If you’re already thinking about the excitement of a new country, China or Taiwan is the way to go. If you go to Japan again, you’ll be wondering about the new country you didn’t choose half the time.
China’s mountains are amazing , their cities are fun, the food is still my favorite after 30 countries, the transportation across the entire country is very convenient and cheap, you can buy the newest electronics at rock-bottom prices, the celebrations and community activities are fun, my Chinese friends are the only people I’ve met traveling who I still stay in regular contact with, the street food the foooood.
I have four episodes dedicated to my favorite chinese foods, you should go to China and get the food.
It’s going to feel a lot different(and louder) than Japan since there’s still basically zero non-Chinese people living in China, so everyone will be confused about your presence and there won’t be much English, but if you plan your stays ahead and check the transportation(I can help you with that if you like, I lived in China for over 6 years), you’ll be good to go.
you’ll have to use alternative apps, Didi is their rideshare app, for example, but it has an English version that’s easy to sign up for and works just as easy as uber/grab/whatever you’re familiar with and of course it’s china so everything including taxis will be dirt cheap.
I also love Taiwan, and if you want a more relaxed new adventure, that’s a great place, it’s a much quieter and more organized version of China and they still use the traditional characters, which is cool to see. Taiwan is definitely worth visiting as well, but it will feel a lot like Japan and you probably won’t be surprised and confused every twenty minutes like you will be in China.
Oh, and the island sea-goddess pilgrimage in Taiwan will begin mid April, looks like the 17th this year, so there will be a lot of fairs and things going on leading up to and during that time. They walk around the island visiting different temples to honor Mazu, the resident sea goddess.
Ooh, and Taiwan has amaaaazing vegetarian buddhist food, that should be mentioned.
Okay! Reach out if you like, have fun!
It isn’t dumb to feel overwhelmed, though many people regret the things they didn’t do.
The “overwhelming” part of travel is usually of our own making, while the valuable part of traveling is simply living in a new world.
Don’t plan any activities, don’t rent a car. Watch movies, sleep all day in your comfortable apartment and then visit the markets or cafes when you’re hungry.
Just by being somewhere new, you’ll be learning and living; I tell everybody who asks me about traveling that travel should be slow and easy and as comfortable as you want, especially in the beginning.
Vietnam is a solid pick: the people are incredibly kind and you get to eat pho every day.