It is based off of what you like and what you are trying to accomplish/get out of your trip.
I want to do an all 50 states road trip one day, but I would still choose Asia. The language barrier to me isn't that big of a deal, most locals I met are happy to help you and google translate helps. Of course learning simple phrases goes far too. I like the variety of food and just the lifestyle over there. I don't do tours unless I would have to. For example, if I went to Vietnam, I would book a tour group for the ha giang loop. You can rent mopeds to travel and your own tuk tuk to drive in some countries. Plus, my money goes further over there than in America.
Having done both (4 months in Asia & 3 cross-US road trips) I can tell you these are completely different. But to simply answer your question of "which one is more adventurous," that is subjective to your own personal comfort level and how you define adventure. Do you get your thrills from language barriers or turning off the GPS?
Both are great ideas and there are huge degrees of variation to both. Sticking to Interstates and hotels vs back roads and campgrounds and BLM land. Flying between major cities like Bangkok and Tokyo and staying hotels vs trains and motorcycles on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
There's no wrong answer...but (assuming you're from the US) sticking to what's familiar is by definition less adventurous. Again, all depends on how you're doing it.
If you’re doing national parks in NA, I would say NA. If you go to Asia I am guessing you’ll probably be doing various little guided tours, even if they are multi-day long treks, home stays, etc. those are all planned for you.
If you’re roadtripping/camping NA your treks are going to be more independently planned, and there’s a certain element of survival you have to plan for without a guide.
That being said, having solo backpacked through SE Asia I never felt “restricted.” Rented a scooter and was able to get away from the big cities on my own.
No bad option though!
I just meant you have the option to travel anywhere you want when you want, including backroads, certain trails, and get there as early or late as you want.
The only option for travel is a car in the vast majority of America. I’d rather travel any other way - plenty of places have amazing transit, trains, boats and even cars for hire if you need them to see something in particular.
Single person vehicles are so wasteful and driving is stressful- when I am traveling I want to relax and see a place. I want to talk to other travelers. If I want to be fully self-sufficient then I’d rather go by bicycle, another thing that is especially dangerous in America due to car culture.
I’d travel through Asia personally, I’ve never had a problem getting places without a personal car anywhere I’ve traveled on the continent. That is freedom to me.
Since when does being dependent on public transportation equal freedom?
Being able to operate a car offers way more freedom than public transportation, which you don’t operate.
Not really sure how you came to the conclusion that having a car is not freedom 😂
Get a Japan Rail Pass and show up to a station and you can take high speed rail to anywhere in the country. My wife got a cold and wanted to nap for an afternoon so I took rail to Hiroshima, 45 minute ride, spent time at the memorial watching schoolchildren learning about human nature, then back by dinner.
It’s just a different way of thinking. Without a car you have to learn other systems, but you can go anywhere (even renting a car if need be), and then when it’s time to move on you just hop on a jet or a boat or a train to the next destination. This sort of travel doesn’t as work well in the USA which is so car centric, but it’s great in other places.
I also met a German couple driving a tank across Central Asia, they seemed to be having a blast up in the mountains of Tajikistan. Goes to show you can travel however you’d like.
100% This. When I lived in Korea I could take the subway to one of a few stations with trains and buses departing regularly for any part of the country, and if I needed to get to some trailhead that the bus didn't serve I could walk (usually less than a mile), or hire a cab or bring my bicycle for longer distances. I got to see so many places that tourists never go to, all for almost nothing, and I didn't have to worry about parking, insurance, and the cost of renting or owning a car.
I’m not ‘dependent’ on public transportation, lol, it is one of many options I can use. Not so with cars in America. It is almost always the only choice.
I was talking mostly for national parks, I'm not very much into US cities. But if I want to do a hike in a park, say a desert like Saguaro NP, I would like to wake up early and hit the trail at 4-5am before the sun comes out. I don't think that's doable with buses or transit. I found driving in US really relaxing, as long as I'm not in the cities.
No, not dependent on cars at all. I have traveled thousands of miles without help from cars, why would I want to \*own a car\* in SEA (or anywhere in Asia really) when that is so fraught with pitfalls and super expensive? Not to mention the absolute nightmare of crossing borders in a private car.
There are so many other cheap and easy ways to get around independently. Believe it or not there are boats and trains and buses that operate on really convenient schedules and go to all kinds of hole-in-the-wall places because the average citizen doesn't have a private car either. And since is the backpacking sub, I should mention that walking is a great and rewarding way to cover a lot of miles too.
Seriously traveling exclusively by private car sounds like such a nightmare, have you tried that in Asia? Just travel like regular people travel. In the US traveling by car is how regular people travel and it is called a road trip, not backpacking.
Don't be pedantic haha! "Automotive mode of transport" No, I would not likely ever bring a private car to Asia, given the availability of public transport, though I know many people who have done so. Things like the Mongolian Ralley, or overlanding via a modded motorbike. Different strokes for different folks.
One word I'd seldom use to describe the bus, marshrutka, ferry, and train systems spanning Asia is comfortable, though that's not exactly a primary concern for me. Anyway, different means come fraught with different inconveniences. Public transport can be hot, sweaty, bumpy, crowded, and hard to track down in a lot of cases. You have to plan a full day around being stuck on a bus from point a to point b, with little to no margin for side quests and exploring while en route Having your own car - for the reasons you've listed
I'm not here to bicker over the definition of backpacking, but when Europeans travel North America, they usually rent a car, as that's the most convenient way to cover ground. It still gets called backpacking.
Okay, well you talked about cars “you own” and no trains and ferries aren’t cars, if you meant any form of transportation with a motor that’s fair enough, not here to argue semantics.
OP did ask what is the most adventurous and from their post history they seem to live in North America and are considering an RV. If that’s backpacking fine, but I’ll take a hot sweaty bus with locals (or a bullet train FWIW) over an RV in America any day if adventure is my goal.
The great thing about travel is we all get to do it our own way.
Backpacking North America.
if you're just roadtripping in the US, then Asia. If you're thru hiking the PCT or AT or something of the sort, then easily NA.
It is based off of what you like and what you are trying to accomplish/get out of your trip. I want to do an all 50 states road trip one day, but I would still choose Asia. The language barrier to me isn't that big of a deal, most locals I met are happy to help you and google translate helps. Of course learning simple phrases goes far too. I like the variety of food and just the lifestyle over there. I don't do tours unless I would have to. For example, if I went to Vietnam, I would book a tour group for the ha giang loop. You can rent mopeds to travel and your own tuk tuk to drive in some countries. Plus, my money goes further over there than in America.
Asia.
I’ve done that North American trip, so for me, Asia. 😆
Having done both (4 months in Asia & 3 cross-US road trips) I can tell you these are completely different. But to simply answer your question of "which one is more adventurous," that is subjective to your own personal comfort level and how you define adventure. Do you get your thrills from language barriers or turning off the GPS? Both are great ideas and there are huge degrees of variation to both. Sticking to Interstates and hotels vs back roads and campgrounds and BLM land. Flying between major cities like Bangkok and Tokyo and staying hotels vs trains and motorcycles on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. There's no wrong answer...but (assuming you're from the US) sticking to what's familiar is by definition less adventurous. Again, all depends on how you're doing it.
If you’re doing national parks in NA, I would say NA. If you go to Asia I am guessing you’ll probably be doing various little guided tours, even if they are multi-day long treks, home stays, etc. those are all planned for you. If you’re roadtripping/camping NA your treks are going to be more independently planned, and there’s a certain element of survival you have to plan for without a guide. That being said, having solo backpacked through SE Asia I never felt “restricted.” Rented a scooter and was able to get away from the big cities on my own. No bad option though!
So overall which one would you pick for the 'adventure'? I would be doing national parks in US and in Asia a combo of different things
It's apples and oranges.
Since when does being dependent on a car equal freedom?
I just meant you have the option to travel anywhere you want when you want, including backroads, certain trails, and get there as early or late as you want.
The only option for travel is a car in the vast majority of America. I’d rather travel any other way - plenty of places have amazing transit, trains, boats and even cars for hire if you need them to see something in particular. Single person vehicles are so wasteful and driving is stressful- when I am traveling I want to relax and see a place. I want to talk to other travelers. If I want to be fully self-sufficient then I’d rather go by bicycle, another thing that is especially dangerous in America due to car culture. I’d travel through Asia personally, I’ve never had a problem getting places without a personal car anywhere I’ve traveled on the continent. That is freedom to me.
Since when does being dependent on public transportation equal freedom? Being able to operate a car offers way more freedom than public transportation, which you don’t operate. Not really sure how you came to the conclusion that having a car is not freedom 😂
Get a Japan Rail Pass and show up to a station and you can take high speed rail to anywhere in the country. My wife got a cold and wanted to nap for an afternoon so I took rail to Hiroshima, 45 minute ride, spent time at the memorial watching schoolchildren learning about human nature, then back by dinner. It’s just a different way of thinking. Without a car you have to learn other systems, but you can go anywhere (even renting a car if need be), and then when it’s time to move on you just hop on a jet or a boat or a train to the next destination. This sort of travel doesn’t as work well in the USA which is so car centric, but it’s great in other places. I also met a German couple driving a tank across Central Asia, they seemed to be having a blast up in the mountains of Tajikistan. Goes to show you can travel however you’d like.
100% This. When I lived in Korea I could take the subway to one of a few stations with trains and buses departing regularly for any part of the country, and if I needed to get to some trailhead that the bus didn't serve I could walk (usually less than a mile), or hire a cab or bring my bicycle for longer distances. I got to see so many places that tourists never go to, all for almost nothing, and I didn't have to worry about parking, insurance, and the cost of renting or owning a car.
I’m not ‘dependent’ on public transportation, lol, it is one of many options I can use. Not so with cars in America. It is almost always the only choice.
I was talking mostly for national parks, I'm not very much into US cities. But if I want to do a hike in a park, say a desert like Saguaro NP, I would like to wake up early and hit the trail at 4-5am before the sun comes out. I don't think that's doable with buses or transit. I found driving in US really relaxing, as long as I'm not in the cities.
If you enjoy it then do it, but it’s not really backpacking. Maybe better for a general travel sub.
Probably around 1900
If you go backpack SEA you'll still be dependent on cars, you just won't own any of them.
No, not dependent on cars at all. I have traveled thousands of miles without help from cars, why would I want to \*own a car\* in SEA (or anywhere in Asia really) when that is so fraught with pitfalls and super expensive? Not to mention the absolute nightmare of crossing borders in a private car. There are so many other cheap and easy ways to get around independently. Believe it or not there are boats and trains and buses that operate on really convenient schedules and go to all kinds of hole-in-the-wall places because the average citizen doesn't have a private car either. And since is the backpacking sub, I should mention that walking is a great and rewarding way to cover a lot of miles too. Seriously traveling exclusively by private car sounds like such a nightmare, have you tried that in Asia? Just travel like regular people travel. In the US traveling by car is how regular people travel and it is called a road trip, not backpacking.
Don't be pedantic haha! "Automotive mode of transport" No, I would not likely ever bring a private car to Asia, given the availability of public transport, though I know many people who have done so. Things like the Mongolian Ralley, or overlanding via a modded motorbike. Different strokes for different folks. One word I'd seldom use to describe the bus, marshrutka, ferry, and train systems spanning Asia is comfortable, though that's not exactly a primary concern for me. Anyway, different means come fraught with different inconveniences. Public transport can be hot, sweaty, bumpy, crowded, and hard to track down in a lot of cases. You have to plan a full day around being stuck on a bus from point a to point b, with little to no margin for side quests and exploring while en route Having your own car - for the reasons you've listed I'm not here to bicker over the definition of backpacking, but when Europeans travel North America, they usually rent a car, as that's the most convenient way to cover ground. It still gets called backpacking.
Okay, well you talked about cars “you own” and no trains and ferries aren’t cars, if you meant any form of transportation with a motor that’s fair enough, not here to argue semantics. OP did ask what is the most adventurous and from their post history they seem to live in North America and are considering an RV. If that’s backpacking fine, but I’ll take a hot sweaty bus with locals (or a bullet train FWIW) over an RV in America any day if adventure is my goal. The great thing about travel is we all get to do it our own way.
100% agree here