Saved up some quid for my first big solo trip, but the news has me paranoid.Where is actually safe,cheap,and fun right now?

Posted by Sudden_Ad2456@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 27 comments

Hi everyone 👏

I’m a guy in my 20s from the UK.I’ve been working a pretty standard job and finally managed to scrape together a decent little savings pot to go traveling for a couple of months.I’ve always wanted to backpack and see the world, but honestly…watching the news lately is making me seriously anxious.

With all the geopolitical tensions,conflicts,and general chaos going on globally,I’m feeling a bit paralyzed about picking a destination. I don’t want to end up somewhere sketchy or where things might suddenly kick off while I’m there.

I’m looking for the sweet spot,the “Holy Trinity” of backpacking:

1.Safe&Stable:Low crime rate,politically stable,and generally welcoming to a solo backpacker who might be a bit clueless.

2.Dirt Cheap (Shoestring Budget):My budget is pretty tight.I’ll be starting in cheap hostels,eating street food, and taking local buses. I need places where the British Pound (£) still goes a long way.

3.Fun&Social:I’d love a good backpacker trail where it’s easy to meet people,grab a cheap beer,and see some amazing nature or culture.

My current thoughts: I know South East Asia (like Vietnam or Thailand) is a classic rite of passage for Brits, but is it still as cheap as people say? I’ve also looked at the Balkans in Eastern Europe,or maybe parts of South America (though I hear mixed things about safety there?).

If you were a slightly paranoid first time backpacker on a tight budget right now,where would you book a flight to?

Any advice,reassurance,or reality checks would be massively appreciated.

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Ifch317@reddit

Mexico. The gang violence is over-stated for most tourist areas.

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Lambamham@reddit

Came here to say this. I’ve lived here for the last 7 years. Mexico is totally fine except for a few select areas but it’s unlikely a tourist would ever find themselves there anyway.

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vendetta11525@reddit

Can you recommend some areas. My wife and I are in Europe but planning to go to mexico in the summer.

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Lambamham@reddit

If you are looking for urban areas (varied cuisines, museums, art, etc), I’d suggest Mexico City, and then go up to Tepotzotlán, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato for smaller “pueblos mágicos”.

If you want city and beach, I’d suggest a few days in Oaxaca city and then make your way down to Puerto Escondido/Mazunte for beach. It’s a coastal hippie surfer town if you’re into that.

If you just want to relax on nice beaches with blue water and white sand, then you’ll probably prefer areas in the Yucatán Peninsula (very touristy for sure, but better infrastructure for tourists if you don’t soak Spanish).

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Ifch317@reddit

We did Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta with stops in Quertero, SMdA, Guanajuato, Leon, Guadalajara, then PV by bus with stops of 2 to 5 days in each. A longer stop gave us the opportunity to do day trips to near by towns. If we did it again, I might leave out Leon - not much going on there.

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vendetta11525@reddit

Thank You. Very helpful.

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mayorlittlefinger@reddit

Generally true but Puerto Vallarta is a tourist area

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Artimusjones88@reddit

Based on some deaths it's wrong place, wrong time.

Kooky_Copy_9134@reddit

if you're heading to Vietnam, it's still super ch͏eap and safe for solo backpackers. the pound goes far on street food and hostels, and the backpacker trail is well established. one thing that helped me a lot there was using Loca͏lPay to pay at local shops via QR codes (cause cards are not accepted everywhere), no need to carry cash or open a local bank account

ee-zee-ee@reddit

What about Central America? Generally safe (except some areas of big cities) and doable on a small budget. I hear Costa Rica is quite expensive these days but I think other surrounding countries are still quite cheap by western standards. You could pair it with Mexico (check out Bacalar if you’ve never heard of it). Lots of backpackers, easy to meet people in hostels. I know a lot of people who have backpacked through CA in their 20s and loved it! It checks everything you listed including street food, nature, culture and cheap beer. Plus you won’t fly over any of the conflict areas.

Correct-Estate7995@reddit

How about Prague? Beautiful and inexpensive- not as cheap as SEA as everyone says, but I am traveling on 50$/day- food & lodging.

RecordingLow890@reddit

Depending on age interrail would be nice.

Cool_Doubt2152@reddit

Might be a hot take but Japan I found so much cheaper than I thought it would be, the most expensive part was the travel to get there, and the bullet trains (though you can get passes for X amount of months to cover your journeys).

Food was super cheap (you could even live off 711 food if you wanted to it’s so good), beer was also pretty cheap

It’s the safest place I’ve ever been to, even Tokyo late at night as woman I never felt unsafe at all

Great nightlife in the cities. The tiny micro bars in Golden Gai in Tokyo are so small it forces you to chat to people. We met people from all over and enjoyed a drink with them in every single one

Accommodation totally varies on price. You can get hostels and you can get high end. These days I didn’t find it all that much more than accom in Bangkok etc in Thailand.

vermiliondragon@reddit

The yen has been weak the past couple years. It seems like everyone I know who has traveled in that time period has been to Japan.

Yep it definitely helped make what would have been a pipe-dream trip once upon a time, to somewhere that was actually realistic to afford. Still involved a decent amount of saving up, we could have done it cheaper, but was hands down the best place I’ve ever visited

andyone100@reddit

The budget does point you towards SEA. It’s still pretty good value, so staying in hostels in places like Vietnam and Thailand would be a good start. To carry on the budget theme, I would watch something like Jacks Flight Club for cheap flights. For example I got a return to Bangkok from LHR for £290 a couple of years ago and have just landed LHR-Saigon for £300 return in November.

usesidedoor@reddit

What is Jack's Flight Club?

It’s a website/club where you get notice when cheap flights are made available. You can sign up free to get some great deals or for a small fee, the get the deals slightly before everybody else. I’m not trying to flog a commercial enterprise but the paid for information is only really worth it if you can fly at short notice or during school term times etc ( I’m retired so I can fly whenever I like-that’s when I can get bargains like £300 London-Tokyo return etc).

Excellent-Ear9433@reddit

I really loved Viet Nam especially for one odd reason. It utilizes the Roman alphabet so I could do basics like read a street sign or sus out a menu without being in strictly tourist spots. (Like Thailand). But I tend to like to break away from the full backpacker scene so this might not be a priority for you.

groucho74@reddit

If you’re worried about the ongoing wars and all that, options I would recommend are the azores and perhaps Canary Islands. The azores were dirt cheap by European standards when I was there a few years ago and truly beautiful and interesting. The Canary Islands aren’t as cheap as they used to be but still a lot of fun and very safe unless you steal a Rolex from a drug dealer.

They’re more expensive than Vietnam or Thailand but the flights are cheaper and if the war intensifies you don’t risk having serious issues getting home again.

WorryOriginal1989@reddit

Safe but boring.

I have not been to the Azores, but this sounds like good advice. Perhaps trying to find some volunteering opportunities in the Azores may be an option for OP.

ButterflyBadger3@reddit

Balkan is safe but not cheap any more.

Huge-Pin8231@reddit

China. 🇨🇳

bluuxiii@reddit

I’m in Morocco now and I think it meets all your requirements. The Ryanair flight was £34 return (not including luggage allowance). I think I paid ~£73 with luggage added. Airbnbs and hotels are super affordable and I just did a 3-day desert tour which was £82 (not including lunches and a few other additional things).

South America isn't so cheap in general terms, and you would have to be a bit careful. The Balkans are nice, but I am not sure they are what you are looking for.

I'd say SEA is your best bet.