I'm going around the world for an indefinite amount of time; I'm leaving this week. I was wondering if any one has any tips or cool stories about solo travelling they'd like to share. I'm from Aus and at the moment I'm going to Hong Kong, Japan, most of Western Europe (some of Eastern) and probably Canada (holiday-working visa) and the US (plan to rent a car and drive across), in case any one has region-specific tips.
That's awesome buddy, good luck and have a great time. I've never done any solo traveling except for work, although I have always wanted to.
I went to Puru (Cuzco, Machu Picchu and the Urubamba Valley) solo a few years ago and had a great time. I would say the hardest part was eating alone so be sure to bring a book with you or not be shy about meeting people. The logistics of traveling alone weren't really that much different from traveling with a partner except no one can watch your stuff while you go to the bathroom. Just don't be shy. There are plenty of people who are willing to chat or hang out after they find out that your traveling solo. The Australian accent will probably significantly help, especially in the U.S. With the ladies (if you know what I mean....) Unless you ARE a lady in which case it certainly won't get in the way. From a US point of view, don't underestimate how large the country is so plan your routes appropriately especially if time is an issue. The east coast has all the great cities and the west has all the great national parks. There are a TON of threads on Reddit about "what do foreigners find weird about the U.S) so that should help some with regard to customs. http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/x2h8c/my_friend_and_i_have_just_booked_a_trip_to/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/uycrt/european_redditors_who_have_visited_america_what/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1209vc/dear_nonamerican_redditors_what_do_you_think/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/w8c5r/what_do_foreigners_actually_think_of_america/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/93uxb/what_are_the_best_and_worst_things_about_america/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/phe77/nonnorth_american_redditors_anything_you_want_to/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/16e7h3/nonamericans_of_reddit_what_about_america_makes/ Things like tax is not listed on the price of most goods so expect to pay up to 10% more when you check out or that a 15% tip is expected at restaurants with a server for good service (less if the service is bad; more if you want). Have you looked into couch surfing? https://www.couchsurfing.org/ A friend of mine and his girlfriend just hosted a Japanese couch surfer and they said it was a neat experience.
http://youtu.be/QRcqrz2LB30 <object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QRcqrz2LB30?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QRcqrz2LB30?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Have fun, sir. Let us know how <s>much puss...</s> how well you do on your trip. <s>Wear a condom.</s> Be safe.
I've travelled solo many times. I prefer it for short trips because I can go sight seeing much more efficiently. The hardest part is eating alone. But that is where pubs come in. Sit at the bar and you can almost always find interesting people to talk to if you are not shy. At least that works in Europe pretty well. Not sure about Asia. Canadians are very friendly. If you are driving across the US, I recommend Yellowstone National Park. It's like no where else on earth. ...but not too many pubs there. Interestingly, I did that solo the first time on a business trip to Montana.
Stopped at Taipei airport/ very friendly atmosphere, had a nice chit chat with some folk from Indonesia.. If you're not shy, traveling solo can be kinda fun, people will chit chat with you if you open up...
As a frequent business traveler I can offer one piece of advice. Don't be afraid to talk to people. Be friendly and outgoing and you'll have a hell of a lot better time than being introverted. It took me a few months to realize this, which was a shame. That's one of the greatest aspect of my work life, is meeting new people every single day and engaging them in conversation. I don't care who they are or what they look like, I try to spark up conversations with everyone I encounter. From the barista, to the bartender, to the chick completely out of my league and the bus boy. Also, let those people know you think what they are saying is the most amazing thing ever, it makes their day.
I've traveled a lot alone for work, charity and for fun. I've back packed through the Third World and also driven across much of the US alone. My advice is definitely stay in hostels (watch out for the kidnap murder ones ) but do some research in advance about which ones you are staying at. The internet provides a lot of resources including reading reviews. As an Aussie you will find a lot of other Aussies at hostels in the US and Asia so you can find company and also a great source of info. One I can recommend if you are flying into LA is the Venice Beach Cotel. http://venicebeachcotel.com/ It is right on Venice Beach, has very friendly staff and is also about 90% Aussie with many of them on their way back to Oz who can give you tips about the US. You might want to reconsider driving across the US by yourself for a few reasons. The first is as other posters noted the US is huge and much of the US is either desert or plains which get very boring after awhile and it might help to have other people with you to take turns driving. Also gas isn't cheap, cheaper than Australia but still can eat up a lot of your budget just driving yourself. It would help to split cost with other people. Another problem is that in many places such as San Francisco and NY you have to pay extra to park and places like that have good enough public transit you don't need a car. Many hostels though offer low cost bus or van trips around the US and then you have a guide along with having things like housing and food taken care of. One adventure tour I have heard good things about is Green Tortoise (although I haven't tried them out personally): http://www.greentortoise.com/ Besides that you might just want to consider taking the bus, Greyhound, Mega Bus, etc.. You can meet some interesting people and not have to worry about driving yourself. You might also want to try the train, Amtrak, but be warned that isn't cheaper than flying and more expensive when you factor in food. It gives you a chance though to see a lot of scenery relatively cheaply. Finally you have a great resource of Clutchfans to tap around the country and I am sure Clutchfans will be happy to show you around where they live. If you find yourself in Minnesota feel free to drop me a line.
Most of my traveling outside of the country has been done in Asia mostly in SE Asia and China so here is my advice for that. First some essential things you should bring: 1. At least two pairs of shoes with one being Teva type sandals. A pair of flip flops helps especially in places that have the toilet/shower/sink combo. 2. Long pants, a lot of places like temples require long pants or at least frown upon wearing shorts. A pair of light weights travel pants with removable legs comes in really handy at times. 3. Kleenex packs. A lot of places in Asia don't provide things like napkins when you eat and depending on where you stay might not even provide toilet paper so having a few Kleenex packs handy helps. Good thing is that these are for sale almost everywhere in Asia. 4. A towel. Yes Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is correct. For that matter bringing your own towel when you stay in hostels anywhere in the world is helpful. 5. Hand sanitizer. 6. Disinfecting wet wipes are also pretty handy and when eating it is often a good idea to wipe down your utensils. 7. A money belt or passport pouch to be worn under your clothes. 8. Your own lock for your room, locker, bag etc.. One good thing is depending on where you travel a lot of this stuff can also be purchased. As far as general travel advice outside of Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan always drink bottled water including for brushing your teeth. Be careful about eating things like salad where the leaves have been washed in local water. Try to keep your passport with you preferably in your money belt or something else that can be worn under your clothes. Divide your money so that you don't keep all your money on your person, in your room and in your luggage in one place. I've been pickpocketed in China, and shook down by cops in Bali and it helps to have back ups. One other thing that I do is keep an emergency fund of $100 US (in a mixture of bills), 20 Euros , 20 Pounds a credit card with me and my passport. That way in case everything else get's lost I still have those and that money will be accepted almost anywhere. As far as dealing with the locals in many places you will find the locals very friendly and curious about you. Don't be rude but also be on the guard for scams. One thing to be very careful about is a local saying they will take you to see some special place not on the regular travel guides (temple, waterfall, wildlife etc..) A lot of times these are scams and they will either take you to their families store and demand that you buy stuff or take you to some place remote and you have to pay them or they want take you back. Be very careful about police who offer to be tour guides. A friend of mine got shaken down by a cop in Cambodia who took him on a tour of a temple. As far as buying stuff always ask the price first and be prepared to haggle, even if it is a price you are willing to pay the expectation is to haggle. That said don't be a dick about it and insist on a very cheap price or feel bad that you might get ripped off. You have to remember you come from a first world country and a dollar is a lot of money to someone in Cambodia. Be careful too about buying too much stuff. If you are in a market and word gets around that you are a big spender you will never be left alone. Just as a foreigner you will already be dogged by kids trying to sell you all sorts of stuff in places like Cambodia and Indonesia. As far as lodging you can find a wide range of places for a variety of costs in Asia. In places like Cambodia, Indonesia and even China you can find 4 star lodging for cheap. In Singapore, Hong Kong and China not so much and in Hong Kong and Japan be prepared to stay in tiny clausterphobic places if you are staying cheap. Some advance research goes a long way and also it doesn't hurt to stay at places with a lot of Westerners there already. Places like that also have the benefit that traveling alone you can meet other people and you can get info from them and also make local visits to places with them. Avoiding ripoffs and scams it helps to have someone with you. Further getting a local guide you get better deals if you are not alone. Regarding guides a good local guide / driver is a huge help. Many hotels will have a couple of guys like that who work with the hotel and those guys might be more trustworthy than just someone on the street or at the airport since they want to keep the hotel steering people to them. Again it helps to get a guide with other people as you will get a better price. I've got a lot of other advice and will post some more later when I get the chance. If you got any specific questions post them here and I will answer them if I get a chance.
bro when you find yourself in a situation like this, you might want to consider spending the couple extra bucks to eat at a nicer place
Granted, my post (#5) was about ALL B*TCHES in general, all over the world, not just hookers... and maybe some dudes, too, if he's "adventurous" enough... :grin:
One thing I learned the hard way when I travelled to Buenos Aires was the exchange rate. In Peru it is very easy to do business because almost everywhere you go the exchange rate is clearly stated or easily found. And everyone sticks to it. When I went to Buenos Aires, I thought this would be the same, but hell no. First off, dollars are super scarce in Argentina. You can't get them at ATM's or at the airport. If I knew how scarce they were I would have brought more. The exchange rate when I was there was 4.5 Argentine Pesos for every Dollar. But when talking to the people at my Hotel (most were Argentinians who spent time in the States), I could have exchanged my dollars with them for as high as $6 Pesos to the dollar. Do your homework with the exchange rate before you leave. You could save a lot before you even get to where you are going.
