Hello, r/solotravel! Hope you guys are doing well!

I've been in Japan for about four months now, working remotely while doing school. It's been a time of very intense highs and very intense lows. As the month nears its end, I have the option to stay abroad while doing college coursework online or head home.

I am very conflicted. On one hand, this time abroad has allowed me to grow into myself and mature in ways I wasn't able to when back in American suburbia rotating through the same peers I've had since middle school. On the other hand, integrating into Japanese society has been quite difficult. I haven't made many deep personal connections with the Japanese here, but I've been able to broaden my language skills immensely. The area I'm in is also quite cosmopolitan, a ton of Spanish speakers and people from around the world. My worldview has been expanded beyond what I thought was capable, and with summer along the way, I have the choice to continue this exploration.

The issue is the loneliness. When the lonliness hits during my solotravels, it HITS hard. It becomes almost unthinkable to do anything than wallow in it. I know it comes down to willpower at the end of the day, but being abroad for nearly 4 months has really taken a toll on me and my body in many ways. Without my original peer network, it's been exponentionally difficult to function at times.

But I also wonder if there's a sort of process of learning to be self-reliant that I may have the opprotunity to face and overcome if I stick it out. Because, when I have good days here, I have REALLY good days. It's just a very intense bounce between the good and bad days that make things difficult.

I'm wondering if anyone here may be able to share their experiences and if/how they've managed these kinds of feelings. I have the urge to explore more of Asia, but I also hear that the weather during summer here in both Japan and most of Asia in general, can be super tough to plow through. At this point, I'm considering going back to my homebase mindfully and focusing on myself for the Summer, and returning to the travel life after my studies are wrapped up next year. But, it's something I've never been able to fully get through, the loneliness that comes with traveling. I've been to ten countries now across 4 continents, been traveling on and off for the better part of two years, and I still struggle with it!

Me male 27 from Sweden will be going to South America between the end of October up until almost Christmas. So far I have decided to go to: Rio de Janeiro, Colombia ( medellin) and El Salvador. However I don’t really know much about any of these countries so I am turning to Reddit for help. Although I speak an okay amount of Spanish I am worried that communication in Rio will be hard. I speak zero Portuguese although I will try and learn some before I go it is well below my level of English and Spanish. Can you get by on basic Portuguese, English and Spanish?

Safety is obviously a question , I am not to worried about this. I think that I have a common sense and have no plans of walking drunk home or flashing money. There are a lot of norms that I will not be an aware of, is there anything I should keep and eye out for? Also El- Salvador is obviously a country in transition, are there any travellers here who have been and would like to share their experiences? As I have understood you can get by on about 50$ a day again any recent travelers who would like to give some advice on money sharing tips/ scams to avoid?

Finally any and all tips/ recommendations are humbley welcome and would be much appreciated.

Thank you all

Hi there - lurk on Reddit from time to time and first post, unsure if this would be the best subreddit but it maybe technically fits! Apologies if I'm wrong on that.

So Scotland have qualified for the Euros (yaaasss), but alas - Germany itself was a bit of a bridge too far for my budget when I did any googling.

Booked up a solo holiday for 11 full nights in Tenerife over the group stages (fly out circa 13th June 2024, return 24th June 2024) because I i) was able to get the time off work, ii) haven't had a holiday in years, not least due to Covid, and iii) there's a novelty to being away on a holiday for a major tournament even if it isn't going to the host nation itself. Does look like there's at least a few sports bars nearby in Puerto de la Cruz to go and soak in the games, and the hotel looks legit really nice :)

Mildly curious if anyone else is doing similar? Deposit is paid up now so I'm locked in, I am really excited by it tbf, hopefully if nothing else come back home with a nice tan!!

(This is also literally the first time I've ever booked up a holiday myself, any other holiday I've been on its been a partner/friends/family that have done all the leg work - I *think* I've got everything sorted, ha!)

So I have booked a nigh train with OBB from Berlin to Budapest. That train also has a in Dresden and I would now like to board the train there instead of Berlin, but I can’t make any changes to my ticket. Would I encounter any problems if I just get on the train in Dresden with my initial ticket? I have emailed their customer service 3 weeks ago and haven’t received an answer… Hoping to hear from people who have been in a similar situation!

Is there any way to get Machu Pichu tickets on super short notice? I want to limit the trip to 1 day because I do not have a lot of time in my schedule but I am willing to pay a slight premium. I tried to book tickets 3 weeks ago but everything was already sold out so I decided to just not go to Machu Pichu but now I’m regretting that decision. I will be in Cusco in 1 week. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Attempting to plan very far in advance. I'm looking to arrive in Heathrow and immediately travel to Hereford; then to Liverpool; finally London. I understand the rail is probably best, but should I get a rail card? If so, how do they work? I'm in my 30s and looked into the Network card, should I buy that? Might skip London this time round and just focus on Hereford and Liverpool. Ideas?

Hi. I will be traveling around Belgium (Antwerp,Bruges, Ghent and Brussels) for a couple of days and I am looking for a transportation ticket to take me throughout Belgium. Is there something like a unlimited transportation pass? I have found a 3-day ticket from De Lijn, Go Pass and Belgian Rail pass. May I know which one is the most suitable for the places I am trying to visit?

Hi all!

I'm about to embark on a multi-year, full world tour of solo travel adventure. I'll preface my post with: this is obviously quite lofty, I realize!

The context here is that because of some entrepreneurial success I've had in the last 5 years I have the financial means to not need to work at all for the next 5 years if I choose to.

Plus I'm young-ish (32 years old), Canadian (good passport), have no life partner (just got out of a 10 year relationship), have no pets or dependants (my only dog died 8 months ago 😭), I'm selling my house, etc etc...

So by all of these factors combined, it really feels like the universe is screaming "now is the time to do this! When else in someones life could they say that they have the opportunity to do something like this in such a risk-free (financially), and roots-free way?".

So, with that preamble out of the way, my tentative plan is as follows;

....Trip stage 1 - road trip north america (canada and the US), departing via my car 3 weeks from now - I have my route fully planned and my car is prepped 😌

....Trip stage 2 - fly to europe, then backpack europe by train

....Trip stage 2.5 - possibly visit India on my way to SE Asia, but going to play this one by ear based on what time of year I end up finishing stage 2

....Trip stage 3 - fly to SE asia, then backpack asia by plane / train, and hit Japan also

....Trip stage 4 - hit new zealand, and australia - not backpacking these, just flying straight to the major destination cities and seeing the touristy sites / spending a week or two in these countries

....Trip stage 5 - fly to south africa, possibly end up visiting other parts of Africa, but SA is the big one

....Trip stage 6 - fly to south america, backpack south america

And as I do my final preparation for the first stage of the trip, there are a number of questions I'm seeking answers to...

Question 1. Am I being totally naive in thinking I could tackle an itinerary like this with no breaks (likely travelling for 1-5 years) continuously?

Is such an itinerary wholly unrealistic? I have done a fair amount of solo travel already but only for work and only to places like the US and Canada. I'm confident, male, tall/large, and have a good head on my shoulders (I think 😅) so I recognize I have a lot of solo travel "safety" privilege from these attributes alone. Despite this, should I perhaps plan for some visits home, based on y'alls experiences with prolonged solo travel? I've definitely seen posts from people describing a lot of homesickness, etc...

Question 2. how, if at all, can I go about getting my prescriptions filled for my ADHD medication when I am abroad?

(I take Concerta/Methylphenidate). My current understanding is that I may not be able to get my meds while abroad for all sorts of reasons - foremost among them being that my meds are a restricted substance in many places around the globe - and as a result that I should be prepared for the possibility that I may need to do much of my travel unmedicated. FWIW caffeine, "systems", and the urgency/novelty/excitement of being in new environments all do a decent job helping me manage my ADHD, so this won't be the end of the world (or so I'm telling myself... lol). But I still wanted to ask about medications in case anyone thinks it might be possible for me to get my prescriptions abroad!

Question 3. For a trip itinerary that I am describing, is travel insurance a good idea / necessary?

The reason I ask is because my prior experience with travel insurance leads me to believe it's a pretty complicated tree to bark up, with all sorts of exceptions and nuances (like countries and activities that your insurance may or may not cover), etc. I guess I'm worried that I'll end up shelling out for travel insurance only to find out that it won't cover me in many countries or that it will become void because I plan on engaging in activities like rock climbing and mountain biking, so it will have been money wasted.

Question 4. What vaccines should one get before going on such a trip?

I already have hep A/hep B from a recent trip. Are there any others that would be a good idea given my full globetrotting itinerary?

Question 5. Is only planning the specifics for ~1 month worth of travel at a time a bad idea? Should I be planning the specifics for less time? More time?

I am only planning/scheduling/booking accommodations/really getting into the low-level of my itinerary one month at a time. My thinking is that I want to intentionally give myself the room to be very fluid, to change my route on a dime, to give myself the room to come home for a period of time if I need to, etc... is this a good idea? Or should I be planning a longer period of travel in advance? Or shorter?

Question 6. Is embarking on a trip like this without a clear "end date" a good idea?

I am telling myself this trip could take 1 year, or it could take 5 years, and that I would be equally happy with either of those scenarios. I want to give myself the room to stay in a country for several months if I fall in love with a place. And I want to give myself the room to do that multiple times if I fall in love with multiple places. For these reasons I am keeping it very open ended - I don't have any specific end date. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Would it be better to "timebox" it?

Question 7. I am perhaps a bit older (32 years old) than the typical "hostel demographic" (I would assume these are mostly people in their young 20s). Will it be weird/creepy/uncomfortable for me to spend a lot of my trip in hostels?

Question 8. Given all of the information above, do you have any recommendations of countries I should go see on my trip?

Okay! That was a long post! Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this and especially to anyone who offers any insight.

And I'll leave you with; I want to meet people! If you wanna meet up on my travels, hit me up via DMs! I'll probably be in your country at some point and I'm always looking to make new friends and travel buddies :)

Long story short my friends got cold feet very last minute 😫😒 I’m having quite some trouble putting stuff together alone especially traveling solo for first time. I wanna make the most of my time in one of best cities in the world!

Here’s my very rough itinerary. Please feel free to edit or add anything! I tried to group stuff so that I wouldn’t get hit by lots of crowds

Here are my general interests: shopping for clothes mostly (new and vintage), Nintendo and Pokémon, eating amazing Japanese food, cultural stuff like temples. Not into anime/manga

Wednesday:

• LAND AT NARITA AT 1 PM (3 hour flight)
• Get to hotel in Ginza

Thursday: never been to Disney at all and DisneySea is the “best amusement park in the world”

• Eat at convenience store early morning
• Entire day at DisneySea

Friday:

• Meiji Shrine
• HAIR APPOINTMENT IN HARAJUKU at 11:30
• Takeshita street
• Amekoyo Market
• Kappabashi Street to pick up some knives for family
• Sensoji temple?

Saturday: heard ginza is better on Saturdays because streets are closed

• Tsukuji Outer Market very early morning
• Get back to Ginza when stores open
  • Uniqlo, MUJI, Onitsuka Tiger, Loft, Itoya, Tokyo Hands
• Ginza Kumaraya Bakery (oldest bakery)
• Head back to Team Lab Planet right before closing? (have not booked yet)

Sunday: Rainy day

• SHIBUYA SKY 11AM
• Shibuya Crossing (might be good to see busy?)
• Pick up luggage from hotel in Ginza
• BE AT NARITA AIRPORT BY 5 PM

Want to add shibuya Parco (Nintendo store and Pokémon center!) and shimokitazawa.

Any advice on how to fill in my itinerary or edits would be much appreciated!

Hello! I plan to visit Jordan from end May to early June for 9 days. Note: I'll be getting the Jordan Pass (80 JD) hence free entry to all the sites stated below.

Currently my itinerary looks like this:

Day 1 (Amman): Arrive in Queen Alia Airport around noon. Spend the day exploring Amman. city centre. Rainbow street, old city, roman theatre etc. Stay in Amman.

Day 2 (Jerash): Take an Uber from Amman city centre to Tabarbour bus station (4 JD) then a bus from Tabarbour to Jerash (1 JD). Explore Jerash. Head back to Amman the same way. (5 JD). Stay in Amman.

Day 3 (Dead Sea): Take the 9am Jettbus from Amman to Dead Sea. Explore Dead sea. Take the 5pm Jettbus from Dead Sea back to Amman. (15 JD round trip) https://jtt.com.jo/st_tour/amman-dead-sea-amman-daily/?date=13/05/2024%2012:00%20am-13/05/2024%2011:59%20pm . Stay in Amman.

Day 4 (Wadi Rum): Take the 8am Jettbus (20 JD) from Amman to Wadi Rum. https://jtt.com.jo/st_tour/wadi-rum-amman-2/?date=13/05/2024%2012:00%20am-13/05/2024%2011:59%20pm . Stay in Wadi Rum Fire Camp

Day 5 (Wadi Rum): Take the jeep tour offered by Wadi Rum Fire Camp (50 JD). Stay in Wadi Rum Fire Camp.

Day 6 (Petra): Take the 10am local minibus from Wadi Rum to Petra (10 JD). Explore Petra. I'll be in Petra for 3 days and I've read that there are 5 different main trails. Any reccomendations on the trails without having to join a tour? Stay in Wadi Musa.

Day 7 (Petra): Explore Petra. Stay in Wadi Musa.

Day 8 (Petra): Explore Petra. Take the 5pm Jettbus (10 JD) from Petra to Amman. Stay in Amman.

Day 9 (Amman): Chill day in Amman (any suggestions wld be greatly appreciated!!) before having to catch a 4am flight the next day. Catch the shuttle around 10pm from Amman city centre to Queen Alia Airport. Get to Amman airport around 11pm.

If you have any suggestions or recommendations pls feel free to share them!! I'm really interested to hear different opinions and how I can improve my trip! Thank you so much in advance :))) AND if there are anything I should take note of OR activities/eateries I should try pls let me know too! THANK YOU SO MUCH :->

Hola everybody :)

I'm visiting the basque country in 2 weeks and got 14 days do spend there. I'm flying into Bilbao then planned on traveling along the coasline to San Sebastián and maybe stop to surf at Zarautz or elsewhere.

Just thinking about how many days I should spend on each destination? Is it worth stopping in Zarautz? Or is the surf in San Sebastián just as good? (beginner level)

Main focus on the trip would be surfing and photography. So i'd highly appreciate all recommendations for beautiful locations you've got, especially those outside of the places i mentioned. 🥳

Are there any MUST sees in the basque country? :)

Thank you all in advance :)

I (26M) just spent the last three weeks exploring Greece and stayed in a range of different hostels, all of which offered both dorm style and single room accommodations. Along my travels, I met so many backpackers who had no idea single hostel rooms even existed, and a handful who stated that they’d rather just opt for a cheap hotel/motel instead. My question is, why do that when you can book a single room in a hostel in a highly attractive area that offers prime location AND a social atmosphere? I payed around €30 per night for a single hostel room in Athens and was still able to meet other travelers, enjoy all of the traditional amenities of the hostel, like the rooftop bar over looking the city and free breakfast, while being within a 2 minute walking distance to major historic sights like the Acropolis. Hotels are overrated!

Hello! I am booking my ticket back home to Australia from Hong Kong. But all of the flights in my desired price range (under $600) have a self transfer in Singapore with only 1hr and 50mins between flights. Is this enough time to self transfer? Also, I'll be arriving at 12:30am, will any checking desks even be open? Thanks so much for any help with this!

Im currently working as a digital nomad in Guanacaste and will be moving to Uvita from June - September. I’m nervous about my laptop, UPS bar, and Nikon DSLR equipment in the high humidity. The casita I will be staying in does not have AC and it is ventilated by screen windows that are always opened. Unfortunately there is no enclosed space (i.e., closet) that I could plug a dehumidifier in.

I’ve read to keep your electronics on, does that mean at the end of my day to leave my laptop open and in “sleep” mode?

I’m going to bring some dehumidifier packs (purchased from Amazon) and find a sealed bin to create a dehumidifier box. Has anyone tried this? I’m wondering if I should keep my laptop open and sleeping all day during the week and then store it in that box during the weekends?

My landlord said she’s heard people putting their electronics in the fridge or oven with the light on. I’m also a little nervous about my cell phone and iPad.

Any advice or suggestions would be truly helpful!

I (24M) was with a person I had met for the 1st time through staying at the same hostel. We got along & began bar hopping & started chatting with a group of 5 - turns out the 5 of them were also solo traveling. I spoke with everyone at the table at some point - some more than others and then one of the girls starts talking to me & the 1st girl I met about how her credit card isn't working but wants to buy a drink.

The girl I'm with stays silent & I break the awkward silence by saying "no body here is having more than 1 or 2 drinks so don't feel like you're missing out" & then I change the subject because I kinda knew where this was heading.. a minute or 2 later, she asks me to buy her drink & I reply by saying "I don't really buy drinks for people I've just met sorry" & then she asks me again, this time saying she'll pay me back tomorrow, once she gets her credit card sorted. She tells me to give her my Instagram & banking details so that she can contact me tomorrow & pay me back. At this point I'm tired of her begging & since I'm getting up to get myself a drink I just cave in & buy her 1 after giving her my Instagram & banking details since it's only €7 so if I don't get my money back, it's not exactly going to put me in debt.

I buy her the drink & she thanks me & reiterates her plan to pay me back tomorrow. Tomorrow comes & she still hasn't added my Instagram so at 8pm, I ask someone else from the group for her Instagram so that I can ask for my money back. I do this, politely asking for my money back & when checking my messages the next morning, I see that she has blocked me.

I know it was only €7 but it's the principle. This type of scummy behaviour really pisses me off & makes me annoyed about how some people are so just so comfortable with being shitty people to people they've just met.

What's your policy with doing financial favours for people you meet on your travels? If I click with someone, I happily offer to buy a drink for them & that favour is always returned. But the fact that the girl who I had spoken to least within the group practically begged me to buy her drink with no intention to pay me back despite saying she would, to change my answer from no to yes really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Obviously at major tourist sites and high traffic areas, (Eiffel tower, Times Square NYC, Big Ben, Leaning Tower, etc.) it probably happens quite often, but what are your "off-the-beaten-path, halfway around the world, at this exact time, at this exact moment, what are the chances of our paths crossing?!?" stories.

Hi all. So I've been through some health things in the last 18 months which I'm still in, but I'm fortunate that I've improved somewhat and still have some weeks before work starts up again so I'm looking to take a short solo trip of under a week.

I would be flying from the north of UK and have narrowed it down to Naples and surrounding area or Andalucia. I've previously been to Malaga so would be looking at staying in the other cities/villages.

What I am looking for is accessible beauty spots/culture without too much walking/hiking/biking required. I can walk about a bit and would do some light swims if by the coast but can't push myself too hard! Using buses and trains to get around is no problem.

Other things to consider:

-Budget isn't really an issue but I'd probably want to stay in a private dorm for a few of the nights to ensure I get enough sleep, maybe something to consider

-I speak spanish (needs a tune up) and enjoy practicing it, I do not speak Italian.

Thank you for reading and please if you have any recommendations for either travel destination let me know!

I'm a 25M and I've got this solo trip planned to Playa Del Carmel at the beginning of June for a week. It was a bit of an impulsive decision on my part. I noticed that tickets were cheaper around June compared to booking a couple of months later, so I just pulled the trigger without thinking too much of it.

Initially, I thought I'd book an Airbnb in downtown Cancun and chill there. But then after looking into it a bit more, I realized that the options there weren't that great compared to what I wanted. So, I eventually found a place in PDC that looked much better in terms of quality and booked my stay there instead.

A few days later, I started researching a bit further and found that June is seaweed season in PDC and people are saying how this is the worst time to visit. I was really looking forward to hitting the beaches and having a good time but after hearing all this has me second guessing my decision and I'm not sure if it will actually be worth it?

Is it really that bad during seaweed season? Should I be concerned? Thanks!

I booked a cheap flight to Lyon as part of a larger trip and my original plan was to immediately take the train south to Avignon for 3 nights (day trips to Nimes, Arles maybe), and then rent a car and stay in a small Luberon village for another 3 nights (hike, relax, lavender fields, visit villages, maybe Verdon Gorge) before going on to Cote d'Azur. My itinerary so far is:

Day 1: Land in Lyon, train to Avignon

Day2-3: Spend in Avignon, day trips to Nimes and or Arles

Day 4: Rent a car, stay next 3 nights in Luberon Village

Days 5-6: hiking Luberon, visiting villages, day trips. Drop of car end of day

Day 7: Move on to the Sea

Interests: Definitely some Provincial culture, nature, lavender fields (it'll be at the beginning of the season)

As I'm doing this solo, renting a car will be quite costly but from what I understand its the best way to see Provence. I think it's within my budget but could be tight, just don't want to miss out on the best of what Provence has to offer so I could probably make it work. But should I switch up my plans a bit to base myself in a more accessible place? for example, maybe get to Aix and rent a car for only one day or so to see villages and such but spend most of my time in Aix for those last three days? Also, am I doing myself a terrible disservice by just bypassing Lyon? Any recommendations you have I'm all for it.

Hi I am a woman in my late twenties early thirties.I've travelled alone before. I knew what I was getting myself into. I'm between jobs and thought a solo trip would be great. But here's the thing ....

I've been alone a lot in life. I've backpacked and travelled alone for over a month at a stretch. Multiple continents. I consider myself a skilled experienced solo traveller.

But this time it's different because for the first time in my life I have partners and friends and a good home to return to. I always prided myself on being good at solo travel but it turns out I was only good at it because it wasn't that different from my solo life. This time though I am desperately homesick. These experiences feel worth less because I have no one to share them with. I am not used to sleeping alone anymore. I can't get back into the solo travel mindset.

I want to enjoy this trip. It is packed full of things I love (nature, hiking, cities, speaking Spanish). But I'm struggling. It's hard to eat. I'm sleeping too much. It all feels vapid and shallow. Nothing's fun. (Yes I take an antidepressant and yes I'll be discussing this with my therapist).

It doesn't help that when I get home I am starting a very stressful new job (ICU nurse). So that feels like an anvil hanging over my head and it's hard to stay in the moment.

How can I take better care of myself and enjoy the trip?

I've never solo travelled before but have seen quite a few places saying to pack light. Whilst I'm on board with this for clothes, for shoes I'm thinking of taking two pairs of trainers (in addition to flip flops etc.)

• One pair for day-to-day casual wear
• One pair for Exercise

I'll be solo travelling for 5-6 months in SEA and I'm not sure what to expect. I pretty much have to exercise every date to feel sane and at the very least don't want to have smelly shoes all the time. Has anyone here experience or insight?

Thanks

So I am currently in Lima, Peru and will have about a month in Peru, maybe a bit less. So far I have 4 cities in mind that I want to see in addition to Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, and Puno. So my first question is, is this a decent plan? To spend a month seeing these 4 cities? Then I have questions about the details? For example, I'm not sure what order I should see them in. For example, I heard that I should maybe go to Arequipa before Cusco to get used to the altitude. Next question, is it better to fly between cities or take buses? I assume if I go to all 4, I probably don't have enough time to take buses, but I also think those bus drives may be quite beautiful. I'm traveling on a bit of a budget, in the sense that I'm staying in hostels, and trying to eat cheaply and whatnot. But I'm not super concerned about money. Thank you.

I know a lot of people have a journal, choose a song that they’ll forever relate to that place, etc… I’m starting a 2 months trip and I want to listen to cool ideas like these to do myself. Thanks!

These are my three really bad bed experiences:

1. My toes get caught in something while getting into bed. It was when my feet were almost at the bottom of the bed. Not sure if it was an animal or something and I instinctively jumped out of the bed. When I pull back the bedsheets I see a pair of used dirty underwear.

2. Lying in bed reading my ipad with the lights turned off, I notice my sheets move between my chin and my ipad. I look closer and it was not the sheets moving but a cockroach. The hotel came and sprayed the room - it was really late and they were full so could not switch establishment or rooms. The next morning I met someone in the elevator going down for breakfast and he said he woke up to find a cockroach in his ear.

3. Found hundreds of bug eggs between the mattress and box spring. Changes rooms to find the same thing again.

I am sure people have had worse - what are your worst experiences?

I am an african passport holder and I am doing a tour of thailand, cambodia, vietnam and laos and I received my visas for the other countries except cambodia. They asked for bank statements which I submitted on Friday and it’s still processing however I planned to be in cambodia on Monday. I am in bangkok now and had planned to go through poipet.

I’m eligible for visa on arrival however I have heard it’s a challenge to get one as an african passport holders. Any weak passport holders with any advice? Also if I try to get my visa on arrival, what happens to my evisa application?

Will appreciate any advice/suggestions

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice on where to go next week on Monday or Tuesday for a ~4 week trip in Asia. I’m a 30M based out of the east coast of the US and am experienced with solo travel. Normally this would be a no-brainer for me because I love outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, surfing, snowboarding, etc… so would think to go to Nepal to trek or Indonesia to surf. Problem though is that I broke my leg in February and have been recovering well and getting more active and lightly traveling in South America, but don’t think I can do full blown treks and definitely can’t surf. I’ve recovered enough where I’m down to walking with just a cane, but would take the crutches for more active days/activities. I could potentially bike as I’ve been able to recently hop on stationary bikes. Also, boating/scuba diving is fine as I’ve recently done both without a problem.

I want to go to Asia because I won’t be able to go out that far again for 5-6 years due to work (not worth going into detail about it but would only be able to travel in 1 week increments). Ive been to Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan so don’t want to repeat those. I was considering India (north vs. south due to lack of time) because of the cool cultural/spiritual component while still having some nature that I could potentially explore in a chill way. Something about India has never excited me that much though. Maybe it’s the reputation of how hectic it can be, the fact that May/June are considered bad times to go due to the heat, the somewhat lack of partying, and my general lack of researching stuff to do there lol. The Himalayas in Nepal would be a dream, but can’t trek so am not sure it’s worth it. I know it’s super last minute but last minute flight prices won’t matter. My budget is also not much of a factor and I would likely be getting a private room at hostels wherever I go.

Would love to get some ideas from people as to where to go or bounce around between!

My last day in bangkok! This was an 8 day trip. Went to chiang mai for 4 days then here in bkk. Did everything i want to and lived like a local (i hope). Spent the days at my own pace. Really happy that i did this. I’m just wondering if some people also travel this way? Like, not really packing your days full? My mom said I should’ve joined tours but I don’t want to do that. I can see the city on my own. Other people around me also look disappointed when i say that i just ate around the city whenever they ask how’s my previous trips. Idk. I guess im just looking for validation that i can “discover the world the way i desire”. But tbh, if you tell me that i should’ve spent every moment i can to see all the things, I wouldn’t be able to do that as i have a limited endurance lmao.

Hey folks. I am currently on travel in Taiwan and I'm having a blast, but I am definitely getting a little bit of burnout with the whole "scavenger hunt" of being a tourist. I've been on a 4-month trip through Asia and it has been everything I have hoped for and more. But not only that, I have been on travel for about 2/3 of the past 2 years. So I've been on the road a lot and have spent a lot of time away from the comforts of home and sightseeing. I am just getting a bit burnt, and have been missing my family, my magic the gathering playgroup, and other nice parts of home like that.

I am currently scheduled to fly to Korea in 5 days for a 7-day stint there, and then I would jet off to Japan for about 1.5 weeks before flying home to the PNW on May 31st. I just sorta feel like I don't know if I have it in me to travel for another 3 weeks or so. If I were to come home I would likely cut out my time in Japan, and just spend around 10 days or so in Korea seeing Seoul and doing some hiking in the north.

I also have a little bit of a busy summer coming up, as I take an online 7-week course for university starting in early July, I have to find housing for my upcoming academic year, then in early August I would need to move into my new apartment which is a 20 hour drive south and a couple of states away, and I also have a 10 day trip with my family planned to go visit relatives and do some sightseeing on the east coast of the US in late June, so I still have one more major trip planned in the works as well. So maybe having some extra time to recover and re-adjust to everyday life would be helpful.

The main reason that I would keep trudging along is for the following reasons:

1. I do want to see Japan. I have never been before and seeing Mt. Fuji is high on my list of stuff to do, and visiting Tokyo has interested me for quite some time now! Plus, I think seeing a bit of Japan would really help tie everything together that I've seen and experienced in East Asia and it would be a fantastic way to finish off my adventure.
2. I feel like if I were to come home a week early, I would truly be wasting a trip to Japan which is such a great opportunity. So many people dream of visiting Japan and I would be throwing away that opportunity. I'm already in this amazing area of the world, and I worry that if I were to come home early I would have wasted such a great experience in Japan.

So overall, what do you all think? Should I continue traveling, despite my burnout and minor homesickness? I would try and do some different stuff aside from the main tourist attractions within the next few weeks I think. As I said earlier, I am a big magic the gathering player so I would try and visit a ton of cool looking card shops in Korea and Japan! Plus I feel like it is a good way to experience my own lifestyle in a different culture.

Or, should I cut my trip length by a week or so and come home a bit earlier, so I can have more time to rest, recover, and enjoy my summer with my family and friends before going back to classes for university in August?

After discussing with my parents, brother, and one of my better friends back in the US, they all think that I should come home early, for what it's worth.

Thanks in advance to all who are willing to help. Cheers guys! :)

Edit: thank you everyone for your assistance! I have decided upon a bit of a compromise. I will basically be cutting out Kyoto and Osaka from my itinerary, which will allow me to come back home to the US 4 days early. That way, I still get to see Japan (albeit for only 6 days, but it’s better than nothing). I get a small taste of Japan and I get to see and do the things I really wanted to do there like go to mt Fuji, and see Tokyo and tons of pop culture stuff there! I think this is a good compromise and it makes me feel a lot better about my last couple weeks of travel. Thanks again everyone for your help 🫶🏻

Hi there — I’m (30F) currently looking into a solo trip to Greece in (lateish?) September. Flexible on timing, but thinking around 6 full days, and trying to avoid renting a car. For budget, definitely not looking to travel in luxury, but am the type of person to book a private room at a hostel.

I’m a bit of a history and culture buff, so I figured I’d spend some time in Athens to account for day trips to Delphi and Cape Sounion. Given the amount of time I have, think that would free me up for one other location for a more relaxing back half of the trip.

The thing is, I’m not crazy about spending time on sandy beaches. But I love being on boats and in the water. With that in mind, should I even go to an island? Or should I just try to go somewhere on a coast where I can leave for excursions or go to a larger island like Crete? Imagine I’ll need to go somewhere a bit busier to make sure there are always a minimum number of people for the excursion as I’ll be on my own. Considered doing multi night boat tours, but the ones I was seeing were for like seven days. If four day trips do exist, don’t think I’d want to spend more than $600.

Thank you in advance for your help!

When I was traveling in Puerto Escondido, Mexico last year I was on a run. I was shirtless because it was 90 degrees F (32 C) with 100% humidity. I'm a white male from the states btw.

And randomly this guy that was driving what looked like a taxi with 2 passengers in the back (I now think they might have been his family members), stopped the car, got out and started asking me something about taking a photo. My Spanish isn't very good so I misunderstood and thought he was asking me to take a photo of them. I agreed and then he started trying to take a photo with me. This kinda creeped me out and I backed off and politely declined and kept on running.

I wish my Spanish had been better so I could have understood what he was saying when I asked why he wanted to take the photo. At the time I feared that he might post it somewhere commenting negatively about digital nomads because I was in a town that has been overrun by foreigners and looked like a typical gringo. But the interaction with him seemed genuine. Maybe he thought I looked like somebody famous or something.

Has anybody else had a similar experience? Does anybody know why a local would typically do that? Is it simply curiosity? It seems to be more culturally acceptable in some countries than others. I see locals take photos of tourists when in very remote areas of the world where it's uncommon to see foreigners, but in my case I was in a town that is very familiar with tourists.