August - reasonable weather - inexpensive destination

[HappyHolidays75]

Hi

I'm trying to sort plans for next summer and the weather keeps getting in the way! Either ridiculously hot or raining.
We've got 2.5 weeks, end of july/start august.

Ideally south east Asia (loved Malaysian Borneo, and even more so Sri Lanka) but many places are in monsoon season.

Travel style - backpacking, public transport, budget guesthouses.

We like - outdoor stuff (bikes hikes snorkelling canoeing.....), different food, different cultures, some sightseeing/city stuff (but more outdoor/nature stuff).

Appropriate for a single mum + kids aged 10-16.

Can anyone recommend any fab places they've been that might fit the bill?

Doesnt have to be long haul necessarily.

I've wondered about Indonesia, southern India, Cambodia, Thailand, Georgia, Romania but not certain about any. South America and Africa are options too.

[HappyHolidays75]

How did you find the weather @lu9months?
Did it disrupt your plans much? Did you manage beach time as well as sights? Am assuming monsoon season.
Backpacking definitely possible there, I'd just discounted due to perception of weather.

[lu9months]

highly recommend Cambodia. had an amazing time there last august but didn't back pack, though I think you could

[HappyHolidays75]

@1234Bubble1234
Night trains too - we love them!
I've ordered a guide book and I'm sure will be back with questions!

[1234Bubble1234]

@HappyHolidays75

I was there at the end of August/start of September. We went about 7 or 8 years ago. We started in Istanbul and travelled across Turkey and then into Georgia. We went to Kazbegi, a town named after the mountain which towers over it. There is an amazing church there you can walk to, which is beautiful and we also did a hike to a glacier. The road to get there too is awesome , its called the Georgian military highway - we went to the bus station but ended up getting a shared taxi which meant we could stop to take lots of photos. We did some hiking in Borjomi national park too, visited a cave monestary called Vardzia which was really fun and interesting. We spent some time in the wine region as well.

One of my favourite foods was called a khachapuri which is a like a cheese pie. I still have dreams about eating them!

There were some hostels in Tbilisi, and we stayed in lots of guest houses too. Everybody was so kind and friendly towards us and we found it really easy to get around.

We also went to Azerbaijan a few years ago for a week and loved it. There is a night train from Tbilisi to Baku I think, so you could spend a few days there at the end of your trip. Near Baku there are some mud volcanoes, and an area which is always burning as gas is coming from the ground.

Let me know if you've got any other questions!

[HappyHolidays75]

@1234Bubble1234 Thank you! It was after watching that Race across the World bbc series that got me thinking about Georgia. (I'd have loved to do the race!). What time of year did you go? Any tips or must-do's?

@NormaBean
Public transport was great. As most people do, we booked the Ella-Kandy train (or whatever section you do) via a local agent to get a reserved seat. The rest we did as we travelled. Train Colombo-habarana. Bus to trinco, bus down the east coast to Arugum Bay (2-3 buses, but pretty much hop off hop on - local people unbelievably helpful in pointing out the next bus etc). Bus to Ella, then train to kandy. We always had seats, maximum cost was about £2.50 for a 3-4 hrs journey.
Driver would definitely be faster and cooler at times, but I have always enjoyed travelling this way.

Wildlife - we also went to Minnerya organised through our homestay guest house (if that's your kind of thing the family at Disna homestay are fabulous - spent our first 3 days there, and they'd help us make sure we got on the right buses etc - took bus to pollonuwara and sigirya).
I've been putting photos in an album today so full reminiscing mode 🤣

[NormaBean]

Thank you @SJane48S. I like your DH already

Absolutely, we always avoid anything offering any kind of interaction. Nothing better than observing an animal in the wild doing its own thing without it even knowing you’re there. Sadly, even those advertised as ‘ethical’ often do upsetting things so agree research is key.

Nice to know that ethical is possible to do there though so you’ve convinced me, Sri Lanka it is!

(Thank you for starting the thread OP)

[SJane48S]

Were transferred, not where!

[SJane48S]

@NormaBean, ethically (and DH works for an international animal welfare organisation) you are better off using a guide provided by the National parks in a suitable vehicle. We booked a Minneriya safari through our transport company and where transferred to a jeep with a guide who worked at Minneriya and was able to ensure we remained a safe distance from wildlife to ensure we encroached as little as possible on their movements. To go round any of the National Parks you will need to be in a vehicle for safety reasons both your own and that of the animals. It’s the only ethical way to do it.

There are numerous animal attractions in Sri Lanka that are not ethical so do your homework in advance. Any venue that allows for any kind of direct interaction (riding, bathing etc) with the animals is not an ethical one.

[1234Bubble1234]

I noticed you mentioned Georgia. I have genuinely just created an account so I could tell you how much I would recommend it. More expensive then Sri Lanka but still pretty cheap, and flights would definitely be cheaper, particularly as Wizz Air now fly there.

If you had 2.5 weeks you could even combine it with Azerbaijan or Armenia. Gerogia wouldn't be the best for swimming or snorkelling etc, although we did have a little bit of beach time. There is lots of hiking around though, easy to get around on public transport and the food was great!

It sounds like we enjoy travelling in a similar style, and although I don't have children, my husband and I have both agreed it would definitely be a destination we could take them.

[PandasandRabbit]

The islands off east coast of Malaysia are good for snorkelling/scuba diving, some have turtle conservation projects, baby sharks as well as some jungle type wildlife around like Tioman, Perhentians, Redang. Would need to combine with other things but some places are very good value there. Very little WIFI though.

We are doing Borneo, Perhentians and River Kwai in Thailand next summer. Koh Samui also looked worth considering in Thailand though we decided preferred perhentians as kids wanted turtles and baby sharks.

[NormaBean]

Thank you both for the Sri Lanka advice. It was actually the transport thing that has put me off slightly. Everything I read online says it’s necessary to hire a car and driver but we like doing things a bit more DIY style.

I’d be most interested in seeing the wildlife there. Is it possible to do it entirely ethically?

(I’m so sorry for the thread hijack)

[SJane48S]

@NormaBean as @HappyHolidays75 has said, we went to Sri Lanka this year too and I'd echo everything she has said, it's a wonderful country and the people were exceptionally kind and welcoming. The town's were pretty grotty but the countryside is beautiful and there is an abundance of wildlife. It's also got a lot going for on the cultural and historic side. We went at Easter and flew back a few days before the bombings. I felt hugely sad for the Sri Lankan people (as well obviously as all people directly affected), it's a nation that you can only wish good things for. We did it a little differently to the OP, my backpacking days are well over so we hired a driver & travelled around (didn't cost a fortune and most tourists we met had done similar) and stayed at 4-5 star hotels (again didn't cost a fortune - we did spend 4 hours at a budget hotel near the airport and had loo breaks at others, they were very very basic but clean and felt safe if that's the route you'd be looking to go). I'd love to go back at some point!

[fuzzyduck1]

Bali it’s not rainy season there. Can be as cheap or as expensive as you like we are just back and the hotels we stayed in ranged from £20 to £420 a night. (We do like to move around) everything from bamboo houses to lux island resort. All hotels were good quality.
Done few days in different parts of Bali, then Komodo, and Gili islands

[SJane48S]

@tenredthings, I do consider we’re climate aware and would agree that once you start highlighting other people choices it is rather asking for close look at your own. Many years ago I used to work for Greenpeace Canada levels of hypocrisy even with specialists was rife! None of us are perfect. As a family we might fly a couple of times a year (planes make up 2/3% of total global carbon emissions) - whether one longhaul flight makes up the equivalent of one families typical car emission is entirely debatable and dependent on what car, what type of plane, what fuel and overall usage. I personally don’t drive at all and the family car rarely gets used. Planes (especially given their contribution to carbon emissions) do seem to get a lot of focus. In contrast, rarely we talk about the volume of clothes we as a nation purchase - the textile sector is the 2nd most polluting industry globally. Would any of us think to give a global warming lecture to a friend off on a winter shop?

[tenredthings]

Sorry didn't read the OP properly, yes August in Morocco would be too hot. I've noticed as soon as you mention being climate aware there's a tendance to have to start justifying every life choice you make. I'm sure there are loads of aspects of my life I could improve on but it's good to realise that a longhall flight uses up as much carbon one way, as an average family car uses in a year.

[HappyHolidays75]

@tenredthings Morocco was fab one sept years ago, not sure if I could cope with august heat! Would love to hike in the mountains though.

[HappyHolidays75]

@NormaBean
Hard to say - just the feel of the place overall. No particular site, beach etc. Just lovely people, fabulous food, great accommodation (basic, homestay, guesthouse, nothing plush), excellent (basic and bouncy) public transport. Essentially nothing tangible just the whole place.
@SJane48S went this year too.
We returned from Borneo having loved it too. You wont regret going!

[HappyHolidays75]

@stucknoue :) can only have a decent length holiday in school summer hols for next 20 ish years. Downside of being a teacher.
Europe definitely an option too - camping in france/Holland has always been a hit. Moving further afield where eating out is much cheaper gives me much more of a break, and the adventure that we all enjoy.
Greece would be fab - unbearably hot for moving around though? If not, I'll look in to it.

@FinallyHere We will definitely return to Sri Lanka! It would be the same time of year, so east coast again but maybe jaffna rather than the usual sights we did last summer. Will have to wait a good few years before we can go in our winter.

@resipsa Spot on if we hadnt been! Although maybe peninsula and Sarawak.

[NormaBean]

May I ask why you preferred Sri Lanka to Borneo, OP?

Sorry to neb in but we share a very similar travel style, I loved Borneo and have been wondering about doing Sri Lanka next year.

[SJane48S]

Morocco away from the coast will be unbearably hot in August - nor would it be a country I’d want to take teenage DDs on public transport/cheap hostels if that is what the OP has. Take the point about long haul (although raised eyebrows at what the PP was doing on this section) but let’s look at how we can change our overall use of all means of polluting transport. What kind of car are you driving @tenredthings out of interest and how are you carbon offsetting?

[stucknoue]

At that time of year for that budget I would just go to Greece island hopping, or interailing in Central Europe. Leave long haul for when the weather is better

[resipsa]

Sorry - just read again and see you've been!

[resipsa]

Malaysia. Great weather. Cheap to eat etc. Go to Borneo and see the orangutans.

[tenredthings]

How about Morocco ? It meets your needs for sunshine, different culture and out doors adventure. Great bus service for travelling around, cheap hostels and friendly people. It saves on the longhall flights which are destroying our planet. We all need to be conscious of the part we are playing in global warming if we care about our children's futures.

[FinallyHere]

Have a look at Sri Lanka again.

Surprisingly for such a small island, the two coast gave very different climates so there is always some part perfect to visit. Enjoy.