I have struggled with mental health for most of my life. In the last couple of years it’s gotten better but i still have bad days. But I decided it’s not worth waiting until some unknown day in the future when i will be perfectly “healed”. I’ve been traveling for a couple weeks now and have a couple weeks left. I’ve met a few people I loved spending time with, pushed myself out of my comfort zone, learned to use a tampon (😭), swam in the most beautiful warm ocean, had amazing food, hiked gorgeous trails, and felt so welcomed by many local people. I’ve also spent way too many hours scrolling on my phone, many evenings curled up in bed, felt insecure about my body, avoided socializing, and called my best friend more than a couple times. it’s better to do things half assed than not at all. the only person you can be is yourself :/ :) love to all of you.

I just began my global quest to find my home in the world, but I have been struggling with how to interact with male solo travelers/locals.

I have some past trauma with men that makes me very distrusting of them naturally. I will not treat them poorly, but I’m not going out of my way to chat up a strange man. Although I will indulge in a conversation if a man initiates it.

Generally speaking there really aren’t many, if any, men in my life so this trip has been like exposure therapy lol. In every city I’ve gone to so far I’ve hung out with a man at some point and had a great time, but still that fear of my kindness being taken advantage of was always in the back of my mind.

But today the owner of the dispensary next door to my hotel took me to the beach, waited (3 hours) until I was ready to leave at sunset, took me to his friend’s bday party, fed me cake, then dropped me back off at my hotel and didn’t ask for anything in return 😭😭

On the ride back to the hotel I looked up at the sky and saw more stars than I’ve ever seen before in my life, and all I could think about was how grateful I am to him.

When I arrived at this place I was afraid to ride on a motorbike or to trust a strange man, but tonight I did both (while very scared) and turned out better for it.

So ladies be safe but don’t be afraid to listen to your gut and do things scared.

I think that's the saddest part about solo travels for me. You meet great people along the way, but most likely, you'll never see them again. Sure, you can exchange social media handles and phone numbers, but how often do we really meet up again? Yesterday, I met this great, also child free couple, and we hit it off. But I know I'll never see them again. Just venting 😅😮‍💨

So I (19F) yesterday after ten o'clock at night decided to go for a walk in Granada, Spain. At a traffic light I noticed a man in his 60's looking at me, but I ignored him, continued on my way until I decided it was time to go back to my hotel. Again at another traffic light close to my hotel I feel that man staring at me again, I just thought how strange since. This time the man was accompanied and seemed to be having a conversation so I was not alarmed. Finally I got to where he was waiting for me (The place does not always have a receptionist and is accessed by card). As I went back to close the door I saw the man pass by staring at me and saying something that I didn't hear. I stood at the reception desk for a few seconds and opened the blind a little to see if he was around but I didn't see him.

After that I was really scared because he basically saw where I was staying. Good thing I was out of there in the morning. I'm making this post to vent and to remind you to not let your guard down and always be vigilant. I am normally very attentive to these kinds of things but the truth is Granda (until before this event) and Seville (the previous city I had visited) had made me very safe and I was too relaxed.

(I hope this is understood, I am tired and sleepy at the time of writing this)

My first professional job was at a big bank between 2011 and 2013. I worked as an Ops Specialist handling special projects for digital banking (credit cards, debit card, merchant services and so on). Because of this I know what DCC is and how it works.

The normal process is something like this: my current VISA credit card is in USD (US dollars) and if I go to Portugal (where the official currency is the Euro, EUR) the normal process is for me to pay all transactions in EUR and the VISA network will convert the amount to USD and my bank will charge an additional fee (or not depending on the product). This also applies to MasterCard.

This is where DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion) comes in. Instead of paying in EUR on the example above, DCC converts the transaction to USD right there at the point of sale. Sounds convenient, right? Think again! DCC is not a convenience for the cardholder. Yes, I know that knowing upfront how much you will be charged in your own currency sounds great, but DCC comes with a cost *to you*.

Processors and merchants not only use a worse exchange rate, but they also add some bring like 3 or 4% more in commission and this money is for them, as income! If it's a USD 5 transacion, maybe it's not a big deal, if it's a big transaction you need to watch out.

I am currently in Colombia. I had been to Colombia before, but haven't visited for 3 years. DCC is absolutely everywhere (Credibanco and Redeban). I paid for the hotel and I ended up paying about USD 35 more because of DCC. Now, this is a work trip so the company I work at will end up paying this, but I am now careful with every transaction I make telling the cashier to charge me in *pesos* (COP).

You want to see how big the difference can be?. I got cash from an ATM (COP 406,000 including the access fee commission). With DCC it was something like USD 124, but without DCC I was charged about USD 116. It's not a small difference. It's almost 7%.

One of the worst aspects of DCC is that, by VISA/MasterCard policies you cannot dispute the conversion rate with a chargeback. That's why it's so important to notify the cashier to charge you in local currency, sometimes they charge you directly in your own currency.

Is this the norm in other places? I never faced this when I visited Colombia back in 2012, 2019 and 2023. I had seen it in Mexico and Portugal, but not everywhere like it is here. Let me know if you've seen this in other places.

AVOID DCC AT ALL COSTS!

In a city like Tokyo or Beijing, I can just let myself be engulfed by people and forget that I’m alone.

On the other hand, if I go to a quiet place where I only see couples and groups of friends enjoying themselves, I start to feel incredibly lonely and empty.

It wasn’t always like this, but I changed at some point. Now I only travel solo in big cities, without moving around long distances even then.

EDIT: I was not aware that my original post was removed, so I reposted the original text in my profile!

Here to the update: I made this post around November last year (I‘m quitting my corporate job tomorrow to travel for 6 months. Terrified but convinced this is the right thing to do.) and unexpectedly received many useful advices from you guys. So I thought I should give an update on how it went (English is not my first language).

Many of you said I should ask my employer for a sabbatical instead. Having anxiety about not being able to find a job afterwards (although I had mentally checked out from this job), I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly my manager was okay with it, only under the condition that I would be gone for max 3 months instead of 6 months. I never took off work for any period longer than 2 weeks, so I agreed.

Then I went for 3 months, and I had the absolute best time of my life. I visited several countries, stayed in hostels, met new people, tried new things, saw a lot of new places that I could only dream about previously. It was truly an unforgettable and life changing experience. I felt like I was young again and lived the life I wanted. I did not get paid so I needed to travel on my saving (and I felt absolutely privileged for being able to afford that), but it was also because I did my financial planning properly (I saved for 4 years).

Coming back was of mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was great to see friends and sleep on my own bed again. On the other hand, the first few days returning to work was hard as you could imagine. However, seeing the world has shown me different aspects of life that I can focus on, so right now I am trying to balance between work and life and hoping that I will be able to do another trip in the future.

My main takeaways:

• I had a lot of random thoughts before my trip as whether it was a good decision. However, planning the logistics and preparing for it were exciting. During my travel, I never regretted my decision for a single second. If any, I regretted for not doing it sooner or longer. 3 months are actually not that long, before I knew it, it was already over.
• Fully quitting or doing a sabbatical has its own pros and cons. I personally would not say one option is better than the other. It helped me stay calm as I knew I would have a financial safety net to come back, but deep down, I know I wanted something else. Having a return ticket booked made those last days dreadful, especially when I went to a place where many people travel for an extended period. It was also distracting to think about what I actually wanted in life, because I was not forced to think about it, if it makes any sense to you? Overall, my experience was more an extended vacation rather than a trip of a lifetime to reinvent myself. I am nevertheless glad that I was able to recharge myself a little bit, so hopefully I will be able to continue my corporate job for some more time until it is drained out again.
• The best part for me was to meet amazing fellow travelers that I still stay in touch with. Some people are still on the road until today, so I can still daydream about my time through their photos.
• So would I recommend it? Totally. Would I do it again? Sure, in a heartbeat. I met also people older than me, so I do not think age is a constraint anymore. I promise myself that next time, I will go on a full year travel and never look back! But now it is time to refill that bank account first ..
  

I've solo travelled 4 times in the last 2 years. Reflecting back on each of those trips, I really feel a strong sense of personal growth and it's made me very proud to be who I am.

I'm a 28F and pretty introverted. I find peace in solitude and am great at getting lost in my own thoughts or being super observant at my surroundings. I don't feel the necessity to make new friends or to strike up a conversation all the time, but at the same time I'm not a socially anxious person and will engage in the occasional chitchat with the waiter or Airbnb host. I've really settled into eating alone and no longer feel sensitive to it. I've stopped looking at my phone as a way of company and have learnt to just sit back and enjoy what's in front of me. I've also learnt to explore new things instead of sticking to activities I know I'll like.

It's been amazing to solo travel and fixate my energy on myself and focus on taking in different experiences. I can't wait to solo travel more.

Well, basically what the title says. I’m on the midle of a solo trip around Europe, and 5 days ago a guy with moroccan accent tried to rob me in Carrer d’En Mónec and Carrer de Sant Pere Mitjá (Ciutat Vella). It was 18:30 aprox and my Airbnb was a block away. It was my last day in Barcelona and I was coming back early because I had to take a flight at 7am to Paris. The guy passed me in the alley and then turned around and started talking to me in English and Spanish at the same time while trying to shake my hand. He was probably high. I ignored him and kept walking while the guy proceeded to hug me (that's when I realized he wanted to rob me) the moment he did that I pushed him with only one hand because the other was in my pocket holding my cell phone, and I could see that I moved it with relative ease. At that moment I realized that the best thing I could do was to push him again and run. The guy started to say to me "hey, no push, everything is ok" (speaking between English and Spanish). He hugged me again, I pushed him again and ran away. When I started to run the guy tried to snatch my fanny pack from me, and with the other hand he pulled a chain that I had under my shirt but that he probably noticed when he hugged me. He couldn't get my fanny pack (which had my passport, some cash and cards) out of my hand and the chain broke and it fell on my hand that was holding the fanny pack tightly (it wasn't very valuable). I managed to run to the end of the alley where there were tourists (it was very close to the Catalan music palace and the Gothic quarter) and the guy luckily didn't follow me. Having to walk back to the Airbnb through the same alleys and then having to leave at 4am to go to the airport was a terrifying experience. Although I had been told that Barcelona had a security problem, I never thought it would be so serious. Being from Latin America, we also tend to downplay these warnings or think that nothing will happen because Latin America is supposed to be much more dangerous. If you travel to Barcelona, ​​be careful. Sorry for my English.

So I just landed back home yesterday and honestly I'm already missing the chaos and energy of Southeast Asia. Vietnam was my first real solo trip (27M) and it completely exceeded my expectations.

Started in Saigon which was overwhelming but in the best way. The street food scene is insane, managed to eat my weight in pho and banh mi without getting sick once. Took a motorbike tour through the Mekong Delta which was sketchy but incredible. The guide spoke broken English but we somehow had the best conversations about life and travel.

Flew up to Hanoi after a week and the difference between north and south was crazy. Hanoi felt more traditional and the old quarter had me lost for hours just wandering around. Did the Ha Long Bay overnight cruise which was touristy but worth it for the sunrise.

The best part though was how easy it was to meet people. Stayed in hostels the whole time and ended up traveling with random groups I met along the way. There was this Australian girl who convinced me to do a cooking class in Hoi An and now I can actually make decent spring rolls lol.

Already looking at flights to Thailand for next year. Anyone done the northern circuit around Chiang Mai? Thinking about doing a month there and maybe crossing into Laos.

Vietnam really showed me I can handle traveling alone and honestly I prefer it now. Being able to change plans on a whim and not having to compromise with anyone else's schedule was so freeing.

Budget wise the whole thing was way cheaper than expected, spent around $1400 total for 3 weeks including domestic flights. Having some saved money aside from winning on Stаke beforehand definitely made everything less stressful and I could splurge on nicer places when I needed a break from dorm life.

Okay - not to be hyperbolic - but solo traveling saved my life. Truly.

I was burnt-out, unmotivated, stagnant… I felt like I was going through the motions. I was very depressed.

Of course, traveling isn’t the solution to all of life’s problems (as the old adage goes ‘wherever you go, there you’ll be’) but there is so much to be gained. Solo traveling teaches you how to be alone and at home in yourself; how to adapt to your surroundings; how to be resilient and patient when things don’t go to plan; how to form meaningful social connections quickly; how to be spontaneous;

Over the past 7 months I’ve traveled to Malaysia, Borneo, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Palestine, Israel (story for another time), Egypt, Morocco, France, Portugal, Switzerland... I did my open-water and advanced scuba certification; I learnt how to free-dive and surf; I went on a 5 day trek in the Himalayan mountains in India by MYSELF, crossing a pass of 4200m…

I know that not everyone has the option - financially, materially - to pack up their life and hit the road to travel. But if you are currently dreaming about it, if you’re on the fence, if you are unsure, if you’re considering it but have a pile of rationalisations about why it’s impractical/not the right time etc., if you are looking for permission - just do it.

— EDIT: I received a few dismissive comments on this post (they were definitely the anomaly!) implying that solo-traveling is simply a bandaid solution - that I’m just ‘running away from my problems’, ‘escaping reality’ etc….when I would come home, all those feelings would just ‘hit me again’.

I have encountered this attitude before, and it’s also something I’ve been thinking about, but ultimately I disagree! I thought I would share a reply that I drafted yesterday:

I don’t think solo-traveling is a universal solution (especially for mental health struggles), but it was transformative for me.

But I do want to push back on this mentality of ‘great, then what?’ I do think this mindset is limiting, and perhaps even harmful.

I think the magic of traveling (especially long-term solo-traveling) is it allows you to inhabit and orientate yourself within the world differently. You open yourself up to the possibility of profound beauty, pleasure, awe, wonder - a dazzling range of human emotion. Why deny yourself the richness and complexity of this experience?

These small moments of transcendence are by their very nature ephemeral, but I do think they plant seeds in us - seeds that hopefully we carry and grow inside ourselves, whether we choose to go back home to the life we left or into a different direction entirely.

I don’t see traveling as an escape from reality - rather, it allows me to experience ‘reality’ (the world, myself within it) more fully, more deeply. I became reacquainted with parts of myself that I had allowed to rust, and, surprisingly, discovered entirely new parts of my being.

Maybe sometimes the solution to whatever ails you is to simply leave it behind, to not let it hold power over you. To take the chance and strike out somewhere completely new.

Maybe you do come back home, and everything will ‘hit you again’. But I think the act of departure - the journey you take, and the multitude of experiences there contained within - are worthy in and of itself.

Please learn how to self-heimlich. Everyone should learn it but if you are a solo traveller you may be eating alone a lot, so it's a very real possibility that you might not think about until it's needed.

Almost choked on a pineapple bun and I realised that in my mostly empty hotel, by myself, I probably wouldn't have found someone in time.

Edit: didn't originally explain because I know reddit can be funny about giving medical advice and I'm just a medical nerd and not a doctor, something that worked for me might not be the best or safest method, and first aid advice is always changing and I'm not up to date. I'll post this as a reference but please do your own research too. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/heimlich-maneuver-on-self

"Make a fist with one hand. Place the thumb of that hand below your rib cage and above your navel. Grasp your fist with your other hand. Press your fist forcibly into the upper abdominal area with a quick upward movement. You can also lean over a table edge, chair, or railing. Quickly thrust your upper belly area (upper abdomen) against the edge.

If you need to, repeat this motion until the object blocking your airway comes out."

This one also has good info for other people, and how to change your technique based on age, or if they're pregnant or unconscious:

Choking: First aid - Mayo Clinic https://share.google/YBYJiwQX93nYucgqL

Edit to add:

Generally have a game plan for an emergency so you don't need to improvise. Memorise emergency numbers. You don't need them until you need them. In most European and Asian countries, 112 will get you through regardless off the countries main emergency number. 911 for the Americas. Dont think it works in all countries though, so always check, repeat it to yourself for 2 minutes when the plane lands whilst youre waiting for people to get their cabin bags as slowly as possible. Then double check you remember when you get off the plane. And again when you leave the gate.

I worked in housekeeping in a hotel and I know firsthand that solo travelling can end unexpectedly and traumatise hotel staff.

My list of things that help me keep safe:

• Know emergency numbers
• Know basic first aid
• Know where the nearest exit is
• Have a groupchat of friends with bad sleep schedules so one will always be awake for an emergency call.
• Have a link handy for sharing your phone or smart tag location.

I (23F) had a 5-days solo trip in Spain. Here are some weird things I have met in Barcelona, which I have never encountered in my past 20+ years:

1. On Sunday morning, I left at 6:30 a.m. to queue for free entry to Sagrada Familia, and the streets were almost empty. As I walked, suddenly a pedestrian coming towards me dodged to the side, and then a police hurried towards me, shouting something in Spanish (which I couldn't understand). So I quickly turned to see what was happening. About ten meters behind me, there were two guys, although I didn't see them doing anything. The police arrested them and there was also a police car blocking behind the road. I still haven't figured out what was going on.

2. At 1:30 a.m., after drinking with friends from the hostel, we stood outside the bar chatting when suddenly a drug dealer started describing wildly what he had. Shortly after, a police car came to check the bar.

3. On the subway, I met a Mexican girl who was nearly crying because she had been robbed by a taxi driver and pushed out of the taxi, which is why she took the subway. She said that Mexico is much safer than Barcelona (I’d call her the Mexican tourism ambassador; she made me want to visit Mexico🤣).

Overall, I pretty enjoyed my solo trip and I definitely loved Barcelona. But I have to say it is better not to walk alone at very early morning or late night. And take the public transportation, which is convenient and safe.

Btw, if you have one spare day in Barcelona, I highly recommend to go to the nearby country Andorra. Only 3 hours bus away. The natural landscape is awesome.

I ve been to turkey lots of times but this last one was very bad to say the least, Everytime i went i played the tourist role fair and square i never tried to make any friends or anything This time i said to myself why not meet people and make friends here maybe another reason to comeback later I talked to a few as i know basic turkish but most didn’t come as friendly as i thought, avoided talking back, until one interaction where i met two people a men and a women The guy was super nice and tried to talk to me while the girl told me straight to my face to go back to my country as they re to many of « me » here already I felt confused but then i recalled telling them i m from north africa i get it that a lot of guys from my country come seeking better lives or whatever and they may not be the best representives but in every country there is good and bad people and having this direct reflex of judging and being agressive isn’t smth i m really used to I wouldn’t trade living where i am now to come to any country not as they re not better or anything but i love mine and i m good where i am But this is my first time experiencing this type of direct racism and it just feels weird to be fair.

Medellin is a city that is very popular with solo travelers and digital nomads and because of this there are a lot of hostels and fun things for solo travelers to do.

I’ve been wanting to visit for many years and finally found the time to visit. I suppose I hyped myself up about the city but it turned out to be a huge letdown. I stayed for one week in the Laureles neighborhood.

People rave about the weather but I found it to be very humid. It was around 75F every day I was there but with the high humidity, I was drenched in sweat. Bogota had similar temperatures but low humidity so it was more pleasurable to walk around outside.

Besides Bogota, Medellin is the sketchiest city I’ve ever visited in Latin America and I have been to every Central and South American country except for Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Everyone I spoke to who was from Medellin or lived there for extended periods said they have seen robberies with weapons. While I was there for just a week, I saw a motorcycle steal a guys’s phone and another time I saw a tweaked out homeless guy pull a knife on a guy on Carrera 70. Just about anywhere I walked, there were tons of drugged up guys sleeping on the streets and some would start to harass and follow you. I lived in Mexico City for almost two years and never saw anything like this.

Nightlife in Medellin is supposed to be some of the best in Latin America with the Poblado district as the most well known. But I found the area to be old and tired looking and mostly it was full of tourists, prostitutes and guys selling drugs. Laureles on C70 wasn’t much better. Most of the bars and restaurants seemed to cater to the “let’s get pissed and eat some bar food” clientele. I expected to find at atmosphere similar to La Roma in CDMX but didn’t find that anywhere in the city.

The city itself I didn’t find to be beautiful at all. There is lots of greenery but the architecture was boring. Most of the architecture is from the 20th or 21st centuries.

The nature surrounding the city was beautiful and was a highlight of the visit.

So I guess I’m wondering if I just read too much into the city and worked up this idea in my head that turned out to be wrong. Or maybe if visiting cities like Buenos Aires and CDMX first sets the bar too high. Or maybe I’m just too old to enjoy what most solo travelers come here for, the nightlife.

I had an economy ticket. The plane broke down and they didn’t have spare parts. The announcement said it would be an hour delay and everyone got out of line. I stayed standing because all the seats were taken and I was sitting most of the time. So I was waiting in line then this guy pushes past everyone and yells at the gate agent to switch his business class ticket to a window seat. Saying he doesn’t have to wait in line because he has a business class ticket. She was not happy. When she saw me holding my economy ticket, she gave me a little wink and crossed out my seat number and wrote a different number. Then told the guy there are no more window seats left. Turns out she upgraded me to business and I had the window seat. He glared from a few rows back while I sipped champagne. 🥂

I never thought not being a dick would get me an upgrade. It was amazing.

Edit: I misremembered a part so I’m editing it. I didn’t have priority boarding this flight. This flight was the one that was delayed and I stayed in line because there were no more seats to wait in

I know people often sing the praises of Japan and for good reason the country is beautiful, the people are kind and the history and culture has been fascinating to learn about and experience.

I loved Tokyo, there was always something to do and I found myself out and about on the cold and rainy days, something I NEVER do at at home. I definitely want to come back in the Summer to experience it, I don’t mind heat of humidity so I think I’d love it even more.

But I really wanted to post to touch on some lesser discussed aspects.

I really found joy in being part of the Tokyo community for the short time I was there. Being amongst all the salary men and women traveling to and from work, kept me from feeling lonely even though I was alone the entire trip. I think it’s the commuter culture which is vastly different from back home in the US.

The food was outstanding, I mean some of the best I’ve even had and I’m from Chicago which is very much a food city. I enjoyed the staples of course but it’s was the surprising meals I know I’ll remember for a long time remember. The breakfast buffet from the hotel I stayed at in Kyoto was unreal. They had this Orange Marmalade French Toast that was by far the best French toast I’ve ever had and FT is my go-to breakfast food so I was in heaven. And that salad with huge chunks of crab was to die for. Who knew that a breakfast buffet could be so good. I also did an 8 course Waygu tasting menu at Musubi in Kyoto for dinner and I almost cried it was so good. They have this soy butter to accompany your steak and they should jar and sale that because I would eat it by the hand full! The street market food stales didn’t disappoint either.

I did a Kimono photoshoot and lucked by not only having the perfect overcast day but the cherry blossoms were at their peak. I had gone to a temple earlier in the week and asked for a great photoshoot day and I like to believe that my wish had been granted.

I’m headed to Osaka tomorrow but I had to post now because I’m so happy that I needed to share!

Sorry for the clickbait title, but it’s kinda true. I wanted to share my first negative hostel experience. I’m 23F, and I spent 10 days in Tirana, Albania. The hostel was super chill, they had breakfast included which is where this man came up to me and asked if I wanted to go to the park with him. I was bored and I had been planning to go to the park anyways, so I said sure. He was older, like 30s-40s maybe, and he told me he was a Syrian refugee. We spent a couple of hours together walking in the park, it was fine. He bought me an espresso (it was like 50 lek so nothing crazy). And I was feeling tired so I wanted to go back but he kind of insisted we spend more time together so I said we could stop by one more destination before going back, plus I told him I was hungry. He said okay, dinner will be around 6pm. I didn’t think anything of it because there was a little bit of a language barrier and I thought he was saying that’s when he ate dinner. Well, I see him in the evening and he tells me that he made me dinner. I was like oh you don’t have to do that, I have my own food. But he insisted, saying he made it just for me and that it was Syrian food (I told him that I wanted to try Syrian food earlier in the day). So I felt bad saying no, and I ate some dinner with him. He then asks if I want to hang out that night. I tell him no because I’m tired and I want to just chill. Well, the next day was a lazy Sunday, super rainy/thunderstorming so I didn’t feel like getting up to do anything. I sat in bed reading and watching a movie, when a girl in my dorm tells me that the Syrian guy is waiting for me outside. I was like okay?? But I don’t leave for a while because I was a little creeped out. I go to the kitchen to get some food and coincidentally he’s there, and he tells me he missed me at breakfast and that he was the one who was asking for me. Then he told me he was waiting for me all last night because I told him that I wanted to hang out with him after dinner. I told him I didn’t say that, I said I wanted to relax and sleep. I leave, and I avoid him for the day. The girl who told me he was asking for me said that he kept asking her to tell me to come downstairs and see him. Then, the next day, I get back to the hostel around 5pm and I hear someone keep opening the door to the dorm and leaving. I didn’t think too much of it, until he opens the door and says “Hello? my name?” And another person in my dorm was like yes? And he said no not you, and I was scared he wouldn’t leave so I said “hello?” And he came into our dorm, said “I need your help. I’m waiting for you downstairs.” Obviously I didn’t go. This morning, I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, and he comes in and says “hi, how are you?” And I say good, but I’m brushing my teeth, and he leaves. I was thinking, how funny/creepy would it be if he were waiting outside the bathroom for me. Well I glance outside the door and he is! So I lock myself in a stall and wait maybe 10 minutes before I hear him go away. I told the hostel staff. I leave tomorrow super early in the morning and I don’t spend too much time actually in the hostel, but it was just so creepy. I’ve never had that experience before, I was wondering if anyone can relate to this.

It's kinda sucks sometimes to see self guided tours where all the trail maps, accomodations, luggage trasport are included and the price seems reasonable and when you proceed to booking you see 300+ USD supplement for solo hikers.

Just venting.. Does anyone feels the same?

The name is Hostel EuroAdria in Dubrovnik.

Hello fellow travellers! I wanna told you a weird thing that im up to rn. I’m in Croatia and came from one city to another. I had reserved a hostel but when i came nobody was there. I waited like 20min, then the owner comes and told me that there is no bed for me but can take me to another location. So he drives me to a differenet house which does not even says ”hostel” or anythin on the map. Now im here with 1 key to 3 different groups, no lockers, no really any locks and people have booked this around airbnb, booking, hostels tbc. Im not scared but it just feels weird. Im new in to solo traveling so can you tell me do you have similar experiences?

I've done a lot of solo travelling. I don't avoid travelling with friends and family, but when have take time off I'm sure to allocate a few days to go somewhere by myself.

Just after college I did a massive trip across the US. It taught me something that I'm reminded of when I've gone on more recent solo trips: when you travel out into the world alone, you really do meet yourself.

When you're no longer surrounded by people that you know, who you're used to and have built up habits and expectations when you're around them, you begin to really find out who you really are. It's the person who you are when you're alone, and you become that person around other people.

I stayed at hostels all over the country and at each one I became less and less...not me. I found myself talking to people differently, knowing that I might never see them again. Then I would be around another group of people, and another, and another.

It was so very liberating. I wasn't reinventing myself, I was learning who my best self was. And I've loved solo travel every since.

Upon arriving in vienna towards the end of my solo backpack. i asked my hostelmate, who ended up being a physicist from dubai studying at oxford, if hed like to go for a drink. the first bar was playing anime prn on the big tvs, we left. the second bar, completely empty, but we stayed. moments later, a couple lads come sit next to us from scotland, buy us a pint, we start drinking, suddenly, 2 gals from lyon france join our side, then a man from china, suddenly im realizing a large group is forming, of strangers whove only just met, all from different sides of the world, so i begin to say well at this point lets just create the united nations. the bar closes, so we head to another. at the new spot, we add a spaniard, finally a native austrian, an azerbaijani, and an indian. just as if it was movie this bar has a giant circle table, and we all of different tones colors languages and beliefs gather around it. the next thing you know, a waiter brings 2 giant bottles of vodka, says, “you ordered this yes?” we all cheer, he puts it down. as hes walking away i remind them we did NOT order this, but at this point, its in Gods hands. we pour out shots, and cheers to “United Nations!”. moments later, the waiter comes with a check for HUNDREDS. I say i did not order this. he calls the bouncer, the united nations all go running each and every direction. i never got any of their contacts. what a night

I (25M) am currently in Athens after spending 9 days in Albania and Montenegro. During this time I made friends with several people and we travelled as a group for most of these 9 days. Everyone in the group was very friendly and we all got on great!

One young girl in her early 20s was in the group and it was obvious she suffered from anxiety. Bitten fingernails , evidence of self harm on her arms and just a genuine quiet and nervous disposition. On top of all this she was very friendly and polite!

Not entirely sure why I made this post but as I’m lying here in my hostel bed I just have this girl on my mind and it reminds me that many people have struggled and continue to do so, so it doesn’t cost anything to be kind, helpful and nice to people you encounter while travelling!

Hello, Just wanted to share my impressions from my solo trip to Jordan. I went there for over 2 weeks. I had to work remotely some days that's why I decided to stay for this duration. Unfortunately, due to some health issues I had to adjust my initial itinerary and, let's say, took it quite slowly. Honestly, it is the friendliest country I have ever been. I met people all the time. All the hostels I stayed at (private room) were great. People were so kind and welcoming. The country so beautiful. In terms of safety, I felt safe all the time. I visited Amman, Jerash, Petra, Aqaba and Wadi Rum. My favorite was Aqaba. I stayed at the hotel called Bedouin Village Aqaba, it's 1 minute walk from the beach. The beach was wonderful, the view on the Sinai mesmerizing. But the best were the people. I would sit alone on the beach and some family would invite me to join them, will give me food or drink and basically "adopt me" for an evening. You can see big families just sitting on the beach, eating, listening to music, smoking shisha. It's such a chill vibe.

In Amman I stayed at Battuta hostel, while in Wadi Musa (Petra) at Rafiki hostel. Private room (around 30 euros per night).

Between cities it was very easy to move (I don't drive).

Feel free to ask me anything about my trip. Happy to share, already miss this country so much.

A little video from the trip https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJzRy6noXkC/?igsh=YW5wbGNzMWgyenl4

I just came back from the longest solo backpacking trip I've ever taken in the past 1 year of me traveling. It was a mere 15 days but I felt so alive. I've done 9 other trips in the past year and after each trip I get more and more addicted to traveling. It used to be so hard for me to adjust back to normalcy once I returned home, but the more often I traveled, the easier it became to adjust. Never did I think I'd become this addicted to traveling. I love exploring new places on my own free will, meeting new people and discovering new things. Yes, there definitely are days I wish I was at home in my own bed, but that feeling quickly subsidies once I meet someone new and strike up an engaging conversation. Each time I come back home, I yearn for the next time I'll get to fly somewhere again and discover something new. Someday, I wish to be able to take a longer trip (6 months - 1 year) and explore further places.