Solo traveller - where to go?

Kaneda_

Im 25 years old in 2 weeks time, and i want to celebrate it by heading of somewhere- all my friends are tied down here or cannot afford it.

Ive never travelled solo anywhere before, and i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of where i could go?

Ive been to rome, prague, france and belgium already, and i was looking into thailand maybe, but im open to suggestions!

Budget - I dont have a fixed budget, but it cant be to expensive either.

rainbowtrout

Do you have a time limit? Do you prefer cities or countryside? Travelling around one country or hopping from one city to the next?

Kaneda_

10 days i was thinking - although this is flexible.I love cities , so id lean towards that option , and id like to visit a few different places.Inter -railing was something i was looking into, and seems like a great option but id like to see somewhere out of europe , hence why i though of thailand.

rainbowtrout

I haven't been to Asia yet, but I have (solo) trip planned for June, Tallinn, Helsinki and St. Petersburg over 8 days.

Did a different trip last year taking in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Northern Italy.

LittleT

Kaneda

I travelled to Thailand last year as a solo female traveller. I spent a minimal amount of time on the mainland and headed straight to the islands, which I found to be a more hospitable environment to solo travellers. If you are amenable to getting out there and meeting people, you will find them. I would recommend getting involved in some kind of group activity to meet people, such as diving on Ko Tao. For me, travelling solo was a great, self-affirming process which I will be doing again this year. Best of luck!

Kaneda_

LittleT wrote: »

Kaneda

I travelled to Thailand last year as a solo female traveller. I spent a minimal amount of time on the mainland and headed straight to the islands, which I found to be a more hospitable environment to solo travellers. If you are amenable to getting out there and meeting people, you will find them. I would recommend getting involved in some kind of group activity to meet people, such as diving on Ko Tao. For me, travelling solo was a great, self-affirming process which I will be doing again this year. Best of luck!

LittleT thanks for the reply.Thailand is somewhere ive always wanted to visit.Meeting people to travel with while there sounds great.How much money would i need to get by daily while there? hotel/hostel , food , activities etc?

KidKeith89

Kaneda_ wrote: »

Im 25 years old in 2 weeks time, and i want to celebrate it by heading of somewhere- all my friends are tied down here or cannot afford it.

Ive never travelled solo anywhere before, and i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of where i could go?

Ive been to rome, prague, france and belgium already, and i was looking into thailand maybe, but im open to suggestions!

Budget - I dont have a fixed budget, but it cant be to expensive either.

A friend of mine travelled South America solo for a few months and he said it was the best experience of his life. You could spend a few days in Rio and a few in Buenos Aires? I don't know, that might be a bit much. I can't wait to do it

Kaneda_

KidKeith89 wrote: »

A friend of mine travelled South America solo for a few months and he said it was the best experience of his life. You could spend a few days in Rio and a few in Buenos Aires? I don't know, that might be a bit much. I can't wait to do it

I know someone who also travelled South America, and said the same about it - it was an unforgetable experience.

If money was no object id love to travel for 2 or 3 months.Asia or SA , even india.

tuongvns

1 more option, you can go to Vietnam to discover. Hanoi city, Halong bay - 1 of the greatest nature heritages of the world. Also you can trekking in Sapa. The price is cheap.

LittleT

Kaneda

The cost of your trip there will be largely determined by your budget. I know that sounds totally obvious, but it's true! I had been saving for my trip for a while, so I had a decent amount of disposable income. Initially I was staying in hotel rooms which cost about €15-20 per night. The biggest divider of accommodation in SE Asia is whether you go for a fan or air con room. If you go for a fan room you'll be able to go as low as €3 per night!!

The same goes for food-you can eat western-style food in restaurants for about €5 per meal or eat Thai food from a street stall for a euro. Same goes for drink-obviously buying vodka and mixers at the bar is going to cost more than bottles of beer at the shop. Cheapest drinks of all are your home-made buckets from the 7 Eleven!!

Use the above info to calculate your budget, then add 15% for unforeseen events. If you want to do activities such as diving or cookery courses, look up the prices of these. Ferries and buses are cheap too, I cant remember how much exactly. One last bit of info-as soon as you get there, get a Thai sim card for your phone. I didn't do this and my meteor phone bill when I got home was nearly as expensive as the rest of my trip. Let me know if you have any more questions!

!!!

First time solo-traveller? South East Asia, definitely.

funkey_monkey

I seriously recommend Cuba. It was my first solo trip and I loved the place. It is a massive culture shock but the way of life there is amazing. You can get flights to Havana out of London for £475GBP (€539) - Cubana Airlines - www.havanaflights.com.

I took a tour from www.cubagrouptour.com for 50% of my trip and then when I was accustomed to the island I spend the remaining time on my own. 8 day tour costs €422 giving you 2 days to travel alone - http://www.cubagrouptour.com/tour/8day.html

Doing it solo will be cheaper. Cuba is a really cheap country, very safe, good social life, and an experience that must be had.

Totally recommended.

Kaneda_

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I seriously recommend Cuba. It was my first solo trip and I loved the place. It is a massive culture shock but the way of life there is amazing. You can get flights to Havana out of London for £475GBP (€539) - Cubana Airlines - www.havanaflights.com.

I took a tour from www.cubagrouptour.com for 50% of my trip and then when I was accustomed to the island I spend the remaining time on my own. 8 day tour costs €422 giving you 2 days to travel alone - http://www.cubagrouptour.com/tour/8day.html

Doing it solo will be cheaper. Cuba is a really cheap country, very safe, good social life, and an experience that must be had.

Totally recommended.

Some great answers and suggestions here, im more confused now as to where to go then before i asked the question!:D

Cuba sounds fantastic and im really going to look into it , if its real cheap as you said then with the price of flights not being to expensive it sounds like a good deal.

Travelling alone for the first time is daunting i must say, but i hope its a rewarding experience.

Squirm

I would definitely opt for Vietnam, especially over Thailand. I wasn't much of a fan of the south of Thailand and the islands. I found them a little too over-developed and too touristy for the most part. I loved the North and East of Thailand though. If you wanted to do Thailand, I would recommend the North and then taking the slow boat into Laos. It's a great way to meet people and I found the North more suitable for solo travellers and people looking for something more than booze and sunshine. But that was just me. Had I not already visited some incredible beach and island destinations, perhaps I'd have thought more of it.

Vietnam was fantastic though. Tons to do and see, very varied landscapes and range of activities, lots of cultural pursuits, affordable, high standard of hotels, interesting food, lovely people, easy transport for a solo traveller with fewer days on the road. Hanoi is a fantastic city.

funkey_monkey

Kaneda_ wrote: »

Cuba sounds fantastic and im really going to look into it , if its real cheap as you said then with the price of flights not being to expensive it sounds like a good deal.

It is really cheap, plus the Cuban Gov has recently improved the rate on the Tourist currency, so it is a good time to go. If you do consider going, go now before tourism totally ruins the place.

Rum, dancing, cigars, history, outdoor pursuits, Cuban nightlife. Go on...

meg3178

funkey_monkey wrote: »

It is really cheap, plus the Cuban Gov has recently improved the rate on the Tourist currency, so it is a good time to go. If you do consider going, go now before tourism totally ruins the place.

Rum, dancing, cigars, history, outdoor pursuits, Cuban nightlife. Go on...

I agree, Cuba is fantastic. Go to dance, meeting people is easy, especially if you contact the university there, who will advise you on cheap places to stay and socialise, guides etc. Enjoy yourself.

newuser11

Hope nobody minds me posting here, i have applied for the WHV to Oz, its been granted, at the moment im looking into flights, i want to travel to a few places enroute to Oz, Thailand been top top of my list, and Singapore and Kuala Lumper. Im thinking a month.
What route would people recommend me to go?
What is the way anyone who travels to different locations go about booking this? Online or travel agent?
Im a Solo traveller.