 |
Bratislava- Such a fun solo location!
|
Travelling alone is something I have done a few times and is a type of travelling I really enjoy. Yes, I love a family holiday and yes, I love girl's trips, but travelling alone is probably the most fullfilling and character building. When travelling with other people, whether it is your friends or family, you have a person getting you out of bed in the morning, a boss, a buddy, a protector, a guide, a spirit animal ... a whatever. When travelling alone, you have to be all those things to yourself. You are your mum telling yourself not to be up too late, you become your dad, telling yourself to give new things a go and you become your sibling, by laughing at yourself and putting yourself out there. I also love solo travel because you really get to know yourself, the good, the bad and the ugly. For me, I know that I am good at giving things ago, I am bad at putting myself out there, as being awkward as hell is in my nature and I unfortunately know that if there are gluten free snacks I will gorge myself until they are finished because I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL! I also have learnt how independent I can be, at home I am definitely someone who likes experiencing and taking on adventures with others. But what solo travel has taught me is that I would do it anyway even if I didn't have someone with me. Being a single girl, I know I am independent but travelling alone has taught me I am an 'INDEPENDENT WOMAN' and when the Destiny's Child song plays I can wave my hands with pride!
Now if you are travelling alone for the first time or you just feel like you could improve your solo travel I do have some tips and tricks I have learnt through trial and error. So what are my biggest tips and trips for travelling alone and GF?
1- Research before picking a destination: If you are travelling alone I definitely would recommend some places over others. When it comes to single girls travelling the globe you definitely want to consider where is manageable for you. If this is the first time you are travelling independently you may want to consider a tour to start you off or picking somewhere where they speak at least a little bit of English as this will at least help you feel confident that you will know how to get around. I have been to Budapest, Finland, Iceland, Ireland and quite a few more alone and these were great places because they are touristy enough that you know you'll be able to communicate with someone. I am really glad that when I went to Japan that I went with my friends as I feel that I may have felt very alone and isolated if I was there by myself as there is not a heap of English spoken and communication was tricky. Also Morocco was another place I was glad to be on a tour where people could direct me on what is culturally appropriate and also to travel the country more extensively than I would have if by myself. For my gf travellers it is important to find places that can accommodate you, whether it is restaurants or just countries that are easier to find gf options and research is key to making sure you don't end up eating gf packets of chips the whole time. For example before going to Vienna I made sure I looked for some places that did gluten free schnitzel cause I mean if you don't have schnitzel in Austria were you even really in Austria? Haha!
2- Pack snacks: Even if you are not gf you may want to buy some while you are there. But it is inevitable when travelling alone that there will be nights where you don't want to go out for a full meal... and that's ok! So I would say finding or bringing snacks is essential.
3- Embrace your inner geek: There is nothing worse than travel regret! So embrace doing, even if you feel like you will look like a loser for doing it alone. Who cares? You don't know anyone anyway. Take that selfie, eat that ice cream alone, take an ice hiking tour alone. You will regret it if you don't. In Iceland I went to the Blue Lagoon alone and yes I looked like a total creeper and yes I swam awkwardly around with a champagne in one hand and my underwater camera in another and yes I was definitely not the coolest person in that moment. But I am so grateful that I did it. I put myself out there to do something that probably made me look a bit silly but who cares.... I sure as hell don't.
4- Set yourself a routine: Before going to bed I always make a plan for the next day. I research and think about... What do I want to achieve? I look at what time places open and close? What do I want to see the most? It is very easy to waste time when travelling and if you don't set your alarm clock to get yourself out and about, with an agenda, you may miss something really cool and interesting. You most likely didn't go travelling alone to spend your time in bed and there is soooo much more to see then the back of your eyelids. So get moving.
5- Playlists are your best friend and walk as much as possible it's free and fun: OK so I put two into one but oh well! I love Spotify so make a playlist for specific parts of your trip. They don't have to be as on the nose as listening to George Ezra's Budapest in Budapest (or they can), but have some songs that you play a few times while you are in that city or country. Honestly every time you hear it after your trip it will remind you of that place and give you all the vibes of being away! Trust Me!!!
Let me know in the comments below your Top Travel Tip!!!
 |
Morocco on a Contiki Trip (Spain, Morocco and Portugal)
|
 |
| Blue Lagoon, Iceland |
 |
Kusadasi, Turkey
|
 |
Santorini, Greece
|
Comments
Post a Comment