One of the happiest states I find myself in is when I go on
solo travel. It may not be everybody’s thing, but I want to make a case as to
why you should try it at least once. Basically because it’s so much fun but
more so it makes me a better person – that is why I feel it is my moral
obligation to appeal to you and disturb your senses with hopes that you go on
and take that solo adventure.
I'll stop here first, but I hope I came stirred up something in you with this little post. One friend just shared the news today that she's finally going on a solo trip in November and Im so happy!
Before I go on to the list “why you should,” let me guess
some of the reasons why have not tried traveling solo.
1. You are afraid that something bad might
happen to you.
Like getting lost or getting ripped off.
These are valid concerns but they are not unique to traveling alone, these
things can happen even when you’re traveling with someone or with a group. The
key to avoiding these is to plan and research.
There are gazillion sources online about
everything. I suggest that you:
-
Search
hashtags on Instagram “#[insertplacehere]”
It will provide you an idea of how the place you’re planning to go is
like. It’s like a real time literally, picture of the place. When I was
preparing for my Nepal trip, especially the clothes I needed to bring, I kept
on checking #Annapurnabasecamp to see how the weather was.
I like searching using #, because you can get really very specific or
general. Now, I should hashtag my photos again, after realizing how helpful
hashtags are.
-
Read articles,
blogs and reviews about the place. Just google the name of the place plus the
key words:
o
Itinerary
o
Must visit
o
Must do
o
Budget
o
Tips
o
And the list goes on…
-
For accommodations, I suggest that you book ahead, but book wisely. This is
one of the hardest part for me and the one that I always do at the last minute,
which is not advisable.
When booking for accommodation when you are traveling solo, I suggest
that you go to hostels. Staying at hostels is a great way of meeting like-minded
people at the same time it’s easier on the pocket.
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| These 2 are Lioba and Clara, met them in one of my favorite hostels - Café Locca in Sanur Bali, Indo. They have pool and pantry where people could hang. Our room is big and has a bath tub. |
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| Another favorite hostel - Siem Reap Hostel, well in Siem Reap Cambodia. This is the bar where I met a lot of nice people! I hang here for beer, especially on happy hours. Gus and Dries also play cool music all the time. |
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| Siem Reap Hostel also have a pool! Good for when youre nursing a bad hangover from dancing the night away in Pub Street. |
Please make sure that you read the reviews of the establishment before
you book with them. Normally, the things I consider when booking for place are
the following:
o
Is it clean?
o
Is it safe?
o
Is it near the area where I want to be?
o
Is it a place where I would meet people I would
hang out with?
o
Is it within my budget?
o
Does it look nice?
o
How’s the service?
All these information are available online, when you to online booking
sites. Some of my favorites are:
If it’s off peak, you can also book for a few nights in one hostel so
that if you end up not liking the place, you still have an option to move to
another place.
-
Money!
Some of the important things are:
o
Make sure you have enough local money before you
leave the airport, this is for your transportation to get to your hostel.
Airport money changer give lower versus outside changers, “it's always wise to
cash a small amount of money at the airport, so you will have cash for a taxi
or bus into the city.”
o
Check the currency before you go, the rate you
will see online will give you a good indication of how much you should be
receiving when you change your money.
o
Never bring local money thinking that you
will get the published exchange rate on the internet. Normally, Peso
is valued 50% lower than actual. Basically it’s because they have no use
for Peso, law of supply and demand. When I travel, I “always” bring US dollars
with me. I believe you can also bring other popular currencies like Euro.
o
Are there ATMs that I can withdraw money from.
If you’re travelling international, never forget to check with your bank if
they allow international transactions. Most if not all would, but some would
require you to activate that service before you leave. I’ll make a post on how
to activate ATMs for overseas transactions.
o
Are money changers easily accessible? It’s good
for travelers if there are a lot of money changers in an area, because law of
supply and demand. Please check at least 3 stores, never go for the first store. Always bargain, try to get it as close
to the one published in the internet.
o
Can you use credit card? If you’re travelling to
a city, chances are you can use your card. You can use your card for shopping,
dining or paying for your accommodations. But note that your bank may charge
you each time you use your card overseas so highly suggest that you use cash.
2. It’s lonely and boring and there’s no one
to share the moment with.
I’ve never had a solo trip that
ended up boring and lonely, it’s always fun, exciting and I always meet a lot
of people which makes the trip even more awesome. It will only be lonely and
boring if you make it that way – if you don’t smile, or you’re always on your
phone, or you never go out of your room.
 |
| Random. I met these girls in my hostel, Lioba is from Germany and Clara is from France. We decided to do a motorcycle trip to Uluwatu and we met these Basque guys, one of which was half-Filipino and who's also friends with some of my friends. |
Solo traveling is susceptible to meeting
people because you likely will be in environments where people are also solo
travelers and they are one of the most approachable and friendliest kinds of
people.
They got used to saying hi to
strangers because they always meet strangers. They will invite you to join them
for dinner, or to party at the local bars, or do the jungle tour, or find the
cheapest beer. It’s amazing how you will actually find yourself in a group of
friends who were strangers to each other a few minutes before.
 |
| The girl, Aimee, I met in Cambodia, she was the reason why I got so drunk in Angkor What? and Temple Bar. The guy is Lester, we met him in our hostel in Banaue. |
Aside from fellow travelers, the
locals are very friendly. They want to make sure that you are enjoying their
country/area. Sometimes they will be your link to meeting other travellers.
They also know where the best places are.
3. It’s more expensive.
There are a lot of workarounds in
avoiding the extra cost of traveling alone. First thing that may come to mind
is hotel – there is nobody to split the expense with. Hostels would be the
alternative to expensive hotel rates. Not only will you save, but you will also
be in a space where it is easier to meet new friends. I think this is the time
to clear your misconceptions about hotels – that they are dirty, noisy and
dangerous. At least in the hostels that I’ve been to in Asia, they are not,
they are actually at par with hotels, especially the hostels situated in highly
touristy areas like Bali, Bangkok, KL, etc. Also, there are already boutique
hostels you can go to.
Another thing you might be
thinking of are the tours which are commonly designed to be for groups. With
the increasing number of solo travelers, travel agencies are the ones who form
groups for travelers, like when I was to do the trek in the Himalayas, there
were a lot of agencies offering this.
Another option is to form a group
with the people you will meet along the way. This is not as hard as it may
sound because there are a lot of solo travelers who are willing to share with
fellow travelers to save. Like when I landed in Kathmandu and while lining up
for the immigration, we’ve formed a carpool of 2 taxis to go to the city. Or
when Aimee and I invited Lester to join us for our Mountain Province tour which
cut some of our expenses but more so made our trip more fun.
I'll stop here first, but I hope I came stirred up something in you with this little post. One friend just shared the news today that she's finally going on a solo trip in November and Im so happy!
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