Rosita, this post is for you. I talked with Rob yesterday and he told me you were thinking about going to India, Thailand, or Bali wanted opinions. Opinions are like elbows, almost everyone has one. My opinion is go where you want. Yes, I’ve spent a month in India, a month in Thailand, and a week in Bali but it’s not my trip. You asked about safety and public transportation in those locations. Some Comments based on what you said in your post:

Everywhere is safe if you use your head. So, you are a female and traveling alone. But you don’t have to be alone unless you want to. You’ll meet plenty of people just like you from all over the world if you stay in hostels. I always find people to go out with for a meal or a beer when I stay in them. Sometimes, I even need to get a private room to get away from them. You never need to be alone when you travel. Sometimes we even wind up traveling together. I met three Canadians in Egypt and we spent about two weeks together.  As for trouble, yes, you can be really unlucky. Yes, there’s random crime everywhere. Even in San Diego or Oklahoma City. If you’re at the wrong place at the wrong time…

India – trains. They go everywhere. Where they don’t do buses go. They’re cheap. Overnight trains means you sleep on the train and save a hotel room. Book early. Book here. Don’t get the bottom bunk. Indians like to bring food on the trains and they store it under the bottom bunk. Think tuk-tuks locally. There’s so many you’ll get tired of saying “No, thanks.” India is 4,000 years of history and a culture that tends to polarize people – they either hate it or love it. Not so many bars. It’s got temples and beaches. It’s got the desert and the jungle. But, it’s huge. I was there a month and I just scratched the surface (Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Rajasthan, & Mumbai). Northern India can be cold in the winter in some places (Delhi & Agra) and there’s no heat in budget hotels, just lots of blankets.

Bali – the farthest two points on the whole island are 108 miles apart by road. That’s the whole island. Scooters cost me $5 a day when I was there. You can drive the whole island in a couple of days. Three max. Bali is beach. And a little slice of paradise. With a Hard Rock and an incredible number of bars.

Thailand – it’s Bangkok. More bars. I don’t know if you’re into the world’s best massages ($5), Khaosan Road,  or Soi Cowboy. But it’s only 240 miles from the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park (160 square miles – it’s not just a temple, it was a city – and you can get a guide and a tuk-tuk  in Siem Reap for a whole day for $25). There are buses all over SE Asia. Examples: I rode from Saigon to Phnom Penh for $16 and  Bangkok to Chiang Mai for $20. From Bangkok you can fly to KL (Kuala Lumpur) for $22 ($44 R/T) on Air Asia. Once in KL you can fly to Java, Sumatra, and Borneo in less than an hour for $50$-60 R/T. I love KL, primarily because it’s a cheap air hub and it’s only an hour from Singapore by bus ($8). Singapore has Tiger Air. More cheap airfare. My God! I hope you have a lot of time. The possibilities…