Quick travel guides for nomads
Popular cultural tourist city in central highlands. Great food, variety of shopping, good mix of city accommodations or nature lodging.
Great food, lots of things to do and see. And still carries a very local vibe. I enjoyed my time in Kandy a lot. The more you stay, the more you find things to do.
Kandy and nearby tourist attractions can be seen in 2-3 days but with all the farther-out sights, I think 4 days might be better to fully enjoy it.
Popular beach city just north of capital city Colombo (and next to the airport). Very westernized, touristy with all big city comforts, and creditcard accepted everywhere.
Feels like a proper beach city with many hotels, restaurants, shops, and westernized touristy area. Everything is very comfy and convenient. The price is expensive compared to the rest of Sri Lanka, but still very cheap by western standards. I also noticed this area tends to be much more full of Germans, rather than Russian (in the south).
The best reason to go here is to be close to the airport and out of Colombo (which everyone recommends you skip). If you check the map, you’ll see CMB airport is actually in Negombo. Making this your perfect final stop in Sri Lanka. It’s not a necessary destination at all (very low unique tourism value).
But can be a nice stop for some days before you fly out of CMB. Luckily, they accept card everywhere here so you don’t have to pull out more cash.
Northeast beach city, with small beach towns adjacent. Very local and conservative vibe, with pockets of tourist areas during high season.
We came during off-season months of Dec & Jan, also stayed in the outer area of Nilaveli Beach, and felt like we were the only foreigners we saw everyday.
Definitely the least fun place we’ve been on our whole Sri Lanka tour. Beach nearby us was ugly. Everything was far and remote, needed to rent a bike to buy daily food and water. I guess it was nice in that we had time to focus on work stuff instead of getting distracted by tourist stuff. But that’s not why we go places, right?
I’d say 3 days is enough. But also, you need to have a reason to come here. Are you sure you want to see a more conservative part of Sri Lanka? A part that doesn’t have so many westernized food options and tourist things to do? A part that may not be a great place to visit during off-season? Because you might be better just skipping this place.
If you’re simply looking for the least touristy major city of Sri Lanka, skip this and go further north to Jaffna.
Many historic sites and ruins inside a big green bicycle-able park with lots of nature and wildlife.
Anuradhapura is the most iconic city in the Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle, and also its first capital before being destroyed by the Cholas in 993 AD. And lucky for you, all the main tourist sights are situated close together (within the “Sacred City”) and easily reached with a bicycle.
There’s also restaurants with GREAT FOOD, and some lakes and other things to see outside of the sacred city. In case you were looking for city comforts or specific conveniences, you can also find it here. Plenty of stores for electronics, clothing, upscale grocery stores, etc.
2 days is the perfect amount of time. You technically could do it all in one daytrip (5-hours of biking), but we felt it was best to have an extra day so there’s no rush, and also you have more time to try different restaurants.
Tiny town where tourists come to see Sigiriya Rock aka “Lion Rock” (UNESCO site).
Go here for the big UNESCO ancient fortress palace on top of a giant rock sticking out of the jungle. Many cheap and nice nature accommodations to stay. And it’s close enough to several other destinations (between Kandy & Trincomalee). You have no excuse not to visit here.
Come as a day trip or stay the night. Maybe add a day if you just want to chill in a tiny tourist town.
Sri Lanka’s touristy mountain town. Lots of mountain views, nature hikes, waterfalls and caves, and the Nine Arch Bridge. Oh and good food!
It’s a mountain jungle place where accommodations have you staying right in nature. See birds, monkeys, and green all around you as you wake up to nature everyday. Take little hikes and enjoy picturesque mountain viewpoints all around you. The food is also the best we had up to this point, especially since coming from the south of Sri Lanka (which really didn’t have great food).
2 days is enough to see all the main points. Stay longer to relax more, eat good food, or give yourself more time with nature.
Relaxed beach town with beachside restaurants and remove beaches for a more local atmosphere. It’s still has touristy things like restaurants and bars, but not overly commercial with endless shops.
Tangalle can be a nice 2-day stop to relax and enjoy the long peaceful beachfronts. Or a 6-day stay to fully relax and also take tours to nearby national parks (Udalaware & Yala) to see wildlife, and Africa-like landscapes. We stayed here six days and loved it, but if you’re looking for things to do…then you should continue on to Ella.
Island country off India’s southern coast, and very similar to in culture and geography to south India.
Known as one of the cheapest and most convenient travel destinations. Because it’s a small country, easy to get around (since everything all in one island), very inexpensive. Lots of transportation…cheap trains and buses, taxis are cheap enough for foreigners to take 2-hr rides. The locals are friendly and many speak enough English. Internet is good enough. Everywhere feels very safe and accessible.
As a foreigner, you’ll find Sri Lanka to be very undeveloped and wild. Wild beaches, train-tracks running all over the country (past beaches, through jungles, around mountains), people walking on train tracks, people hanging out of train cars, very local vibe in many places and not overly touristy as other countries. Nature everywhere and you feel like you’re living in it (whether for good or for worse), rather than looking at it.
The default VISA period is one month and that’s a good amount of time to comprehensively immerse yourself on the Sri Lankan island. If you need to extend, you can do it easily enough online or through the tourist office.
Classic local favorite beach town with many beachside restaurants along the road. Not really a city.
Unawatuna is a local favorite spot for many and it’s easy to see why. Beautiful beaches with a chill vibe, not crowded, great sunset views, and cheap accommodation easily found right next to the beach.
Although you could stay several days, there’s probably very little to do other than sit on the beach and you may get bored. We did just a 1-day stop through here.
Skippable local beach city with a touristy “Dutch Fort”, close to better spots in south Sri Lanka.
This city isn’t a worthy tourist destination. No beautiful beaches, mostly all local areas and local food (good if you want cheap food). It’s for passing by when you’re going between other southern coastal cities in Sri Lanka.
The only thing here is to check out the Dutch Fort, take pictures around the walls. And maybe buy or pickup things that can only be found in a bigger city. There are much more markets here and options to choose from. A friend went here to find bigger repair shops for his broken mobile phone.
A 2-hour pitstop is more than enough for me.
Nice beach town known for having corals and turtles, and many Russians. And OK for surfing.
It’s a small beach town with a nice relaxed vibe without being pretentious. Plenty of water activities to do around here, and close to other towns for other excursions and activities. You can stay here a couple days or a couple weeks.
Hyper-stimulated and mega-dense, iconic capital city of Japan and Japanese pop culture.
Tokyo is perhaps the most known and recognized city in Asia by westerners. The other most recognized Asian countries (by westerners) are probably China and Korea. But what are their capital cities? Fewer people know the answers to that. It helps Tokyo is easy to spell and remember. Also that Japanese culture is also more familiar and previously introduced in Western media and other subcultures.
We know Tokyo is one of the biggest and most populated cities in the world. But what do you see when you actually get there?
A proper visit to Toyko should be 5-7 days. There are many areas to wander, tourist attractions, museums, parks, gardens, and activities to do.
Ultra-dense, ultra-modern technology yet traditional culture, super fun and safe country of polite perfectionist people.
Japanese is one of the most “known” and recognized Asian cultures by westerners. The other most “known” Asian cultures (by westerners) are probably China and Korea. It helps a lot that Japanese culture has been previously introduced in Western media and other subcultures. And that many westerners have tried Japanese foods. And so many people have heard many things about Japan already.
But what do you realize when you actually get there?
2 weeks is a good amount of time to pass through the main 3 destinations in Japan…Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. With maybe a day trip out to nearby destinations here and there.
The JR Pass most likely WON’T save you MONEY or TIME.
Then you’ll probably save money and time by NOT buying the pass. I mean it! Please do not be fooled by endless blogs and affiliate links encouraging you to buy the pass. It is not the safe option!
2nd biggest South Korean city with beaches and vibrant neighborhoods.
I don’t know why I thought Busan would be a small town but nope, it’s a big enough city of 3 million people. Has many many things to do and also carries a different vibe from Seoul. Although most people put only 2-3 days here, it’s easily a week’s worth of activities if not more. Touristically, it is NOT smaller than Seoul.
Seoul vs Busan ultimately comes down to what you prefer….bigger city with more nightlife (vibrant every night) vs coastal city with beaches. I would also add that Seoul has bigger historic sites (palaces & temples) and is colder (therefore more winter sports). And Busan feels less touristy than Seoul, less extreme weather (no freezing winters), better seafood, and friendlier people. I won’t say which is better. Both are worth visiting, but I’d ultimately stay longer in Seoul.
3 days to get a taste, 5-7 is more ideal to feel the vibe. Busan is bigger than you think and with more activities than you think.
Small beach city 3 hours drive northeast of Seoul.
Small city with a handful of tourist things to do and a see. At the very least, it’s a nice beach break from the usual city bustle of Seoul.
A self-governing island country that was formerly a province of China.
Taiwan is full of nice food, nice people, nice vibes. Without having been to China, I couldn’t help but see Taiwanese people as a generally more cultured and more friendly version of Chinese people. While they might Taiwanese and Chinese may be culturally and geographically similar, they most definitely see themselves as different and do have enough distinctions between each other.
As an American, I would also say that Taiwanese have a less favorable attitude towards mainland China and more favorable attitude towards America. (That’s for when comparing attitudes between Taiwanese and Chinese people.)
main cities & days to spend
Taiwan’s capital city, full of food and city sights to see.
I wasn’t here for long and didn’t see much of any touristy things. I simply hung out with locals, went where they went and ate where they ate.
Great city that deserves a solid 5-7 days to explore.
South Korea’s capital and largest city. Vibrant busy life, nightlife, and massive cultural immersion.
Seoul is Korea’s equivalent of Tokyo (Japan). Vibrant, busy, dynamic, full of people, and beautiful sites. Although Seoul isn’t as crowded and over-stimulated as Tokyo, it’s still quite a bit (for a Westerner). It’s a great entry point into your Korean cultural exploration. Get your bearings and learn how to use public transpo, and order/pay at restaurants, etc.
Most touristy main parts of Seoul can be covered in 3 days. But you might wanna stay longer to really enjoy the food, bars, nightlife, and soak in that Seoul vibe. 5-7 days is a better fit. But do feel free to move on to Busan or Jeju island if you had enough.
Ultra-modern, super developed Asian country. Fun, great, hyper-stimulated environment.
On paper and to a Westerner, Korea could best be describe as another Japan…or like a cheaper, less-developed, less-cool version of Japan. And despite the hate you’d get from Japanese or Korean people for saying that, you wouldn’t be so unreasonable.
Both of these countries have been battling each other for a long time. With a feud debating events back as recent as 50 years ago to 2 millennia ago. Both with their own version of historic events. Both with their take on who was the aggressor. Fueling ultra-nationalistic pride in their citizens and even corporations. Whereas Japan has Sony & Panasonic, Korea has Samsung & LG. Japan has Toyota & Honda, Korea has Hyundai & Kia. And so forth and so forth. They even argue which one evolved from the other.
And as much as they’ve hated each other the years, there’s no denying that they are ultimately more alike each other than with any other nationality in the world. Korea is super safe and modern like Japan. Things are high-tech, clean, more expensive. Public spaces are visually over-stimulated and colorful.
But that’s where it ends. Whereas Japan has stayed very collective and by-the-rules, Koreans are developed their own sub-culture. More individual and unique. They stopped copying Japan things less and less and became more unique like the west. Their own TV shows and music, dancing and arts, are now worthy of being copied (ripped-off) by even Western/American industries. Korea is more unique if you know and appreciate where to look. They have their own food, culture, vibe, their own thing. They are not just a lesser version of Japan. Korea is super cool and worth seeing on its own unique merit.
1 week for just Seoul & maybe 3-5 days Busan, and another 3 days for Jeju Island. 1-2 days here and there for smaller towns. So at a minimum, 2 weeks for main spots and 1 month for comprehensive tour. One thing is for sure…you’ll probably wish you spent more time. Korea is a cool place to live, not just to see and leave.