I’m planning an 8-night trip to Guatemala, arriving on a Friday afternoon/morning and departing the next following Sunday morning. I aim to visit no more than three main destinations/areas to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Antigua and Lake Atitlán are definite stops on my itinerary. I’m contemplating whether to include Flores, considering the potential inconvenience of a domestic flight. Alternatively, I’m interested in experiencing Afro-Caribbean culture, which leads me to consider Río Dulce and Livingston. However, I’m uncertain about the travel logistics between these areas and either Lake Atitlán or Guatemala City.

A bit about my preferences: I’m not a strong swimmer, so while I enjoy the beach, I’d prefer to limit beach time to a day. I’m also not an avid hiker and would only consider easy treks, such as the Pacaya Volcano hike. I really like nature, historical, cultural activities. I plan to take a couple of day trips and want to balance seeing as much as possible without feeling rushed.

Given these considerations, what would you recommend for my 8-day route in Guatemala?

I want to go to South Korea for plastic surgery but I'm unsure how to tell my dad, especially since I'd rather not tell him about the plastic surgery part since that would make him more likely to try and put a stop to my plans. He’s really focused on me going to college and might see this trip as a distraction or waste of money, especially since I’m funding my own education. He'd probably be fixtated on the general danger of solo traveling as well. I've been insecure about my appearance for years, and I’d like to get the surgery done before college so I can focus on my studies and feel confident in pursuing a fuller social life. I’ve been saving for this for over a year now.

Every now and then I go to a hostel, and I'm just totally burned out. I am in need of someone alone time.

If the hostel is fairly individualisitcally minded, then this doesn't seem to be an issue, but there have been times (such as right now as I am writing this) where the hostel seems to have been a lot more community minded.

I can almost feel the pressure or rudeness from myself by not engaging with people behind the odd small talk..what are people's opinions on this? Am I an arse? Or should personal space and the decision to not want to engage be respected?

Hi,

I am going on a Scandinavian spree in this coming January, particularly Longyearbyen, Svalbard. I wanted to know how far off can I wander out of town without any firearm or guide. I have seen colour-marked maps depicting the areas I can normally walk to without any firearms or guides, but 'explorer-blooded' as I am, I wanna know if I can walk up to the airport side of the island, alone and unarmed.

If not, maybe at least to some extent, far from town?

Also, against my better judgement if I walk to the 'dangerous' areas without firearms, would I get in legal trouble? Just asking. :/

Hey everyone, this is gonna be the first time I'm travelling, and I'll be solo, so it's a bit exciting but scary at the same time. I'll be flying from Trinidad and Tobago to Tanzania.

First im flying from POS Trinidad to Miami Intl via Caribbean airlines. I have an 11hour layover there.

Then from Miami to Dubai Intl via Emirates. 11 hour layover there.

Then from Dubai to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Questions:

Do I need a Transit Visa of some sort to stay in Dubai for those 11 hours?

What do people do with all that time during layovers?

Do the airlines put things in place for you to stay somewhere during that time?

I've heard about being able to sleep in a mosque at the airport in Dubai, how does this work exactly?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance

I (19f) am planning a solo, overnight trip to Manhattan towards the end of January. My question is, is it worth it to stay for just one night? I plan to do another overnight trip in a few months, and I’ll note that it’s feasible for me to make it a day trip and take a late bus back home at night.

Here’s my itinerary:

Stay at Pod 51 Times Square, arrive early afternoon

Check out MoMA

Dinner at Benoit (Between 5th and 6th, short walk from MoMA)

Movie at the Paris Theater

Also saving some time to revisit a few of my favorite bakeries one the first day, and before checkout I’d like to take a walk down to Russ and Daughters.

This is my first time solo traveling. Is it too much for such a small trip? The prices of hotels are ridiculous and staying two nights isn’t very reasonable for me. Advice please!

Here’s the context. I've been in Australia for over a year on a working holiday visa. After traveling around the country, I ended up in Perth, where I found a well-paid full-time job (like a temporary contract with better benefits).

However, after a few months of road trips around the country, I had to face the fact that I don't like this country. There's nothing that interests me here, especially as an introvert. So, I decided to get a job to earn some money again (because yes, road trips cost!). But the problem is that this city is deserted, and I'm isolated in a residential neighborhood, very much like the "French dream" lifestyle. I can feel my mental health deteriorating.

On the side, I have a project to complete the Te Araroa, a trail that crosses all of New Zealand, and I’m really attracted to it. I would need to leave next month.

I would have enough money to do the trail, but not much left after that. I plan to return to France after completing the trail and start building my life there (too much travel kills the travel, it's a long story).

But I don’t know what to choose, because on one hand, here in Perth, if I finish the contract, I’ll have a nice sum of money that would allow me to return to France comfortably. On the other hand, if I leave, I don’t know what could happen and I would have to start building from scratch in France (though I can find a job when I return, my sector is not saturated, and I have a CV that attracts employers).

I'm afraid of losing it here, being isolated and doing nothing just for money, which might make me lose the desire to do the trail (since I’d have to wait another 6 months to start, and it’s impossible in winter, so it would be a 1-year wait). But on the other hand, the money would be a great cushion, and it could take years to make this kind of amount in France, ensuring a smooth return.

I don't know what to choose, time is passing, and I have to make a decision. Money or adventure...

There tend to be a lot of posts from folks feeling lonely on trips, or worrying about not meeting people or making friends, or trying and failing to do so.

What about the flip side? I’m near the end of a 3 week trip through SE Asia, and I have barely made friends with anyone along this trip. When seeing the opportunity to connect or chat with locals or fellow travelers, I often didn’t take it. There are a few notable exceptions (usually in bars or in one case in a record shop in Hanoi).

With the internet at my fingertips, friends and family are never far away if I really want a connection. I’ve got a rotation of podcasts that can function as a parasocial relationship. A good book at a bar or cafe will take me far. Living alone during the height of the pandemic also forced me to really learn to love being by myself, perhaps.

I tend to be a very social person under many circumstances. But the need for friends along the way has faded away.

Who else has no problem connecting with people while solo traveling because they simply don’t crave it?

How do you understand your flight information to know which terminals for layovers?

My dad, with mobility issues, who’ll be traveling with a short layover so I am hoping to be able to map out his route and make sure it’s doable.

The flight is from Boston to St Thomas USVI with a layover in Philadelphia. It says BOS terminal A and PHL terminal O but the maps show no terminal O.

I get that when he leave Boston he will go to terminal A, how do I figure out which gate his plane will arrive and depart from in PHL?

Hello all. So I’ve been doing a decent amount of research thus far and have a an idea of where I want to go. I have a few questions and would like some suggestions as well.

I heard of some new ETIAS rule in 2025 if anyone has heard of that? For the Schengen zone. On top of that would I need a visa for only 30 days? (Online it says 90 days in 180 day period.)(Sorry if it’s repetitive, I would like to access as much info as I can in this post) Do I need any other type of visa or permission to enter the following countries?

Also I hear there’s a lot to do out here. So instead of cramming countries in 3-4 day increments I was thinking a week in each country with maybe day trips or overnight trips to other recommended countries nearby.

My budget is $5000 not including flights. I sure hope that that is enough. If I can keep it under $4000/$3000 that would be even better if that’s even feasible.

• 1 week in Budapest (I hear to start here but I maybe would want to go here on the last week since the thermal baths might be a nice relaxing and to the trip)(Day trip recommendations?)

• 1 week in Prague (Stop in Bratislava and Vienna on the way?)

• 1 week in Krakow (Maybe trip to Warsaw?)(Other recommendations)

• 1 week in Germany (I haven’t narrowed it down yet, maybe berlin?) (Potential 2 day trip to Amsterdam?)

I like military history, scary/ spooky things and themes, music, fairs and festivals. If anyone has suggestions on things to add to my itinerary for my interests that would be great.

I plan on staying in hostels and using public transportation (I’ve seen many suggestions on post history so I can further do my research there).

I want to continue to work out. Gyms/ public lap pools anywhere?

I also need help with suggestions to day trips in neighboring countries and how to add that to my mix?

Any help is appreciated!

I (F, 31) am travelling to Italy in September 2025 from New Zealand and planning on travelling europe for 4ish weeks with my partner and a couple of friends. I have 1 week where I am going to do some solo travel as the rest of the group are attending an event I am not going to. It is important to note that this is my first trip to Europe so want to make the most of coming from the otherside of the world. We are planning at this stage to fly to Milan (or another major italian city) and stay for 3-nights before flying to Olbia in Sardinia where the group will stay there for 12 nights. I am planning on staying for only 3-4 nights. My options are:

1. Hire a car in Sardinia and do a solo road trip, or

2. Fly somewhere (from Olbia) in mainland europe then meet back up with the group in ?Naples (or somewhere else on mainland italy, again, where ever is cheapest) before flying to Prague.

The plan for the group after sardinia is to go to fly to Naples (not planning on staying there) then fly to Prague then train between Berlin, Amsterdam, Belguim, fly to London and then head home.

I was thinking of going to Rome for a few nights then traning to Sorrento and spending time in that area.

Does anyone have recommendations for a 1 week solo travel itinerary? Would love to explore more of Italy as we wouldn't have done much, but I am open to anything. I am interested in both small off the beaten track places and big cities. It would be amazing to go to Spain/Portual but would be a bit of a pain getting back to Italy, or i would need to fly to Prague (which isn't close).

I am also aware that it is the Jubliee in Italy next year so many places with religious significance will be heaving, I don't want that to be too much of a detterant if somewhere is a must visit.

I am a pretty experienced traveller who's done stuff like hitchhiking solo up the Karakoram highway in Pakistan and so I feel comfortable enough visiting areas with a certain level of risk associated with them and limited tourist infrastructure.

Recently, I've been seriously looking into riding the Iron Ore Train through the desert in Mauritania from Zouerat to the coast and hope to go ahead towards the end of 2025. This has got me wondering what other adventures are out there that are a similar level of slightly reckless and probably a bit stupid but ultimately an outstanding experience and story, the sort of thing you might tell your grandkids one day.

I'm not thinking so much endurance activities like climbing a 7000m peak or hitchhiking thousands of miles. What I'm looking for are specific activities or experiences that could have the potential to bring about the sort of fear and excitement and "what the hell am I doing", that I expect something like the iron ore train should bring. A certain level of risk and challenge without ever actually being in too much genuine danger.

Other ideas I've researched include camping at the gates of hell in Turkmenistan, climbing mount Roraima in Venezuela, visiting Socotra one day when it's safer and travelling the Pamir Highway but none of these quite are quite what I'm trying to describe Does anyone have any other stories or suggestions/utterly foolish ideas that I could add to my bucket list?

I’ve been traveling, volunteering, and working my way around the world for the past decade. I’m very content to go solo and meet people in the places I visit and live— make friends and even have relationships in those countries.

That got me wondering, is there any place that you solo travelers (specifically females) have felt was better with a partner?

Whether it was more safe, more fun, or just more suited to couples?

I felt that way when traveling to Montenegro with an ex. I’ve done all the Balkans solo, but something about the road tripping the Montenegrin coast and lounging at beaches was so suited to a couples vibe.

I’ve made a list of future places that I’d travel with a partner in the future, as opposed to traveling alone. Iceland and New Zealand are on my list.

Any other suggestions?

Hey everyone, I rewrote this text to make sure it fits the rules of the subreddit.

I’ve been traveling for 20 months now, and this is my first time truly solo.

For context:

• I spent the first year traveling with a friend from home.
• After that, I started “solo” traveling but was never really alone.
• I quickly met people—one of whom I traveled with for 3.5 months.
• A friend from home joined me for a month after that.
• Then, I traveled with someone else for two months (with a 2-week solo gap while waiting for documents) whom I met during the time with my friend.

For the past 2.5 months, I’ve been pretty burnt out from hostel life, so I mostly stuck with my last travel companion, occasionally staying in hostels but avoiding the usual socializing.

Now, I’m back in Taiwan for the third time. I love this place and plan to spend New Year’s Eve with some local friends. But for now, I’m traveling solo with no clear plans or travel partners, and it feels completely new to me. I’ve spent less than one month truly alone in all these 20 months of travel.

To recharge, I decided to take a proper break and stay somewhere outside Taipei to save money before the holiday season. But now I’m in a smaller city down south, where I know no one.

It’s my second day here, and I’ve just been sitting in bed on my laptop watching YouTube.

• Most people in my hostel don’t speak English, though a few do. I feel guilty for not trying to talk to them and contributing to a social atmosphere.
• I also feel guilty for not going out on a Saturday night—I like bars and can enjoy clubs with people I know, but being alone makes it awkward, especially due to the language barrier.
• Even during the day, I feel guilty staying inside, though I’ve already explored this city on a previous trip.

The awkwardness is really getting to me.

• Walking around all day alone with headphones and being an anti-social person feels weird and if I don't use traveling or the potential fully.
• Ordering food is stressful because of the language barrier—I feel like I’m slowing everyone else down and just look dumb because I sometimes barely manage to order what I want or just take what they give me. I feel super clumsy
• When I’m with someone, I’m confident and outgoing, but alone, I overthink everything and feel so self-conscious.

Has anyone dealt with these feelings of guilt and awkwardness while solo traveling? How did you push through and start enjoying the experience? I’d really appreciate every piece of advice or opinion!

I cannot catch a break trying to get a post approved, but here we go.

I (32M) and traveling to Philadelphia for a long weekend 12/6-12/9. I have one business obligation and the rest of the time is free. I’ve been to Philly before but it’s been a while, so we can consider this essentially my first trip.

I’d love your advice on must see/must do experiences. I’m staying in Cherry Hill, NJ, so I’d like your recommendation on the best way to get to and from Philadelphia.

In terms of budget, my flights and hotels are taken care so it’s just whatever I spend on food, drinks, and entertainment. I’d like to keep that in the $1000-2000 range including meals. I enjoy some museums, historical sites, and wouldn’t mind a spa/massage if there is a must experience one. I’ll definitely be getting a cheesesteak, but unfortunately I do not love the cold so I’m not sure how much random walking around I’ll be up for.

Here’s my itinerary:

Friday 12/6 - Land at 10 am, head to hotel. Either relax or head back into Philly

Saturday 12/7 - Free all day, dinner party in the evening

Sunday 12/8 - Free all day, would love to explore Philly again

Monday 12/9 - Airport early for return flight

Hopefully that’s specific enough…looking forward to advice and recommendations!

Hello, I would really like to travel while balancing my return stability upon returning. This is why I would be curious to know which jobs allow you to travel or give you sabbaticals of several months or 1 year?

I'm talking about long periods because I took a 3-week trip to Nepal and looking back I preferred to stay longer and really immerse myself in the culture (slow travel), taking the time to discover.

Currently I work in psychoeducation with autistic children but it is not well paid in France. I don't come from a wealthy family, I do all my savings myself.

I saw that there was a traveling nurse but after my master's degree in psychology, I am not ready to return to studies straight away. I'm almost 26 years old.

Thank you very much for your advice!! 🙏

I'm planning to spend about a year in SEA and I have some time to study before I get there. Some research shows me that Malay (Indonesian) would be the most useful all around but I'd like to know from the people who've been there.

When I first started travelling everywhere seemed worth seeing. As I'm sitting at my laptop planning my next trip, the experiences of prior trips diminishes the excitement of new places. As I look at the Philippines, it feels like Vietnam and Sri Lanka "cover" most of it already. As I look at Norway, it feels like Iceland and my childhood in Washington state "cover" most of it. Turkey alone covers so much of experiencing the middle east. Even looking at Ecuador, I think "well I bet Peru is cooler, so why bother going to Ecuador."

It's probably a rut that I'm in, I know I need to appreciate the nuance of each place, and I get how lucky I am to have this problem. I think it's just realizing that, like reading a great book for the first time, it's never the same on the second read. You can still enjoy it, but the newness, the mystery is gone.

For what it's worth, here are some notable trips I've done in the last 5 years: Iceland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Costa Rica, Japan, Vietnam, Austria. Tanzania and New Zealand later this year.

Edit: Thank you all for the thoughtful advice and personal stories! I'm a serial lurker and I'm very touched that y'all took the time to comment here. This really is helping me reframe the way I see travel in this next season of life!

Hi solo travelers,

I’m taking a train from Vienna to Paris on December 30th, and there’s a 20-minute transfer at Salzburg Hbf. I’m traveling solo, so I want to be prepared. I looked up Salzburg Hbf, and it looks like a pretty big station.

I don’t see the platform numbers on my ticket yet—will they show up closer to the date? If you’ve had a similar transfer or traveled through Salzburg Hbf, is 20 minutes usually enough to switch trains?

It’s during the busy holiday season, so I’d really appreciate any tips or advice for making this connection smooth!

Thanks in advance!

Hello,

I am in the process of planning a trip to Peru. I have the first two weeks mostly sorted out however I am at a complete loss for the third week.

Day 1 Arrive in Lima, overnight Lima (just crash at hotel and sleep)

Day 2 Fly from Lima to Cusco, relax and adjust to altitude

Day 3 Guided Sacred Valley Tour

Day 4 - 7 Guided Inca trail trek

Day 8 Free day Cusco

Day 9 Free day Cusco

Day 10 Guided rainbow mountain tour

Day 11 - 14 Fly to Puerto Maldonado. Stay at ecolodge in the Amazon (Is this too long? Was staying longer due to my interest in bird photography)

From here I have about one week (days 15 - 20) to go anywhere. The ideas I have for this week are:

• Spending an extra night in the Amazon, then going back to Lima and visiting Huacachina. But this is only one night so I'm not sure how to fill the rest of the week.

• The Galapagos. But from what I've read, one week in the Galapagos is not enough time.

• Easter Island. Since I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to go to South America will be, as this is a bucket list item for me. But it's a very long flight.

• Somewhere in Bolivia?

I have a big interest in wildlife photography so I've been making that a consideration for the third week as well.

Thanks in advance.

Accidentally walked into Villa 31, the biggest slum in Buenos Aires - PSA: look up the dangerous areas of a city before not after

So I’m in Buenos Aires right now and was walking around the city last night at like 8pm

For background, I’m like 6 foot 100kg bearded brown guy, and I don’t speak much Spanish.

Walked past Retiro station and noticed what I thought was a regular market alleyway you might see in various cities.

So started walking down, it was okay for the first little bit so kept walking. Started noticing all the stores had metal bars on the front and you had to order from outside. It was getting quite suspicious looking/feeling, so I put my phone away.

I’m usually a pretty “brave” and big guy, so places like this usually won’t scare me much. I was in Guatemala recently, and purposely went to one of the dangerous areas, but it was nowhere close to the feeling of this place. Villa 31 just gave a very dangerous vibe/feeling.

I had a lot of people just ignore me, but a noticeable amount of people were staring at me. I didn’t wanna pull my phone out, so I kept walking down further assuming there’d be an exit. But I couldn’t find one, so eventually got near a police station and they seemed safe-ish (although no cops in sight). Saw the only way out is back the same way. I think I walked up a little bit more to see a maradona mural.

Eventually got to some football and volleyball courts and the mural, then turned back. Think it was about 1km in.

At some point, I also saw 2 guys in the line to some bar or something fighting.

As I was turning around, there was a group of people watching others play football, and they started calling out to me (i didn’t understand) then they started laughing, and I walked around a corner to get away.

On the walk back, i was definitely speed walking to gtfo.

I was offered a white substance 3 times by different people Otw out. I didn’t understand what drug it was but assuming heroin or cocaine. Also saw multiple people just straight up holding bags of the drug and dealing out in the open like no one gives a fuck (which I guess they don’t).

Close to the exit, I saw 2 girls start a full on fist fight. One of them got the other in a headlock and then I walked away. 99% of people there started watching the fight lol.

Eventually got out, then it dawned on me where I was, and after some more research, it seems like a place I definitely shouldn’t have gone. Every Argentine on Reddit or irl said “DO NOT GO”…

It was a very “interesting” (sorry can’t think of a better word) and I guess surreal experience. It really felt and looked like exactly how they portray Favela type places in movies. People were living their lives with their families having dinner, talking, having fun. There was a kid and his brother just playing football, there were people cleaning the streets, people cooking at restaurants, everything you’d expect in a “normal” place. But then at the same time, there were open drug deals happening, people sleeping all over the streets, the stores all seemed to be like garages/houses of the residents, the people calling out to me (I assume making fun of a foreigner), people sleeping on the streets, plus more than I’m sure wasn’t visible. It was very unique to me, never been to somewhere that felt like this.

Don’t particularly regret it as nothing happened I guess, but I think I’m definitely more aware that I should search up the areas not to go before I go not after lol.

Hello!

I live in Japan and am planning to visit Taiwan from December 3 to December 12. I will be traveling alone, except from the evening of December 5 to the afternoon of December 8, when I need to be in Taipei as friends are joining me. I’m free for the rest of the time.

I’ve been to Taipei once before about 10 years, just for a weekend, so I’m somewhat slightly familiar with the city.

Below is what I’d like advice on: Upon arrival in Taipei on December 3, I was considering visiting the east side of Taiwan, notably Hualien, and staying a night or two until December 5. However, with the recent natural catastrophes, I wonder if it’s still worth going for two nights, especially since Taroko Gorge and other spots are closed. Would you still recommend visiting Hualien? Or are there other destinations on Taiwan's east side you would suggest, considering I have just two nights (December 3 to December 5) and need to be back in Taipei on the night of December 5? Also just in case, I’ve never driven a scooter, so I’m not sure I would feel confident doing so alone abroad.

After Taipei (post-December 8), I plan to travel along Taiwan's west coast, visiting Taichung, Kaohsiung/Tainan, and natural spots around these cities.

Thank you in advance! 🙏🏻

I feel like I’m struggling because there are so many places I want to see in the world, but time and money is limited for now (in nursing school, plan to travel nurse in a few years so I can backpack between contracts).

Part of me feels like I need to see everywhere, but also question if that’s to feel like everything is checked off.

I’m trying to learn how to appreciate where I have been and to learn to choose the places that interest me most, not just choose a place to check it off a list.

Does anyone else feel like this or has felt like this in the past? What helped to get out of or not have this mindset?

I planned a trip to Maui for my spring break and was hoping to convince someone to tag along, but it is looking more and more like i'm on my own.

I got 5 nights free through Marriott at the Residence in Wailea, and booked my flights on points- so my goal is to only spend about $500-$750 (less is always better!) for the trip.

I have a car rented for 48 hours to do the driving things, but also want to spend a decent bit of time just enjoying the beach/scenery around the Wailea area.

I keep seeing very conflicting posts about doing Road to Hana solo- that I won't enjoy it/see anything because I'll be more concerned about the drive. I get pretty carsick as a passenger but less so when driving so I've pretty much ruled out taking a tour. Any thoughts?

Also interested in doing Haleakala sunrise but probably would have to do one or the other since I pick up the rental car at 12 (Monday) and also have to return it at 12(Wednesday).

What else around the island do I need to see/eat/do?

I've recently returned from a trip from Australia to Europe. This was about 50% solo travel and 50% family travel with my parents. I'll focus here on the solo aspects

About me: I'm a middle aged Australian man who's interested in history and art

Destinations:

• Zurich (3 days)
• Innsbruck (3 days)
• Vienna (8 days)
• Bologna (3 days, with a day trip to Modena - family travel)
• Ravenna (2 days - family travel)
• Florence (4 days - family travel, but with a solo day trip to Lucca)
• Siena (2 days - family travel)
• Arezzo (1 day - family travel)
• Rome (4 days - family travel)
• Naples (2 days, including a day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum)
• Rome again (1 day)

Accommodation:

I stayed in a 3 star hotel in Zurich (at vast expense!), a studio apartment attached to a hotel in Innsbruck, a holiday apartment in Vienna, a 4 star hotel in Naples and an interesting 4 star hotel in Rome on my last night.

What Went Right:

• I visited Zurich mainly as it happened to have the most convenient airport serviced by Singapore Airlines for Austria and I wanted to do the famous Zurich to Innsbruck rail trip. I was pleasantly surprised by the city, which boasts lots of excellent museums and art galleries. It was very easy to get around.
• Innsbruck was lots of fun. My highlights were the Alpine Zoo and, perhaps oddly, the public tram route that goes down one of the nearby mountains.
• I've wanted to visit Vienna for a long time, and was planning a trip there in 2020 before Covid. The city largely lived up to expectations. It has some of the best museums and art galleries in the world. It's generally easy to get around using public transport, though there are some irritating gaps in coverage. My accommodation was excellent and there was lots of good restaurants nearby for the nights where I didn't self cater.
• I really enjoyed visiting Lucca. It's a handsome and interesting city and was very relaxed when I visited on a Saturday while Florence was crazy busy. The very well preserved city walls and medieval churches were highlights.
• I joined a day tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum and am very glad that I did. Both sites are very interesting but poorly signposted, so I don't think that I would have understanded them well without a guide. Pompeii is also huge, so it was good to have had a guided tour that was focused on particularly interesting areas.
• I moved between all the various cities by rail. This went well, with only minor hiccups. There was a snap train strike in Italy on the day we were visiting Ravenna, but things were back to normal the next day.
• I used an eSIM for the first time, and it worked perfectly. This is definitely the best option for tourists in Europe.
• I was pleased to find that almost everywhere in the countries I visited accepted credit cards. I only needed to withdraw a small amount of cash.
• All my accommodation was good.

What Went Wrong:

Nothing went particularly wrong, but there were a few irritations and disappointments:

• I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of places to visit in Vienna. This was oddly stressful! I think that I prioritised successfully, but there are a bunch of places I'd like to visit on a future trip.
• I didn't do enough research, and the Austrian National Day public holiday occurred while I was in Vienna. This led to lots of the museums and virtually all shops and restaurants closing for the day. The metro and tram systems were also greatly disrupted. This turned the Saturday in Vienna I'd been looking forward to into a really crap day as I ended up trekking around the city looking for things to do, usually finding that they were either closed or very crowded with other tourists who were also looking for things to do. I'd recommend not visiting Austria on public holidays if you can avoid it.
• I wish I had more time in Naples.
• I was very disappointed by the poor state of most museums in Italy. It seems that they've been grossly under-funded and few appear to have been modernised for decades. It's quite common for museums to have an amazing collection presented in really old fashioned or shabby ways and housed in a crumbling and/or outdated building.
• The conservative food culture in Italy became a bit grating over time. While standards are high, there are few casual options for dinner other than pizza places and virtually no options other than European food. Zurich and Austria had much better food options than Italy. I ended up having hamburgers for dinner in Naples two nights running because I didn't want to have a formal sit down meal at 7:30 pm or later, which was the dominant option in the very posh part of the city I was staying in.
• Quite a few of the people working in museums and restaurants in Siena were rude to tourists. It's a beautiful city, but hard to recommend as a result given there are lots of other great places in Italy.
• I got a good deal on premium economy in Singapore Airlines, but it wasn't worth the price: I wasn't able to choose between the food options on 3 of the 4 flights and some of the perks that other airlines provide for premium economy were missing. The legs home on A350 jets were particularly disappointing.
• The poor $A to Euro exchange rate meant that the trip was more expensive than I expected. I didn't do any shopping as a result and needed to economise on food (which might have contributed to my irritation at the food scene in Italy).
• I was very busy across the trip and pushed myself too hard. I got home a week ago and am still tired!

Final Verdict:

This was a really fun trip and a great break from my job.

Hey y’all! Just like the titles says, trying to decide if paying an extra $855 is worth it to have a solo room while traveling with EF Ultimate Break as a solo traveler. This will be my first solo trip & I picked this company for the ease of it all. Traveled with other and groups previously, but all people I knew already and I didn’t have to make friends while going. I want to socialize on this trip & don’t want to isolate myself from the group, but I also like my quiet. Anyone done a trip with them and have some insight?

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share a bit about my recent travel experience and see how you approach trip planning.

I absolutely love traveling, but I’ve realized that the planning stage can sometimes feel overwhelming. Between comparing hotel and flight prices, figuring out what’s around where I’m staying, picking places to visit, and deciding on transportation (renting a car vs. public transit), it can become quite a chore.

My recent trip to Mexico added a few extra layers of complexity—navigating a new language, moments of being lost without internet, and figuring out how to communicate. After traveling around (CDMX, Monterrey, Tulum, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, and Guadalajara), I did feel more confident as time went on, but honestly, I’d love to skip the planning part altogether.

How do you feel about trip planning? Is it something you enjoy, or does it sometimes feel like a hassle? If you have any tips to make it less stressful, I’d love to hear them!

Cheers!

I have dual nationality. I am Cypriot but also a UK citizen. I have both passports.

I have applied for ESTA with my UK passport and got approved. 

I booked a trip from Miami to Cuba and from Cuba to Bahams, and then from Bahamas to Chicago and then from Chicago to London.

However, I just realised that I will need a visa to go back to the USA.

Can I travel to Cuba with my Cypriot passport and then from Bahams back to the USA with my British ESTA approved passport?

I am in London and the next visa appointment is in February.

What shall I do? 

Should I cancel all the airplane tickets and airbnb stays and not go to Cuba? I was planning to help Cuban people by getting useful stuff for them like meds and booking to stay with them.
Or is there another solution?

So I have never solo traveled internationally before and I really really want to go to Italy. I've been looking into toys but when I add up the expenses of everything I feel like it's double the cost of what I could pay by myself. I've been torn between different tools I want to go to and unfortunately some of them are either too fast pace for me (I have a chronic health condition so getting time to rest in between is important as well as having my own hotel room and a decent comfy hotel), are there in a really big toll group with people who are a lot older than me (I'm in my late 20s). Due to my health I'm not interested in drinking a partying but I would like to meet some people and have company.

I've been thinking more about if I should travel to Italy solo and just follow similar itinerary from some of the tours but take a lot of day tours out. Is it safe to travel as a single female? Do you think I can meet friends or other solo travelers during day tours out?

I am a man planning to visit Madeira by myself in December, this is what I have planned so far and looking for recommendations on how I can make most of the island by using public transport and taxis.
Would be great to hear from someone who has done this using public transport before.

|| || |Duration|Dec 23, 2024 - Jan 2, 2025 (10 days)| |Base|Funchal| |Budget excluding flights|1200 Euro| |Main interests|Must see spots, hikes, sunset or sunrise views, natural attractions, new years celebration|

Suggestions based on AI:

|| || |Days 1-2 (Dec 23-24)|Arrival & Funchal Exploration • Settle in • Old town exploration • Local markets| |Days 3-4 (Dec 25-26)|Eastern Madeira • Pico do Arieiro sunrise hike • Levada dos Balcões walk • Santana traditional houses| |Days 5-6 (Dec 27-28)|Western Madeira • Porto Moniz natural pools • Levada do Caldeirão Verde hike • Câmara de Lobos village| |Days 7-8 (Dec 29-30)|Activities & Relaxation • Whale watching • Monte Palace Gardens • Cable car experience| |Days 9-10 (Dec 31-Jan 1)|New Year Celebration • New Year's Eve preparation • Funchal fireworks • Relaxed final day|