Travelling alone

caffaddict

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice. Looking to do some travelling. I am in a position now where I can take 3-6 months off from work. I would love to use the time to travel a bit.
Problem is, there aren't many mates who can take the same amount of time off.

Have many people here travelled alone? If so, any advice, etc?

Also, any good suggestions on places are welcome.

Thinking maybe South America, mainland Europe or the USA.

Cheers

Tipperary animal lover

Hi, we travel to Asia every year for between 6 to 8 weeks, we always meet single travellers in the last few years there seems to be a lot more single people, travelling through Malaysia Thailand Cambodia and vietnam you find some great hostels mini hotels to stay in and meet loads of interesting people, its so easy to get around travel is cheap in each country, hope this helps you and if you decide to go try going for the 6 months you will really enjoy yourself.

orchidsrpretty

Travelled throughout the US as a 21 year old tiny female. Did most of it by greyhound and it was the best experience I ever had. I met so many different types of people that I probably wouldn't of bothered talking to if I was with a friend.
Only negative is that if something goes wrong(I got my bags stolen) you can feel pretty helpless and alone, but on the upside you just have to get on with it and don't have to listen to anyone moaning in your ear.
I wouldn't of considered myself a very socialable or outgoing person before I went, nor did I do much planning. But it was the best trip I've ever been on.

grimm2005

I can only speak for Europe as a solo traveler but it's given me some of the best fun I've had travelling and in general!

The key I found is to book highly rated hostels that have over 1000 reviews that are quite small, like under 50 beds and stay in dorms. Sort your search results on hostelworld by overall rating and read the reviews carefully and on tripadvisor, paying attention to those from solo travelers. The places that get great reviews are a lot of the time because of their social atmospheres and loads of events they plan like walking tours, pub crawls, games in the common room etc. It's hard not to get chatting and meeting people this way, as well as the people in your room.

I'd avoid the large, factory like hostels even if they have great ratings as you feel more like a stranger in a big hotel and it's a lot harder to meet people in my opinion. They're functional and great if you're in a group but I wouldn't book them solo.

I wouldn't particularly call myself overly outgoing or sociable and I was nervous as hell on my first trip but once you stay at the right place everything just sorta works out. Definitely don't let the idea of doing it alone put you off, you'll be glad you did it and may even get a bit addicted to solo travel!! Feel free to PM me if you want any hostel recommendations around Europe!

Challo

Agree with post above - the key is booking good hostels. Use hostelworld.com for reviews and you'll figure out what works best for you. South America and South East Asia are full of solo travellers, Mexico and prob rest of Central America too. I think South East Asia is probably the best for a first solo trip. Trust me you'll see the same people over and over, even the ones you might want to avoid!

Shaque attack

Havent travelled solo but have met plenty of solo travellers on my way. I think it's a great idea. It gives you plenty of freedom to go with the flow as you see fit.

+1 on the hostel advice. Best craic I've had is at small hostels where it becomes very easy to sit around and have the chat with people.

I would recommend going to asia if it's a 6month trip you're planning because there's great variety and it's a good bit easier to stretch your funds for that lenght of time. Depends what you're into though obviously!

cooker3

I flew to Asia alone and I didn't have any pre-defined timeframe and ended up staying just under 2 years. As others have said stay in hostels, talk to people in your room, common areas etc. The more you put yourself out there the more you get out of it.
Asia is as good a region as any to try solo travel.

I am aiming to go to Central and South America next year doing the same thing. Tbh I can't imagine not doing things on my own at this point. You rarely ever meet someone who travelled solo and regretted it.

Dub_Steve

I travelled for 2 months by myself. I stayed in hostels and met a lot of people.

You could also look at local meetup groups in each city