos 1 week, Cambodia 1 week, Vietnam 2 weeks. Even that is one hell of a rush, could easilly spend double that time (I certainly did).

I'd say that is a ridiculous rush, you wouldn't see much at all - one week in laos and one in cambodia! flippin heck. I'd say in 2-3 months you should be looking at max 4 countries if you want to get a real idea of each one.

Although I suppose you could do southern Thailand (2 weeks), Cambodia (2 weeks), Laos (2 weeks), EITHER northern or southern Vietnam (2 weeks), plus a bit of Malaysia and Singapore (2 weeks). However, if you want to explore more of thailand, northern and southern vietnam, get away from just phnom penh and siem reap in Cambodia, and roam off the vang vieng-vientaine-luang prabang trail in Laos, you need more time.

J

Reply 8

Ewan

15

JoeJBB

I'd say that is a ridiculous rush, you wouldn't see much at all - one week in laos and one in cambodia! flippin heck. I'd say in 2-3 months you should be looking at max 4 countries if you want to get a real idea of each one.

Although I suppose you could do southern Thailand (2 weeks), Cambodia (2 weeks), Laos (2 weeks), EITHER northern or southern Vietnam (2 weeks), plus a bit of Malaysia and Singapore (2 weeks). However, if you want to explore more of thailand, northern and southern vietnam, get away from just phnom penh and siem reap in Cambodia, and roam off the vang vieng-vientaine-luang prabang trail in Laos, you need more time.

J

You could quite easilly do it in that amount of time, provided you only see the main sites. To be honest, for a first trip that isn't such a bad idea. Your never going to do a country justice on his schedule anyway. You make a choice: see the main sights or visit a country in depth. Hes made that choice otherwise he'd be asking "what things should I see, spending 6 months in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos". Hell I was in Thailand for 2 months and I barely scratched the surface.

Plus I find a country starts to get boring (or should I say "normal") after a few weeks there. The thrill of seeing many countries in a short period can be quite exhilarating.

Amount of time in each country?

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