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Ask HN: Taking a sabbatical to somewhere in Asia. How can I make the most of it?

10 points by sabbatical13 ↗ HN
Hi, I'm a 23 year old recent graduate and I posted this last week (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2649888). After a combination of burnout and reading the encouraging comments, I've made the definite decision to head to somewhere in Asia for 3 months starting August (considering Thailand, Indonesia or Singapore) and budgeting around $3000-$5000 towards it. During that time, I plan to do some photography, re-learn front-end development, learn the local language and try out mediation and yoga.

For those who've done something similar:

- What were things you took into account / took care of before making the move?

- What else would you do besides what I listed to make the most of the time-off?

- For those in the region, any tips on how to make the most of what I've budgeted?

- What can I do while I'm away to prepare the best for when I get back?

I've never done anything like this before, and right now, I'm feeling what can only be described as a combination of extreme excitement and nervousness. Appreciate any recommendations and insights, particularly from frequent and long-time travelers. Thanks!

30 comments

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gbog
Hi, why not going to China? It is the place where you will have the most interesting experience IMHO. Better go to inner China (i.e. not Shanghai or Beijing), to see the real thing. I think a fair part of the planet's future is played in places like Chongqing or in China's countryside, it is worth having a look. Disc: if you are hygienist (can't bear dirty toilets), better drop my advice.
jimmyjim
If the future is played in such places, that isn't a great reason for him to visiting them now -- not to mention the huge language barriers in undeveloped or rural areas. I think his time will be more beneficially spent in Shenzhen, if it's to be spent in China. I do agree though that China will be a better option than Thailand or Indonesia (with some assumptions made of what will be attractive to those with a hacker mentality).
sabbatical13
I'm still considering China too; definitely not out of the question. Curious to know more about why you think it will be more attractive than Thailand or Indonesia?
jimmyjim
Because Thailand or Indonesia isn't the future, China is.

Your time and experiences as a whole will be more valuable in many aspects if they're spent in China.

Consider:

1) Exposure to the Chinese language -- Mandarin, the _most spoken_ in the world - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_numb...

2) Shenzhen is the "technology hub" of China.

3) The biggest, most successful companies in China are headquartered there, or are planning to establish their headquarters in Shenzhen (Baidu, Skyworth, Hasee, Huawei, etc.)

4) Lots of emigrants there already -- more people in Shenzhen understand English than anywhere else in China

5) A bustling nightlife, and availability of 'luxury services' should you so desire them (as mentioned by someone else, it is the norm there for restaurants to be open until late)

friendstock
Good points, but Beijing is the internet startup hub of China.
friendstock
Singapore is pricier than other countries, but might be a god starting point, given that it is English-speaking, very modern and has a startup community (hackerspace.sg).

As for Indonesia, I think Jakarta is not that pleasant to walk around... but there might be other cities that are better.

I would also put in a suggestion to visit Taipei.

rick888
I second Taipei. You also won't have to worry about the government filtering your Internet access.
sabbatical13
After reading the comments, I'm considering doing Singapore as more of a smallers trip (not suggesting that you can experience all of it in a few days). Curious to know more on why you suggested Taipei?
latch
Given your budget, you'll likely want to avoid Hong Kong. It's generally considered a great intro to asia given how westernized it is...but hotels will kill.
olalonde
Yep, Shenzhen is a 40 min ride from HK airport and the rent is 1/5 of HK.
latch
Shenzhen isn't the safest place to go though (for a tourist)...not the worst either.
madeinindia
If you have not done it already, you must visit India. India has got an excellent mix of the old and the new. There are a wide array of languages you can chose to learn from. India is the cradle of Eastern philosophy so you can explore yoga and meditations in different forms and flavors. A strong tech community in the tier 1 cities and yes to plenty to capture in your camera!.
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[dead] sabbatical13
India would definitely be around the top of the list for something like this; unfortunately I was born and raised there ;). And part of what I'm doing is to move somewhere completely unfamiliar where I'm not familiar with the language. Thanks for the suggestion!
olalonde
Feel free to come to Shenzhen, China. I'm the only HNer there as far as I know but the rent is low and the women love foreigners :) I'm about your age and working on a startup here.I can help set you up, find an apartment and maybe we can collaborate on some stuff as well. I swear you won't want to come back home! Contact in profile.
jimmyjim
> I know but the rent is low

The rent is low in Shenzhen? That comes as a surprise to me, I'd been led to believe that it was in fact the most expensive city in China. Can you please expand on this? Perhaps share some numbers relating to rent, food, etc.? I'm considering moving there right after my graduation.

olalonde
Well, I was comparing to Hong Kong and North American cities. That being said, you can easily get a nice 300$/month apartment here. Food can be as low as 1$/meal. Taxis are very cheap. For 10$, you get a SIM card with a phone number and 50 minutes of calling time. Of course, if you have a lot of cash to spend, you can also be served. There are luxury apartments, luxury shopping malls, expensive nightclubs, etc. But if you live as a regular middle class Chinese, you can get by with quite low expenses.
sabbatical13
Thanks for the cost information, definitely within my budget.
sabbatical13 

  the rent is low and the women love foreigners :)
Love that part ;) and thanks so much for the kind offer olalonde. I'll look more into Shenzen as you're not the first person to suggest that. Are there a lot of hacker types around? And how about the night life?
olalonde
Night life is awesome. Clubs and bars are crowded from Monday to Sunday, 10pm to 5am. That's what you get with a high population density. A bit expensive though.

Shenzhen is the world capital of electronics manufacturing, so there are lots of hardware gadgets that haven't yet made their way to the western world. I wouldn't say there are lots of hacker types around, but I know there are some e-commerce/SEO/etc. meet ups (see http://www.shenzhenstuff.com/groups).

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toumhi
I'm currently for 1 month in Hanoi, Vietnam (after 4 months in Indonesia/Philippines/Vietnam). Life is dirt cheap here - you can find an apartment for $400 (or much less if you get some local contacts or go to some smaller city), food $3/day (eating out). Vietnam is also booming at the moment and many companies are looking to get a foot there. Laos and Cambodia are other exotic destinations in the region. You should not go to Singapore except if you like big westernized cities. I've been several times in Indonesia and lived 2 months in Jakarta, but would not recommend it. Meditation and yoga are big in Bali though, check it out. to answer your questions:

- I made sure somebody would take care of my incoming mail at home. Also make sure your financial situation,tax etc is handled.

- learning the local language + spending time on your own stuff sounds awesome

- 3 months for $5000 should be definitely doable. Renting an apartment beats moving around from hotel to hotel, however you might be interested in checking the country too :-) Mostly, avoid restaurants that serve western food and touristy neighborhoods, as your money will not go far there.

- doing web dev work would help you keep up to date. You can also see whether locals need help with their website/design needs (for example hotels, travel agencies etc.)

Relax. I know it sounds daunting when you're at home, but it's really not as dangerous or complex as people say. Don't forget to pack light. I have a 35-liter backpack and that's been enough for 5 months traveling/living in SE Asia, including laptop for work :-)

sabbatical13
Thanks for the tips toumhi, it seems like a general consensus that Signapore will probably be too expensive.

Thanks also for that last part, its been weird discussing it with friends/family cause they think its crazy taking the trip without a plan of what I'm going to do after; but that's just something I'll have to live with.

Besides housing and food, do you have any other big expenses? Also, you mentioned you've moved between Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, how easy and expensive is it to move around? I'm considering being in Thailand and taking a few weekly trips to visit the surrounding regions.

toumhi
Yeah, I know something about the family doubting of that kind of plans :-)

As for expenses, it depends of your lifestyle of course but it should cost $25/day for basic expenses (housing + food + beers) . If you want to travel around it will cost more. Also language courses you have to pay, yoga classes etc. But everything is much cheaper. I go to a salsa class here and it's $2.5 for 1 1/2 hour.

There are lots of cheap flights between countries, check Air Asia or Cebu Pacific Air for Philippines. Or from Thailand, you can take the bus/train to Laos/Cambodia.

Thailand is more expensive than Vietnam, although it's still much cheaper than most western countries.

notahacker
What else would I do? Move around the region. Transport here is cheap and you'll meet many other people of a similar age doing the same thing. South East Asia is reasonably compact despite the limitations of the transport system, and the subtle differences between countries (and regions within countries) are interesting.

Take a netbook with you and you'll find free wifi in cafes and hotels everywhere (except maybe rural Laos/Cambodia) but the rest of the time you'll be distracting yourself with more varied things than Hacker News.

Rule out Singapore on the budget you've mentioned, unless you plan to live in a dorm and avoid alcohol. Otherwise, it should be reasonably straightforward to live on ~$1000 per month if you're not partying or moving around all the time. You'll find more interesting and much cheaper food served from market stalls and informal roadside eateries than restaurants.

(posted from Saigon, Vietnam)

sabbatical13
Forgive me if its a n00b question, but how easy is it to meet new people; and are there particular destinations expats frequent?

One of the things I'm slightly nervous about is not knowing anyone or the language; and thereby finding it hard to do even the most basic things like finding a nice cheap place to crash.

Thanks for the tip about Singapore, that seems to be a general consensus. I'm also planning on taking some weekend trips around the region if flights are cheap, and may relegate Singapore to that leg of the trip.

rdouble
I have never been to the parts of Asia you mention, but if you don't stay right in Tokyo, Japan is doable on $5000 for 3 months. I had an (extremely small) apartment outside of Machida for $300/m. I would guess that outside of Tokyo, Japan might be cheaper than Singapore. The towns near the beach are chill, inexpensive and have many amenities compared to american small towns. I spent less than $8000 over 9 months and went on many trips, bought random electronics and clothes, etc. The most expensive part of my stay was train fare.
ravipathak
You should watch a ted talk by Stefan Sagmeister on Sabbaticals.

He nicely explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali.

Hopefully , it would help you getting a perspective for focusing on what can be done in sabbatical & help you choosing a place based on it.

monirz77
Dude, $5K would be living like a king in SE Asia. I travelled to Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar for a month in Feb, and I spent $1,500 total including my air fare. But I am an airline employee so I saved about a $1,000 worth airfare.

And I was staying on $8/night guesthouses, or if you want to update, maybe $15-20/night room, but if you want to splurge, $5K can easily be wiped out in a week :)

Yes, Singapore is on the higher end, and I love the food there! Not that I don't like the food in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, well, let's just say I'm a foodie :) Food is one of the reasons why I travel.

Ok, about meeting people. If you don't have a Couchsurfing account yet, then I suggest you shd sign up at couchsurfing.org

You'll surely to meet other travellers and they do have local meet up and yes, they can also host if that's your cup of tea, on your first few days. It's a great way to meet a local right away! Talk about cultural immersion.

Once you've signed up, join CS groups in the city where you'll be visiting. Just send a message, and let them know of your interest -- 'would like to meet CSers who also do front-end dev' etc etc. If not, people will direct you to people who knows other people who's doing the same thing.

Each Couchsurfing city (say CS Singapore, CS Bangkok) has its own sub groups. See if they have Expats group where you can connect with. Cambodia has an active expat group in Phnom Pehn. But I tell ya, I love Siem Reap, $.50 cents beer!!

Thailand is tourist friendly, very easy to travel there that I find no challenge to backpack, but that's just me :) The beaches are fantabulous! You can rent a bungalow for a month within your budget. I was in Krabi in 2009.

And 20,000 expats living in Chiang Mai could not be wrong. Chiang Mai is cooler with its proximity to the mountains. I was just there in Feb.

I've never lived there (other than in the Phillipines) but had been vacationing the past 2 yrs to SE Asia. Happy travels!!. Send away your questions to me if you have.

There's nothing you can do to prepare when getting back except to savor the memories and prepare to tell stories about your adventures.

And beware, you may not want to come to back to the US though :) And that's not a bad thing either.

Rowena