I have always said that I want to go back to some of these countries which I went to nearly 10 years ago now. Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Bali, Malaysia; to name a few. When I went to these places at the age of 7, I wasn't old enough to appreciate the countries, and the beauty of their environments. Therefore, I want to properly travel and explore them this time, with a few extra countries included this time.
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea
These countries are trips that I could probably do over a long weekend. Maybe I will do Japan and South Korea in the same trip as they are very close to each other so it will seem silly doing one and not the other. Although I have never been too fussed about travelling to Korea, a lot of my friends (and my sister in particular) have said that it isn't one to miss. Therefore, I might as well make the most of being in Asia and visiting South Korea for a few days.
I have already booked my trip to Hong Kong actually which is over the Christmas period. It is only for 5 days as I don't have a break from university over Christmas (as the Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year, not Christmas) but I am seeing my best friend and spending Christmas with her and her family and friends. I couldn't be happier, and just to get out of Shanghai for a while will be good. I am staying at a hostel in Causeway Bay, the main shopping district, so no doubt a lot of my money will go on shopping!
Taiwan and Japan are a must-have on my travelling list. I am so desperate to get back to Taiwan and see how different it is from when I was last there. And my family still have loads of friends living there so I have luckily been asked to stay with some of them; couldn't be thankful enough for that.
I mainly want to go to Tokyo, Japan to see how advanced their technology is. My sister told me so much about her trip that it made me want to go straight away. Obviously it was a little difficult last year as it was a long way for a few days trip. A few of us here want to go so we may take a long weekend to do Japan and South Korea.
During Chinese New Year we get a whopping 6 weeks off. This is because it is the main holiday throughout the year, and the only long break we get as we don't get Christmas or Easter off and we don't finish university here until mid-July. Therefore, I cannot wait for this break and am definitely going to make the most of it. I have planned the countries I want to go to (as you can see above) and done some research into the cities and attractions I want to see. At the moment, I have a few friends that are interested in some of the places but I may do Malaysia alone as not many others are interested. However, I want to experience travelling alone as the opportunity may not come up again for a while. I think it is something you need to experience once in your life.
Vietnam and Cambodia will probably be the highlight of my trip as so many people that have travelled there have said how amazing it is and how they would go back in a heartbeat. A fellow blogger is currently living in Vietnam, who I am extremely jealous of.
Thailand has already been a highlight in my life which I have been lucky enough to visit a few times for holidays. My family and I went the Christmas before returning to England in 2006 and there was nothing better than being on a beach just relaxing on Christmas Day.
I can't wait to explore more of Asia this year. Can Christmas and Chinese New Year break hurry up?
What are you next travel plans? Where are you next exploring?
