mrwunrfl

have have => have you

kja

I’m not in the “slow down” camp, but I am someone who takes the time that I think I need to see / experience a place in the way I want, and yes, that is how I have always traveled. For my first trip or two, I didn’t realize how much the guidebooks I was using skipped, so there are things I missed. And I haven’t always planned correctly, and so have missed things because of that. But except for a few business contacts at the beginning of my first few trips, I’ve always traveled solo and independently; I've always tried to take full advantage of every moment of every trip; and I’ve always planned with the goal of making sure that if I visit a place, I visit it as thoroughly as my time, money, and overall trip goals permit (and that often means making some very hard decisions about what to skip). I’m not saying that anyone else should travel as I do; just answering the question.

Kavey

My travel style has very little to do which my age, experience, or maturity. I've always liked pootling around rather than racing around, since I was a teenager. And I know people who are far older than me (and experienced, and mature or whatever) who prefer to be on the go all the time, who walk a lot, move a lot and do a lot every day and consequently need less time than I would in a place.

mrwunrfl

Thanks, kja and Kavey, for responding to my question.

crellston

An interesting debate, as we travel for longer periods these days, I am firmly in the slow travel camp but recognise that that does not suit everyone. Nor does everyone have the time.

Going back to your original question EuroGirl, if you were happy doing 12 European countries in 2 months, then go for it! Just do a lot of research on travel times from place to place.

With three weeks to play with, I would give serious consideration to spending the whole time in Japan. We spent just over two weeks there and barely scratched the surface. I think there are around 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sights in Kyoto alone and, unlike some places, each of them is worth seeing.

It is eight years old now but a link to our blog with more detail and a lot of photos:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html
Entries 25-30 cover Japan

One of the attractions of Japan is that it is very easy and fast to get around using the rail network. A negative is that it is one of the most expensive countries in Asia.

If I were to add another country, for me it would be Vietnam. Great weather at that time of year in Central Vietnam but more to see in the south around Ho Chi Minh City and the north, around Hanoi. It would also provide a nice contrast to Japan. The tourist infrastructure has improved immensely in recent years making it a lot easier and quicker to get around by bus, train or tour.

Our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/ covers the several month we spent in the country last year.

One website that is especially useful for planning travel in SEA (not Japan) is https://www.travelfish.org