What's your departure point?
And where do you plan to go in Italy ?
Hi, im (23m) planning my first solo trip abroad, and I want to spend a few months traveling around Europe (or southeast asia) on a limited budget. Since this is my first time, I'm still trying to figure out where to start.
My main goal is to meet new people and hopefully make some friends, experience different cultures, and get out of my own head. I'd also love to dive into the underground scene, discover cool clubs, live music, underground parties, and other unique experiences I probably wouldn't find back home. I'm into techno, hip-hop, reggae, jazz, rock, pop... pretty much anything except heavy metal.
My original plan was to begin in Italy and stay there for about a month, but now I'm wondering if that's actually the best idea. Since my budget is limited, my biggest priority is making my money last as long as possible while still having a great experience. My budget is roughly the equivalent of $10,000–11,500 USD. I do have additional savings as a safety net, but my goal is to spend as little as possible so I can come home with most of my savings still intact.
Would you recommend starting in Italy, or is there another country that would be a better first stop considering my budget and what I'm looking for?
I'm open to changing my entire route if there are countries that offer a better balance of affordability, social atmosphere, and cities that actually feel alive.
I'd love to hear what you'd recommend and why.
What's your departure point?
And where do you plan to go in Italy ?
Start in Thailand. Do SEA. Way cheaper and a massive unique backpacking scene with thousands of people doing what you want to do and still plenty of hidden gems to find. Literally changed my life being introduced to such a varied and expansive culture of travelers.
Thailand and surrounding will be much easier on your budget than Italy and be a lot easier to make friends given how established the travelling/backpacker/hostel routes are there. You could potentially look at heading up to China which has really good underground music scenes in certain cities, or over to Japan which also does.
Bosnia, still cheap, super beautiful, if budget is name of the game that money will take you far.
If you’re gonna do Europe on a budget go East to West. Europe will have a way better underground music scene but SEA might be the better experience overall. Tough call honestly.