Hey everyone! M28, German (originally Syrian), currently doing my Erasmus in Istanbul. In July I’m doing my first real solo budget backpacking trip. I’ve traveled solo before but never full backpacker mode, and I’m genuinely excited.

Rough itinerary (30 days):

• Days 1–4: Fly Istanbul → Almaty, Kazakhstan

• Days 5–12: Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek, Issyk-Kul, down to Osh

• Days 13–21: Uzbekistan – Fergana → Tashkent → Samarkand, with a side trip into Tajikistan (bus from Tashkent or Samarkand to Dushanbe) and back

• Days 22–28: Uzbekistan – Bukhara & Khiva, then fly home from Tashkent

My main goal is exploration, but I really want to meet people along the way, so I’m planning to stay in social/party hostels and spend more time in cities with an active traveller scene.

Would love any advice on anything and on these:

• Whether the itinerary makes sense or if I should reshuffle days or go to different countries/cities

• Social hostels worth booking in any of these cities

• Transport between cities (buses,…