
Ask HN: Where is a good place for a college student to vacation? - ntumlin
I&#x27;ve gotten more work this semester than I&#x27;d planned on and have a bit of money saved up, that I wouldn&#x27;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.<p>I&#x27;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&#x27;m not sure I&#x27;d like to go there alone with no experience traveling.<p>I&#x27;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).
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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.

~~~
mattnumbe
I do not disagree with the point that getting out of your comfort zone is well
worth every bit of trouble you experience doing it. Like I said, it would just
be really intense for a first experience.

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

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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

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_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.

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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.

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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.

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arethuza
You'd be welcome here in Edinburgh

[https://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-
best?...](https://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-
best?utm_term=.hia9NbNXBp#.piQ9nvnDMq)

[https://edinburghshogmanay.com/](https://edinburghshogmanay.com/)

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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.

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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.

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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.

~~~
tropo
not more time to spend with your parents though

~~~
partisan
There are some things that people just have to learn for themselves. I think
your comment is well intentioned, but there are any number of reasons why this
may not apply for the OP. For example, at college age, you have no concept of
the impermanence of things. Additionally, some people have no parents or have
a different relationship with their parents such that spending time with them
would be counter to the nature of their relationship.

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GomezSandra
India! Its so cheap and hospitable

