subornopeligroso
New member
I'm 26 and feeling restless. Always wanted to travel to Central Asian and the Caucasus, but never got around to it because I was stuck in an LTR with someone who didn't want to travel. Now that I'm out, I recently met a girl who has gone on my dream trip, from Europe across Turkey into the Caucasus and then into Central Asia. I don't know many of the details, because I only briefly met her, and now I'm wondering how to go about it.
I had always envisioned taking on this trip as a hitchhiking adventure, primarily due to cost constraints on my part and the desire to meet and interact with locals. It would also allow for ad hoc adjustments of travel plans if I happen to be in the area of something I want to see, or if I meet some cool people I'd like to hang out with. This hypothetical trip would be my first serious voyage abroad farther than Western Europe alone, and so I have many questions.
First and foremost, is this something I should be doing alone? Is it common, or even recommended, to take on journeys like this with at least one or two other people? Where would I meet people in my area, or globally, who would be interested in embarking on a similar trip? I don't know a lot of people in my city, and I've asked nearly all of my close friends, only to be turned down.
How do I approach budgeting? With the improvisational nature of hitchhiking, how do I properly anticipate what I would need to set aside for accommodations, food, potential additional transit, etc.? Currently I have a little over 1500$ CAD to my name, and I could probably muster more after I file my tax returns. Maybe another 1000-2000$ CAD max.
If I'm not keen on visiting Western Europe, would it be smarter to take a flight closer to my intended destinations (say, the Balkans)? I've looked at flights from Montreal, and the farther out you go, and the less-frequented the area (Paris vs. Zagreb), the more expensive it seems to get. Going straight to Tbilisi, or Zagreb, is astoundingly pricey.
What do I pack, beyond obvious basics like shaving razors, a basic pair of clothes or two, a microfibre towel, a multitool, small first aid kit? I'm a photographer and I'd like to take my camera. I do, however, realize that bulk and weight are serious limitations. Many reels of film and an old SLR might be too much bulk.
How do I meet people once on the road? Is it possible to interact with the locals in a genuine and not overbearing or obnoxiously touristic way? Is excessive charisma necessary to smooth over language barriers? Should I be looking around online to meet people who might be open to hosting me or making my acquaintance? How would I do that? This girl I met had implied she already knew people to visit before she even went to Tajikistan, for example. Is it rude to seek shelter from strangers? More than anything on a trip like this, I would like to be respectful of those around me.
On a related note, is going as solely a bilingual Anglophone/Francophone a serious limitation, to the point where it's not worth trying to meet people there?
Would the combination of visa's necessary for such a trip be prohibitively expensive? I did not realize so many of these different places have visas that each cost something. With the potential for passing through Iran, would I be at any risk as a dual Canadian/American citizen and the son of a military man (not loudly, but I'm afraid they'd know or find out, and take issue)? Are any other countries a potential concern for getting hassled by the state?
Is it foolish to attempt this in the summer? I realize now that so many of these countries are at differing latitudes and longitudes, with climates that range both internally and across each other. Would that make packing and preparing difficult?
How integral is to get specific vaccines before leaving? For the span of Balkans > Turkey > Caucasus > Central Asia, are there any endemic diseases that are a significant concern?
I'm not sure if hitchhiking is the most appropriate way to cover these distances, due to a lack of experience.
Some of these questions I'd like to answer myself through research. Wherever your wisdom of experience may be helpful, I would be grateful if you shared.
Lastly, are there any important questions or considerations that I'm not making here?
A pre-emptive thank-you to any and all who reply.
I had always envisioned taking on this trip as a hitchhiking adventure, primarily due to cost constraints on my part and the desire to meet and interact with locals. It would also allow for ad hoc adjustments of travel plans if I happen to be in the area of something I want to see, or if I meet some cool people I'd like to hang out with. This hypothetical trip would be my first serious voyage abroad farther than Western Europe alone, and so I have many questions.
First and foremost, is this something I should be doing alone? Is it common, or even recommended, to take on journeys like this with at least one or two other people? Where would I meet people in my area, or globally, who would be interested in embarking on a similar trip? I don't know a lot of people in my city, and I've asked nearly all of my close friends, only to be turned down.
How do I approach budgeting? With the improvisational nature of hitchhiking, how do I properly anticipate what I would need to set aside for accommodations, food, potential additional transit, etc.? Currently I have a little over 1500$ CAD to my name, and I could probably muster more after I file my tax returns. Maybe another 1000-2000$ CAD max.
If I'm not keen on visiting Western Europe, would it be smarter to take a flight closer to my intended destinations (say, the Balkans)? I've looked at flights from Montreal, and the farther out you go, and the less-frequented the area (Paris vs. Zagreb), the more expensive it seems to get. Going straight to Tbilisi, or Zagreb, is astoundingly pricey.
What do I pack, beyond obvious basics like shaving razors, a basic pair of clothes or two, a microfibre towel, a multitool, small first aid kit? I'm a photographer and I'd like to take my camera. I do, however, realize that bulk and weight are serious limitations. Many reels of film and an old SLR might be too much bulk.
How do I meet people once on the road? Is it possible to interact with the locals in a genuine and not overbearing or obnoxiously touristic way? Is excessive charisma necessary to smooth over language barriers? Should I be looking around online to meet people who might be open to hosting me or making my acquaintance? How would I do that? This girl I met had implied she already knew people to visit before she even went to Tajikistan, for example. Is it rude to seek shelter from strangers? More than anything on a trip like this, I would like to be respectful of those around me.
On a related note, is going as solely a bilingual Anglophone/Francophone a serious limitation, to the point where it's not worth trying to meet people there?
Would the combination of visa's necessary for such a trip be prohibitively expensive? I did not realize so many of these different places have visas that each cost something. With the potential for passing through Iran, would I be at any risk as a dual Canadian/American citizen and the son of a military man (not loudly, but I'm afraid they'd know or find out, and take issue)? Are any other countries a potential concern for getting hassled by the state?
Is it foolish to attempt this in the summer? I realize now that so many of these countries are at differing latitudes and longitudes, with climates that range both internally and across each other. Would that make packing and preparing difficult?
How integral is to get specific vaccines before leaving? For the span of Balkans > Turkey > Caucasus > Central Asia, are there any endemic diseases that are a significant concern?
I'm not sure if hitchhiking is the most appropriate way to cover these distances, due to a lack of experience.
Some of these questions I'd like to answer myself through research. Wherever your wisdom of experience may be helpful, I would be grateful if you shared.
Lastly, are there any important questions or considerations that I'm not making here?
A pre-emptive thank-you to any and all who reply.
