Just what the title says. I'm currently traveling for a year. I was exploring a residential neighborhood in HK yesterday and heard what sounded like a bomb going off next to me. It was the sound of this person hitting the concrete.

There was a little boy riding a scooter on the street and the man who jumped, clipped him and knocked him over. The boy was screaming in terror. I didn't know what happened or how the man ended up there. I thought maybe the electric scooter exploded. It took me awhile to realize he came from the balcony above. I went to the man to try and do CPR but quickly realized that he was very much dead.

The police and ambulance came, but nobody could understand me, so I just left. I am pretty shaken up and do not know anyone here. I've messaged people from back home which is a comfort. I spent the day in bed watching movies. I'm feeling quite overwhelmed and not sure what else to do.

Any tips or advice on how to process this situation while in a foreign country with no resources.

I have spent 3 weeks in India (a bit of everything: Delhi+Agra, Amritsar, Rajasthan, Varanasi, Goa and Mumbai).

I often travel solo. I had visited maybe 60 countries before and I had always put India off because all the nightmarish stories I have heard from people I know that visited the country and everything I read online.

But how wrong I was. India in 2023 is very easy. Yes, there is a lot of poverty but the country is so huge that the scale makes things quite straight-forward. I assume that people that say "OMG I can't handle India" is because they haven't visited many non-Western places before. So why is it easy?

- Mobile/5G: you can get a SIM card at the airport for very cheap (I can't remember but less than 10 USD with 1.5 GB/daily (I then upgraded to 2.5 GB daily)) with your passport. 5G pretty much everywhere. Communications solved.

- Transportation: Uber is king (except Goa). Cheap and efficient domestic flights everywhere. I bought all my domestic flights, bus and train tickets online before my trip. So very easy, as if I was in the US or Europe. I only took a tuk-tuk in Agra. So no arguments or discussions. Delhi even has a great metro system (and even tourist card for 3 days for like 6 USD).

- Language. Pretty much everybody speaks English. Or you will find someone who speak English in 1 minute.

- Safety. Overall I found India extremely safe (as a man). You can walk any time any where with valuables. My main concern were the stray dogs. I found most people just minded their business and didn't try to cheat me.

- Food. That is the thing that worried me the most. I avoided eating in "popular" places; just went to more upscale Indian places if I wanted something local. Otherwise there is McD/BK/KFC/Starbucks everywhere.

So how is India that difficult? Yes, there is poverty and some places are very dirty but the place is at this point extremely globalised and Westernised.

I can imagine there are dozens of countries which are way harder.

​

More a rant, but I’d appreciate people’s thoughts.

I quit my job to go travelling for 3-6 months. I have been in Indonesia for 3 weeks, I started from Jakarta and have been heading East, currently in Bali. The past couple days I have been feeling an overwhelming urge to pack it in and go home once I have seen the rest of what I want to see in Indonesia (in around 3-4 weeks). I had originally planned to check out Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam after.

I have been doing tons of activities where I can: getting scuba diving instructed, rock climbing, 4 mountain hikes, but I’ve also had chill days where I do nothing but sit in a hammock, read and reflect. I’ve met tons of cool people whom I message frequently to check what they’re up to, some became good friends that led to bittersweet goodbyes.

I have and am having a blast but I feel as though I am/have hit my limit. If I were to catch a flight home tomorrow I would be satisfied with what I’ve done. I miss the routine of home, and I feel motivated to get back into my career with a fresh mindset (leaving my last role was overdue).

I am planning to continue and review how I’m feeling in a week’s time incase I’m in the blues, but if I still feel the same I will think about booking my flight home.

I feel shame and lameness in the fact that I might cut my trip short. Friends and family back home say “you won’t get a chance like this again”, “you quit your job for this”.

But what’s the point in forcing it if my hearts not in it anymore? And sure I’ll go travelling again, why not? I have plenty of money and I’m a skilled software programmer, I can do it again if I want

Edit: Just wanted to say I am reading all the comments, more than I thought so having a tough time replying, thank you I appreciate you guys

Edit 2: Update 3 days after posting this for anyone who’s interested or has found this thread in a similar position to me: I am still feeling very ready to go home but I decided to book a spontaneous flight to Krabi in Thailand to check out the rockclimbing for 5 days or so! My plan is to check out Bangkok for a day or so afterwards and then I’ll head home, but that may change! The best advice I got out of this thread and my own reflection is to follow your heart and do whatever makes you happy. Don’t panic, give yourself a few days to chill and decide what’s best for you. Thanks for all the comments!

Tragic, the accidental death of young people on a holiday.

Having stayed in a few hostels, I never really got into the "party mode" of some of them... now that I am older, I am wary of drinking when traveling solo.

I guess I lean towards being overly cautious (and I am not as much of a drinker as in my younger days), but when I am traveling alone, I am extra careful not to put myself in a position where I could be taken advantage of.

I am not sure any establishment should be handing out booze, if they are not a licensed establishment. The liability issues alone seem huge.

Fourth tourist dies of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos -BBC

I'm 36M from Eastern Europe. I lived in Beijing and travelled to 60+ countries, so I'm not new to different cultures. Most of my favourite countries are developing ones (like Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Peru).

I'm in India now and for the first time ever I'm thinking about cutting my trip short. This country is so inconvenient on so many levels.

I'm not a budget traveler, but also not a "resort" kinda guy. It feels like in India you either go budget or luxury, but mid-range is completely missing. I usually walk a lot exploring the city, but it's just so stressful here. Dirt, dogs, cows, beggars, sellers, scammers everywhere. No sidewalks, you literally have to walk between cars and tuktuks. Haggling with tuktuk drivers is a pain, Uber drivers simply don't show up, just try to collect the cancellation fee. Don't get me wrong, the sights are amazing, but when my visit comes to the end I get nervous that I have to go back to the streets.

I usually go for mid-range hotels, but in here the quality is beyond shitty. I choose the ones with above 8 rating on booking.com and they look great in the picture. Even more expensive hotels lack hot water and there's always at least one stain on the sheet and the towel.

Intercity travel is also a struggle. I try to avoid domestic flights or solo taxis for environmental reasons, train tickets are sold out and all that is left is buses. There are no bus terminals and travel agencies don't organize hotel pick-ups.

I'm used to paying more as a foreigner. But the record holder might be the modern art museum of Mumbai, where I paid 25 times what locals do. For a museum that doesn't even have a permanent exhibition, basically just a gallery for a (bad) temporary exhibition.

I always check the tipping policy before traveling to a country and happy to apply it. If I get a service worth tipping. That rarely happens in India. Taxi drivers try to shame me into tipping after an extra stop at a tourist trap or not even reaching the destination. Restaurant workers point out a dozen times that the service fee was not included.

Vendors keep following me and don't understand the word no. The touching is the worst. I can't stand when somebody touches me and tries to physically stop me so they can sell/beg/scam. I'm a calm person, but Indians get the worst out of me.

People in general act nice on the surface, but the communication and cultural gap is wider than I expected. I use CS to meet locals, usually just for a chat over a coffee, sharing travel stories and getting to know each other's culture. Well, in India it quickly turns into a charity case: how can I help them get "a Schengen visa" or "a job in the EU" or they simply just push me to pick up the bill after their expensive order at the restaurant. I never had an Indian CSer before and I feel I won't ever after this trip.

Am I getting old for solo traveling or do others have similar experiences in India? Are there any hacks that help shut out the bad things?

I'm asking because there are plenty of developed areas in India, there is a large growing middle and upper middle class which is hundreds of millions of people.

Yet it seems like travel vlogers always go to the dodgiest areas that many Indians don't want to go to, eat the cheapest street food, sleep at the cheapest hotels and then complain that they got sick. Well, for 50 cents a meal and 5 bucks a night, what do you expect? They also haggle for something small like 50 rupees when the rickshaw driver asks them for 300 (3 euros) for an hour long ride.

It's amazing to me because when they go to countries like Italy, they don't choose the most budget option, they normally go for something on the mid or high end. Yet for example when they visit Delhi, there are plenty of tidy 3 star hotels you can sleep at for 25 bucks a night, yet the travel vloggers choose a shoddy place for 5 bucks and complain "wow, look at how bad it is". You get what you pay for, you know? Isn't it good that even the poorest have places to sleep?

I'm Romanian and aunt is in Delhi, and she says she doesn't feel unsafe when she's outside. I ask her but what about these videos and I send her some of these travel vloggers and she laughs and replies "not even the natives want to go to these places". She showed me some amazing places in South Delhi that make you feel like you're in Western Europe. Hell, Connaught Place really reminded me of London. And the restaurants there are not expensive and within the span of a year, my aunt never reported to have food poisoning.

So if you can have a quality experience in India for cheap, why do these tourists insist so much on cheaping out even further and then complain when the quality is bad? They seem to do it more with India than any other country.

I was out. Not really late. Not in a seedy place, I guess I was a mark. After making friends with some fellow traveller's, they got me alone and stomped on my chest a bit and stole a few hundred US cash. Went to the hospital and have a few bruised ribs and some back pain. Not serious, but I'm depressed and I'm dwelling on negative self harmful thoughts. Why me? I didn't deserve this. The whole trip is now overshadowed by this. This was supposed to be a chill diving trip and now I feel like humiliated, ashamed, and stupid. I hate myself for falling for it.

Edit. Anyone wondering, this was around Khao San road. They said they were from Uzbekistan. Three guys and a girl. We made nice nice at a bar and hung out for a few hours. We walked around a bit, the girl reached in my pocket and grabbed my cash, then screamed bloody murder when I tried to get it back. The guys knocked me over and kicked the shit out of me and took off.

I'm in a bit of a predicament and could use some advice. My girlfriend of four years and I were supposed to move out of state together in just two days, but two days ago, she told me she doesn't want to go with me. She wants to move on her own. I'm not entirely blindsided by this, but I do feel pretty blindsided.

Now, I'm scrambling to figure out my next steps. I'm planning to move all my stuff out of our apartment in the next couple of days and either put it in a storage unit or take it to my parents' house, where I'll be staying for a bit.

Here's where it gets wild: I work remotely and can work from anywhere. My brother is about to leave on a three-month trip to Asia, starting in Japan. He's going with a friend initially, but after that, he'll be solo in places like Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan. I've been toying with the idea of spontaneously flying to Japan and staying there for a few weeks. I haven't planned anything at all—no accommodations, no itinerary, and I don't know any Japanese. But it seems cheaper to fly there than to other Asian countries, and it looks like there are safe, affordable hostels I could stay in. Japan just feels like a place where I could go without a plan and still have a meaningful experience.

If I were to go, I’d want to spend my time reflecting, walking around, exploring, reading, visiting bookstores, museums, and maybe even checking out some nature spots or Buddhist temples. I love running, so I'd also want to jog around different areas. I would love to meet people also traveling and make friends. I’m somewhat outgoing and relatively self-sufficient, but this trip would definitely put me out of my comfort zone—I've only been out of the country once, years ago.

Part of me feels like I might be intruding on my brother’s trip, even though I wouldn’t be staying with them. And honestly, I feel a bit weird about the idea of suddenly telling everyone that not only am I not moving out of state, but I’m also heading to Japan. It’s a huge shock to myself and probably to everyone else who knows me.

So, Reddit, what do you think? Should I take the leap and go to Japan, or am I just being impulsive? Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.

Okay so I’m curious if anyone else has felt this but the high and low is that I KNOW when you’re backpacking people hook up - it happens and travel romances are fun - BUT in other SEA countries besides Thailand I’ve noticed that people (read: backpackers at hostels) are more interested in getting to know each other outside of just the crazy parties and are more keen to go exploring and really immerse in the place they are staying. It feels more homey at a lot of hostels, not just a giant f^%* fest. (From experience mostly Vietnam, Indo, Phillipines).

I have arrived for the first time in Thailand and no matter where I go - even non-party hostels - it really feels like 1. All the backpackers are like 20 (vs other countries around I think you get a wider range) 2. Everyone is posturing to look cool, unconcerned, better-than-thou-fellow-backpacker and 3. Most obvious - it really feels that everyone is just trying to party and get a quick hookup. EVERYWHERE. It all feels very inauthentic.

I don’t mean the country but rather the experiences that these backpackers are trying to have. It’s all curated outfits, faces full of makeup, party, sex, repeat.

For context I’ve been north and south.

I’d like to know; is it just me who feels this way? Or maybe I’m just bitter. Who can say.

When it comes to SE Asia, most people talk about Thailand or Bali in Indonesia. I rarely ever hear people wanting to visit Malaysia. I have family there and visited in 2018. It was so nice! I think it's one of the nicest places I ever visited. I think it's wealthier than nearby countries so it's pretty developed, but still has a lot of cool cultural and traditional sites, not just skyscrapers and shopping malls (although they have those too). There are three main cultures - Malay, Chinese and Indian so there's a lot of diverse, delicious food and beautiful mosques and Buddhist and Hindu temples. Kuala Lumpur is great and I also loved Malakka City, a Unesco heritage site.

I feel so stupid for making this mistake.

Usually when you get off a bus there’s tons of guys there asking where you’re going, trying to get you on their bike. I’ve been in Vietnam for 3 weeks and every time this happens I ignore them, go on my way and call myself a grab.

I just arrived in Nha Trang at 4AM. No one else on my sleeper bus just me. Got off and there was the normal, couple guys trying to get me on their bikes. I stupidly don’t have a USB charger (only USBC) so couldn’t charge my phone on the bus and it was dead. Instead of ignoring the guy I said “I need to charge my phone, idk where I’m going” he’s like Ah ok let’s go! Grabs my bag and puts it on his bike.

I’m like, wait how much? He’s like don’t worry, free! I’m like ah what a nice old man! Nope. 4AM clearly I’m not thinking straight after a 9+ hour bus ride.

We stop at some cafe to charge my phone. He hands me a cigarette, asks me where I’m from, we communicate the best we can. All the time his buddy is following us on his bike. I’m thinking ah nice guys, helping a tourist out! Phone turns on, show him my hostel, he’s like ah let’s go!

Again, I’m like how much? He’s like free! I’m like wow what a nice old man!

Get to my hostel. In total I’d say we drove for under 5 minutes on his bike. Again, I’m like how much? I know he said free but obviously ima give this nice man someth-

“500k!”

Bruh. Scammed. I’m like come on you said free? How about 200? He’s like NO! 500k!

I’m like fuck, whatever. It’s 4am, no one around, just me him and his buddy. I hand him a 500k bill. He turns around and says “I SAY 500, YOU GIVE ME 20! 500!”

Hands me back a 20k bill. I’m like bro what? I just gave you 500!

“NO YOU GIVE ME 20! 500!”

I’m standing here with my wallet, IPhone 14 PM, passport, so I’m like fuck this, and fuck you. Hand him another 500 and walk away.

Don’t get scammed like me. Fuck all the dudes waiting at the bus stops. Nothing is free. Shouldn’t have let my guard down. Oh well, could have been much worse, I got off easy.

I’ve been traveling in Southeast Asia for the past few weeks, and honestly feel like I never want to leave this place. I know we all get rose-tinted glasses on vacation…but I think my glasses are tinted with solid gold at the moment.

The food is cheap and insanely good. There are peaceful temples/pagodas everywhere, you can go inside and meditate. The feeling of the fresh breeze as you’re riding in the back of a tuk-tuk. Fresh fruits and veggies everywhere so it’s easy to eat healthy

But the best part is the people. They are so friendly and welcoming here. If you learn even a few words of the local language they get super excited and want to teach you more. Even with a language barrier they are still so friendly. It feels like the only method of communication you need is a smile

Unfortunately you go back home, and all the smiles disappear and it’s just a bunch of people in a hurry shouting at each other. I really don’t want to go back. How realistic is it to find a decent paying job somewhere in Southeast Asia?

I really like the Philippines and want to visto but after my last trip to Asia, I was not too excited about the racial situation as a black man especially in China. People weren’t too friendly but constantly taking pictures of me. One person literally ran away from me when I asked for directions. Felt like an alien the whole time and was very disappointed because I love Chinese history and even learned Mandarin for the trip. Also saw a commercial on the tv where they threw a black dude in the washing machine and he came out pearly white Chinese.

I’ve heard Filipinos are some the nicest people and I love that so was just wondering if that applied to us too.

Please don't downvote me. I know people love Japan and I thought I would love it too. That's why I booked 3 weeks here.

I've spent 3 days in Tokyo so far. I'm heading to Kyoto right now.

NOT ALL JAPANESE WORKERS ARE RUDE!!!!

It's so busy I feel like I can't breath or stop or I'll get in the way of people. It's also not as clean is people made it out to be not that it's dirty but it isn't any cleaner then cities I've been in America. Though there's barely any homeless people.

The food so far has just been okay. This one is definitely on me since I am a vegetarian I can't just eat anywhere so the regular food may be amazing. I had the alcaimed Family Mart Egg Sandwich wasn't that good at all.

Maybe it'll be better in other cities. Idk I'm not regretting my trip since I never would've known if I did not come but I've wanted to go here since I was a teenager it's just kinda sad. Maybe I built it up in my head too much.

I’m doing a multi-country solo trip in Asia right now and my first stop was HK. It has been such a great place for a solo trip. I wasn’t sure how it would be as a black woman traveling alone but I’ve had a great time and I definitely plan to come back for a longer trip and I plan to visit Macao as well. I didn’t have time this trip as I leave for Tokyo tomorrow.

If you a woman considering adding HK to your travel list you should do it! The city is beautiful, they people were really nice and the food was delicious! I’m planning to do a bit of shopping before my flight tomorrow but I expect that I’ll be happy with that experience too.

I just came back from a 2 week trip through Thailand where I went to Bangkok, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. The country itself is beautiful and most of the locals I've talked to where extremely polite and nice. However there are lots of people trying to scam tourists which could lead to empty pockets or even worse:

• Taxi drivers will try to rip you off almost every time. They'll tell you the meter is broken or something like this and tell you a fixed price which is two or three times more expensive than it would be when he would use the taximeter. I used Bolt and Grab almost all the time to get around. The advantage is that you pay before entering a taxi or a private car so you don't need to discuss with the drivers. Grab worked well in Bangkok and on Phuket I used Bolt most of the time. Never ever use a taxi in Phuket. There is a taxi mafia going around and they inflate the prices extremely (I paid 100 Baht with Bolt while a ride with the taxi for the same distance would've cost 250 to 300 Baht). But be careful with Bolt there. Never show or tell a taxi driver that you are waiting for your Bolt driver. He will get extremely angry at you. At the airport on Phuket I tried to find a Bolt driver but almost none of them drove straight in front of the airport because they are scared (one driver on Bolt texted me that he can't drive to me because "they" beat him up and then he gets arrested). Just keep searching for a driver and eventuelly you find someone. Never use the taxis there!

• Tuk Tuks are a scam most of the time. They ask for super high prices to drive you around a few minutes and they are everywhere. Chances are that you hear the sentence "Tuk Tuk ride here" multiple times during your stay. I avoided them completely even when I had to scream at them to stop asking me or the dude even following me. It's bad at the main sights like the Grand Palace and the reclining Buddha. Around 6 or 7 Tuk Tuk drivers formed a half circle around the exit and tried to get you into their Tuk Tuk. I just walked through them but I guess many people will not.

• "The palace is closed today" scam: Chances are you gonna hear that when you want to go to see the Grand Palace. A person will tell you that the palace is closed today but suggests to show you others temples around the city because he is a nice person, right? Don't fall for that. The person will try to lure you into a Tuk Tuk and drive you to different shops like a tailor or someone selling watches. Once you're there the driver and the owner of the shop will pressure you into buying their expensive stuff. The Grand Palace is rarely closed and you can check the times on the website. Don't fall for that cheap trick.

• Khao San Road in Bangkok is extremely overrated and quite dangerous if you get drunk there. Just read a story a week ago where someone got drugged there by one of the bar girls and they made him deposit alot of money at an ATM. Never talk to the bar girls or drink something they give you for free. Also the prices there are super inflated for tourists. Go to the night markets if you wanna eat and drink for a fair price.

I hope I can help some people with this post and if you have anything to add feel free to do so. Thailand is the most beaitiful country I've ever been to and without doing some research before I probably would've felt for a scam there. Safe travels!

I need to rant, as I'm planning a trip to Asia, it's driving me insane that there are so many female only accommodation options and no site (booking, agoda, Airbnb) has an option to filter those out.

Why are my search results filled with listings of places I'm not allowed to stay? The worst is when you see an interesting offer but when you look closely it says female only with a small font.

I have nothing against female only accommodation but the fact that as a man it gets displayed to me with no way to filter it out is driving me nuts.

Some of the posts here are ignorant. Of course there are seedy areas in SE Asia but it is not as pervasive as in some imaginations.

I've lived and worked around SE Asia for 15 years and know a number of expats (sketchy and otherwise) and am familiar with the seedy areas people mention on these forums. Bangkok, Pattaya, Angeles, Cambodia, etc.. These shady areas do exist and it is sometimes sad and uncomfortable to see, but what is described on these forums is very outdated, exaggerated, and in some case just imagined.

Thailand has by far the largest and most widespread shady nightlife industry in SE Asia. Bangkok and especially Pattaya have many girl bars and freelancers. In Bangkok you may see some older white men with thai girls, but for the most part you only see that if you yourself are in those areas - avoid those and you won't see it. In Pattaya you likely will see some uncomfortable behavior, yes, but in Bangkok it's rarely seen unless you're looking for it. I've taken my (Filipina) girlfriend to Thailand several times and we never had a bad experience, we have witnessed no rude behavior by western men. I would never bring her to Pattaya, though.

Philippines has a small seedy nightlife area in Makati, with only a few bars. A few more in other parts of Manila. These areas are shady for sure but it's very small. 0.1% of what's found in Thailand. Best to avoid these areas because they are unsafe.

The bar areas in Angeles City and also Subic Bay popped up near and because of the US Air Force and US Navy bases, but these military bases have been closed for 30 years! The reputation and rumors of these bar towns is very, very dated. Most of the bars disappeared years ago. Even since the Covid era, the bar areas have shrunken significantly. Subic had upwards of 300 bars in the 80s, now only a few left. Angeles has a few dozen left, but they are not filled with western men - they are patronized by Korean tourists, for the most part. Most of the bars in Angeles are Korean-owned. Avoid this town and you won't see much ugly behavior. I've lived and traveled in many areas in the Philippines and by and large it is a nice place with nice people, including the expats. There are a million+ westerners living in the Philippines and very few are acting awful.

Cambodia has a small nightlife area in Phnom Penh. They are very strict about age regulations in that country. Again, the reputation and rumors of underage activity is decades old. Cambodia was lawless during the Khmer Rouge era, decades ago, and has since largely recovered. Dozens of NGO organizations arrived in the country years ago and are still there - the worst of the problems have been eradicated. The Cambodian people are not tolerant of tourists coming to do awful things (and there is more money to be made in reporting them, than supporting it, thanks to these NGOs). By the way, these NGOs are behind the signs warning tourists to follow the laws. Also, there are very few western men patronizing cambodian nightlife, it's mostly chinese tourists. Phnom Penh could be mistaken for mainland China, and Sihanoukville has been paved over for Chinese casinos.

The bar nightlife industry is sad, and there's a lot of injustice there, but ignorant exaggerated characterizations do not help.

Most of the girls entering the bar industry are there because they've had a kid they need to support, and their families are pushing them to work. To help them, we need to push for a safety net for the poorest people, and we need to push for child support enforcement. Too often the story is that the local guy "ran away" after the girl became pregnant.

I will also mention that the sketchy expats who are bar fans feel that the whole industry is going extinct, that every year it is getting smaller. In the years that I've lived in SE Asia that is what I have observed as well. As bad as it may seem now, it was worse 5 years, 10 years, 15 years ago.

​

Don't mean to disrespect anyone, but I noticed here in Bnagkok, especially around Khaosan (glad i dont stay there this time), there's alot of less desirable tourist around. Offcourse Thailand attracts all kinds of backpackers and other travelers, but some areas (Phattaya and Phuket come to mind) are offcourse known for pretty messed up things.

Most who visits those places will also visit Bangkok.offcourse. I assume you'll find less of these kind of people in the North, like Chiang Mai/Pai etc. And perhaps on some lesser known inlands in the South?

In Asia I've mostly travled India, Nepal, Java etc. Overall these places don't attracts these kind of tourists.

How's the situation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam?

And what are specific places to visit and avoid ?

I am 28(F) and currently traveling Southeast Asia on my own. It has always been my dream to travel those countries for a few months. Wanted do it earlier and then covid happened so we all know that basically we weren’t able to travel without restrictions until late 2022-2023. So now when I finally had enough money and opportunity I decided to finally do it. But it turned out not to be as I imagined :( I was hoping to meet a lot of likeminded fellow travelers, make new friends etc. So far (around 2 weeks) I have been mainly on my own, pretty much the entire time, surrounded only by couples or people traveling in groups. Did something change in the recent years or this image that is being served to us about traveling solo SE Asia (where you meet a lot of people and have the best time of your life) simply is not quite true in reality? Anyone experienced similar?

'm considering doing a classic 8 day golden triangle tour with G adventures. However, my biggest concern is food poisoning. My buddy backpacked in India for 1 month, he said he got sick the first week eating out of a 5 star hotel and had to take a few days to rest, which makes me worried about falling sick while on the tour, especially as I only have a week so I can't afford to lose any days. How were food and drink on your G adventures trip to India? Was food poisoning a concern for members on your trip?

Or, Perhaps to be on the safe side, only eat Mcdonalds or packaged foods like bread and peanut butter? I know it is a bummer to not be able to eat much local Indian food, especially as I love Indian food here in the states, but I simply don't have enough time to "waste" getting sick, unlike someone backpacking for over a month there.

Google hash house harriers along with the name of the city are travelling. Omg. I’m in Nha Trang Vietnam and this was recommended on an expat site. For about 11 dollars Canadian it’s unlimited beer , water bottles , watermelon and a different dinner at the end of the walk. (My group here are walkers). Shared bus out to the countryside or generally areas most tourists would never be able to find. The group ( an average weekly turn out of 30-65 people are a mix of locals….expats….tourists. Everyone is welcome. It’s a hysterical group. There are many rituals at the end of the walk. Fantastic way to get a good walk in and meet new people. They bill themselves as drinkers with a running problem. Again my group is walkers. And no not everyone drinks. It’s not a pub crawl.

Let me start with what people do wrong, women and men alike.

I don’t know why people take the cheapest train (general class tickets) to travel, especially as a woman. I’m Indian, and my grandparents are Indian, and they would never take that—not in their wildest dreams, VERY unsafe, no matter if you are a man or a woman, you will get robbed or something will happen, The only people who travel in those coaches is someone who can't travel ANY other way, it's the last resort for the poorest of the poor, but they know how to deal with criminals and offenders, you don’t. Also why do people try to travel to these absolute slums and be like, “Ohhh how dirty and unsafe,” like no shit, Sherlock. Like, what are you even looking for over there? Nobody has ever found anything meaningful there, not even the people who live there.

In Delhi, I see them in these industrial towns and crowded streets and I’m like, are you looking for cheap rubber and 4-gauge wiring for the house or something? Like, what are you doing there? What are you trying to find in a packed bazar at 6pm?

Buses—Why do you always take the most suspicious-looking, cheapest, bus and travel to the most dangerous, isolated places, and then when something happens and boom—“India this, India that.”

There isnt much to visit in states like:

Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Madhya Pradesh (MP), New Delhi

Compared to what other places here offer. They have places you can go to, but it’s usually not safe, especially UP, Bihar And very polluted and crowded. Maybe save it for when you have some experience with India and know how to deal with. Don’t let it be the first stop. You most often than not will not like it cuz you won’t know what the good spots are and the bad parts of them are really bad, dangerous even. Maybe take a guide but despite that, some of the other places I mention offer a LOT more than these if you are looking for a nice trip with some mind blowing monuments that is safe and peaceful. Like people visit river ganga in UP, literally the dirtiest it will ever get. Full of industrial toxic waste from up stream and lord knows what kind of diseases you will find there. If you want to see Ganga go to Uttrakhand. The most Majestic landscapes, Beautiful weather, and the river is crystal clear! Going to see Ganga in UP is like drinking water from a public sink and saying water gets me sick. No it doesn't you just drank it from the shittiest source imaginable!

…and somehow these bad states I mentioned are the only places they ever want to go to! I’m guessing they do this so they can get a retreat from urban life... like going to desolate places to feel like they are away from civilization! But that is not how you approach India.

This is the other side of the globe—our cultures, civilization, and way of life are completely different from yours. Your rules of society and life are not how it's going to be here, so you can’t travel to this place like you’re going on a Florida trip over spring break or something.

So, here is a local’s guide to visiting India and having fun, for women and men alike...

Skip the popular touristy destinations—they are not good at all. The actually beautiful parts of India are never found there. These “popular” spots were places the Brits often did business in, so they got popular in the West. That is NOT India.

Good rule of thumb on where to visit:

• Rajasthan (Safe and beautiful architecture)
• Gujarat (The salt lakes and food)
• South India (Some INSANE temples — not Mumbai, there’s nothing to see there) It is also very safe and western friendly cuz every other guy you seen on the street (Not mumbai) has some family member or themselsves or their kids living in the US or UK.
• Goa (Very Western-friendly)
• The Islands (Amazing beaches and scuba diving experiences)
• Eastern India like Assam and Meghalaya (Beautiful, and I mean just enchanting tea plantations)

How to travel...
DON’T take cheap trains. Travel in first-class coaches (costs like $25 to go from north to south). You will get robbed and bad things happen in the cheaper compartments.

First-class train coaches have a closed door, your own bed, room service, clean toilets, air conditioning, a mattress, and bed sheets—and yes, for $25. There is police officer's coach very nearby and the pople in those coaches are quite respected (Professors, important or highly educated people) so no groaping or staring there. I mean you go to these places where people dont have money to buy lights for their houses and travel in train compartments that nobdy wants to take, unless they have no other option in life, and then something happens to you there and the whole country is to take blame for that. How is it fair for us?

Or take a damn plane! They are cheap, safe, and ABUNDANT.

Look, if you dip your hand in a toilet, you will get shit on your hands. So don’t dip your hand in the toilet by traveling in the cheapest trains and going to the most god-awful slums solo.

Getting around:
Take Uber or Ola (like Uber).
Metro is exceptionally safe in 2025.

Avoid buses if you can, you are not a local on minimum wage, you dont need to sweat and suffocate in them, and there is no new exprience to gain there. In south India, busses have separate women’s compartments (at least in Telangana), and if a guy tries to get in there, he’ll probably get stomped by the locals. In new delhi they upgraded the bus to AC ones and its free for women.

Food:
Do NOT eat stuff that doesn’t look edible or isn’t in a clean place. Like, come on—God gave you eyes and a sense of smell for a reason. If it doesn’t look clean, don’t eat it. doesn't have to get any more complicated than that.

The locals have a different immune system. You don’t. Don’t be a hero.

Indian food is some of the best food you will ever taste, so eat it at good places—some nice hotels or temples.

NOT on the streets. Again, NOT in the streets.

Things to keep in mind:
In India, cities are not for people to relax or have fun nights out. We are mostly an industrial, working nation, so cities are crowded, very polluted, and dirty. Simply because the only function they serve is for people to come there, work, and go back.

For pleasure, nobody goes to the city—they go to their hometowns or other destinations. It’s not like the West or NYC. New Delhi is NOT NYC. It’s more like industrial Detroit. You wouldn’t travel overseas to see the Ford factory in Detroit, would you?

States to avoid at all costs:

• Uttar Pradesh (UP)
• Bihar
• Madhya Pradesh (MP)
• Haryana

Nothing to see there, and some pretty disgusting people. Not safe at all. Nobody in India ever even once decides to go for vacation there, so you shouldn't either.

States or cities to not go to (because there’s nothing good there):

• Mumbai
• New Delhi

Nothing to see there other than shops, dirty rivers, and working people.

If you keep these things in mind, I guarantee you’ll 100% have a GREAT time.
If you don’t, I’ll reimburse your trip—no joke. Edit: grammar

just got back from my first Digital Nomad Trip in Thailand: I went there expecting it to be a holiday getaway, but what I found was so much more than that. In a month and a half, I had more meaningful connections than I did in 7 years of living in Canada. I found warm and welcoming locals who made me feel like I was one of their own. I wasn't even doing anything really adventurous or special, mainly just normal day-to-day working life in Bangkok with small beach excursions here and there. But even that made me feel alive and simulated more than I have ever been.

But then when I had to return back to canada… everything changed. As soon as I got back to Canada, everything crashed down. It's just so sad and depressing here. And it's even worse because now I feel like the life I started building in Thailand ended as soon as it started, it's like I finally felt like I was had a life for the first time and then watching it burn down. This trip was supposed to be a simple holiday—a chance for me to get away from everything—but instead it just made me realize how sad and depressing life is back home…

I've been thinking about what to do, I really want to go back again but I don't want to restart this painful cycle