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Solo travelling

Starry nightStarry night Posts: 674 Incredible Poster
edited January 2023 in General Chat
Been feeling v.restless recently and I think it's the travelling bug. Last year I went to Nepal and promised myself that I would travel by myself at least once no matter what. Read up on TheSite article for this and encouraged by some hostel research.
I know there are quite a few people who travel alot here....so.....
What's it like?
How old were you when you first started?
Is it better to go with friends?
How scary?
Was it easy to talk to new people?
Above all, how much fun was it?
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • patrick*gringo*patrick*gringo* Posts: 147 Helping Hand
    For sure, travelling alone is a big step. But with preparation it's not such a big one.

    On a practical front it means it's all down to you, so while you can share out some of the work getting organised and travel ready when you go as a group, that's not so easy on your own. One way of getting over this is perhaps to ask for help from others when you're preparing your trip or just find someone you can talk it through with.

    On the other hand, I've found that travelling alone means you often meet many more people than you might otherwise travelling with someone else. Partly this might be because you often have to approach others to ask for info- but partly also- think this is because people are more willing to approach you or invite you along when you're on your own. May be groups are seen as more self-sufficient or intimidating so people leave groups alone. Or may be it's because people are less likely to invite a group along- while there's always room for one more at a party or group outing. Who knows :-)

    As a result, ironically, when I've travelled alone I've often found I've spent hardly any time completely alone. However, everybody deals with solitude in different ways and it's worth having a sense how you might handle that- especially in unfamilar surroundings. Perhaps try a short trip alone to start with and hook up with friends later.

    Finally, in terms of safety, as you're alone it's worth having strategies in place should disaster strike. For example, backing up crucial info (bank details, secret money stash, phone numbers) in multiple places should you lose them for whatever reason.

    Have a good one whatever you decide :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fair play to Patrick Gringo. He's come with some sounds advice there. It is as he says.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree, it can be a risky tour if you don't know about any place where you are staying during travel or their language. I think the best idea is go with a group any travel agent.
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree, it can be a risky tour if you don't know about any place where you are staying during travel or their language. I think the best idea is go with a group any travel agent.

    Oh I have to disagree. I have never gone on holiday with a travel agent- always planned all of the trip myself/ourselves! Gives so much flexibility and isn't too hard either.

    I have only travelled once by myself and then I stayed with a couple of family members mostly. I did stay with an acquaintance I knew from uni (was weird- we were pretty much in the same place at the same time!) and a girl I meet through a travelling site.

    I have travelled with one friend multiple times and we have always used hostels for this. You come across a good amount of single travellers in hostels and in my experience they seem to cope ok (depends how sociable the hostel is to an extent though). One time we got a group of about seven together for a few road trips and adventures. We were formed of three groups of two and a single traveller. Had a whale of a time for those few days before we went our separate ways! We had many people tag along for pub outings and such too. I think if you have a bit of confidence in talking to strangers in the hostel it usually pays off! Plenty of people are in the same boat and happy to help/chat.

    As long as you book a flight, have some emergency numbers and money and remember travel insurance you can't go far wrong :)

    Edit: just realised this is an old post, dragged up. Sorry! Still the advice sticks!
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