Hello,

I will be travelling to Sri Lanka in a couple of days and I want to rent a scooter for most of the trip.

The itinerary is Colombo - Sigirya - Kandy - Nuwara Eliya - Ella - Bentota - Colombo.

But, for this trip, I want to go from Kandy to Nuwara, or even Ella, by train, and here is where the problem appears.

I would like to either book a scooter in Colombo and drop it in Kandy, then book another scooter in Nuwara / Ella, that I can drop in Colombo...

Or get the scooter somehow from Kandy to Nuwara / Ella...

Do you know of any agency that could help with any of those options?

I assume that you can't take the scooter in the train, like in Vietnam, right? And I can't have someone unknown to the rental agency drive it between those two stations either...

I know only about Sri Lanka Bike Rental, but I am not happy with their prices: $50 to drop it in Kandy and another $50 to pick it from Nuwara / Ella.

Hey all! I’d love some help with my trip. I don’t drive, so I’ll be Uber and joining tours. I’m into exploring historical areas, dancing (salsa/bachata), enjoying local food, nature, water activities, and hiking. Any tour suggestions or general travel tips would be so appreciated, especially for getting around without a car.

Here’s my rough plan:

Old San Juan (Nov 21-24)

• I’ll spend two days exploring the historical areas, and museums, and hopefully finding some spots to dance salsa and bachata.
• El Yunque National Forest: Planning a 1-day tour to El Yunque. I love long, challenging hikes, so I’m open to tour recommendations.
• Fajardo Bio Bay Night Kayaking Tour: Planning one night for a bioluminescent bay tour in Fajardo.

Condado or Isla Verde (Nov 24-26)

I’m debating whether to stay in Condado or Isla Verde or just Uber from Old San Juan for beach time.

1 night to Culebra (Nov 27 - Return on Nov 28 Afternoon)

I want to snorkel in Culebra, maybe at Flamenco Beach. Would staying overnight be enough to fully enjoy the island?

Thanks so much for any advice! 😊

Edit: 7 days :)

Fellow solo travelers! I (27F) would love your feedback on my two week itinerary for Colombia in January. I’ll be solo for the first 4 days (friend arrives day 4 late at night) then we’ll be traveling together the rest. Most of my logistical questions are about the first few days as I’m trying to squeeze in quite a bit in the North. I don’t mind packing a lot in, particularly when I’m solo.

Day 1-4 Santa Marta & the North. My flight lands in Cartagena in the early afternoon, so I’ll need to bus 4-5 hrs to Santa Marta that evening or early morning on day 2. I want to do an overnight stay in Parque Tayrona for sure, and either spend a night at the Rio Hostel Buritaca or spend a night in Minca (don’t think I have time for both). Need to meet my friend back in Cartagena day 4 night or day 5 morning. 

Day 5-6 Cartagena, maybe a day trip 

Day 7-9 Fly to Medellin, explore city 

Day 10 Guatape day trip  

Day 11-12 Jardin  

Day 13-16 Salento / coffee region. Definitely want to do a hike in valle de cocora and explore smaller towns. Fly home out of Salento.

I know we don’t have Bogota or the lost city hike scheduled in. Unfortunately I just don’t think I can make those happen on this trip. 

Questions:

• How would you do the first 4 days? Is Minca skip-able if I have so much time in the coffee region later – it seems like they offer similar activities? Is Rio Hostel Buritaca worth it? Any way I can do both??
• Do we have too much time scheduled in Jardin / Salento / coffee region? Any off-the-beaten path recs we shouldn't miss in this part of the country? 
• Will I regret not doing lost city?? 

Thanks in advance!

Will Immigration raise eyebrows at me for not having a job as a solo traveler? Do I tell them my previous job title, or will this cause an issue? I'm asking as a Canadian travelling to USA, and places Europe and Asia. Can someone let me know their experience? Did they ever check your phone?

Hello all!

I am traveling to Angkor Wat this January, and had a question about logistics/planning.

I plan to head over from Phnom Penh and to stay in Siem Reap for 3 in total. Ideally I would spend as much time at Angkor Wat as possible in this time.

The earliest bus with Giant Ibis leaves at 8:45 and takes 6 hours, so assuming minimal delays I would get there by 2:45/3:00 PM. Is this enough time to make it to Angkor Wat by sunset and see some temples? I am assuming not but wanted to ask.

The other option of course is flying, which would get me there for 9:20 and leave me more time during that same day to explore. I would like to avoid flying if preferable but this may be the better option.

Lastly, there are overnight buses but some reviews online suggest to avoid these. Does anyone have experience with an overnight Giant Ibis bus? Would save a bit of money and allow me to avoid having to fly, but if it's going to be noticeably more uncomfortable then it wouldn't be worth it.

Thanks!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to report back on my (29F) latest solo trip to Oslo. I spent 4 days there and had a lovely time. These are my recommendations:

• I stayed in a hostel very close to Akershus Fortress - the accommodation was great and of course it is very central, but at night it felt like a dead part of the town. I'd consider staying near the City Hall or in Grunnerlokka instead

• It was incredibly easy to get around the town - buses and trams were extremely organized - however, it was indeed quite expensive, so I mostly walked everywhere. Had no trouble at all finding my way.

• Doing a floating sauna is a must. Highlight of my trip

• If possible, I'd aim to see an opera or ballet at the Opera House - it was not so expensive and it was marvellous

• Kon-tiki museum, Fram museum and Maritime Museum were not very interesting to me. I'd skip them. The cultural history museum, however, was worth it just to see the Gol Stave Church

• The food is insanely expensive. I ended up just having street and fast food u- but I really enjoyed Max and had plenty of hot dogs and waffles. Freya chocolate is also quite nice!

Overall, I had a blast! Highly recommend.

Ive had it happen to me before. I live in us and went to vietnam for a month. Then my flight home got delayed and it was nice because I spent 3 extra days in vietnam. However now I have a new job that doesnt let you take much days off. I plan to visit a different us state but how often do planes cancel fligth and reschedule to days or even months later?

Hello! I’m a 24F who has getting the itch to travel again. I just moved into my own apartment in my city and have two cats. In the past I have had roommates who were always willing to watch my pets while I would go on my trip. Now that I’m on my own, I was wondering how fellow travelers are able to solo travel with pets at home?

Anyone travelled to Iquitos in December / during wet season? The previous posts I’ve seen on about Iquitos note travelling there basically all other months except December. I’ll be there for about a week (Dec 1-8th) and will travelling from California to LIM to IQT airports.

I’ll be staying in the jungle primarily at a retreat but understand there is downtime/freetime and want to know if there will be options to purchase Alpaca goods near?

Also, I’m thinking of bringing Lems waterproof boots as my main shoe along with sandals— are the boots too hot for the weather even though it will most likely be rainy?

Thanks

Perhaps this is an esoteric take, but couchsurfing is such a beautiful idea in principle. It is the antithesis of voyeuristic tourism. Couch surfing has enabled me to directly engage with the locals and to explore their cities through their eyes. The few times I used couchsurfing apps (warmshowers primarily) this past year had given me some really positive, memorable, eye-opening experiences.

This leads me to wonder: why has couch surfing dwindled so much as a social norm over the past decade? While I don't know the exact data around number of couchsurfers over the years, couchsurfing has definitely declined in its cultural relevance with its peak in 2013.

People argue that Airbnb is one of the main drivers of such decline. But Airbnb provides a different functionalities than couchsurfing platforms. Professionalized vacation rentals sells privacy, comfort, and predictability; whereas couchsurfers use couchsurfing platforms to seek out and to befriend locals. Airbnb's ease and budget-friendliness has taken away couchsurfers who only couchsurf to save money, which I imagine is a lot of people. But surely there are still millions of people who want to couchsurf primarily as a way to meet others? Would love some reality check here.

The huge fumble by couchsurfing.com also can't possibly be the main reason why couchsurfing has lost its entire appeal either. Several alternatives that are community-driven, non-profit, and free exist today, like couchers.org, bewelcome.org, and warmshowers.org. None of these platforms have successfully revived couchsurfing despite their improvements and are focused on a small community of users.

Maybe couch surfing had always just been a niche way to travel. Maybe I am idealizing over how often couchsurfing is actually fun for others. For those who still couchsurf, how is ur experience these days and which platforms do u use? What is the biggest pain point for you? Why do u not use it not as frequently any more? And for those who haven't tried it, what makes u hesitant?

content warning: brief mention of depressive episodes

First ever reddit post so I hope I'm doing this right!

I, 23F, have been working and in school pretty much my whole life. I graduate in December and will have at least 7mths before I go on to do more schooling. I've never done completely solo travel, and while financially my life is not great, I know with at least a month or two of full-time work after graduating that I could afford a decent week long solo trip. I've struggled with depressive episodes on and off for a good chunk of my life, and desperately want some inspiring and grounding time to really connect to myself and life.

Here's the problem...

1. I am scared I guess?
2. No idea what is considered safe
3. No idea what is affordable (while still safe)
4. I'm not a hugely social person

I know I probably sound silly with these dilemmas, but I'd appreciate any tips.

Places I've debated

• Small little towns in the middle of Switzerland
• Norway
• Ireland (I have Irish ancestry so I feel like this could be cool?)
• Sweden
• British Columbia in Canada

These are just ideas, I'm really just in need of a nature filled break!

Thanks, r/solotravel ♡

edit: I am from Canada, thank you to those pointing out that I should add that

A month ago I moved abroad for a year and have been absolutely miserable since I came. A lot of people talk about a honeymoon period but I haven't had this at all. I'm in New York and I love the city but honestly I can't enjoy myself cause I just feel so out of sorts. I think if I had a partner or friends were with me I'd be enjoying myself but I just feel like the best things in life are for sharing and I feel totally depressed on my own, and I am an independent person my parents have always said I was good at doing tbings on my own from a young age and I enjoy my own company too but this whole experience feels very hollow. People think just because you can do something on your own that youenjoy it but that's not necessarily true. I have joined clubs and gone out with my roomate who is nice but when do you know if something just isn't for you

Hi everyone!

Coming back from another solo travel, i came to a realisation.

When I solo travel, it seems super easy to strike conversation with random people without giving it a second thought (Other traveller or local). I meet someone and the next day we are out on an adventure.

Back in my country/city, i don’t seems to have this ability to create opportunities that easily.

My questions to you guys are :

Do you have the same feeling/experience?

Have you ever tried to change the way you interact with people in your daily life in order to get these opportunities?

Would like to hear your experiences about this!

Hi everyone. I have 5-6 weeks to kill starting November 25th, and I’ve been going over options from Laos/Thai/Malaysia to SA and Tanzania, but I think being a 29F solo backpacker who enjoys the backpacking culture with a sense of adventure, wider age range, and less belligerent nights out, I figured Mexico was a good option.

Looking into my options in Mexico has been a bit overwhelming for me, however, so I’m hoping I could gain some insight.

A little about what I want from this trip:

• beautiful hiking/adventure (Guatemala blew me away. Is there something similar here?)
• I’ve seen so many ruins in other countries, so they are not a priority for me here
• nice beaches
• occasional night out, but nothing like Thailand
• culture & food
• somewhere not boasting with holiday tourists like tulum or Cancun (or please correct me if I’m wrong about that assumption)

I’d love to go to Mexico City and Oaxaca but even between these two places I could be looking at 2-3 weeks already out of my 5-6.

I’m just overwhelmed with the amount of places Mexico has to offer. Can someone please help me figure out timeframes for places that suit my interests?

Thanks in advance

Before 2020, I used to travel several times a year, even moving abroad twice when I found some pretty cool jobs. It was my reason for working and I have fond memories of the cultures, cities, romances, and friends I had met and experienced over the years.

When the world shut down, I had to move back to the States, where I eventually found new work and at the time decided to finally finish my bachleor's in an online program. I had told myself I wouldn't travel until I finished school, as I was still working full-time to ensure I didn't go into debt.

It's been a busy couple years and I sometimes felt sad that I might have lost the travel part of my identity. I was somewhat saved by a southwest road trip with long-time friends in 2022 and was thankful for that. Newer friends that I've met post-Covid don't even know me as the type that goes anywhere. I had gotten into watching a few travel YouTube channels to live vicariously through them to try to keep that part of my identity alive.

I finished school earlier this year and my birthday is at the end of the month. I had planned to finally travel at that time. My plan to travel in late this year was almost derailed after I started suffering from some pain in September that the doctor's haven't been able to diagnose. It's been a stressful few months. However, as of a few weeks ago, I've suddenly been feeling much better and seem to be coming out of the hole.

My hobby is a cyclist and while I have still have little body pain, I have returned to doing 30 mile rides and have felt fine the next day.

So here I am emailing a bicycle rental shop in Taipei and then buying air tix this weekend to fly out next week for 3 weeks of my saved vacation to attempt my dream trip of cycling the famous Route 1 in Taiwan. I have visited a few times before but always for shorter trips. It's always been my favorite country to visit and it feels right for it to be my first trip before I hit up new countries I've been wanting to visit next year.

I'm beyond stoked to get out there again and needed to vent that out!

I did a solo trip around Europe and now I'm feeling motivated to share my experience in a post considering that some of the advices I saw in the chanel helped me a lot before and during my trip, so maybe something I mention here could be helpful for other person.

This was my schedule:

-Madrid (4 days)

-Barcelona (3 days)

-Paris (4 days)

-Brussels (1 day)

-Amsterdam (2 days)

-Berlin (2 days)

-Prague (2 days)

-Venice (1 day)

-Florence (2 days)

-Pisa (1 day)

-Rome (3 days)

Before continue I'd like to give a little context and is that I'm traveling from Argentina (12 hours flight to Madrid) and a week before my trip started I received an email from the airline mentioning that my flight has a 5 hour delay. I did some research and I was able to schedule a new flight a day earlier (and spend 1+ night in Madrid). Also I receive a compensation of 600 euros, so if you have a similar situation please check with the airline because probably you should be compensated too (this is a matter of law in Europe). Maybe for people from Europe this is normal, but thinking in a situation like this coming from Latinamerica is actually insane.

Other topic I'd like to mention is that some weeks before my travel I posted a question about how much money I should take with me for food/public transportation ( https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/1f1qlge/going_to_some_cities_in_europe_for_27_days_how/ ). In that post I got a lot of criticism on how much travel I was doing for the short period of time and blah blah. After doing the trip I can tell you that for me the schedule works almost perfect (there is only a detail I regret but I'm gonna mention this later). Considering that I was solo, the tours I wanted to do and the type of turism I like, it worked perfect for me so cool if you think that you should stay a week in Berlin, 2 days for me was enough. About the question how much money I should take for food/public transportation for my trip, considering that the obvious answer is depend on how much you drink and eat on fancy or cheap places, the answer for me was 50 euros per day (magnets and gifts not included).

So I started my journey in Madrid, first day I did a solo tour that I think it was ok but not great. I think Madrid have a lot in common with Buenos Aires where I live and I actually had a great time. I visited Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (it was impressive but all the museum part is meh if you dont like soccer), and also did the 3 more important museums (Reina Sofia, Thyssen and Prado). My favorite one was Museo del Prado, definitely one of the highest moments on the trip. Also I did. the tour of the Madrid Royal Palace and I reccomend 100%. I was able to do some shopping in Madrid and save a luggage with a friend and something cool about Madrid is that you can actually have the tax free with no minimum amount (in Paris was 100 euros or more I think). So Madrid I think it's the best city for shopping (if you're a normal person who likes Uniqlo, el corte inglés, Zara, etc).

In Barcelona I went to some of the Gaudí constructions but for me the most impressives are La Pedrera and La Sagrada Familia (this one is a must and was other top moment of my trip). I was also able to do the tours in both and it was pretty cool, specially la sagrada familia. La casa Batlló, Park Guell and Palau Guell they were fine but for me it was not super impressive (the experience was worth it). Barrio Gótico and El Born were two excelent walks. I also did some walk on Barcelona pier and the beach at night and it was amazing. But Barcelona have a great issue and is that a guy tried to rob me at the end of my last day (if you wanna know the story is posted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/1g7u4oo/a_guy_tried_to_rob_me_in_barcelona_during_my_solo/ ). If it weren't for this detail, Barcelona would be among my top places I visited.

Then I moved to Paris and Paris was my favorite city in terms of infrastructure and construction. I had a great moment when in my first day I saw Eiffel Tower for the first time (another highlight of the trip). During my second day I went to the Louvre that for me it was a dream come true, to Napoleon Tomb (amazing) and the Pantheón. In the 3rd day I had an amazing experience in Disneyland and for my last day I spent the morning in Versalles. The palace is impressive outside and the gardens are amazing but inside I think (and this is my opinion) that the Madrid Royal Palace is more impressive (again, don't kill me, is just an opinion). Versalles it was a good experience but I think I was expecting more inside the Palace. I finished Paris visiting Opera Garnier (a must on my opinion) and doing some walk on Barrio Latino.

My next stop was Brussels and I think is a very interesting city with a lot of random stuff (the fact that nobody knows why one of their major attractions is a statue of a child urinating seemed at least curious to me). The Grand Place it was other top moment of my trip. The square is absurdly beautiful. I meet with a friend to eat mejillones and it was good. A day in Brussels for me to know the most interesting things in the city was enough.

The Amsterdam day arrives and omg...we all know how is the situation on Amsterdam, we all know about the red light districts, the windows, the girls, drugs, etc. But being there and seeing it live blew my mind. Besides this aspect of the city, I think that the city is BEAUTIFUL. It was my third favorite city in all the trip. In my opinion the canals in Amsterdam are much prettier than the canals in Venice (again, this is an opinion, please don't kill me). Ana Frank house is a must in the city (amazing experience) and the Rijkmuseuum was very good too. In Amsterdam I lived what I think it was the top moments of my trip, and is that I tried mushrooms. I'm not going to talk about this experience in detail because I do not intend to make an apology for drugs (the only drug I tried before this was marihuana and I don't even drink alcohol lol).

In Amsterdam also happened the most strestful moment of my trip, and is that my train to Berlin left at 11:05pm. I traveled with European Sleeper, so I arrived to the station at 9:45pm. Checking the screens I noticed that my train didn't appear, so I checked the ticket and it turns out my train wasn’t leaving from Amsterdam, but from AMERSFOORT. Imagine my face at that moment when I didn’t even know if Amersfoort was a place in the Netherlands lol. By the way, I had bought the ticket months ago and I hadn’t realized this. Luckily, Amersfoort is a city 45 minutes away by train and there was a train leaving from Amsterdam to Amersfoort at 9:55pm and I managed to get there. It was a journey too because when I arrived in Amersfoort the QR code didn’t work, there was no one at the station, the train was delayed, basically everything happened to me. Luckily, I was able to get to Berlin.

My first day in Berlin I was very tired (for obvious reasons) but I managed to have a good time because I met and stayed with a friend who lives there. I spend two days with her and it was a nice experience. Not much to say besides that the city have some great buildings and monuments. Maybe something I didn't like a lot is that as tourist it looks like everything is related to the WW2 and the wall and I'm more into art and museums maybe.

My next stop was Prague and I have to say this was my second favorite city of the trip. The one that surprises me most. I didn't expect anything from Prague and I had a blast. I did the free tour that it was really good. I loved the vibe of the city, the castle, the watch, the bridge...everything. I think that in Prague and Barcelona were the places where I saw the prettiest girls in my whole trip (I'm single and I had a tinder date in Prague lol). In conclusion, I need to live in Prague for a while.

Venice in a day was perfect for me. I think that going Venice on your own is a good plan if you're a fan of the concept of the city (I realize there that is not my case). I did a couple tours (Basilica de San Marcos and Palacio Ducal) and did a lot of walking but my feeling was that if I stayed for another complete day, I probably would have gotten bored.

Florence was one of my favorite places. The views from the top of the dome of the basílica is a must in Florence. Also other top moment of my trip was visiting the Uffizi Gallery and Gallery Academy (seeing the David statue was another dream come true). The food was also amazing here. I went to a fancy restorant and ordered a Tomato Soup that blows my mind. Florence is one of the places I would definitely visit again.

And now is moment of talking about Pisa and here is my only regret with the itinerary. My train arrived Pisa at 8am, and my train to rome was schedule at 9pm (13 hour in Pisa). I think that I spent too many time here. 7 hours was time enough for me to visit the city so at 5pm I was already bored (maybe there is people that spent 3 days in Pisa and had a great time and that's ok too). The tower was pretty cool and have some nice views from the top. I think this is one of the places I wouldn't visit it again because I don't think it has much more to offer me. I visited a couple museums too but nothing that seemed too incredible to me.

And my last stop was Rome. Amazing city. It's an open-air museum. The food was amazing. I eat a Lasagna that was 10/10. I also eat the best tiramisú that I have eaten in life (the place is called "Best tiramisu to go"). I did the guided tour of the Roman Coliseum and it was good, but my favorite attractions from Rome was the Pantheon (the first time I saw the Pantheon I said "holy sh*t") and the guided tour to the vatican (museums and Saint Peter church). This last one is a must on Rome.

The whole trip was an amazing experience. I reccomend to everyone. I'm trying to repeat the next year with some modifications on my schedule (I'd like to visit Copenhague, Budapest, Zurich and Munich for example). Sorry for my english and thanks for reading :)

Is there a politically correct way to deal with this? I don’t wanna pick a fight by complaining at the reception but I also cannot help that my vacation in Amsterdam is ruined because of this. Last minute bookings are very expensive so moving to a different hostel would be difficult financially

How much do you let weather predictions affect the trips you want to take?? For example I am looking into trips to Thailand (specifically some islands), Costa Rica, or Colombia (bogota, Medellin, Cartagena) for May. Unfortunately it is rainy season that time of year for all of those locations. I can’t decide if I want to push a trip off until later in the year (when I’m not sure my schedule/time off) or just go for it with the time I know I have.

Anyone been to these countries that time of the year and have any input? I would want to enjoy the nature/beaches/outdoor activities more so than museums.

Hey guys,

Long time lurker but never posted. I’m 22M doing one of my first solo travels this weekend to Germany - have travelled in the US alone but first time in Europe. I’ve been going around Spain for a few months now but mostly in groups. Before I return to the USA for holiday season, I’ll be traveling from the 13th - 23rd of December. I wanted to get thoughts on my itinerary, which I built based off solo travel feedback here, where flights are relatively the cheapest and within budget as well as some acclaimed Christmas markets I’ve seen when reading online.

1. Krakow 13-16. Have heard great things and also would plan to do a day trip to Auschwitz, something I’ve wanted to see for a while.

2. Prague 16-19. Heard this is a good place to be solo and that the Christmas market is quite nice here. Additionally have had some friends personally recommend it before. Not a ton of knowledge but curious on thoughts.

3. Budapest 19-22. Everything I’ve read almost makes this out to be the holy grail of solo travel. From sites to see and bath houses for relaxation, it seems like a great spot.

I have to return to Spain where I am now to pick up some luggage on the 22nd before returning to the USA on the 23rd. Really open to any suggestions / thoughts on the above - I know most of you would likely go to 1-2 places max in this time span, but I’m not too sure when I’ll return to Europe so I’m trying to see as much as possible. Again, open to thoughts on that too. Really love this community and thank you all for constantly sharing your experiences!

Looking forward to the feedback : )

As the title suggests, I'm 40. I'm male. And I have never really travelled before in my life. I did a little bit of Australia and to Nauru when I was in the army 20 years ago but nothing that would be considered recreational and nothing I consider significantly inspiring.

For a very long while now, I have wanted to travel. Pretty much since I saw movies like Legends of the Fall and The Beach and watched Tristan the wild man decide to go off and visit crazy untamed places eating and Leo swim to that uncharted island and discover a secret off the grid community. And I have always thought I would be able to have my own life changing, reflective, world view altering experience someday.

Ok, so back to reality, I know it's not going to be like that. I'm not going to discover a secret civilisation or feast on the flesh of a freshly downed wild antelope but nonetheless I can't shake the feeling that it will still be life changing. At 40 I feel like I would love to finally fulfil my dream. I feel like I would love to at least try a more 'raw' experience, maybe backpacking and walking and really getting the feel of the country I'm in rather than staying in a more insulated hotel or running with a tour group. I don't want to party and I don't even necessarily need to make friends. I'd love to walk the streets, sample the street food, interact with the locals, sleep rough if necessary. I could get fit, quit smoking, absorb some different cultures, lose some weight. Thankfully I have enough money to completely throw this plan out the window and nestle into some cushy foreign hotel or even fly right home if all this proves too much for me but maybe.... Just maybe, this could be an experience of a lifetime.

Any over 35's/40's that could weigh in on what it's like to travel, especially if it was your first time. Was it scary? Is it as life changing as I feel it might be? Was it actually really anti climactic and bothersome?

This is my first big solo adventure which is very exciting but also nerve-wracking!! I've had a rough year so when travelling came up I thought I might as well go big (I'm Uk based). I will stay with friends mostly which seems to be the best route for a new traveller.

Puntas Arenas + Patagonia - 40 days - Ill be staying with friends and travelling mostly with them. I'd like to tackle Torres Del Paine, see penguins, take in the area.

Easter Island - 7 days - I'll be there for some of the Tapati festival, super exciting!

Christchurch, NZ - 30 days(?) - Staying with friends.

Any recommendations? Where would you go afterwards? I've not got any time limits, just money limits. I was thinking SEA as again got friends there and the expenses are less.

Hello - I’ve found this forum really useful for reference in recent years, only time I’ve posted.

At short notice I had 10 days between jobs where to take a solo holiday - have done so before and enjoyed it.

Struggled on where and what I wanted to do, lots of places I had in mind - particularly a new country - I didn’t feel I could do justice in ten days, and/or I didn’t want to take very long flights in the time (from the UK).

I ended up putting two city breaks back to back choosing cities I’ve always had in mind in countries I’d been to before - Istanbul for five and Rome for four days with a day for a football match in Milan in between. Gut instinct being culture, buzz, food in the way I like to visit cities. My budget was about £1500 and I’m probably going to do slightly more than that now - it’s a chunk of money I’ll now not having again for a whole.

Istanbul is a great place but two days in I realise what I needed was my brain to have a total switch off and that for me is being in the somewhere rural or the middle of nowhere enjoying nature. I can obviously do day trips etc but there’s a heavy dose of the old hindsight, should have done something else combined with knowing I should relish having time off and grateful for being able to go away. My trip being last minute is all paid, almost all non refundable etc. it’s not a great place I’m finding myself in mentally.

When you have hindsight in your travel choices, pressure and stress from life and in turn pressure on how your make the most of time away - how have you dealt with it? I’d appreciate any advice you have.

Hey everyone,

I’m planning to spend a couple of weeks in December just relaxing on a beach somewhere in the north of Chile, preferably about Santiago level or above. I’ll be traveling solo and looking to avoid the heavily touristy and pricey spots. Instead, I’m hoping to find a chill, laid-back beach town where I can just unwind without breaking the bank.

I’ll either rent an Airbnb or stay in a hostel, so recommendations for areas that offer affordable accommodation would be super helpful too. Any hidden gems or lesser-known beaches worth checking out?

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

If you were like "this wasn't worth it" after getting home.

If yes, Which trip and why?

I discovered that solo travel brings immense joy and is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with yourself. Facing challenging times in personal relationships—missing love and feeling mentally overwhelmed—I decided to take a trip. I visited Amsterdam and Norway, and each offered its own unique charm: Amsterdam with its lively vibe and Norway with its calming beauty.

Norway was unforgettable. I loved witnessing the Northern Lights in Tromsø, road-tripping through the stunning Lofoten Islands, and ending up in the picturesque city of Bergen. These experiences made me forever grateful for the journey.

We all need “me time” to appreciate ourselves, reflect on what’s not working, and move forward. Don’t worry about who might judge you—what truly matters is how you feel about yourself.

I’m doing my first solo travel trip through Morocco. Many of the stories here seem to be negative so I wanted to add a positive story to counter the weight :)

I was scheduled to arrive off the train at Fes close to midnight, and I was a bit anxious because some commenters here, plus some Moroccan mates said Fes can be a bit sketchy at night.

I get off the train, and being an obvious tourist I’m greeted by the usual chaos of being hassled by taxis and shop owners. It’s late and I’m tired, so I haggle with one of the taxi blokes and get a ride to my hostel.

About 75% through the drive he says abruptly that we’re arrived. We hadn’t, but whatever, close enough.

I jump out, check all my pockets to make sure I have everything, and realise to my horror that I don’t. Id been filling a form in the cab and left my passport in the back seat.

This was a pretty crap event, and in a mix of stupidity and hope I walked to a nearby taxi rank and started getting accosted by 10 cabbies wanting my business.

I translated that I had left my passport in the back of a cab, and they immediately got super kind, making calls, driving around and talking to other cabbies, and within an hour they had found the exact bloke who took me for a ride, and my passport. I was shocked. Some of them drove to other cab hotspots to chat with the other drivers.

I’m not sure how they worked so fast, there is thousands of cabs in this city, but the experience has really left a positive view of the city on me.

I’ve been dealing with constant haggling and aggressive selling every day here and was getting fatigued from it, but it was incredible seeing how beneath the exterior even the most haggly group of taxis at 1am helped out.

Obligatory note, I caused this myself because I was silly and didn’t check my stuff before getting out. I was extra silly for getting on a train that got in so late. I’ll be doing things differently next time! I’m also aware that in cities bad things do happen. But that said, it was humbling seeing a group of people really exceed your expectations and help out. I’m very grateful

Hello! I'm a person who usually knows what they are doing when they travel within the US for Theme Parks, rollercoasters and more of the like. I've been to Europe before but not for Theme Parks. Now with a trip like this I know there's a lot of traveling between trains, buses and from my research planes as well. I'm trying to avoid driving/renting a car as much as possible but if there's no other option or the travel time is too much by public transit then I will do what I have to.

My question is what is the most efficient way to get between these countries/areas.

Spain:

Parque Warner Madrid

PortAventura

France:

Parc Asterix

Walibi Rhone-Alpes

Italy:

Mirabilandia

Gardaland

Belgium:

Plopsaland de Panne

Walibi Belgium

Netherlands:

Walibi Holland

Efteling

Toverland

Germany:

Phantasialand

Europa Park

Hansa Park

Heide Park

Movie Park Germany

None of these are set in stone but I'm trying to fly into Madrid from LAX since its probably the cheapest route for me and I have flight credit to use. I'm basically asking any tips for route, take plane to X location from Y location, take train, probably need to drive here etc etc.

I'm looking at about 3 weeks total in Summer 2025 for all of this and about a day in each park besides Europa Park (Germany) and Phantasialand (Germany) because I've heard you need multiple days to experiencee those.

Any tips/advice/input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for reading!

I woke up yesterday and decided to go to New York for 4 days in a couple of weeks since I have some days off. I haven't done much traveling. But I'm in my mid late 30s so no partying for me. I don't have much time to research as I normally would since I work 50 hours a week as a nurse in Canada. So I'm desperate for help.

After some researching I've done, this is what I've got. I'm looking for input to see if I should change something. I don't like to jampack my day as I like to see new things/food but also be relaxed.

• Day 1 Friday
  • Arrive JFK Airport at 7am
  • Hotel at Midtown (drop off carry-on)
  • Times Square (my must see)
    • Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch
    • I was thinking visit in AM first before seeing at evening?
  • Central Park (my must see)
  • The Met Museum
    • Maybe do this on Day 2?
  • Saint Patrick’s Cathedral (my must see)
  • Rockefeller Center
• Day 2 Saturday
  • Grand Central Station (my must see)
  • Empire State Building (my must see)
  • Chinatown or Korean Town
  • Union Square
    • Buy used book here? Wherever I travel, I like to buy a used book
  • Broadway at 8pm (tickets bought)
• Day 3 Sunday
  • I bought tickets to watch the Giants game at 1pm. Does this day look right or should I be doing something else?
  • Financial Distsrict
  • 9/11 Memorial
  • Statue of Liberty (my must see)
    • Going up is a must for me. Anything I should know about?
  • Evening
    • Bar? Comedy show? Broadway show?
    • I’d like to see a dubstep show (lol). But tbh, I’d be fine not going. Considering I am going to a Broadway show already at 8pm and I’d rather sleep after Lol. I’m in my 30s.
• Day 4 Monday
  • Brooklyn Bridge (my must see)
  • West Village
    • Buy slice of pizza here somewhere as per my friend
  • Chelsea Market

There's a few places I haven't included as I am not sure which day to see it. I know I want to see the Rockefeller Building too but I presume that's a "go and see and leave in 10 minutes" or am I wrong?

- Food is important. I want good food but reasonable budget. Maybe one meal a day where I'll splurge $20-40 USD and the rest of the meals for that day is light snacks (ie. pizza, bagel, etc).
- My must sees is what I plan to see on a particular day. And the rest I'd be fine not seeing/doing if I decide day of I don't want to or I'd rather do something else.
- I'm staying in Midtown
- I'm fine walking. If it's going to take me 20 minutes to walk, I don't mind. Especially if taking the bus takes 30. I walk pretty fast. With that said.. I also don't mind paying a premium for Uber for I presume in NYC, the traffic will kill me?
- I'm open to paying to go up Statue of Liberty. And paying for things as I probably won't be back to NYC for a while.

Thank you in advance.

Had my iphone stolen in Atom club in Shibuya, Tokyo weeks back. The same evening in the club, there were at least two people I came across who were searching around the premise for their own lost wallets and phones. Not sure if this was a coincidence or a coordinated theft going on. I used find my on my friend's phone immediately after I noticed it was gone within the span of minutes, but it keeps showing as “Location not found”, which means whoever had it shut it off instantly after they took it. I never lost any personal items clubbing or travelling in general, so this incident was especially unusual when I regularly check my pockets and safekeep items. The entire experience was unexpectedly traumatising to happen on an otherwise peaceful trip - you don’t realise how vulnerable you are in a foreign country after your phone is separated from you. Navigation, payments, contacts all gone etc.

I’ve already notified the club and filed a report with the police. Came across a number of other travellers in the past month who had their wallets or even entire bags with their passport stolen in Shibuya or Shiinjuku. Possibly seems like a group theft activity ongoing in these areas of Tokyo. Anyone else went through a similar experience on your trip and how did it pan out in the end?

Hi everyone, as mentioned in title this is my first ever solo travel internationally and I have come to realise solo travel abroad vs in your own country are far more different than I had expected. I knew it would be a challenge but this is overwhelming and looking for advise.

For some context, I'm a kiwi male with inattentive ADHD who lives rural, work outside and never been much of a city person. I have always had my own vehicle to get around and do small camping or hiking trips down the line (2 - 5 days generally with a mate or two sometimes solo for 3 days.) And ive wanted to go to Japan for nearly 8 years now as I had always admired the culture as a whole, from the historical to the futuristic aspects. So I had finally gotten the time money and courage to bite the bullet and book the trip. My original plan was 35 days, going as far south as hiroshima and as far north to sapporo.

However, it is currently my 6th day in japan, after spending 4 nights in tokyo, and traveled to fujiyoshida for one night. I have realized I had underestimated almost every aspect of the trip, Especially the joys of using public transport and having to learn about all aspect of public transport especially in a foreign language and country and learning how to use them and missing stops, stressing and worrying about how to get to the next location, and realizing I'm barely doing half the things I originally had planned each day.

I have areas where for 2 nights in a row I'll be traveling and staying in a new city for only one night each. For most of my entire trip I am staying only 2 - 3 nights before doing multi one night stays to travel very far distances. I have realized I have NOT planned this well as my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I'm finding myself stressing most of the day, worrying about what to do next and learning how to get from point a to b to visit all my locations in time.

Its doesnt help that i overanalyse things and adhd im not great with time scheduling and handling when things go far off course than I had planned for the day, so far i am just rolling with the blows but I'm not sure if I can handle another 4 weeks of this. I wish i could attach my high tech visual aid map (screenshot of Google maps with MS paint drawing lines) of each location i had planned to stay at and for how many nights But I can also post my location and days too if needed.

Tldr I'm struggling handling first time solo international travel and actually enjoying my time. Any advice especially from any other adhd solo travellers and should I rebook some of my later locations so I travel less to instead stay at fewer locations but for longer to be less stressed?

Thank you in advance for any replies.