Travelling alone

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WCErevival

WCErevival

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Sep 28, 2009
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Hey guys. Well I decided that I'm going to stuff work and go do some travelling next year. Not getting any younger and I need to go experience some different things. It will most likely be by myself as I doubt anyone I know that's single will be interested or have the money to.

My question for anyone thats done it is how did you find it? Do you recommend it?

I havent done any serious travel(only England twice as kid with family and with a mate over east) so it seems a little daunting.

Any advice welcome
 
Most definitely recommended. Been to Europe, USA and China by myself in my mid 20s.

It will force you to meet people and get you out of your comfort zone - especially in non English speaking countries.

You can do what you want, whenever you want. This means you dont waste any time.

Gets a little bit lonely at dinnertime sometimes. If I had nothing to do at night, I used the time to clean clothes or plan the next day.

Make sure you bring a tripod so that you can take photos when no one else is around.
 
I go o/s every year and one year do it alone and each alternate year with a mate. I enjoy traveling alone and it gets you out of your comfort zone. Mind you all of my travels have been in Europe and North America.

The main thing is to meet people and converse. Have meals in a hotel at the bar and you will meet other travellers. The good thing by yourself is you have no limits. You set the timetable and agenda.
 

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Generally speaking, you'll meet more people if you stay at lower end places. The crowd tends to be younger, more open, and more likely to be travelling solo themselves.
You do need to keep your wits about you, and there are likely to be days when you wonder why you decided to go to this strange place where you don't speak the language - but that's more than balanced by the freedom you have from going solo, the satisfaction of coming to grips with unusual everything, and the pure of the journey.
If it all gets too much, you can always do a mini-tour; almost anywhere you go there will by organised day trips, or 2-3 day packages, you can do on short notice.

Different people look for different things, but I'm yet to meet anyone whose gone solo and said they wouldn't do it again. There are days when it seems tough, but there are also times when you do something or go somewhere different that you know you would never have done with mates or on a tour. You can do everything at our own pace. If you're sick of new towns too often, you can take the extra day when friends might want to push on to the next place. If you find you don't like a place, you can move on.

Wherever you decide to go, don't set yourself too gruelling a schedule. No matter how long you have, you can't see and do everything and you don't want to spend every second day on the road (or most people won't, maybe you do; everyone wants different things). Pick a few key places, without necessarily assigning days to each, and give yourself plenty of time to go between them. That town you might have skipped on a tight schedule might be the one you get the best memories from, or the one that was only going to be a quick stop might have you linger for a week.



(I don't know your age, so the remainder is probably irrelevant.) One thing I would add is that it gets more difficult as you get older. There's something a little creepy about a 40 year old in backpacker dorms, etc; plus everyone else travelling at that age is doing the couple/family thing. Once you get older travelling alone can be more isolating. Personally, I like the solitude most of the time, so its not a big issue even now I am older (but not yet the 40 I mentioned).
 
Traveled both with a mate and solo for over a year, and can honestly say the best times I had was when I was on my own.

Personally I think a mix of traveling places you want to see by yourself and doing tours for events such as Oktoberfest, St Paddys day etc. You tend to get more out of big events with other people IMO, though you can always go there and meet people too if you prefer.

To give you an idea I did a 28 day contiki (with a mate), lived with the same mate for about 4 months then did ~8 months work and travel on my own. That worked pretty well for me, but everyone is different.

It will depend on what your up for too. Party is the MO for most travel groups in Europe for people under 30, so if you're more up for a relaxed atmosphere that isn't on the go 24/7 then solo is the way to go.
 
I'm 27. So not a kid but I'm not ancient yet either. I have the advantage of not looking my age too so I dont think anyones going to find me creepy.

At the moment I'm planning on going for 2 months. Probably US first. Have thought about doing a contiki for the first couple of weeks to get me adjusted then doing the remainder by myself. Not sure yet.
 
Where are you thinking of heading to? Some places are easier as a solo traveller than others....as it's your first time you might consider a mixture of organised tours and solo travelling. Whatever you do, be confident in your ability to survive, have a lot of fun, chin up on those bad days and enjoy the moment.

Try and experience a bit of local culture rather than just getting hammered every night is always good I find too...I have mates that did Contiki and it was just a booze up/shagathon on wheels. Awesome fun but they didn't actually remember much of the places they went through.....

Let us know if you have any further questions-though you better make it snappy as I'm off on a solo backpacking adventure through Java/Bali/Lombok/Gili Islands next week!

I've done most of Western Europe (including UK/Ireland), Poland, Turkey, Egypt, USA, Canada, Indonesia, NZ, Australia and I've got to say that solo can have some of the most amazing experiences and meet great people. As I didn't speak Turkish or Egyptian, I did a mixture of solo/group travel in these countries and I wanted to see as much as reasonably possible. For the rest it's been mainly solo travel, with the exception of a 21 day NY-LA camping tour in the USA (time & budget constraints)

At the end of the day you will need to take into account your budget, language skills (ie many Western Europeans speak great English), whether you would be happy travelling in a group environment, duration of holiday possible and what you want to see in that time.

PM me if you want any advice or post here and myself and the rest of the BF travelling crew would be pleased to offer further suggestion.

A word of warning though, no matter where you go, make sure you shop around (whether for airfares, tours, insurance, accommodation etc). Some agencies will treat you well, others will pretend to be your best mate before trying to rip you off.

Anyhow, provide us with more info and we'll be able to filter a more specific response!
Happy, fun & safe travels :)
 
It depends where you are going to be honest but I love travelling on my own.

I have been to the US many times on my own (going again next week). I love the freedom of it - I can do what I want, it is just easier. But the longer you are away, you do feel like you need company. In saying that, you do meet people along the way and if you are travelling with someone, you really don't 'need' to talk to anyone else.

I wouldnt do Contiki. I have heard nothing but bad things - seriously, if you want to drink a lot, go to the Gold Coast. If you actually want to remember the trip, do a group tour but not Contiki.

But I would agree with rhopkins - it depends where you are going. Some cultures/countries it is better to be in a group. If you are going somewhere you are really unsure of how you will go, do a group tour.
 
Yeah the Contiki I'm still unsure of. They seem to go through places rather fast. Could be a waste of money.

A question on accomodation. If you are going for a longish period of time how do you go about it? I mean you may not know where you end up so do you preplan it all before and book it all or just organise the first bit and sort it out once there?
 
Bombers_Forever said:
It depends where you are going to be honest but I love travelling on my own.

I have been to the US many times on my own (going again next week). I love the freedom of it - I can do what I want, it is just easier. But the longer you are away, you do feel like you need company. In saying that, you do meet people along the way and if you are travelling with someone, you really don't 'need' to talk to anyone else.

I wouldnt do Contiki. I have heard nothing but bad things - seriously, if you want to drink a lot, go to the Gold Coast. If you actually want to remember the trip, do a group tour but not Contiki.

But I would agree with rhopkins - it depends where you are going. Some cultures/countries it is better to be in a group. If you are going somewhere you are really unsure of how you will go, do a group tour.
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IMO, the huge plus of contiki is in the group you get. If you get a bunch of duds, it can ruin your trip, but if you have some decent people it can be an amazing experience (like mine was for me). Plenty of other tour groups out there anyway if it isn't to your liking.

We also had a few people who didn't drink much or at all on the trip. Quite easy to stay away from that scene if you want to. The biggest negative for me was the early wake ups.

As many others have said, it all comes down to what your personal preferences are.
 
WCErevival said:
Yeah the Contiki I'm still unsure of. They seem to go through places rather fast. Could be a waste of money.

A question on accomodation. If you are going for a longish period of time how do you go about it? I mean you may not know where you end up so do you preplan it all before and book it all or just organise the first bit and sort it out once there?
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The best way to do it IMO is to book something for the initial stay (say London for example) early, then when you decide where you want to go, book online. I stayed in Hostels which are incredibly easy to find in just about any city. They can usually be booked on short notice and some of them even put a certain amount of beds aside for walk-ins.

If you have your itinerary I would book as soon as your sure you will be there. Sites like www.hostelworld.com let you put 10% down as a deposit so if you do bail last minute, you usually just lose that deposit which isn't a huge amount if something does come up (though I never had to find that out so you might need to double check).

Hotels will be another matter, as rates tend to rise as they get closer to the date. Don't know much about staying in desirable accommodation though, I slummed it ;)
 
I have no problem hostelling it. The cheaper the better. Its only a bed after all. Will probably seem easier once I figure out exactly where I want to go.
 
Travelling alone and staying in hostels is a great experience.

I did a couple of tours last year in amongst other solo travel and ended up staying with people I met, and a year later I am still in contact with friends I made along the way.

The World can be a small place, I met some folks in Florence in a hostel bar and played 2 or 3 games of pool then ended up running into them a month later in Barcelona despite not even learning their names first time around...
 

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looking to do the same thing. how does staying in hostels go? ie, i assume there are multiple beds in the same room so how secure is all your gear?
 
strung_out7 said:
looking to do the same thing. how does staying in hostels go? ie, i assume there are multiple beds in the same room so how secure is all your gear?
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Most hostels will offer a locker but you need your own lock a lot of the time. I'd sleep with valuables on your body if you don't get a locker. Maybe it's just me but I take the stance of don't trust anyone (even though 98% of people aren't thieves).

As for traveling alone... I'm off on my first solo trip in 3 weeks time to the US/UK. I've been OS in the past with friends so I know what it's like to stay in hostels and what it's like to travel but still a little nervous about going on my own. I'm a fairly sociable person so I know it won't take much to make new friends staying in hostels. Even though I haven't been alone I suggest to the OP to get involved in pub crawls, movie nights and other activities hostels organise to meet new people. There will be a lot of people in the same boat as you.
 
strung_out7 said:
looking to do the same thing. how does staying in hostels go? ie, i assume there are multiple beds in the same room so how secure is all your gear?
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Most people will tell you how dangerous Europe is and to watch out for the thieves. Personally I think it's a bit much as I didn't have any trouble at all, but if you're a cautious person, it probably helps. Maybe I'm just a bit too careless.

You'll be fine in hostels, most offer a locker and some go to the extremes of padlocking their bags when asleep or not in the room. I found it was fine, but it's best to sleep with your passport under your pillow or on your person, same with wallet and phone. Most of the people in hostels will be doing what you're doing and will have no intention of stealing, but there is always that small minority to watch out for.
 
I was in Berlin just recently for ten days and I think throughout the time I was there I had dinner with about 25-30 different people. If I was with a group or a few mates, I'd probably end up just eating with them and going where they went. Being in a hostel and either getting new people in your room or meeting people downstairs in the lobby/lounge gives you ample opportunity to meet new people.

And most younger people who are travelling around are looking to meet new people and they will welcome you to come out with them. One night there was three of us that were thinking of taking a walk down the road to this kebab cart that sells the best kebabs in Berlin (and it does) and by the time we had left the hostel after some others asking us where we were going, we had about 12 of us going down there.

Be open to people and getting out of your comfort zone and the good times will roll.
 
Lionheart182 said:
IMO, the huge plus of contiki is in the group you get. If you get a bunch of duds, it can ruin your trip, but if you have some decent people it can be an amazing experience (like mine was for me). Plenty of other tour groups out there anyway if it isn't to your liking.

We also had a few people who didn't drink much or at all on the trip. Quite easy to stay away from that scene if you want to. The biggest negative for me was the early wake ups.

As many others have said, it all comes down to what your personal preferences are.
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Agree 100% with this.
I did Contiki's 45 day (sounds like a lot but for me it wasn't long enough) Ultimate European tour earlier this year and loved every minute of it. I got lucky and in general my group were fantastic, there's half a dozen that are friends for life and I'm already planning more trips with them. Most of the rest I'll keep in touch through facebook and only a few that I'll probably never hear from again. The tour manager and driver play a big part as well. My road crew were amazing. They were incredibly prepared, knowledgable and could also mix in some fun with the group. Although the Ultimate tour tends to be a reward for the best TM/drivers.

We found when we met up with other tour groups, that the shorter tours are the ones that follow the Contiki reputation of drinking, screwing and not seeing much. The longer tours have a greater percentage of people who chose the tour as a cheap and easy way to see a big chunk of Europe. Yes, we were in and out of some places pretty quick but most we spent 2 or 3 days and that was enough to see the major sights and if you like somewhere enough you can always go back.

In the end Contiki tours are about doing them how you want to. If you want to drink yourself stupid every night - go for it. If you don't want to drink at all and just want to see the sight - fine. If you want to balance it out somewhere in the middle - awesome. No matter what your choice the will be someone else in your group with the same goals for the trip
 
I will be travelling to Europe from July next year for 6 months. I have been overseas 3 times and each time was part of a group, this is the first solo trip. Interested to hear people's opinions on what to do and where to stay in Europe from Autumn and into winter? I have purchased a one way ticket to Paris, does anyone know if they require a return ticket or an onwards ticket to another destination at immigration?
 
pepsi said:
I will be travelling to Europe from July next year for 6 months. I have been overseas 3 times and each time was part of a group, this is the first solo trip. Interested to hear people's opinions on what to do and where to stay in Europe from Autumn and into winter? I have purchased a one way ticket to Paris, does anyone know if they require a return ticket or an onwards ticket to another destination at immigration?
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Do you have a EU passport? If you do then they won't care if you have a departure flight or not, you are allowed to stay there as long as you want. If you don't then they might ask you when you are going, where you are going and the like. Might be an idea to buy a flight out of Paris to wherever you are going next and then while there work out your next port of call and just have outgoing tickets for every country as you go.

Although to be honest I am not sure what questions they ask or how strict they are on departure tickets in the international line. I go through the EU passport line where they barely ask you anything. The guy in Frankfurt asked one question, "British?" I said yes. He said "Ok, bye bye."

Was quite funny actually.
 
TheStinger said:
Do you have a EU passport? If you do then they won't care if you have a departure flight or not, you are allowed to stay there as long as you want. If you don't then they might ask you when you are going, where you are going and the like. Might be an idea to buy a flight out of Paris to wherever you are going next and then while there work out your next port of call and just have outgoing tickets for every country as you go.

Although to be honest I am not sure what questions they ask or how strict they are on departure tickets in the international line. I go through the EU passport line where they barely ask you anything. The guy in Frankfurt asked one question, "British?" I said yes. He said "Ok, bye bye."

Was quite funny actually.
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Thanks for that. Don't have an EU passport even though my Mum was born and raised in Italy. Sounds like a flight to another country might be the best way to go. Cheers.
 
pepsi said:
I will be travelling to Europe from July next year for 6 months. I have been overseas 3 times and each time was part of a group, this is the first solo trip. Interested to hear people's opinions on what to do and where to stay in Europe from Autumn and into winter? I have purchased a one way ticket to Paris, does anyone know if they require a return ticket or an onwards ticket to another destination at immigration?
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You should be right with a one wayer but it might be best to get a flight out just to be safe. France don't SEEM to be super strict on that but in the UK they'll question you for a while if you don't have a flight or train out.

Mate, pursue the EU passport option. If you mum was born in Italy you should be able to get one, and you can come and go from the EU as you please for the rest of your life. Can also work there if you like. I would have killed for one while I was there, my Visa runs out in June and I'm not going to make it back :(
 
pepsi said:
I will be travelling to Europe from July next year for 6 months. I have been overseas 3 times and each time was part of a group, this is the first solo trip. Interested to hear people's opinions on what to do and where to stay in Europe from Autumn and into winter? I have purchased a one way ticket to Paris, does anyone know if they require a return ticket or an onwards ticket to another destination at immigration?
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I spent autumn and winter in Sweden, and also visited Copenhagen, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Prague, bits a few different cities in italy, netherlands, germany and France in that time too.

What do you feel like doing? Going somewhere scandanavian? Or stay in a Paris, London, Barcelona? Southern France would be amazing, or you have the alps?
 
Going to Europe in three weeks, staying for 9 weeks. Meeting up with a mate over there who is currently in Italy doing Uni. Will probably be with him for 3-4 weeks but other than that will be myself mostly. Actually looking forward to it. Something that's out of my comfort zone but I'm sure will make me a better person for the experience. Only thing I'm worried about is my bag and whether it might get stolen, also the freezing cold weather, apart from that should be a blast.
 
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