The Escape Route

I'm ready to take off and I have a fairly well-planned-out escape route. I chose to go at it this way, rather than leave with a loose itinerary which others might prefer, in part because I'm traveling alone and also because I do enjoy having some sense of direction. I leave on Monday, September 15th and return in the winter, just before the holidays. My path is basically this:


Hong Kong


Beijing, China


Hanoi, Vietnam


Vientiane, Laos


Luang Prabang, Laos


Chiang Mai, Thailand


Siem Reap/Angkor, Cambodia


Bangkok and beaches, Thailand


Bali (all over)


Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh, India


Why did I select these locations? Several reasons (and I swear I am not on the Eat Pray Love path that so many people have called me out on...although I would like to visit the medicine man in Bali and get my fortune told). First of all, there are some amazing sights to behold and beautiful cultures to experience. Second, these places are relatively cheap! Finally, I hear that as a solo female traveller, I will be reasonably safe provided I take normal precautions. Check out this article from USA Today. According to the Internet (which everyone should believe all that is written there) I am safer in, say, Vietnam than I am in my own country (USA). I'd believe it.