I thought I'd share some of the things I do to make traveling alone better. I am a very social person, but I also have need for my own space and don't mind going on walks alone. So traveling alone is fine, but I will miss connecting with other people. As the world is now in a very different situation and my next trip has been cancelled I am reflecting and dreaming of places to go when the world is "back to normal", and I had a thought that I should use this time to write about what I do to be okay with traveling alone. So hopefully I can help inspire some of you for the future, especially if you want to travel more but are afraid of traveling alone, because so was I a few years ago. So some of the things I'll talk about in this blog post are guided tours, barcrawls, hostels and geocaching. Let's start with geocaching. What is it? Well, it's sort of like a treasure hunt. There are virtuel and physical caches all over the world. The physical ones are small containers hidden in cities, forests and along roads, they're everywhere. Some are easy some are difficult, some coordinates are given to you, and some caches require you to solve a task. One of the great things is that someone who knows the area you're visiting might have though "this is a cool place", "this is an interesting site" or "this view is fantastic" when they decided to place the geocache. Because of this geocaching will sometimes take you to cool places you wouldn't have thought of going. This definitely happened for my mum and me in Cusco, Peru, where a multi type geocache took us to a great lookout point. So I geocache when I travel with my mum, but I hold her back a little as that is never my main reason to travel, it's a way to enrich my travelexperience. I geocache a little when traveling with one cousin, but hardly at all with another because it's really not her thing. And when I travel alone it depends on the area I'm visiting, but if I don't have a specific route I want to walk geocaching is a great way to influence my walk and give me a little bit of purpose with the walk. And also, there are some great nature areas around the world where there are loads of geocaches. One place I loved geocaching alone was Belfast, the caches where not too difficult to find and there where caches placed perfectly for me to get a nice 2-3 hour long walk from my hotel to the city centre for my bus onwards, and they weren't to difficult to find either. Meaning the coordinates and hints were very good. So if you want to go to a city or an area, you don't have anyone to go with and don't want to walk around aimlessly alone, try geocaching. Chances are there are some close to where you live so you can try it out before deciding this is something you want to do. A lot of geocaches are so called premium caches, meaning you have to pay an annual fee to see them on your map and logg them, but there are open ones too and you can probably find some of those to start you out. Oh, and, although this is mostly a solitary thing when you're traveling alone, there are events too, so you can look out for any in the area you're going to. I haven't done any while traveling myself, but people definitely do them on their travels. Now for the really social stuff, let's start with guided tours. I have traveled with guided groups up to a week and it's been great, but think carefully before deciding to do this. First time I did this was for a week traveling from Rome to Barcelona with an 18-30 somethings group, and I'm glad I did, not everything was positive though. So if you're thinking of doing something like that, think about it properly first. You can read all about the trip in the blog post named "Mediterranean". I ended up doing more solo things than I had thought I would before going on the trip and struggled a little with finding my place in the group. But having someone to eat dinner with was for the most part really good. Not that there weren't great people in the group, I just had a hard time finding my place in the group. The second time I did a weeklong guided trip was in Iceland, and the experience was very different to the first time. I traveled with an Icelandic company for this one and there was no upper age limit. I was very lucky with the group, and with this being a month after a surgery it was perfect that the tour wasn't too physical. I got to see a lot of Iceland, going around the island, with a great group of people, and I didn't have to worry about driving (or buses, not that there are many in Iceland). For the most part we all had dinner together and that is honestly one of the best things about group tours like this. So I recommend longer group tours when traveling alone, but make sure it's the right tour for you and be prepared for the possibility of not "fitting in" with the group, because you never know who the other people on the tour are. Shorter tours of a few hours, a day or a couple of days are also good to consider. I've been on shorter guided walks like the Vatican without really connecting with anyone, but they're still a great way to experience something like the Vatican, and you still end up talking with others a little. And I've been on day tours, and had more planned but that destination had to be cancelled, for now. I went on a day tour from Belfast to Giants Causeway a couple of years ago and was lucky enough to be seated next to another solo traveler on the bus and we got along great, so I had someone to share the beautiful sites with and someone to talk to the whole day. So I definitely recommend shorter guided walks or day tours if you're traveling alone. And again a bus tour is a great way to get around without having to worry about driving or having to try to find local buses. (Although I will prefer to explore on my own in some areas.) So see if there are any guided tours that suits you in the area you're traveling to.
I want to mention hostels in this post too. I know not everyone are comfortable with hostels and I get it, but they really can be a great way to meet new people. I normally backpack when I travel alone and for the most part I'll book hostels, but I'll often do a hotel or guesthouse a few nights too. It's nice to have your own room to sleep in, but it really is great to meet likeminded people and have a chat in the room too. I've met some great people and have had dinner with random roommates during hostel stays. I have also met people of all ages including people in their 60s traveling alone in hostels, so you're never too old. I get that it's not for everyone though.
And last but not least: Bar crawls (or Pub crawl). Bar crawls are great if you want to try out the nightlife in a city and don't want to go out on your own. Many cities have them, and you can check out my blog post about them for my review of the European ones I've done. On most bar crawls you'll easily get to know other people, because most people are on the crawl for the same reason, to have a good time and to meet knew people. On a few I've even met people who I've kept talking to after the crawl and I got a couple of new friend lunch dates out of it to. So I definitely recommend bar crawls, especially if you like to get to know new people. Read what the website says about the crawl before choosing one though, as some are more about the alcohol (meaning quantity) than others and a lot of them end up at nightclubs.
In addition to all of this I want to mention that some countries are great for meeting strangers and making friends without any tour to help you as well. Personally I think England is great for it, but I might be slightly biased since I've lived there. Be careful about talking to random strangers on the street in Nordic countries though, I'm quite open to talk to people, but a lot of Nordic people are reserved and might look at you like you're insane for talking to them. In the forest however, talk away. I think saying hi and being more open to talk in the forest and in the countryside is an international thing actually. I've seen it in a lot of places.
I also want to mention my coping mechanism for meals. I'm probably not the only one who doesn't like to eat at restaurants alone. For the most part I'll buy a simple lunch, like a sandwich or so, and sit down in a park or at a bench with a view, or I'll go back to my room and eat it there. But mostly I'll sit on the grass if I'm comfortable with that wherever I am. For dinner I'll often find a bar or a pub that serves food, it doesn't feel as strange as at a proper restaurant. If I do sit down at a restaurant it's normally not a fancy one, and there will be other guests but not many, I don't want to sit at a crowded restaurant by myself. I have been known to order a pizza to my room or eat a sandwich on my way to a bar crawl too, but for the most part I'll find a place to eat out. It doesn't really feel like a holiday without eating some meals out.
In conclusion; if you want to travel but are a little afraid of traveling alone there are ways to help you step out of your comfortzone and make you feel less alone. I would recommend starting with a place you don't feel as uncomfortable being on your own, like a neighbouring country or a place where they speak the same language as you do. Personally I chose the UK as I had already lived there for my studies, feel comfortable speaking English and feel a bit at home in Britain. Find what suits you. And with time you might feel more comfortable traveling alone, not that you should travel exclusively alone if you don't have to, but you can if you want to or you don't have anyone to go with.
Hope these little tips were helpful, and that maybe someone out there feel a little inspired or maybe even empowered. Safe travels.
Comments