Traveling during gap year: South America or Asia?

Hi, I’m an 18 year old guy from the Netherlands, currently in my gap year between high school and university. I am planning to travel for around two months starting in march next year. For the last two years, I’ve been dying to go to South (/Latin) America. Countries like Peru, Chile Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador really appeals to me. The culture, language, nature, music and people and all that stuff. I’m also in the process of learning Spanish and I want to get better at it, because I’m thinking about studying for a year in a Spanish speaking country.

Recently though, I’ve been talking to my half sister and a coworker, and they both said the same thing: you should go to Asia when you’re young, go to South America when you’re older. They are 24 and 27. I don’t know where my coworker has been exactly, but my half sister has been in Mexico, Colombia, Thailand and Indonesia. She told me everything is ‘easier’ in those Asian countries, like mopeds and busses, and also way cheaper.

I get what they’re saying, but those Asian countries just don’t appeal to me the way South- and Latin America does. So what would your advice be for someone who is barely an adult? I’ll be traveling solo or with one or two friends, I want to see 2-4 countries.

Thanks in advance :)

Submitted October 31, 2022 at 06:57AM by CounterproductiveJam https://ift.tt/SfRk1Lp