First, a confession. Although this article's whole premise is to give alternatives to the done-to-death South East Asian backpacker route, I must point out there's a reason why it's done-to-death. Dreadlocks, five-week shadow and Chang beer vests usually disqualify you from snobbery, yet oh-so-sophisticated travellers are still mighty quick to pigeon-hole other backpackers under snooty little labels. They will ask you in one breath if you visited such-and-such a place in Thailand (admittedly a country where the events of the Hangover 2 are not only plausible, but embarrassingly tame by comparison to the reality), then smirk at how boorishly clichéd you are the next. Ignore them. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and their ilk are beautiful, magical places. You should go. Repeatedly.

However, if you do live in China and have travelled internationally before, chances are you will have been to these places already. Wanting to travel to somewhere a little different this time around is fine. Adventurous, if you will, not snobbish. So, where to…?

1) Taipei, Taiwan

Called the Ihla Formosa, or the Beautiful Isle, by the first Portuguese sailors who clapped eyes on it, Taiwan has only recently reclaimed this prestigious moniker. In the 1970s and the 1980s Taiwan (and Taipei in particular) was regarded as one of the ugliest, most-polluted and crowded places on the planet, but over recent years the place has seen a remarkable transformation.

Photo: inventorsdigest.com

Taipei itself was recently named by Lonely Planet as one of the top cities to visit in 2011, and is now a perfect base from which to explore the whole of this remarkable island. Several companies run buses that travel up and down both coasts of the island, so you can go out and about without breaking the bank. Tourist-favourites include perusing the Ximending district of downtown Taipei, visiting the Tai'an hot springs (started as a Japanese officer's club at the turn of the last century) and swimming the jungle-rivers of northern Taiwan near Pinglin.

Accommodation is rarely an issue, with the budget hostels beginning at $10 USD a night in downtown Taipei, and return flights from Hong Kong to Taiwan Taoyuan International are priced around 1,200 RMB if you book well enough in advance.

2) Dadohae Haesang National Park, South Korea

Photo: bytravel.cn

South Korea is arguably the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. Visitors remark constantly at the way technology seems to influence every part of life here, from the way the whole population is seemingly surgically attached to the latest Apple products to the TV screens embedded in all the taxi headrests. Lonely Planet characterises it thus: "no-one knows where the country is headed, but it is fast-forward all the way." And that is great. But you would be wrong to think that the country doesn't have anything else to offer but technological marvels. To the south-west of the Korean peninsula are 1,700 islands and islets divided into eight sections called the Dadohae Haesang National Park. These islands are incredibly diverse: some have small communities clinging to their sides, whereas others are no more than little rocks sticking out of the ocean. For a bit more of a magical getaway, this may be just the ticket.

Flights to Seoul/Incheon are a little pricier. Standard is 3,000 RMB for Korean Air from Hong Kong, although cheaper fares of around 1,900 RMB are available if you search for them. Once in Seoul, take the high-speed KTX line to Mokpo, from where ferries can take you to the islands.

3) Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is old Japan. Tokyo is an absolutely amazing place, all glittering skyscrapers, heaving crowds of people and the ultra-coolest of techno-culture and such, but let's face it: living in China kind of makes you fed up with cities.

Kyoto is the perfect remedy. Maybe at first glance it may seem like any other Asian city, but when you start really looking, doors will open. Just a three-hour shinkansen ride from Tokyo, the hidden city is where you will find all the old-world raked pebble gardens, bamboo groves, beautiful shrines and pagodas and even the traditional Japanese geisha flitting in and out of shop fronts. Because of its proximity to the capital, numerous Tokyo-based companies offer Kyoto tours, so you have the option of either taking the train down and staying there (hostels start from around $15 USD) or taking an all-inclusive guided tour.

There is the usual range of hotels, from the sparse to the swanky (if you want to indulge yourself), but a good hostel at the lower end of the scale would cost on average between $15-25 USD a night. Cathay Pacific has flights to Tokyo (from where you take the train) at around 4,000 RMB return, although by using price comparison sites you can find ones for almost half that.

4) Goa, India

Now for the furthest afield in this little alternatives list. Goa, India is a paradise. Forget what you have heard about the dusty Mumbai slums, or the New Delhi pollution, India can actually be a truly spectacular place for a relaxing holiday. This is why.

Goa itself is an almost impossibly idyllic stretch of the country's western coastline that was Portugal's only colony in India for nearly half a millennia. The beach is simply stunning, and there is a constant mix of old-world Portugal and modern-day India, with an international feel from all the travellers passing through thrown in for good measure. It is the most expensive place to get to on this list, as the China-India flight routes are not the most common, but once you get there things are almost preposterously cheap. Hostels start at $1 USD, meaning you can actually get a really luxurious place for half the price of your basic hostel anywhere else in the world, and the cost of living is also incredibly low.

Round flights to Goa from Hong Kong are priced around 6,000 RMB.

5) Langkawi, Malaysia

While technically part of the SE Asia backpacking route that I have been trying to find alternatives for, I've included Langkawi because many backpackers actually miss it altogether. Depending on your orientation, either at the very most southern tip of Thailand or the very north of Malaysia, Langkawi is a collection of small islands only accessible by boat or plane. This tricky locale means it slips to the bottom of the list for a great many travellers.

Mistake. Only one of the islands has any real development or settlements, meaning that if you really want to escape into the wild, then this is exactly the place to do it. Jungle treks, water sports, abseiling, pool-diving and island-hopping are all on offer here, and because of the islands' secluded nature, you won't be sharing your trip with five hundred other sunburned tourists looking for the infamous South East Asian "Bucket" deals.

Return flights to Kuala Lumpur from Hong Kong start at around 1,500 RMB, and then a short domestic flight on Malaysia Air to Langkawi will only cost about $30 USD. Their hostels are in the standard $10-$25 USD price range, and cost of living is more than affordable.
 

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