During my time at university, I could feel myself getting itchy feet and feeling ready to discover more of the world outside the walled city of York. By the time I’d graduated, I ditched the library in hopes for a laidback lifestyle and embarked on my biggest adventure yet, solo travelling around South East Asia and Australia, staying in hostels and planning my experiences as I travelled.
My adventure started in Bangkok, a bustling city, but also the perfect starting point to any gap year as you get a first taste of South East Asia’s culture. Bangkok’s a common start or end point for many backpackers, which makes for a great opportunity to make new friends, or hear stories from those who are coming to the end of their time in South East Asia.
After soaking up the culture of Bangkok’s temples and palaces and partying on the infamous Khao San Road, I travelled to the gorgeous southern beaches of Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Krabi, chilling out on the golden sands and snorkelling in the sparkling waters. The cost of excursions is lower in South East Asia compared to Australasia, and easily bookable through a variety of local tour operators and hostels. A true highlight for me was visiting Maya Bay, location from the film The Beach, followed by an island boat cruise - a tour which I booked the day prior through my hostel.
Leaving the warm waters of Thailand behind, I spent a week in Malaysia, a country that is sometimes forgotten on the classic backpacker route. My first stop was the glistening skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur, before I explored the quaint port town of Malacca and the beautiful beaches and street art on the island of Penang.
Travelling within Malaysia is straightforward as buses, ferries and flights are frequent and at a reasonable cost. Whilst I explored a lot of the country by myself, joining a bike tour of Malacca was a great way to discover the town with a local expert in the company of other travellers from the hostel.
My final stop in South East Asia was the Indonesian island paradise of Bali, a very popular destination with backpackers who are looking for it all; unwinding on the beach in the morning, visiting the jungle and waterfalls in the afternoon and partying at night-time. I arrived without a plan of where I was going to visit, but after meeting fellow travellers at a hostel in Seminyak, I joined their plan of travelling to the cultural heart of Ubud and the stunning Gili Islands.
Booking accommodation, tours and transfers spontaneously is very simple in Bali, similar to Thailand and Malaysia, with excursions easily accessible from a number of local travel operators. I booked a snorkelling cruise around the Gili Islands, stopping off to explore the less touristy islands of Gili Air and Gili Meno and visited the mystical life-sized underwater statues.
Most of my gap year was spent in Australia, which is no surprise, as it’s a vast country to explore! As soon as I arrived in Cairns, I visited a local travel agent to help with planning my east coast adventure all the way to Sydney. Unlike South East Asia where you can be quite spontaneous with your activities, I was encouraged to book all my excursions and the majority hostels, trips and buses in advance but on a flexible basis to be certain that I didn’t miss out on those bucket list experiences.
Spotting turtles in the Great Barrier Reef, driving in a 4WD across the sand dunes of K’gari (Fraser Island) and standing in awe of the powdery white beaches of the Whitsundays, to name a few, are some of the amazing experiences I had along my east coast journey. These were all pre-booked excursions planned during my time in Cairns which meant I was certain I was going to experience these bucket list activities without disappointment.
I planned my exact itinerary from Cairns to Sydney with regards to the destinations and confirmed some of the accommodation here and there leaving some gaps, which allowed me to be adaptable and not miss out on any spontaneous plans. With regards to travel, I booked a flexible bus ticket with Greyhound enabling me to secure my exact bus routes and timings a few days prior to travel.
Accommodation, food and drink, travelling and experiences all require a bigger budget in Australasia, so expect to utilise the hostel kitchen preparing your own meals on a daily basis. It’s quite different to the luxury of eating out for every meal in South East Asia!
1. Don’t be afraid to start conversation with fellow travellers. Everyone who is travelling solo is in the same boat as you and wants to meet new travel companions. Striking up a conversation with another traveller in a hostel or a bar may be the key to unlock your next adventure!
2. Whilst it’s great to be spontaneous on your travels, book the bucket list trips in advance - they are once-in-a-lifetime experiences for a reason! You don’t want to travel all the way to Australia and find there’s no availability on a Great Barrier Reef or Whitsunday Island cruise? These experiences are popular, so once you have an idea of when you want to do it, get it booked!
3. Take your time. Many of your days and nights will be spent travelling on buses, trains, planes or boats, so give yourself time on your journey to unwind and recover with a great book or podcast, or simply enjoy the unique landscapes that are passing you by.
4. Solo travel is not for everyone. If you want to travel the world whilst in the company of travel companions throughout your journey and all your plans taken care of, consider a small group adventure tour. Tour operators such as Contiki, G Adventures and Intrepid have tours that are focussed on gap year travellers in destinations all over the world for a variety of durations.
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Emily Hatchett
Marketing & Events Supervisor
Emily is a Marketing & Events Supervisor based in our Kensington head office. Emily has worked at Trailfinders since 2018 and has travelled to 31 countries. Her favourite destinations include Vietnam, Italy and the Maldives.
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