Sharing this in the hope it could be of interest for others. I'd like to hear opinions of people on the matter :)

For many, part of the appeal of solo travel is to meet new and interesting people. I completely understand that, it's one of the great joys in life.

The thing is, I do that at home. I keep my solo travel for solo time. I find that that works best for me. As somebody with a job, holiday time is limited and I want to use it well. This means waking up at a decent time, having a plan, and potentially being picky about what I visit, eat or drink. It also means not spending the night drinking in some random bar with dubious music (don't have to travel very far to do that). But that's, of course, my personal preference.

However, I greatly enjoy meeting interesting strangers at home. How do I do that? I am lucky enough to live in a city with a decent (but not enormous) communities of expat. It's a mix of people that work at universities, big companies etc. Once you start looking, there's plenty of events organized by (or rather, within) this community. And yes, of course you can join them without knowing anybody. I've found plenty of people who are friendly, smart, internationally minded, curious and, most important of all, open to connect.

I know very well not everybody has access to such a community. However, I find that this arrangement works very well for me. I can do a lot of hanging out and talking to interesting people throughout the year. Then I get to go on holidays and spend me time doing things I like.

Would love to hear if there's other people doing the same :)

Hey all, looking to travel to Europe in a couple weeks (Around the UK then to Amsterdam and potentially neighbouring countries), I’m wondering if it’s necessary to book Flixbus tickets this far in advance? Would it be more expensive if I book a day or two before I want to go somewhere? Just want to have the flexibility of changing my schedule on the fly but I’m worried the ticket prices will be a lot higher closer to the departure date.

Hi there, I have done a lot of researching on reddit lately for my upcoming trip to Indonesia but haven't quite found what I was looking for.

Thus, for those of you that have spent some time there: Which places would you recommend for having a relaxed atmosphere (i.e. no party towns, though a little infrastructure is nice) and also time to think and ponder about life. I am thinking close to the beach with access to nature for some walks.

I don't want to do too many stops during the 1 month and have already planned to spend a few days in Yogyakarta. Afterwards I would love to go somewhere where I can have a base. I would like to do a bit of exercise, maybe go to a Yoga class once in a while, read a book on the beach and let my thoughts flow.

Thanks for your help!

Hey fellow travellers,

I made a few reservations on hostelworld and paid with a debit card, this card's information was stolen and I had to cancel it so my question is, do I have to inform the hostels that I have a new card?

I'm worried they might try to pre-authorize the charge on my cancelled card and since it won't go through they might cancel my bookings.

I found an article on hostelworld (can't post the link as reddit immediately removes my post for some reason) that essentially says I should contact the hostels and provide the new card details but is this even safe?

Yeah so currently 12 days into 1 month solo travelling South-India and since yesterday morning I've been feeling really anxious for no clear reason. I think it's a combination of eating something bad + the heat + travelling the day before. I feel weak and shaky and this triggers my anxiety (basically it makes me think I'm gonna drop dead/pass out).

I already spent all afternoon inside yesterday chilling and resting, yet today I'm still as anxious. Earlier this afternoon I said "fuck it" and joined my dorm mates on a roadtrip through the hills but just when we went for lunch I started feeling as if I was going to pass out and had a panic attack inside my head, so I decided to return to the hostel solo with a rickshaw. As soon as the rickshaw started driving I already felt much better so that's really proof that it's all in my head yet somehow I can't convince myself of that.

I'm really at a point where I want to learn to accept the panic through hard exposure and in that way unlearn fearing it. That's partially why I booked this solo trip, to get far out of my comfort zone. But every time I get to that point I am convinced I'm going to drop dead again and chicken out. Any tips & tricks from fellow anxious solo travellers? Anyone successful at beating the fear of panic? Sucks that I'm missing out on enjoying the beautiful hills of Munnar.

PS: I do go to therapy, my therapist even recommended me to do a solo trip. I am also currently on an SSRI although I feel like it's not working properly.

Hello again, r/solotravel!

I am happy and excited to embark on my most ambitious trip - this summer, I'm going to Argentina and Chile! Flying in and out of Buenos Aires, I've created an 81-day itinerary - and since I have no experience in South America, I'd be thrilled to hear what you think of my itinerary. Any and all feedback and thoughts would be dearly appreciated!

• When: August 11th to November 2nd.

I know this isn't peak season - but it's the longest stretch of free time I have anytime of the year, by far.

• How much: 11,500 USD - not including flights and insurance (already paid for). I can stretch this by another ~3,000USD if called for.

• How: by myself, on public transport as much as possible, ideally (overnight) buses. I'm traveling light (carry-on only), and tend to stay in hostels (4-6 bed dorms).

• Who: It's me! 26 years old, male, from Israel. I've got some solo travel experience under my belt - this will be my fourth trip overall! (New Zealand, 3.5m, Australia, 1m, Japan, 2w; Sicily and mainland Italy, 6w, France, 6w; South Korea, 7w). I'm an avid language learner and I've been learning Spanish for a few months now - can hold my own on basic conversations! I'm a calm, resilient person, and do not like to travel too quickly, though I don't like going on long treks or staying places weeks at a time either.

• Where: Argentina and Chile and probably nowhere else!

And here is my itinerary! I've marked stops I'm more certain about in bold; as for the rest, I have some thoughts below.

• Land in Buenos Aires (7 days)
• Might go to Cordoba here (4~5 days), leaning against it
• Bus to Mendoza (~8-13h overnight, 5 days)
• Some stop on the way to Salta - La Rioja\Tucuman\Cafayete (~3 days)
• Salta (5 days)
• Might go to Jujuy here (3 days?), leaning against it
• Cross the border to Chile via Susques to San Pedro de Atacama (5~6 days)
• Might go to Iquique (3 days) and\or Arica (3 days), on the fence
• Flight to Santiago de Chile (7 days) {28-42}
• Return flight to\from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) (~5 days)
• Short bus to Valparaiso\Vina del Mar (either ~3 days, or two day trips from Santiago - leaning for Valparaiso day trip\overnight and skipping Vina del Mar)
• Overnight bus (~15h) to Pucon (~4 days)
• Short bus (~4-5h) to Puerto Varas (~4 days)
• Short bus (~3h) to Ancud (3 days)
• Short bus (1.25h) to Castro (4 days)
• Bus/Ferry (~10h?) to Chaiten (~3 days)
• (infrequent) bus to Coyhaique (~9h) (~4 days)
• Short bus (~5h) to Puerto Rio Tranquilo (~3 days)
• Border crossing day: (infrequent) bus to Chile Chico (4h); cross to Los Antigous, Argentina; overnight bus to El Chalten (12h) (~5 days)
• Short (~3h) bus to El Calafate (~4 days)
• Short (~5h) bus to Puerto Natales, Chile (~4 days) (no W trek; see below)
• Journey day (~13h) to Ushuaia (~5 days)
• Fly back to Buenos Aires; fly home.

Questions/thoughts/worries:

• My biggest doubt is the Chilean Carretera Austral (Chaiten, Coyhaique, Puerto Rio Tranquillo) stretch. The area seems stunning and unique, but I'm concerned about infrequent bus departures, and the Chile-Chico -> Los Antigous border crossing.

I could opt for going to Bariloche and El Bolson instead, though I couldn't find something to break that stretch - meaning either a really long (25h!) bus ride, or an expensive domestic flight.

• I have notable omissions in my itinerary - Iguazu falls, Bariloche, and Cordoba. Iguazu seems like a lot of time, money and effort for a single attraction (though I know from friends who've been it's stupendously impressive); Cordoba just doesn't particularly entice me, though I'm hearing consistently great stuff about it; And Bariloche is difficult logistically if going on the Carterra Austral, and seems redundant with the other places I'm seeing. I also do not plan to do the W trek - I don't particularly like trekking, and really didn't vibe with the logistic effort, exorbitant fees and months-ahead booking needed to do so; I might go on a different trek in Patagonia if I find myself that keen.

• I have plenty of spots in my itinerary I'm not set whether to visit or not - Cordoba, somewhere in Northwestern Argentina en route from Mendoza (La Rioja\Tucuman\Cafayete), Jujuy, Iquique, Arica, staying around Valparaiso, and Puerto Williams. I'll obviously have to drop at least some of them to make time on my itinerary.

• I might be going too quickly - I really tried not to whirlwind it, but I've never traveled such vast distances - I might be underestimating the fatigue, despite me being resilient.

So, what do you think, travelers? Is this a sane itinerary? any nugget of information you could throw my way would help immensely.

Thanks!

Just wondering if anyone on this sub ever utilized some form of employee housing as a means to stay in a new place.

I’m in a lease currently and it’s just not worth it. I have until September, and I’m ending it. Iwant new experiences but I want to get paid while doing it. I am M/23 and currently am working on my trade in the culinary arts, if that helps anything.

24M. I want to go to Costa Rica, best chance is probably end of December just because I have a ton days off work around then, and I don’t celebrate Christmas so I figure I might as well go travel somewhere.

Also thinking about doing it with a group tour like G Adventures/EF ultimate or even Intrepid. I am not a huge party/drinker but I can handle it, just want some adventure and exploration more than drinking booze my whole vacation. I thought EF ultimate might be cool because they seem to plan everything well and have a trip specific to New Years, includes a catamaran cruise which I thought would be awesome. But I hear EF is usually full of 18-22 year olds still in college and I don’t think I want that. I want a small group (no more than 15 ish people) and ages between 22-35 who are a little more mature lol. But that trip sounds amazing. The other trip from G Adventures is pretty cool too, called Basic Costa Rica: Coastlines & Cloud Forests, and that itinerary sounds amazing too. Haven’t looked into intrepid though. I only had experience with G Adventures and it was one very short trip

Firstly, what’s the scene like in Costa Rica around this time? I know it’s dry season but are the beaches and everywhere crowded? How big do these group tours get around Christmas/new years time?

Hello all,

I am planning a solo backpacking trip to Southeast Asia from approximately September to December. The plan is to start south and work my way north through Indonesia, Singapore (if my wallet allows it), and Thailand, then head across to Laos and back down to Cambodia before finishing my travels with a bit over a month in Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi. In summary, I will fly into Bali and fly out of Hanoi.

I have backpacked before, but this will be my first time in Southeast Asia and going solo, so I would like to know if anyone has insights about bookings and how to keep my travel cost-effective.

Here are my main questions.

1. How far in advance should I book flights between countries, and are there any flights that I should consider booking in advance?
2. I know buses are an option between Thailand and Vietnam. Is it a bad idea to bus and take ferries while I am in Indonesia? (boats are cool)
3. Can/ should I book everything online?
4. Should I book hostels online or show up when I arrive? And if I book, how far in advance is best?
5. I know most travellers start in the North and end in the South. I am trying to avoid the rainy season as much as I can (it’s hard in October). Should I not bother and start in Hanoi first?

If people are interested, I am happy to share my initial plans. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

Hi everyone! I’m facing a big challenge during my upcoming travels: the drive from Antigua to Panajachel. After a scary car accident on a curvy road in Costa Rica, I've been quite anxious as a passenger.

I’m planning to take a shuttle (not a chicken bus) to feel safer, but the twisty roads are really intimidating. This drive is what I’m most dreading during my two-month travel stint, which will include only a brief time in Guatemala due to my fear of these roads.

Any tips for the safest way to handle this journey for under $100? How intense are these roads really? Can anyone share their experiences or offer tips on how to stay calm during the drive? I’d love to hear your stories and any advice you might have!

Thur-Sat (9 days) || Buenos Aires

Sun-Tues (3 days) || morning flight to Calafate then Chalten after seeing glacier

Wed-Thur (2 days) || Bariloche

Fri-Sun (3 days) || Mendoza

Mon-Wed (3 days) || Salta/Cordoba

Thur-Sat (3 days) || Cordoba/Salta

Sun-Mon (2 days) || morning flight to Iguazu waterfall

Tue-Thur (3 days) || Rosario

Fri-Sat (9 days) || Buenos Aires

I'm considering whether or not to keep Bariloche, Salta and or Rosario.

• I plan to do my trip's main outdoor hiking from a couple routes at El Chalten.
• I like walking around cities, trying cheap local foods and alcohols, going to museums, going to chaotic local markets. Also looking for fun dancing and drinking nightlife around locals age group 20s-30s on Fridays/Saturdays.

So what do you all think? Is it a solid itinerary or:

1. Am I spending too much time in Buenos Aires?
2. What major sites and attractions will I miss out on if I skip out on Bariloche, Salta and Rosario respectively?
3. What towns should I put those extra days towards? (For instance I could give another day to Chalten)
4. Any other ways you would modify the itinerary?

Thank you in advance! I look forward to your thoughts and helpful tips.

Hello! Some friends of mine are getting married the weekend of September 8th in Lisbon, which I am very excited about. Depending on how things shake out with work, I'm looking into potentially turning it into a month-long Euro romp and would love any tips, thoughts or suggestions you all may have on what I'm thinking so far. Any suggested day trips from some of these places are welcome.

Some background -- I'm a year old queer woman in my 30s and traveling alone is one of my passions. I like museums and cultural sites but my travel style is essentially wanderlust - I'm constantly moving and exploring. Love trying new cuisine, exploring new neighborhoods, local spots and nightlife, scenic wonders, etc. Used to being on my feet all day, love taking trains, etc. Pretty much down for anything, especially places off the beaten path. Not a fan of places overrun with tourists, but obviously it's worth it sometimes.

To note: I do not drive.

Potential itinerary:

Fly to Paris

Paris: August 13 - 17

Take the train from Paris to Amsterdam

Amsterdam: August 18 - 20

Fly to Copenhagen

Copenhagen: August 21 - 23

Fly to Venice

Venice: August 24 - 25

Train from Venice to Rome

Rome: August 26 - September 2nd (would love to take some day trips around Italy from here)

Fly to Lisbon

Lisbon: Sept. 2 - 9

Fly from Lisbon to Madrid

Madrid: Sept. 9 - 11

Train from Madrid to Barcelona

Barcelona: Sept. 11 - 14

Fly home

Thoughts? I know this is quite ambitious so happy to cut a few to spend more time in others. Thank you!

Hello,

I’m travelling to SEA in summer ( Thailand- Laos- Vietnam-Cambodia). I will definitely book my return flight in advance.

I’m the kind of traveller that books everything months in advance.

However, it has its disadvantages as sometimes I like to stay in a place more than planner.

• So My question is do you plan things ( specially those who travelled to SEA) in advance? Or do you do it spontaneously?

-I want this trip to be spontaneous and free, But Im afraid that the ticket prices or hostel rooms would be more expensive if I book in the same week. Can I get your experiences with the prices?

-Also so these countries ask for proof of leaving? Like a ticket or something, as I might do it sponaestly and not sure when I will leave.

I’d love some suggestions on cities to visit in Europe. Coming in from the US, I’ll be in Berlin at the end of September for about a week with a friend and then I’d like to check out some other countries or cities (open to other places in Germany too). Ideally, I’m looking for cheaper lodging (open to hostels/couch surfing, etc.). I’d say my budget is $800-$1k at the moment but can be adjusted if necessary. I’m interested in meeting new people and locals, maybe going off the beaten path if there is an interesting experience to do, my budget is open to that. I’d be interested in visiting some museums that might not be the most touristy, I’m not huge on jumping on every tourist destination in a location. Looking at old castles and shit is cool but I get bored with that stuff pretty quickly. I love food so I’m open to new culinary experiences or local cuisine (for example, went to a place in Batumi, Georgia where there was a fish market right on the water and our guide at the time picked out a few things for us and they cooked it on the spot which was awesome because we got to sit on the water) doesn’t have to be something exactly like that but I like the experience aspect of that stuff. I’d also love to experience some outdoors stuff too, maybe do a hike or something. City stuff is cool too, I love walking around a city and exploring without a plan. I’m a musician also so it would be cool to see some live music, maybe some jazz venues or places that have jam sessions would be sweet! 

Thank you!

Hi All,

Headed to Switzerland and using mass transit from Zurich to Grindelwald and then Grindelwald to Northern Italy. I’ve been told SBB train tickets should be purchased way in advance. Is this accurate? I figured it was as simple as going to the train station to purchase tickets the day of given it’s a fairly popular route. Any insight on train travel in Switzerland would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Im (24f) planning my first solo trip ever for later this summer (going to Rio). I really want to meet people, and I usually stay in a hotels, but all the blog posts I read on the topic recommend staying in a hostel.

My main concern is…will I be among the oldest ones there??? I want to party, have friends for excusions, and possibly meet cute guys…but obviously not high school/undergrad aged ones.

South East Asia vs. Mexico/Central America

Hey together, I‘m M20 from Germany and right now contemplating about what to do next year in January and February, since I‘m gonna have some time off from university.

I don’t have any proper plans yet, my goal is to decide on one destination and then look for good flight offers. I want to travel for 6-8 weeks and my plan is to travel spontaneously and book my next stops on the go. I also have quite a lot of solo travel experience in Europe and Morocco already. My budget is around 2000€ excluding flights (which I hope to get around 500€, since I‘m quite flexible with dates and departure airports).

I‘m kinda torn between these options:

South East Asia: Not doing a circle, but fly into Singapore/Kuala Lumpur and out of Hanoi (or the other way round) and explore Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I also enjoy destinations that are a bit off the beaten path, thus I’m interested in Malaysia. I definitely want to see Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang and some Islands in Thailand. I fear however that burning season might be a problem.

Mexico/Central America: Fly into CDMX and head south from there, would love to go surfing for a week or so. Can you recommend a surf camp? I definitely want to see Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido, Lagos di Atilan and Granada, and I would do rather Nicaragua, Honduras/El Salvador and Guatemala instead of Yucatan.

Other Options: Sri Lanka, but I fear it’s more Digital Nomads, Couples and not that social. Has anyone stayed there in a surf camp and how was it?

To my expectations: I really like being outdoors, so I want to see some nature, a few interesting towns/cities would also be interesting, I like a mix of everything (but I think both destinations can cater to that). I also like to party quite a bit, but it is not my priority on this trip (I‘ll spend four months on Erasmus in Finland before, so I primarily want to travel somewhere warm).

My biggest fear in South East Asia is that I read quite a few stories about hostels being „cliquey“ and a lot of people traveling in groups, and since I am not the most outgoing person and find it much easier to connect with other people, this might be an issue. Has anyone a comparison regarding this topic between SEA/CA/MX? Also would love any recommendations regarding the places I mentioned or if you know other places i must visit :)

I'm looking at flights home to the United States from my solo Europe vacation in July and I would save $450 if I took a 10 and a half hour layover in Reykjavik that arrives there at Midnight. I'm young and don't think I'll be able to sleep so I was looking at renting a car for ~$250 and driving around a bit and visiting the blue lagoon when they open at 7am. That leaves me time to get back to the airport by 8:30am before my flight leaves at 10:30am. I know the sun will still be up so my question is, what can you recommend I do between midnight and 7am before the blue lagoon or if the blue lagoon is even worth visiting for just an hour? Let me know what you think, thanks!

Hi everyone! I’m a 34 (started the trip at 33 two days before 34) YO male from the US. I recently got back from my first solo international trip. I picked Aruba because of the beaches and it did not disappoint. Leaving a little review here in case anyone is interested in visiting the beautiful island but thinks it will be too expensive. Everything included, I made it 5 nights for a little more than $1200 USD!

1. the flight there. US people can clown on Spirit airlines as much as they want but their prices are extremely affordable and I’ve never once had an issue on their flights. Round trip ticket from Chicago (with a small layover in Fort Lauderdale both ways) to Aruba was $244 USD.

2. I know Aruba hotels can be expensive so I booked an AirBnB. It was a little off the beaten path but about a 20ish min walk to the beach. I got 5 nights for $510 USD. It even had a shared pool! This place was the best experience because of the location. On my walk to the beach each day I’d pass a ton of Chickens/Roosters/Peacocks and pups. VERY safe. I was never once bothered by anyone.

3. I took $360 cash with me to spend on food/water/etc. $80 of that went to taxis to/from the airport. there are so many supermarkets there that I’d make my own dinner most nights.

4. I also booked an all day island tour for $66 —separate from the cash I brought. This was by far the coolest experience I had. They take you in an AC bus to explore so many cool attractions along the way. Each attraction you had about 20ish min to do whatever you wanted which was very cool.

All in all, do the trip you want to do! I’ll definitely be back to Aruba at some point and I highly recommend you do too. There is no price tag on experiences and 1200 for a beautiful 5 night trip to Aruba is a steal… even solo!

"Mistakes / Issues" will happen. With this post, I’m trying to identify some potential problems and learn from others' experiences, as well as gather good resources.

I have about 2 months for this solo-trip, minus some time for remote work when I’m in a city. I only speak English.

The basic goals of this trip are:

• To experience nomadic cultures
• To see natural landscapes different from Europe
• To learn horse riding

Oh, and if possible, I’d like to try some bökh (Mongolian wrestling)!

Possible Itinerary

• Arrival in Almaty, acclimate there for a few days, and then take a bus to Bishkek.
• Do a horse tour with camping (about 2 weeks) around Kyrgyzstan and visit some places individually by bus.
• Flight to Ulaanbaatar, do some day trips/small tours from there, and stay for about 2 weeks with a nomadic family.

Resources online are somewhat limited. For those who have visited these countries, did you encounter major issues? Are there things that I should watch out for? What were your highlights? Do you know of any recommendable businesses/guides there? I’m basically looking for any information that could help me during my trip and maybe others who stumple over this post in the future.

After the advice I received in my previous post, I am investigating doing a Croatia+Bosnia+Montenegro 13 day vacation in July.

However, initially I was only planning Split+Dubrovnik in Croatia but I am now seeing that taking Zadar as a base would be useful to visit the Plitvice lakes as well as some islands.

I don't drive so I use tours (or public transportation when they're easily available) to go to places which means the closer I am from the place the cheaper it will be. I usually pick some cities as base and then from there use full day tours to visit nearby attractions that interest me.

If I do Zadar+Split+Dubrovnik, take one day to tour each town and the rest of the time visit the most famous nearby attractions, how many days do you think I'd need in each? Would I'd still have time to fit in Bosnia (Sarajevo + Mostar) and/or Montenegro (Kotor) or would it be too much?

My interests are: boat trips, ocean beaches (I don't like rocky beaches, for one day it would be fine, but I'd also like to have some sandy beaches, those are my favourite), nature and history, particularly contemporary history. I am seeing Croatia is not big on contemporary History, at least I didn't find a lot of tours in that (I mean comparing with Bosnia that has for example tours to visit Srebrenica) but given I know zero of Croatia History everything is welcome. Once I'm there I'd dig into free walking tours and maybe I'll find some alternative ones. I would also not mind doing a Game of Thrones tour.

My budget is 80-100€ day with accomodation, food and tours included.

Also, about flights, from what I am seeing the cheapest locations to fly to/from are Dubrovnik and Zagreb. However I don't want to fly to Dubrovnik lose one day in a bus to go up to Zadar and then go back down again, so maybe I'd have to fly to Zagreb and go down from there or vice versa. But if I do that I think I'd take 1 day to see Zagreb (given it has some II WW tours and that's candy for my eyes), it might not have much but since I am there I might as well see it. In any case I'd "lose" one or two additional days due to logistics.

Hello, I am a long-time lurker of this sub. Just came back from my first solo trip across Europe, and needless to say, it did not go as well as I had hoped. I came back home rather scared, and am hesitant to pursue solo travel again. However, I did want to bring up a highlight of the trip that I will always remember: the grace and patience shown to me by the Indian expatriate community in the countries which I visited.

I was a victim of a crime. It was traumatic and scary, and I froze. I don't wish to go into detail in this post, so please do not ask me. Upon this event, I no longer felt adventurous, and frankly, just wanted to speak English to other English speakers who knew what I was talking about from the get-go. I don't say this to disparage the people of countries who spend years perfecting their English to accommodate travelers like me, but there was a sense of homeliness and familiarity I was looking for as I carried on with my travels... all my secondary language knowledge indeed went out the window.

That brought me to Indian restaurants across Europe. I remembered that in India, English is widely spoken and an official language. With this, I realized there are Indian restaurants just about everywhere. I found myself in these restaurants, getting to know countless Indian families and their stories of what brought them to, let's say, Austria or Italy, speaking English to soothe my soul. It was a welcome breath of fresh air for someone shaken up, who just wanted a little taste of home (USA).

Please don't take this post as an insult to those who speak English as a second/non-primary language— that is not my intention. Thank you for giving me the space to detail my experience. I hope solo travel will be on the horizon for me in a few years, and I'm happy to know that Indian restaraunts have my back :)

Hello everyone,

I am planning my first solo trip to Europe in August this year. I have been to Europe before (though not any of the cities in my itinerary) but this time I'm doing it alone. I'm working with a travel agent for flights and accomodation but I'd love some thoughts on the cities I have down and how long I plan to stay in each.

The non-negotiables are: I have family in Utrecht, but they are unavailable between 29 August and 2 September, and from 13 September onwards. So I can't stay with them then. I've chosen cities that are close to Utrecht because I am a little nervous about being alone and this way I know I'm never too far from family.

The plan:

• 21 August to 25 August: Cologne (for work)
• 26 August to 28 August: Cologne. Since I'll be working pretty much 9-5 the days before this, I thought I'd include a few days to check out the city/area.
• 28 August to 1 September: Helsinki. I find Finland interesting.
• 1 September to 4 September: Luxembourg. Why Luxembourg? I don't know, it seems cool. Somewhere I would probably never go if not for this trip. Is it a waste of time?
• 4 September to 8 September: Brussels. I'm thinking I could also day-trip to Antwerp or Bruges?
• 8 September to 12 September: Urecht. Visiting family.
• 12 September: Return home.

Any thoughts on time allocation or activities to do would be great!

I am a 22 M Canadian solo backpacker two weeks into a two month trip across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. I’ve loved my trip so far, but the social scene has been a bit different than expected.

I know this is a popular European gap year trip for many young people. But I have been shocked on how heavily dominated it is by this crowd.

In Chiang Mai, my hostel and its bar was entirely taken over by Dutch people celebrating Kings Day. All Dutch music, hundreds of Dutch people there, etc. I’ve made a lot of awesome Dutch friends and have nothing against the Dutch. But myself and many of the non-Dutch travellers at that hostel didn’t come to Thailand to celebrate a Dutch holiday with a bunch of drunk teenagers fresh out of high school.

Similar experience thus far in Laos. I’m at what is advertised as a good social hostel for solo backpackers, but not party dominant. I’ve also made some great British friends on this trip, but the entire place is filled with British gap year groups who do not want anything to do those who aren’t in their clique and are only here to take advantage of cheap drinking prices. Many of which laughing at the idea of checking out temples or eating local food which blows my mind.

I have loved the places I’ve visited and the trip has overall been amazing so far. I’ve met some amazing people I’ve travelled to other cities with as well. I like to party and have fun, but I am wanting the sight-seeing, exploring culture, local food, new experiences, actually meeting people (with SOME partying of course) to be the priority.

I wish this was something I could’ve understood this better before. I am now far more cautious on how to book my hostels. Would love some thoughts and opinions on this topic and if others have had similar experiences. Regardless, highly recommend the trip!

Hi all!

I am going backpacking for 1 month to Indonesia in September and I prepared an Itinerary with all the things I would like to visit there. I am very active and love to do a lot of stuff when traveling but my only concern here is jumping from one location to another every 2/4 days.

For reference here below is my itinerary:

1 Jakarta 2-3 Bandung 3-5 Pangandaran 5-8 Yogyakarta 8-10 Ubud 10-16 Canggu/Pandangbai 16-20 Nusa islands 20-23 Gilli Islands 23-28 Komodo boat tour to Flores

How do you deal with it during your trips ? I am also very social but I guess it will be tired to start socializing again every 3 days or so?

An also any suggestion about my itinerary ? I will be in Bali from day 8 to day 20 so do you think I can stay only in 1/2 places and commute to the other cities/places ?

Thanks a lot! N

Hi! I’m going on my first solo trip in May and need some input on my Croatia itinerary.

I will spend some time in Ljubljana first and arrive from there.

Note that I have found hostels and buses that work for these dates and it would all work out, I’m just not sure if it’s time enough at these places and would like som advice from people who maybe have been to Zadar and Pula.

Day 1: arrive in Pula from Ljubljana

Day 2: Pula

Day 3: Pula

Day 4: travel from Pula to Zadar by bus (long ride)

Day 5: Zadar

Day 6: Zadar

Day 7: travel from Zadar to Omis (also pretty lon

Day 8: Omis

Day 9: travel from Omis to Mostar etc..

So basically I will have 2 whole days+one evening/morning in Pula and Zadar, I was planning on doing one day trip at each place and one day exploring the city. My time in Omis will be for relaxation only!

Now, is this crazy? Is it too short of time at each place, what do you think? As I said this is my first solo trip so I’m very new to this and would appreciate all the help I can get!

Thanks <3

I woke up early today in order to go to the airport to go on my first ever solo trip internationally. It was fine for a bit, I even said goodbye to my dad and everything was okay but suddenly I felt dizzy, I was sweating and close to throwing up. I immediately thought about canceling because in the last few days I had negative feelings about it anyway. Now I feel really guilty about it because I just wasted money from one of my first paychecks for simply nothing and bad thoughts. Has anyone ever dealt with a similar issue and how did you cope with it?

Hello! I know there are already a shit ton of posts about Egypt, but I thought I'd write one up as well in case I'm helpful to anyone. Also, this is a way for me to vent a little lol.

Overall, Egypt is manageable (from a male perspective, but tips may be helpful anyone) but anyway, here we go.

First off, I'm 5' 7", skinny, Asian, and look very non-threatening. I mention this because as you know about those touts... they were probably drooling and creaming their pants when they saw me wandering alone, thinking they can get a ton of money from me. But the more days I spent there, the more desensitized I got to them and braver I got with making them go away, we'll get into some tips on that later.

You will not be hurt or robbed:

• Their main goal is to prey on first timers and to squeeze as much money from you as possible.
• Knowing that you 99% chance won't be hurt or robbed by them, you can be more confident in ignoring them, or telling them off.

Tips for Touts:

• I realized that these touts' egos are as sensitive as dudes who hang metal balls on the back of their trucks. They prey on the first timers and who are weak. They think they are slick talkers (and to be honest, they are, or else they wouldn't continue doing the snakey shit that they are doing) and need to always come out on top in the conversation.
• If at any time they feel they will lose the upper-hand, they will leave you alone.
  • For example, at the end of my trip, I was walking out of Cairo airport to uber to a nearby hotel, cause my next flight back to SF wasn't until 6 hours later. As I was walking out of the customs area into the public area, this taxi tout kept harassing me about giving me a ride. I first didn't look at him, but he kept following me. So I mouthed the word "no," he still kept following me. I then walked really fast and he kept up with me. So next, I stepped on the brakes and went from fast pace to a complete stop - this caused him to stumble forward a bit. He then smiled at me and walked away - they do not want to be embarrassed or not have the upper hand with someone.

There are different levels of touts:

• Those who will walk away when you ignore them or say no.
• Those who will try harder, but will eventually leave if you continue to ignore or say no.
• Those who will straight up harass you until you give in.
• Just remember, they won't hurt or rob you, so you can continue to ignore them, or just keep saying no to absolutely everything they say. They want to engage in a proper conversation with you, that's how they get you.
• Btw instead of saying "no," keep saying "la shukran," which is no, in their language. This works better.

Things I want to try against Touts, the next time I go to Egypt:

• Google translating something along the lines of "This is my 6th time in Egypt (even if it is your first time). Go away, I won't talk to you." then printing it out and keeping the paper in my pocket as a backup.
• Knowing they will only prey if they think they have the upper hand against you - I want to try either just straight up staring them in the eyes and not say anything, and then go back to what I am doing. Or respond with random nonsensical words like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, etc.
• One of the first questions they'll ask you if "Where are you from?" So they know how much money you have lol. I really really want to test responding with "Egypt" and then ignore them from that point on. I believe this will let them know you're wiling to toy with them, so they'll leave sooner rather than later.

Tours vs. Private Driver to only take you to the sites (then you explore on your own):

• Being in a tour is "safer" from the touts, but just know you'll be taken to a few places that will try to sell you stuff. I suspect the tour guide will get a kickback from any sales that happen. On the plus side, these places will not be pushy on their sales, as it is connected to a tour guide, who is then connected to hotels, viator, etc., so they do not want a bad review.
• Having a tour guide was nice, to have an in person lesson on the history of some stuff, but they cannot cover everything. Additionally, things were kind of go-go-go, so if you are the type that likes to chill and bask in the glory of these ancient ruins, then a tour guide might not be for you.
• For example, we barely spent any time at the Pyramid of Giza, since I was then taken to get a camel ride (part of the tour, and then the Sphinx). I would've loved to just sit down and gaze and admire the Pyramid for like 30 minutes to an hour.
• I did a private tour in Cairo (Pyramid of Giza, Sphinx, Museum, and some other places I forget), but I was so burnt out from the go-go-go, that I canceled my private tour in Luxor (Valley of the Kings, Luxor temple, Karnak Temple, and the other popular sites whose names I forget) and simply hired a private driver from the hotel ($50 US, and I tipped $20 cause he was a cool dude) whose job was solely to take me to the desired sites that I chose, and to wait for me until I was done (communicated via WhatsApp to let him know when to pick me up from the parking lot).
• Going at your own pace was such a breath of fresh air... you actually got to look deeply and admire all the hieroglyphs and take time taking pictures/selfies.
• I would suggest thinking about which places that you would like to get a history lesson from and get a tour guide for those places, but otherwise, getting a private driver is fine (and since they are hired by the hotel, they won't be pushy - if they suggest taking you to a spot to get A/C, in my case it was a place that sold pottery, you can say no, cause it's just another sales spot.

Buying things:

• Whatever first offer you give, no matter how high it is, they will always try to squeeze more from you. They will probably milk a dead cow if it gave them a drop of milk.
• They will obviously start the offer high, anticipating your first offer is half of that.
• Offer even lower, maybe 15-25% as your first offer.
• Know your final price ahead of time, and say this is the most I'm willing to pay, if you go any higher, I will leave.
• Don't be afraid to walk away. If you truly offered a good price, they will accept it as you're walking away.
• If you end up pay a little more, it's okay, as long as the price is worth it to you.
• Do not accept free water/soda from stores while you're shopping.
• DO not let them do anything of service for you while you shop, as this will give them ammo to try to make you buy.

TL/DR:

• Touts won't hurt or rob you, only squeeze your wallet as much as possible.
• Touts have small penises - if they start realizing you won't play their game, and in fact willing to toy/fuck around with them, they will leave you alone.
• Tours aren't completely necessary, you can book a private driver whose sole purpose is to take you to the sites, and wait for you until you're done, then take you to the next site - so you have time to walk around the site at your own pace.
• When buying things, no matter how high/good your first offer is, they will always counter. So start your counter at 15%-25% of their offer and go from there.

Thanks for reading, and hope this helps someone out there, specifically those travelling solo.

Edit: for touts, if you’re walking, keep walking. For wanting to fuck around with the touts was considered when I was standing infront of the hotel smoking a cigarette, so I had nowhere to escape.

Hello!

I am partially looking for advice, but also interested in others stories who have taken extended time off abroad (1-2 years) for travel and returned to their field or the workforce.

I am in the process of updating my resume and talking to recruiters, but I am incredibly hesitant on their reactions to my extended travel sabbatical. It has not all been "vacation", as my breakdown has been:

• 6 mo. travel
• 1 year working holiday in Australia
• 6 mo. teaching science in Thailand

So I guess my question is two parts

1. On my resume, do I leave all of this off completely and leave my last job as March 2022 - xxxxx without further updates and just explain the gap when I talk on the phone? Or how can I spin my time off into something more positive in the eyes of recruiters? I am itching to return to my field, but I want to come up with a truthful way that will NOT deter the recruiters.

2. on Phone calls with recruiters, how do I spin the story positively about taking such an extended time off from my field (~2 years is pretty long). Should I be 100% honest, saying I was burnt out and after taking a working holiday opportunity, that opportunity led to the next in me teaching for a bit?

For those who have taken extended time off, and went back, how did you approach this? Did you list anything during travel on your resume? How did you spin it to the recruiters for them to see it positively?

Thank you all, I am very nervous to talk to a recruiter for a position I want and she is asking for my updated resume.

Hi! I'll be traveling to Sicily in mid May and would love some help on itinerary

Day 1: Palermo

Day2: Palermo w Day trip to Cefalu or San Vito La Campo

Day3: Palermo to Agrigento

Day 4: Agrigento to Siracusa

Day 5: Siracusa to Taormina

Day 6: Taormina to Catalina

Other places I'm considering

Ragusa, Erice

Things to note:

I will have a car

I am pretty young and am trying to see as much as possible. I know the schedule is jam packed but I am going solo and tend to be a fast traveler. Also, my birthday is on Day 5 of this trip, I would like to splurge a little and stay in a nice area with a seaside vibe. Where might be a good place for this?

Questions: Is there any place on this list you would skip? If so what would you replace it with.

Any must visit food spots/restaurants?