Traveling Solo

[jeanrose770]

Do you prefer to travel alone or with friend(s)?

I have traveled a few places around the world, and always alone.

However, In all of my destinations I did know people already.

 

[starsapart]

If I'm going to a place where I know someone, I don't mind traveling alone, but if I'm going somewhere new where I know no one, I definitely want company.  Though come to think of it, I've never gone on an entire trip alone!  Maybe I would unexpectedly love it?  Hmm.......

[IslandGirl_Becks]

I've traveled in large groups, with only my sister, alone, alone and visiting friends... 

On the whole, I try to avoid large groups. More than 3 people and decisions are hard to make. One other person, and you have someone to share memories with. My sister and I did a trip to Portugal and Spain last year that was amazing. We're still laughing about trying to explain in our broken Spanish to a Portuguese bus driver where we were trying to go. 

One thing about travelling alone is that it's easy to go to places where you meet other travelers. Staying in a hostel in Zadar, Croatia, I met a couple of other people who wanted to go to the same national park as me for the day. They were willing to split the car rental. Problem solved. Transportation, destination, and new group of travel buddies. 

A few weeks ago I was alone in München in between visits with friends. I enjoyed having a very flexible schedule, no drama when figuring out what to eat, etc. I wasn't lonely, though! In Germany it's common to share a table with people, so I had my first breakfast with a couple from near the Austrian border. After dinner I had a Hefeweitzen with some Australians at my hostel. In between, I went on a walking tour and enjoyed chatting with my other tourees, followed by lunch at the famous Hofbräu Haus with another traveler that I met there. Frank and I spent several hours talking engines over lager, radler and Käsespätzle.

Prost!

[K-Prime]

If I'm going to a place where I know someone, I don't mind traveling alone, but if I'm going somewhere new where I know no one, I definitely want company.  

Ditto. I did a trip this summer where I hit up 3 different cities. City #1, I stayed with friends with very similar interests. City #2, I stayed in a hostel but had a good friend (with wildly different interests) that I spent most of my time with. City #3, I stayed in a hotel and didn't know anyone. I found that by city #3, I just stayed in my hotel room reading or watching Criminal Minds until I absolutely forced myself to go out. I need the motivation of another person to get me up and moving, or else I tend to hermit.

[Toast013]

I've traveled in big groups, as a family, and alone and honestly for the most part I prefer alone. I can't stand being around the same people nonstop for more than a few days. It's fun just exploring new places on your own without having to persuade someone else to go along. Also all of my solo escapades have been to English-speaking destinations which might have an impact on everything. Anyway, just what I prefer.

[fengor]

For me it depends. I used to do hiking alone meeting ppl along the way. But for more remote trips liek iceland or finnland I usually take at least 1 person with me. I'm pretty sure it saved my life in finnland by being able to pull each other out of the snow.

 

But soemtimes I do travelling ing roups as well, usually up to 8 people. For example our trip round iceland with 2 cars or our short daytrip from mainland europe to london via bus. I enjoy the comraderie there but i don't get the same relaxation.

 

Both are very good experiences i enjoy (being part of a group vs being myself) and both will ahve a place in my future travels.

[Mitski]

My wife and I love to travel with others, but we invite different groups of friends and family for different travel itineraries. We're fortunate to be able to enjoy all kinds of adventures together, but we don't want to pressure anyone else into going somewhere they won't enjoy or can't afford.

[Eddie-H]

I like both, traveling alone and with friends.

 

Traveling alone is nice because I get to go where I want and I'm free to just let myself wonder. It also kinda forces you to be more social and start conversaions with random people who you might not of started a conversation with if you were with friends. Plus, even when you travel alone you can still hook up with other groups and hang out with them for a bit before breaking out by yourself again.

 

Traveling with friends is nice too because you get to share the memories and stories with people who you care about. It also makes traveling much easier. Like, one of your friends might be able to speak another language, have your back if you get into trouble, split costs with you, etc...

 

I haven't done any extensive traveling abroad by myself yet, it can be a bit daunting, but it's such a thrill!

[HealthierHayley]

I took my first solo trip this past fall--spent three months traveling around Europe by myself. Honestly, I was terrified--I was worried about EVERYTHING (getting lost, getting mugged, being unbearably lonely), but in the end, I LOVED it, haha. I'm naturally a risk-averse person, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone like that was extremely liberating (as cheesy as that sounds). And even though I'm an introvert, I found myself making lots of friends on the road--it's like solo travelers are drawn to each other, haha. I never realized how many people traveled alone until I did it myself, and then I seemed to notice them everywhere (and then somehow end up trying to find our hostels together or having crazy bus adventures or something).

 

I love traveling with friends, too--as others have said, there's a joy in sharing traveling experiences with those close to you. But I don't get quite the sense of "adventure" traveling with others that I do when I'm traveling solo. So if I'm looking for a real "vacation"--relaxing, getting away, etc--I want to be with friends or family. But if I want an adventure, I think solo travel will be the way I go. Now that I've done it once, I think I sense an addiction forming, haha.

[Alex85]

I usually travel with group of people, but some times I prefer being alone.

[Tixnleeches]

To the people who have traveled a lot, do you have to know the language of the country you are traveling to or can you get by with broken language and google translate? That's my biggest fear of traveling is I don't know anything other then english. I would love to travel that that has always stopped me.

[fengor]

Depeds on where you travel. In Scandinavian countries like finland, sweden, iceland etc you can usually get along quite nicely with english

[IslandGirl_Becks]

To the people who have traveled a lot, do you have to know the language of the country you are traveling to or can you get by with broken language and google translate? That's my biggest fear of traveling is I don't know anything other then english. I would love to travel that that has always stopped me.

 

I only speak 1 other language (and roughly at that), and 2 semesters of Spanish that hardly count. What matters is that I have learned to say a few polite phrases in the places I've visited - Portuguese, Dutch, Basque, Swedish, French, Czech, Italian... People so appreciate any effort you make, and it often becomes a jumping off point for whatever phrases they know in English. Sort of opens the door to new friendships!

 

My go-to list is:

Hello

Please

Thank you

Excuse me

Good/bad

Good morning

Do you speak english

 

There are so many borrowed phrases from one language to another that you can likely get by. "menu" doesn't mean exactly the same in French and English, but it gets across the idea! Computer, taxi, hotel/hostel, bus, airport... no problem

[Tixnleeches]

Depeds on where you travel. In Scandinavian countries like finland, sweden, iceland etc you can usually get along quite nicely with english

 

 

I only speak 1 other language (and roughly at that), and 2 semesters of Spanish that hardly count. What matters is that I have learned to say a few polite phrases in the places I've visited - Portuguese, Dutch, Basque, Swedish, French, Czech, Italian... People so appreciate any effort you make, and it often becomes a jumping off point for whatever phrases they know in English. Sort of opens the door to new friendships!

 

My go-to list is:

Hello

Please

Thank you

Excuse me

Good/bad

Good morning

Do you speak english

 

There are so many borrowed phrases from one language to another that you can likely get by. "menu" doesn't mean exactly the same in French and English, but it gets across the idea! Computer, taxi, hotel/hostel, bus, airport... no problem

 

 

Thank you both for the response! This (and money) has been what was holding me back from traveling. It's good to know some places I can get by with english, and when I can't get by with english it's really not has bad as I was imagining! Here I'm thinking I'll be in this country searching high and low to find someone who speaks english and end up lost with no way of communicating.

 

You mentioned I can get along quite nicely with english in Sweden, you have no idea how happy I am to have heard this. I want to visit Sweden to get tattoo'd by one of my favorite artists as well as exploration. (but mainly for the tattoo... lol) Maybe I'll have to plan a trip soon! Any idea on the cost of a trip to Sweden and back say for 7-14 days for 1 person? (Any bit of info helps here so I get a general idea on how much saving needs to occur.)

[lctrc]

I don't really have anything to contribute to this thread except one of those "funny in hindsight" anecdotes.  I love travel, and don't mind solo.  But the only time I've ever traveled solo in another country was inadvertent.

 

Business trip, foreign country (not something that I've gotten to do before, or since), non-English-speaking.  First morning the group is to meet in the lobby of the hotel and take a passenger van to the site of the meeting.  I don't actually know the address - it's in my work email somewhere, but I don't have access to that here yet.  So of course, I fail to set my alarm correctly and oversleep.

 

Thankfully I woke up in time to stumble downstairs and catch the group just as they are climbing into the van.  My boss writes down the address so that I can take a quick shower and grab a taxi.

 

Fifteen minutes later I'm climbing in the taxi.  I attempt to recite the address to the driver, who looks at me as if I have three eyes.  I try again, which elicits a grunt universally translatable as, "I have no idea what you are saying".  To his credit, he tries to repeat what he thinks I'm saying - but which I'm pretty sure is a completely different place.  "No," I say, "I don't think that's right" and finally show him the address written down.

 

To my dismay, he repeats the incorrect address.  I shake my head again.  He calls over the concierge and shows him the piece of paper, repeating the incorrect address.

 

The concierge shakes his head, then says the exact same thing I had initially - just with emphasis on a different syllable (not even several syllables, just one).  "Ah!" the taxi driver says, nodding vigorously.  And we're off.

 

Once we get to the address, I'm left standing on a corner looking at a building I have no idea how to get into.  It's not that there is no obvious entrance.  Rather, there are many entrances obviously not to the part I need.  I ask a few people, none of whom speak English, and eventually someone is able to point me towards the right door.

 

Inside there is a bank of short barriers kind of like turnstiles but with flaps instead of rods.  Beyond that are several elevators.  I try to walk through one of the barriers, and of course am denied.  I realize that other people have an access card which they swipe on the side of the barrier before walking through.  No, I don't have an access card.

 

I notice the security desk way off the side, and I do have an ID card.  I explain who I am and where I need to go.  A guard nods, points to the elevators, and says something I don't understand.  I thank him, and hop on the first open elevator.

 

I at least know what floor I'm supposed to go to, and I'm about to hit the button when I realize there is only one button.  While I'm considering how odd that is and what to do with it, a lady steps onto the elevator with me.

 

The doors close.  We head up.  The doors open.  She gets off.  The doors close.  The elevator does nothing.  This is a glass elevator - I can see the other elevators doing their thing, people getting on, people getting off.  But my elevator is doing nothing.

 

I finally remember the "one button", and hit it.  A voice comes over the speaker, barking at me in a foreign language.  The elevator drops back to the lobby.

 

Back at the security desk the guard seems slightly exasperated.  He points to the elevators again and says (I think), "C".  Sure enough each elevator has a letter above it, and Elevator C is open.  I get in, and it takes me to the proper floor.  (Turns out when you swipe your access card at the barriers, the elevators know which floor you are supposed to go to.)

 

And somehow despite all of this, the meeting hadn't started yet when I finally made it to the room.

[armadadesigns]

Last summer I went on a trip by myself with just my two dogs, and it was AMAZING. I wanted to go to Carmel-by-the-Sea, since it's one of the most dog-friendly cities in the US. I found a guesthouse for us to stay in on Airbnb, so I met the people who lived there. They had a three-legged rescue dog that my dogs loved, and they played in the backyard all the time. She had a map ready showing me some of the best spots. Before I left, I found a dog-friendly 5k the week I was going to be there, so we did that. I also found a dog-friendly whale watching tour (!!!) and we made friends there!

 

Obviously having the dogs helped me go out and do stuff, and also helped me make friends, but it was still a solo trip and I loved it! There were also times I left them to go grab some food, and it made it easier to talk to the staff (since I got advice from my host, I ended up at more "local" places and got to experience less touristy things). On the boat, the (super attractive) deck hand helped me with my seasickness (lol) and also held my dogs' leashes while I ran to the other side of the boat to see a blue whale. It is seriously one of the best things I've ever done! That trip is what really inspired me to focus on my side business and work my butt off so I have my own, portable, mode of income so I can travel as much as I want with my dogs and experience the world!

[benboyd85]

Travelling alone is such a great way to learn more about yourself and other cultures and people. Before I did it the first time I was nervous, but now I would never do it any other way if I am going abroad, especially if I want to visit multiple places in a short period of time. Plus, he only person's agenda you need to worry about it your own!

[IslandGirl_Becks]

Travelling alone is such a great way to learn more about yourself and other cultures and people. Before I did it the first time I was nervous, but now I would never do it any other way if I am going abroad, especially if I want to visit multiple places in a short period of time. Plus, he only person's agenda you need to worry about it your own!

 

I agree, solo (or max +1) is the only way to go with blitz tripping. I can't imagine what my last-minute trips would have been like if I'd have had to coordinate with more people than just myself!

[Tixnleeches]

Travelling alone is such a great way to learn more about yourself and other cultures and people. Before I did it the first time I was nervous, but now I would never do it any other way if I am going abroad, especially if I want to visit multiple places in a short period of time. Plus, he only person's agenda you need to worry about it your own!

I agree, solo (or max +1) is the only way to go with blitz tripping. I can't imagine what my last-minute trips would have been like if I'd have had to coordinate with more people than just myself!

 

Where have you two traveled solo? What would you recommend?

[IslandGirl_Becks]

Trips while living in Austria:

Salzburg (group)

Croatia (alone, met peoples and stayed 1 night with friends)

Budapest (+1  friend)

Vienna (Alone, +1, w/ parents, in a big group)

Jena (friends there)

 

Blitz with my sister:

Amsterdam (alone, my sister joined me here)

Harlingen (friends there)

Paris

Donosita/Euskadi (friends there)

Barcelona

Pisa/Lucca/Florence/Rome

Brno

Vienna (made a new friend, so +2 for those days)

 

Blitz with my Mumsy

Wales

Central UK (peak, York, Lake district)

Praha (friends there)

 

Solo road trip from Seattle to Glacier

 

Road trip +1 friend- Seattle, Boise, Yellowstone, North Cascades

 

Iberia Blitz with my sister (+1)

Lisbon

Sintra

Albufiera

Sevilla (friend met us those days = +2)

Madrid

 

While I was stationed in Charleston I did a ton of city/region exploring by myself... surf lessons, hiking, history tours, etc

 

Vagabonding last summer - travelled alone, met up with friends many places. 6 weeks of blitz tripping with a smallish backpack. 

Amsterdam

Stockholm

Göteborg (met friends)

Münich

St Anton - Alps (met friends)

Innsbruck

St Pölten/Vienna (met friends)

Stuttgart (met friends)

Donostia/Euskadi - Basque Country (met friends)

Ostrava - Czech (met friends)

Graz, Austria (met friends)

Berlin

Herz Mountains (met friends)

Munich (met friends)

Stuttgart (met friends)

[Tixnleeches]

That sounds amazing IslandGirl_Becks! I'm pretty jealous of your travelling!

[Holly26]

I haven't tried travelling solo and I'm afraid to try it   I always travel with my family

[Chen Wangting]

I like both. It is fun to travel with friends but sometimes a pain in the butt to organize . I went to China with group, went backpacking through Ireland on my own, went to Dublin for the St. Patricks Day with a friend, went to Rome with a friend. Right now I sitting at the airport in venice, italy. I'm waiting for my flight home. Did this trip solo. Took part in a tournament in padova during the weekend and visited venice after that.

[No Regrets Lifestyle]

I travel solo sometimes but it never lasts for very long. Its nice to have your alone time as I spend a lot of time in Dorms, but so often I meet cool people going in the same direction and link up for a week or two. So even if you travel alone, be open to accepting people to join along in your journey. Or if you depart with a friend, make sure they are a friend you are comfortable speaking very bluntly to!

[MiraiMissa]

I definitely prefer traveling alone. I haven't been very far or to many places, but where I have gone I've been by myself 90% of the time. Sure, I will possibly run into someone I know or start a casual conversation with someone while there. Most of the time my friends are too busy with life to take trips & unfortunately I don't have much of a choice. I have a job where I can work remotely, & I have no children or significant other. So I have a bit more freedom. However, it's been pretty good at getting me out of my shell! & I get free reign on any activities I'd like to partake in. It gets lonely at times but I also notice that I'm hardly ever the only one alone, so it makes me feel a little better.