Longhaul studenty backpacker holiday

[sky1010]

I am in my early twenties and went straight from college, to uni, to work. I never really did the backpacker thing. I am getting extremely jealous of my friends from school who have been updating their Facebook feeds of beautiful beaches and excursions to jungle springs on their 'year off'.

I was planning to do an all inclusive type thing, but I like the idea of staying in a beach hut somewhere pretty. Party atmosphere, nice beaches, food and drink cheap.

My budget is £700 for flights, and £1000 spending money for 2 weeks.

Any recommendations on where I should look at? I imagine Thailand is the obvious choice, but some resort town recommendations would be appreciated.

I've Not been but apparently people say that the Philippines are the most beautiful country in SE Asia.

I have been to lots of other SE Asian countries though. Thailand is wonderful. Indonesia too. Those would be recommendations based on my personal experience. But go a bit off main track.

Palolem or Anjuna in Goa.
Varkala in Kerala.
Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Koh Chang, Koh Lanta, Koh Jum..... There's a lot of Thai islands to choose from - if Thailand then you'll have to do a few days in Bangkok and stay on the Khao San Road for the "authentic" traveller experience.

vietnam - hoi an?

I'd either do Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia or Indonesia - especially the Gili Isles and Lombok.

Malaysia is good for island hopping plus KL for a bit of city life. Tioman is stunning and you can get a lot of ferries from Mersing out to various islands. Just check the time of year for monsoon season.

A friend in her twenties has just backpacked around Southern Africa as it appealed to her a bit more than just the typical SE Asia route. She did SA, Botswana, Namibia and a beach hol in Zanzibar. A lot of it was tours so she wasn't always alone with different companies.

I've lived in both Thailand and the Philippines. They are both amazing in different ways. Consider Burma too, amazing place. Laos and Cambodia are awesome too.

I really recommend buying the South East Asia on a shoestring lonely planet book. It will inspire you and make your decisions easier.

you could join an overland tour like this
www.africanbudgetsafaris.com/overland-camping-tours/discover-east-africa-zanzibar-to-vic-falls/
Beach, sightseeing and safari in one.
On kayak.com there are flights for £600 into dar and out of Vic Falls to London