Where to go 6.5 weeks school holidays trip

[CATH007]

Where do we go? 2 adults and 2 teens(15 and 13). We have a rare chance for a 6.5 week trip. Wanting to make the very most of it. Do we explore Europe on a driving trip and buy a caravan or do we go long haul somewhere with a lower cost of living ideally south east Asia for a real adventure.
trying to look at options. Any suggestions? It’s been 19 years since my gap year so need to make the very most of this rare opportunity

I did 6 weeks in Indonesia in 2017. As you know it's so cheap and easy to travel inbetween the islands. However once you're east of Lombok you're starting to need to think about malaria etc. We did Sumatra, Java and Bali. We were meant to spend more time on Lombok but only ended up flying back out of there to KL.

Bali Indonesia etc

Indonesia Sounds like it could be more than enough in itself for the trip then? We never made it here on our gap year so would be new to us all. Sumatra, Java, Bali and Lombok. I think this might be most sensible option as it is less internal flights so less cost, good weather at that time of year and lower cost of living than places like Japan. Any Indonesia highlights / tips/ recommendations people can recommend? @Squirrelchops1

Bali would suit your teens and likes for snorkeling, swimming and culture. We got stuck there 3 days longer than planned when flights were cancelled due to ash and volcano eruption. Something to be mindful of when planning trip insurance with Indonesia.

Japan is expensive and accomodation small! But staying in a Ryokan is a great experience. Okinawa is beautiful. Kyoto has so much to see, we hired bikes and cycled but could easily have spent longer there. Tokyo was busy. Try and check out when sumo is on and book well beforehand if you decide to do Japan. The fish market in Tokyo had the best, freshest sushi 😍

Seoul I wouldn't spend longer than 3 days really.

Guatemala is awesome. I'd love to do a Spanish course there! We did east coast Mexico, Belize and Guatemala and then back up into Mexico along the other side, which ticked a lot of boxes for culture historic/UNESCO sites, swimming, snorkelling and SUP and free diving through mangroves. Teens might like Caye Caulker in Belize, very laid back and chilled.

So many wonderful places.

Ubud in Bali
Seminyak
Sanur was ok, nothing to rave about

I'd have loved to explore Northern Bali but couldn't because of volcano advice when we were there.

I really can’t see see £3k per person for 6.5 weeks going very far unless you’re happy with shared youth hostel room from start to finish and graveyard flights @CATH007

I went to Northern Bali last year, Tembok. Very different to the south, much less developed. Wish I'd been able to spend more time there, it was amazing. Definitely recommend Bali, only problem is the traffic as their infrastructure isn't great for the amount of tourists, especially in the south.

Soooo exciting, this!! My dream! Personally I'd do long haul as you can do most of Europe if you get an odd weekend in the future any time. You won't get a chance like this again, so I'd go off the tourist trail and really experience a place. For me it would definitely be south east Asia. Cheap to travel around, and cheap to live. I'd be wanting to live like a local. Do tell us what you decide

Borobadur and Prambanan temples on Java are amazing if you want a bit of a history fix.
Bali...as other person mentioned the north is amazing. North West at Pemuteran there's a marine reserve and the snorkeling is out of this world.
You can get good accommodation for not a lot of money and well above hostel standard!