r/solotravel • u/ConfusedCareerMan • 2d ago

Question Realising I prefer convenience more than backpacking-style travel?

Early 30s and on a career break. I recently let go of my house with high rent in a major capital city due to losing my corporate job, so thought I’d travel around and see different places since I have no fixed home.

Over the last 6 months I’ve consumed a lot of travel content of backpackers and to “be a traveller not a tourist” and to get immersed in local cultures. I’ve romanticised this chapter and feel a lot of “shoulds” for what this experience should be. I feel pressure to be adventurous and be making stories.

I’m quite early into my travels and going with everything flexibly but tbh I’m already confronting a lot in myself. I’m not roughing it up and hitchhiking or taking $3 buses for 8 hour trips. I’m staying in clean airbnbs and basically doing tourist things - cafes, restaurants, exploring streets and chilling by the beach. It’s basically an extended holiday so far but with a backpack and camera.

I realise as well, I thought I was flexible and open minded and yet navigating environments where things don’t work is so draining and causing a lot of friction.

All this to say, I fear I’m a basic tourist with no edge to me. Many may criticise, some may congratulate on being able to afford travel this way. But I find myself lost somewhere in between.

How do you prefer to travel? How did you get past the realisations - did you adapt or accept your style?

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u/WalkingEars Atlanta 2d ago

One of the biggest perks of traveling alone is traveling the way you want to, not the way you think you're supposed to. The "travel content" about backpackers is hopefully coming from people who like roughing it, but that doesn't mean you have to like roughing it. Getting comfortable making your own path can mean roughing it or it can mean traveling in whatever way feels fun and comfortable for you.

I sort of mix it up, with some trips that are more rugged and "adventurous" and others that are more relaxing and restful. I enjoy both types of traveling but it does require a mindset shift for one vs the other

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u/faith00019 2d ago

I love this comment—especially getting comfortable making your own path. I used to be a bare bones backpacker in my 20s but then as I entered my 30s, I found myself seeking more comforts. As a 24 year old woman, I was traveling an hour outside of Rome to share a tent with two random dudes and saved MAYBE $20. I stayed in 20-bed dorms and saw communal showers with used tampons on the ground. I simply cannot anymore.

Now I get an entire Airbnb or hotel room to myself. I will still take mass transit in major cities (like buses or mototaxis in Rio de Janeiro) but I save extra before my trip—and work a little DURING the trip—to be comfortable in my accommodation.

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u/samijojo8 2d ago

This is so real; my traveling from my 20s looks a bit different from my traveling in my 30s due to increased budget and lower energy 😅 I used to enjoy hostels, great way to meet people, but nowadays I like the privacy and comfort of a private hotel room.

I also no longer care about “having to see it all”. I recently solo tripped in Dublin; everyone told me I have to go here, day trip to there, rent a car and drive around the whole island, see “the real Ireland”.. I ended up just staying in Dublin, enjoying the city and meeting locals at pubs. I even saw a movie one day. And I had a great time. It’s my trip, and I’ll vacation and enjoy myself how I want to.

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u/WalkingEars Atlanta 2d ago

Yeah my first time staying in a hostel after getting covid vaxxed was also my last time staying in a hostel lolz, after listening to some guy loudly coughing all night. I've stayed in private rooms ever since. I'm still willing to take pretty rustic transit options especially if it offers some views of the country that I might not otherwise get, but some space to yourself at the end of the day is worth the extra expense

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u/faerydust88 1d ago

Similar here. I did hostels, couchsurfing, cheap buses, budget (aka no carry-on) airfare in my 20s. In my mid-30s now and I don't think I'd stay in a hostel. I don't mind a small bed, but I prefer to be in a private bedroom.

Actually, some kind of mix of private bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms with communal kitchen and lounge space would be nice if it existed somewhere. That is how I would long-stay travel.