Just got back from my first ever solo trip (2.5 months), thought I'd give a little recap as well as some tips for the places I went!VIETNAM (30 days)Managed to visit Ho Chi Minh, Dalat, Hoi An, Phong Nha, Hanoi, Cat Ba Island, Ninh Binh and Sapa.Best hostels: Hard to choose, the hostels in Vietnam were all pretty amazing! But: Dablend in HCM, Cozy Nook in Dalat, and Luna's House in Cat Ba.Highlights that you can't miss: Cave tours in Phong Nha, motorbiking around Cat Ba Island to the national park, Halong Bay boat tour, incredible Banh Mi in Hoi An, and hiking in SapaTips:Vietnam is insanely hot and humid. My body took a while to get used to the sudden change in temperature. Make sure you ALWAYS have a full bottle of water on you when you go out exploring (all my hostels always were selling them for cheap, some even for free!). Seriously. There were far too many times I felt faint from walking around and barely made it back to my room, crazy dehydrated.Speaking of dehydration, careful of getting drunk here. Hangovers took way longer to get over thanks to the heat, and I found myself getting drunk way easier thanks to the lack of fluids in my body. I became the biggest lightweight (those $1 beers didn't help).Personally, I found Vietnamese people incredibly welcoming, friendly and eager to help me out (yes, most of the time they just wanted money out of me). Also, ALWAYS ask your hostel staff for street food recommendations. It's safer, and it's how I found the most delicious, local and cheap meals.Downsides of the country: THE HEAT. You do kind of always have to be on your guard for thieves, 24/7. Looking like a walking money machine to people can get a little depressing after a while. Local Vietnamese food is wonderfully cheap, but is surprisingly bland at times.THAILAND (17 days)Visited Bangkok, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket (I was feeling exhausted from running around Vietnam at this point, and just wanted to chill on some beaches)Best hostels: Hub of Joys in Koh Lanta, Baan Baan Hostel in Phuket, Tropical Garden Bungalow on Koh Phi PhiHighlights you can't miss: Scootering around Koh Lanta, chilling on the massive and mostly empty beaches in Lanta, snorkeling tours on Koh Phi Phi.Same tips regarding heat in Thailand, but at least you have the beach and a bit more wind to keep you cooler.Koh Lanta was probably one of my favourite places of the entire trip. It's secluded, barely any tourists, friendly locals, and yummy curry places (but spicy!). Highly recommend if you want to get away from the partying crowd and want some peace and quiet. Seriously, everyone goes to bed by 9pm here.Flights within the country are wonderfully cheap. I was in Bangkok for 4 days and wanted to get out ASAP due to the insane heat and busyness. I booked my flight to Krabi just 2 days before, and it cost me $45.Downsides of the country: You really do get an up close and personal view on how tourism is absolutely destroying some nature. Going to monkey beaches was depressing, full of Chinese and American tourists throwing sand and food at the monkeys, screaming and just ruining the moment. Phi Phi was gorgeous, but the gangs of wasted British bros throwing up everywhere definitely put a damper on things. I found the people in Vietnam to be a little more welcoming and helpful.SOUTH KOREA (2.5 weeks)Visted Seoul, Gyeongju-si, BusanBest hostels: Zzzip Hostel in Seoul, Lazy Fox in Seoul, Blue Boat in Gyeongju.Highlights: Everything about Seoul, which is now one of my fave cities. Gwanjang Market, Hongdae, War Museum, Gyeongbokgung palace, exploring the countless cafes and restaurants. Yonggungsa Temple in Busan.I absolutely loved South Korea, way more than I expected to. Easy to get around, nice people who don't get in your face, not many tourists, beautiful temples and architecture, great hostels, and the most delicious food! Vietnam and Thailand are great places to travel, but South Korea is a place I'd consider living in.Downsides: Obviously if you're coming from SE Asia, things will seem a little more pricey, especially if you want to do tours like the DMZ. While I found most Koreans to be absolutely lovely, their senior population aren't too fond of foreigners getting in their way. I had many seniors yell at me on the subway for accidentally blocking the way with my big backpack, or some would simply laugh at me in restaurants when I tried to order food with my awful Korean/English mashup. Can't complain about much though.So that's a recap of my trip! Solo travel is a pretty amazing thing. I absolutely LOVED the freedom I had to change my path day by day, and never feel guilty if I wanted to spend a day just relaxing in my room. I grew accustomed to eating alone in restaurants, with just a podcast, book or simply silence, and it's something I really grew to love. I'm hoping to do it again next year in Japan for a few short weeks!I just wanna say thanks to so many people on this subreddit who gave awesome advice and motivation. To anyone freaking out about your first travel alone, please go through with it! You won't regret it.Let me know if you have any questions! via /r/solotravel http://bit.ly/2Ndvl4n