Having trouble deciding where to travel to in late November

You have 9 days, frankly not enough to really do China.

Also, late November is not the best time to go.

Hong Kong would be good for 3-4 days. Taiwan was great, don't miss the great National museum in Taipei. Perhaps do both HK and Taiwan.

Australia for 9 days, you need more, but the weather would be nice. You could do Sydney and the east coast including the Great Barrier Reef or do Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.

If you do Australia I found the biggest impediment to be the language. But loved it.

If you hadn't already mentioned Tokyo, I would have recommended it.

From your list, I would choose Seoul...and you could actually venture out of the big city for a day or two with the excellent train system, to vary your experience.

Not sure where you are flying from, but it is more arduous flying from the US to Thailand, Vietnam, Australia vs more convenient schedules and connections to Japan or South Korea...I would save Australia and/or NZ for a longer trip...

I would tend to go South for the warmer weather this time of the year.

If you do Australia I found the biggest impediment to be the language

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Hong Kong would be good for 3-4 days. Taiwan was great, don't miss the great National museum in Taipei. Perhaps do both HK and Taiwan.

Australia for 9 days, you need more, but the weather would be nice. You could do Sydney and the east coast including the Great Barrier Reef or do Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.

Any thoughts on Thailand/Vietnam?

And yeah so far I’m thinking China is the one I’m not super excited about so gonna rule that one out, Korea is gonna be cold but if I combined it with Hong Kong then I would get both hot and cold, so that leaves Hong Kong + Taipei/Seoul or Australia/NZ or Thailand/Vietnam

I would tend to go South for the warmer weather this time of the year.

Any place specifically?

Not sure where you are flying from, but it is more arduous flying from the US to Thailand, Vietnam, Australia vs more convenient schedules and connections to Japan or South Korea...I would save Australia and/or NZ for a longer trip...

I would be flying out of SEA, so direct flights to Taipei, Seoul, connect in LAX for Auckland, NZ or Sydney, Australia. But I don’t mind connection flights. I could always work remote from LAX and fly out the same day I was gonna fly out of SEA. I just want to pick the best destination, so connections for me aren’t a hindrance.

I’m thinking I could just do the north island if I did NZ. Or just Sydney and surrounding areas if I did Australia. Will Korea be super cold? It’s not a dealbreaker just curious.

Also curious to hear from people about Thailand/Vietnam

I’m thinking I could just do the north island if I did NZ. Or just Sydney and surrounding areas if I did Australia. Will Korea be super cold? It’s not a dealbreaker just curious.

No, not "super" cold, but it will be shorter days and average daytime highs in the low 50s...November is one of the driest months of the year, and that is a plus. You should expect overnight freezing temps later in the month, though. I think it is an excellent month to visit South Korea...but my favorite month to visit Europe is December, so take that as you may...colder weather and shorter days don't deter me in the least.

I have been to Thailand, not Vietnam.
Thailand was nice, but not my favorite East Asian country.
My favorite was Japan, but wouldn't do it in late November.

China deserves more than 9 days.

Look for tours, Gate 1 Travel is our favorite.

If I did Vietnam, I would probably want to do Cambodia and do Angkor Wat.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Products-g297390-d317907-Angkor_Wat-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html

Thanks for all the advice!

Here’s what I’m thinking so far to cross out an narrow down my choices:

• Axe out Korea/China. The former due to how cold it would be and the latter due to language barrier and weather as well

• Keep Hong Kong and Taiwan, can do Hong Kong for a short 48-72 hour stay, then visit Taiwan. I like the combination of food, skyscrapers, and nature.

• Keep Thailand/Vietnam, I get the hunch it’s a good solo travel destination and it’s a good destination for someone in their mid 20s. Less busy too.

• Axe out Australia/NZ due to how large the country is and I feel it would be less of a solo travel friendly location

Which leaves me to 2 final choices:

• 2-4 days Hong Kong + whatever I can fit the rest into Taiwan
• 100% Thailand or some split with Thailand/Vietnam. Another option is combining Thailand with Taipei because I would have to connect in Taipei to fly to Bangkok

I feel like I’ll be pretty happy with both of these choices. Tough decision haha

Having worked as an expat in Hong Kong I think I would give HK 4 full days. I actually don't think you are going to do it justice in 2 days. And that is just covering the HK everyone knows- the city, Kowloon and parts of Lantau.

That isn't beginning to cover the out isles or the wonderful walking opportunities both on HK Island or in the New Territories.
If you get out into the New Territories you see a totally different side to HK.
Nor is that fitting in a visit to the neighbouring Macau (the ex Portugese enclave)- which can be done either by ship, or several routes going through the PRC. A side trip I really recommend if in HK.

You could IMO easily do the whole trip just in HK, but you want variety.

Many of us (not me) used to do weekend trips to Thailand just as routine.

There are fast direct overnight trains from HK to Beijing (some of the best long distance trains in China) but if Beijing doesn't draw you, so be it.

I've never been to Taiwan but that sounds a really interesting combination trip.

For Thailand, look into Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Bangkok was not my favorite city, but glad I spent some time there. Kanchanaburi Is beautiful. Many love Phuket. I’m not a beach person.

I’m also a former Asian expat. Thailand was popular for quick trips for those in your age bracket ( mentioned by another poster, isn31c, above also). I’m older than you, but enjoyed several trips to the areas indicated above.

ORDTraveler just out of curiosity is Thailand considered a party destination? I’m not really into that kind of stuff, but I’m ok with hanging out with a small group of people and going out for maybe a night or two max. So was wondering if I would find it too much in the party aspect?

I’m not a party-er. I think you can easily find that in Thailand if you want it, but I hiked, visited temples, markets, museums - the typical things you find mentioned in guide books. There are a number of day trips to various places - check TripAdvisor. You might meet some people for activities that way.

Also how bad are the boat rides in the scenic islands? My friend who came back from Thailand was telling me how people were literally screaming on the boat (idk where) and I really hate that stomach drop feeling (I don’t like roller coasters). She went in the summer so maybe the waves were choppier then?

How bad are the boats there and can it be avoided?

Also how bad are the boat rides in the scenic islands? My friend who came back from Thailand was telling me how people were literally screaming on the boat (idk where) and I really hate that stomach drop feeling (I don’t like roller coasters). She went in the summer so maybe the waves were choppier then?
How bad are the boats there and can it be avoided?

You should go over to TripAdvisor forums and post your questions about Thailand or other destinations there. Far more activity and interest with good info from local "experts" and experienced travelers there than you will find here, a European travel website...

Here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293915-i3686-Thailand.html

Whatever a place deserves is not the point of what you might do. You have extra time off and available to you. You are a worker bee. So it is when you are not retired. So you have to fit in your love of travel to that framework.
Any place is good enough for the time period you have. When I was working i took one week vacations many times to places, not caring about whether it was long enough or not. It was what I had. You either go or you do not. That is the question.
Simply limit yourself to one or perhaps two cites and go. Once I went to Hanoi for a week and enjoyed it immensely. Did two nights on Halong bay. Focusing on one/two finite places is easy. It allows you to travel and see something yet does not mean you would not return for further travels. For you have only seen the one city, so your mindset is not that you have “done” the country.
Furthermore you have the luxury of not having this constant question and uncertain itinerary problem that crops up on these boards filled with anxiety about the rightness of where and what to do.
Now I am retired and thus have much time. I seem to be locked in somewhat to this longer is better theme. Sometimes it is tedious. I often look around and say, let me just go. A simple week. A single place. Free of that scheduling that so frequently dominates our travels.
You just go.

I would love for Taiwan- 3 or 4 days is enough for the city plus you could see a lot of the island in that time. Weather should be nice. Seoul, while wonderful, will be cold. That is a great time weatherwise for Thailand and southern Vietnam, but maybe not enough time?

Check on the visa requirements for Vietnam before you book anything - I haven't been for awhile but when I went you could not get a visa on arrival (it may be different now). That could seal the deal for your choices. BTW northern Vietnam (Hanoi) is not going to be warm as southern parts, and in mid-Vietnam it is one of the rainier months. If you're wanting a warm weather destination, that might not be the choice. Also you mentioned culture shock a couple of times - Vietnam is not going to be minimal level in that regard, especially if you're looking for English speakers and ease of travel (it's not always easy to get around). Not trying to talk you out of it, just setting expectations.

I've only been to Bangkok in Thailand so can't comment on it, other than it's a big city with plenty to keep you occupied for a few days. I also second the suggestion to go to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat - that is an easy flight from Bangkok and I believe Cambodia still has an easy visa on arrival system (double check).

Good luck!

I think you have narrowed down 2 good choices. I have been to Hong Kong and Thailand, but quite a while ago.

Hong Kong is a wonderful place. I’ve been a handful of times, never very long. I was there in late November and the weather was nice for touring around. The food is fantastic. One of my favorite things to go is to take a ferry to an island and spend the day poking around.

I spent 3 weeks in Thailand when I was a little older than you. I loved it. I’m not a partier or a beach person. I spent my time in Bangkok and then went north from there. At the time Bangkok was a frustrating city with all of the traffic gridlock. I enjoyed the smaller cities more. But, things may have changed in Bangkok. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip.

Good luck with your trip planning. And please report back when you return, esp if you go to Taiwan! That’s high on my wish list!

You won't have to be concerned with language in Singapore either. All good places here but i would suggest Singapore.

I spent a couple weeks in Viet Nam just last month. Loved it. They currently are issuing e/visas. Simple & cheap to get. We did not use public transport so not sure how easy that is. No problem getting getting taxi locally or using shuttle buses from one area to another. As stated above the weather really varies from north to central to south.

I was in Thailand about 10 years ago. Didn’t care for Bangkok much but the street food was exceptionally good. I was also in Phuket. Back then it had a party town vibe to it with lots of lady boys around.

Viet Nam was beyond my expectations, much better for my likes than Thailand. Wish I would have gotten to see Chiang Mai and the north though. I will say that hands down, Thailand beaches beat out Viet Nams beaches.

I know I'm late to this, but I highly recommend Thailand. I've been twice for a couple weeks each time. December-February are the "dry" months - rainless, but still quite warm and humid. To get away from the humidity, fly north to Chiang Mai for a few days - in the mountains the humidity is relatively low and the late evenings and mornings are pleasantly cool. Tons of culture, great food, markets, and a somewhat slower pace of life - especially in the north. There is so much to see and do without a party scene.

I was just about to decide on Thailand, but my friend told me 7 full days isn’t enough for Thailand? Should I choose something else due to my timeline?

It’s enough for a taste of Thailand. Pick 2 places at most. And I agree that Chiang Mai is a great place to start. For beaches, I have only spent time on Phuket. And while I hear it’s party central, I stayed on the other side and it was far from the parties. Lol.

Gotcha! Maybe I could fly in Bangkok, see it for 2 days, then go to Phuket? I wanted a mix of beach and city. Looks like I would have to choose 2 out of these 3: Phuket, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai?

My other option is to save Thailand for march where I can take a full 2 weeks off. And do Hong Kong + Taiwan (or Korea) this trip.

I also don’t mind just getting a taste of Thailand either and dip my toes in it

This sounds crazy but I found a $600 ticket to Sydney in New South Wales and decided to do that since Asia in general would cost me more than twice that!

Gonna have 9 nights and 8 full days there! Planning to see Sydney and the East Coast, maybe see the Whitsundays

Sounds like a great trip!

You could, quite frankly, spend all of your time in Sydney and not run out of things to do, but if you're anxious to spread your wings a bit and see another part of the country be aware that JetStar ,the Qantas low cost affiliate, offers cheap fares that are typically pretty easy on the wallet.
I see that they have direct flights between Sydney and Hamilton Island (ie the Whitsundays), as well as opening up the possibility of visiting Cairns (for the Great Barrier Reef) and Uluru ... among others.

I would split time between Melbourne and Sydney, and do a day trip or two from each.

Yeah I’m thinking either I can do Melbourne and Sydney for the 8 nights or do Sydney + the Whitsundays.

Although I heard that it’s jelly fish season rn in the Whitsundays?

My son went to Thailand solo at your age recently and really loved it. He also loved Cambodia and Singapore. He’s going to Japan and Vietnam in June. He also loves Europe, Great Britain, and loved Colombia. He travels a lot and uses Reddit travel forum which is geared to your age group. Check it out.

I would go for Thailand and Vietnam option. Would also stop in Singapore for couple of days, as it is one of the most impressive countries in my opinion. Just keep in mind that except visa you also gonna need to an arrival card https://sgarrivalcard.sg/ , which is obligatory for everyone.

....."Although I heard that it’s jelly fish season in in the Whitsundays?"

It is indeed.
As an alternative consider a few days in Tasmania - one of the prettiest places in Australia - with easy and cheap connections to Hobart or Lauceston from Sydney.