Traveling Alone

[tigger68]

I would like to take a trip by myself but am a bit leery of doing so, for safety reason. Has anybody done much traveling on their own? Have any advise or good places to go alone? I will probably stick the United States for now.

[becomingkate]

I've done some traveling on my own, after becoming widowed. I attended a get together in Missouri and met up with another, who drove me to the venue. We all stayed in the same hotel.

 

Other times, I have stayed in B&B's, which is cheaper and cleaner than hotels.

 

These trips included flights, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing a long driving trip by myself - there are too many psychos on the highways!

[Bunney]

Hey there. I went on a trip round the world on my own when I was 19, had no problems whatsoever. As long as you don't put yourself at unnecessary risk it should be fine.

 

Actually the only time I felt threatened was in my one week in California, when a guy in Los Angeles walked up next to me in an isolated street, and when a homeless dude in San Francisco started following me around at 4am when I was on the way to my bus. I actually felt safer in Latin-America than I did in USA. In case you want to know, I was in South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Latin America. Except for USA, all of them felt really safe, especially Australia and NZ!

I can only recommend those two! Never felt safer anywhere in the world

 

You really won't regret traveling on your own, trust me you meet so many other travelers in hostels etc, you will never be alone. Just do it!

[annie24]

You can look into a tour company like Contiki or G Adventures where can can be part of a tour with other people traveling on their own. I've used both of these companies and love it!

[Patrick974]

I've traveled quite a lot when I just turned 20 and it felt pretty good - especially the freedom you get... Canada especially Montreal was my place of choice.

 

As Bunney said you'll meet many other travelers in various hostels, that you can easily keep in touch with today with FB.

 

Be cautious about some 'no-go areas' even if you stick in the US.

[journeynow]

Check out the Journey Women web site, there's lots of good advice. They have a section on traveling solo:

link removed

[coffeecorner]

As annie24 has said touring could be best. I saw 8 different countries on tour when I was 19, met a bunch of people. one I made a good friendship with and we traveled together when I was 20. At 22 I travelled alone and felt very comfortable though a little solitary. Travelling within my own continent gave me more confidence for my first solo trip. Hostels are great as they do guided tours, the staff are used to helping solo travellers, the other guests are usually doing the same thing and it's cheap! Photocopy your documents, let everyone know where you plan to be, act accord to gut instinct and when it get's dark, got back to your accommodation. Also double check your facts, locals can sometimes give crappy info or just plan lie about directs, advice, costs etc even professionals (taxi drivers, flight staff, restaurant staff...). Good luck!

[Crazyaboutdogs]

I did a week long road trip on my own and the hard part of that is not having anyone to count on if there is a problem. You have to be both driver and navigator. If you have a GPS it is not advisable to leave it visible in the car, so when you stop at a rest stop you have to dismantle the whole thing. When there are two people you can at least take turns. I did another solo road trip for a few days and someone plowed into my car. I had to deal with it all on my own. Generally when I go on vacation I go on an organized coach tour with a reputable tour company. You get to see a lot and someone else has it all planned out for you. When you stop at places they do a head count when everyone gets back on the bus so you feel secure in the fact that people are looking out for you. In this day and age, even if I were part of a couple, I would feel more secure travelling abroad with a tour group.

[zep]

I went to Egypt (Cairo Luxor hurgahda) alone in nov and it was awesome! You meet other travelers, so you're only alone when you want to be.

[Trinity11]

I've only travelled on my own bar a 2 separate trips of a week each with friends. People often wonder why, but what else am I supposed to do, wait for someone else to get the same idea and save the money in the same time frame?? I waited long enough to start travelling I could not wait anymore.

States is super easy to travel alone as is most of Europe and Australia. I cannot say for the Asian countries, Africa or South America.

[renaissancewoman101]

I just traveled alone to London, UK, in April. I was there for a week and did things on my own. I chose London because it is an English speaking city and I love the history there. It was my first time traveling alone out of the country. I had a lot of fun and felt very safe doing so.

 

I have also traveled alone throughout the US, mostly on road trips. It's not bad. I usually stay in decent, well-known hotel chains so as to feel safer. I avoided driving late into the night (so as to prevent fatigue and other issues that could crop up).

[Blue_Skirt]

Being single again for quite some time now, I really have started to love travelling alone! Last year I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel 6 weeks to the US. I travelled in fall through all the New England states. I loved it! I had booked all my hotels, B&Bs and a vacation home in advance. It was such a great experience!

 

I also like hiking, so over the past years, I have done various hiking vacations with my backpack, just by myself. You would be amazed how quickly you have contact with other people. Everyone talks to me, because everyone is curious why a woman is hiking alone. It’s great! I also like city trips for a couple of days.

 

When it comes to safety, I always keep in contact with a good friend of mine at home. I send a message every 2-3 days, so he knows that all is fine. For longer trips I always make a travel schedule, with all the hotels that I booked, so that he knows where I am. Otherwise, I just use my common sense. I would not travel alone to “dangerous” countries/areas. I have never had any problems.

[Mr_LFA]

I went to Japan on my own last year which was a great experience, sometimes challenging because of the language barrier though. I was a bit apprehensive about travelling alone before then but now I would definitely travel alone again

[NIN2000]

I have traveled to Europe 4 times but 3 times alone. The first two trips I spent 7 weeks traveling alone in Belgium, Scotland, Wales, England, France, Germany and Holland. Felt very safe and not once did I have a problem with anyone.

 

I actually met a lot of people and made a strong friendship in Munich Germany.

 

Traveling alone gives you the freedom to do what you want when you want. It also gives you an opportunity to meet new people and develop frienships which you never thought possible. I don't regret it and will be doing it again next year.

 

Good luck; I hope you find what you are looking for.....