Travel Help needed...badly!

Hey All

I'm thinking of going travelling next winter for 4 months. I plan on
spending 2 months in Australia (gold Coast) and then another 2 months
(late feb to mid april) in Asia.

I wanna do the "live on a hut on the beach" for a couple months for
dirt cheap, while going off and seeing some amazing scenery. I'm
thinking Thailand is the place to go. So far Koh Samui seems like a
place, but I really am TOTALLY lost. I am curious about locations, and
money, safety etc. I'm in my 20's, so nightlife/entertainment is a
factor to a minor degree.

Any help/advice/links is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

It would be a good start to buy yourself a couple of good guidebooks.
Pick up one on Australia and one on SE Asia.

Koh Semui is nice, but it is rapidly growing out of a "hut on a beach"
destination (though, huts on the beach can be found there). Koh Phangan
might be more your speed. However, there are a lot of great islands
where you can just hang out. Also consider Malaysia and Indonesia.

You should also check out some of the great travelogues that some of
the regulars here have.

Here are a couple of great ones (I hope the owners don't mind my
reference):

http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm

http://travel.u.nu/

You won't find anything "dirt cheap" on the Gold Coast. You should also
try the NW of West Australia ie Pilbara and Kimberly Regions, the Real
Outback. Places like Broome, Cape Leveque, Gibb River Road and then
onto the Northern Territory are "essential" visiting. Some magnificent
beaches, desert, bush and wildlife country in the aforementioned areas.
Visit:http://www.michaelwevers.com and see under Australia

"I wanna do the "live on a hut on the beach" for a couple months for
dirt cheap, while going off and seeing some amazing scenery. I'm
thinking Thailand is the place to go. So far Koh Samui seems like a
place, but I really am TOTALLY lost. I am curious about locations, and
money, safety etc. I'm in my 20's, so nightlife/entertainment is a
factor to a minor degree."

Almost all of Southeast Asia is dirt-cheap and very safe. There are
safety issues in some parts of Indonesia, in the southernmost provinces
of Thailand, and in parts of the Phillipines.

Which Thai island you would want to go to go depends on whether you
want a secluded beach or a beach with a party scene, and whether you
want to do things like diving.

Just to give you a few ideas to start with, try google image searches
for Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang, Hanoi, Mekong Delta, and Halong Bay.

Lonely Planet's website has a lot of good basic information on
different places, and so does this other backpacking site:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/loc-asi.htm
http://www.travelindependent.info/se_asia.htm#Thailand

"EastCoasteh" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey All

I'm thinking of going travelling next winter for 4 months. I plan on
spending 2 months in Australia (gold Coast) and then another 2 months
(late feb to mid april) in Asia.

I wanna do the "live on a hut on the beach" for a couple months for
dirt cheap, while going off and seeing some amazing scenery. I'm
thinking Thailand is the place to go. So far Koh Samui seems like a
place, but I really am TOTALLY lost. I am curious about locations, and
money, safety etc. I'm in my 20's, so nightlife/entertainment is a
factor to a minor degree.

Any help/advice/links is greatly appreciated.

Cheers
bali and lombok both ideal

I don't know where you're from, but unless you're Japanese forget the Gold
Coast. It's hideous - the closest you'll get is an apartment on the 20th
floor with no view because a bigger apartment block has been built in front
of it. An overdeveloped area where building overshadow the beach from lunch
time. Most of Queensland (the state that the Gold Coast is in) has
prostituted itself for the Japanese tourist dollar. The joke is that they
come over by the plane load but stay in Japanese hotels, go on Japanese
tours, eat Japanese food and spend their money in Japanese shops. Not sure
why they bother coming really. BTW, your winter will be the height of
summer in Australia and the Gold Coast gets very sticky then.

If you want to come to Australia, see some of the real Australia that is
unique - got to more remote areas or the outback. It's beautiful and you'll
get the peace and quiet you crave.

As for Samui, it's pretty and safe but I think it's getting to the point
that it's too developed for the hut on the beach lifestyle. If you want
that, you should try an island that you can't fly into. If you can fly
there, it will cater to mass tourism.

"EastCoasteh" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey All

I'm thinking of going travelling next winter for 4 months. I plan on
spending 2 months in Australia (gold Coast) and then another 2 months
(late feb to mid april) in Asia.

I wanna do the "live on a hut on the beach" for a couple months for
dirt cheap, while going off and seeing some amazing scenery. I'm
thinking Thailand is the place to go. So far Koh Samui seems like a
place, but I really am TOTALLY lost. I am curious about locations, and
money, safety etc. I'm in my 20's, so nightlife/entertainment is a
factor to a minor degree.

Any help/advice/links is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

"bali and lombok both ideal"


I think Indonesia is a great destination. You won't find too many huts
in Bali any longer, but it sure is a fun place (especially for someone
in their 20's looking for a lot of fun). Lombok is a better suggestion.
You could hang out for a little while on Gili Trawangan (no motorized
vehicles whatsoever on the island), but it is so small that you might
get bored after awhile. On Lombok there is some great hiking and
scenery. However, all this being said... the time you will be there
will be the rainy season- it usually tapers off in April.

Investigate southern Laos, the island of Don Det still has the $1-2 a night
beach bungalows and restaurants and bars frequented by young backpackers.
No electricity except between 6.00 and 10.00pm but that doesn't seem to put
people off. We loved the islands but must admit that at our age Don Kone
and upmarket floating bungalows were more our scene. We met so many people
who went for a few days and stayed a month or more. Sue
"EastCoasteh" wrote in message
oups.com...

I wanna do the "live on a hut on the beach" for a couple months for
dirt cheap, while going off and seeing some amazing scenery. I'm

Amazing scenery? Thats exactly where many touristes go. Where many
touristes go with amazing scenery and dirt cheap? I suppose you wanna be in
heaven, don't you? Lets get real here. People suggest you get guide books.
Yes check them out. Before visit a place, take a look in those books. If
its in lonely planet, scratch it off your list of visits. Cause you'll run
into many touristes maybe from your own home town, and worse still, you may
run into the well known Alfred or Mig.

"EastCoasteh" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey All

I'm thinking of going travelling next winter for 4 months. I plan on
spending 2 months in Australia (gold Coast) and then another 2 months
(late feb to mid april) in Asia.

I wanna do the "live on a hut on the beach" for a couple months for
dirt cheap, while going off and seeing some amazing scenery. I'm
thinking Thailand is the place to go. So far Koh Samui seems like a
place, but I really am TOTALLY lost. I am curious about locations, and
money, safety etc. I'm in my 20's, so nightlife/entertainment is a
factor to a minor degree.

Any help/advice/links is greatly appreciated.

Cheers