My name is Patrick, I’m 18 and on a gap year. I’ve already done a bit of travelling (to South Africa) but that was last year and now I’ve got a lot of things to sort out for 2010, which means a lot of questions, which I was hoping Citywire readers could help me with.
I’m planning on going to Thailand, India and Vietnam. Obviously its no simple task getting visas – I’ve heard that in some cases you have to get them months in advance depending on where you’re travelling to – can anyone offer any advice on how go about sorting this out?
My budget is enough to cover the two projects I plan to work on, which will cost around £700 each, excluding flights. But I’ll be spending a month in Thailand and the same in Vietnam – how much spending money should I have spare? Are there any rules of thumb for budgeting when travelling in Asia?
Travel insurance is another big one – where is the best to go to get it? Any tips?
I have a few concerns about when I return from travelling, besides the obvious anti-climax of not living in paradise… I go to Uni in September but I’ll be coming back from Asia in early August, so I’ll soon be facing the financial pressures of being a student – is it worth me getting a job to try and recover some cash that I will likely blow during fresher’s week? Or should I just make the most of freedom from studying and working while it lasts?
Lots of questions I know. I’d be interested to get your feedback. And while you’re at it, any tips on where to go in the countries I’m visiting?