Hi everyone, sorry in advance for the wall of text!
I’m 39M from Canada and growing up I never really traveled or experienced much of the party/nightlife scene. Now that I have the vacation time and the budget, I feel like I’ve missed out and want to finally push my boundaries to grow and try it at least once.
I know traveling solo is cheaper, but I don’t have the confidence for that and I’m not very social initially. I believe a group tour would take away a lot of the stress and let me hopefully enjoy something new.
A friend recommended looking into intrepid/g-adventures, and I’m looking at doing a combo South Korea/Japan trip in November. I’m also planning to arrive a few days early to get a health check in South Korea (still not 100% sure about this)
I have some questions about the different travel options for g-adventures:
Basic (18-39) vs Classic
18-39 (Basic): It’s half the price and age group is 20-37 age group, 10/10 solo so far. Since I turn 40 next year, this is my last chance to join this age bracket. I don’t really drink, but I want to experience going out and experience the night life once.
Classic: This one is twice the price and shorter, so far much older (35-70, only 2/10 solos). I’d really prefer a group of mostly new, solo people to make it easier to make friends (maybe I'm overthinking)
My Questions:
How basic are the hostels? I understand it’s bunkbeds dorms split by gender, but I’m 6'3. Can you at least lock the doors or is just open and going to be a bad experience?
I’m a vegetarian, I heard it can be difficult to get non-fish items but it should be okay with the tour guide? Any advice for finding places?
Trip Length: Is a 15-20 day trip too much for a first time? The flights from Canada are long and expensive, so I want to make sure I’m maximizing my money and time, but I'm worried I'll burn out.
Luggage Limits: I read Japan has a 160cm rule for luggage on trains. Is a standard medium-sized checked suitcase safe for this?
Alternative: Should I not do a combo trip and either do 1 country or something closer/shorter to Canada?
Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
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