Travel The MEGA Travel Thread!

[malakaix]

Solo Travelling

I thought there was a mega travel thread somewhere, maybe i missed it

How many here have traveled solo, what were your experiences like?

I love traveling, it's where most of my money goes.. I've traveled with family and friends overseas a couple of times, and i had a blast.. it was a nice introduction to worlds i knew nothing of, but because i was with familiar people i found it difficult to fully immerse myself within the culture.

And so, the idea of traveling alone is beginning to sound very appealing, im at a stage in my life where everything has more or less unraveled.. i've drifted from friends, i don't find myself identified with anything, my entire outlook on life is becoming redefined and i find myself coming to terms with the fact that i must have faith in myself.

I've been able to avoid uncomfortable situations and scenario's for most of my life because i always had a comfort zone, someone or some-place to fall back on.. i feel traveling alone will force me to take action, and accept the moment, freeing myself of having to rely on others; developing and strengthening my own values, and faith in myself.

 

[Dave]

I generally prefer travelling solo. You get to do exactly what you want, when you want to, how you want to. The nice thing is, if you're staying in hostels and you feel like you'd like a travel buddy for a couple of days, there are virtually always some friendly people around who are up for having one more along. Even if you're not staying at hostels, friendly people are everywhere, and there's a bit more incentive if you're travelling alone.

Most days though, when I was on my last solo trip, I was fine with doing things by myself. I tend to linger in museums longer than most, and I actually enjoy getting a bit lost in big cities. Hell, I spent an entire day in Berlin just scrambling around a couple of old cemeteries, taking photos and just enjoying the lush over-grownness of it all. I'd be very hard pressed to find a travelling companion who would be into doing that.

 

[gavatron@oz]

Faark Dave,

Thats an interesting hobbie,although i myself spent about 4-5 hours in a cemetary..but i was flaking out on acid tabs and only 15 years old

To Malakaix,
Get out therd mate and see what the world has to offer.how old are you?
No matter what age or country of origin,there bood people still left in the world. Go find them and run a muck. Dont set time lines.try to get to know the place and the people who live there..and make sure to go off on the beaten track.

Im down under, theres plenty of shit to do here

Hope to see you here soon

 

[That_Guy]

I've gone on many solo journeys, though they often started with others and we went separate ways.

It can be terrifying. That's what makes it fun.

Go do things that are outside of your comfort zone, the things that make you stop and ask yourself, "What would ______ think about this?" There are things that you yourself are interested in and sometimes, it is only you that is interested in doing it. You have the freedom to do whatever you want to. As Dave said, you can pick up temporary travel buddies along the way. You can also split from them at any time.

Some things do cost more when you travel solo, like some types of accommodation and groceries, but overall, it is my favorite way to go.

As your trip lasts longer, you will discover yourself interacting with people in new ways that you never would in your day to day or if you had your friends/family with you. Any introversion that you may have flies out the window because of it's uselessness regarding your happiness/survival.

 

[Kenickie]

are you male or female?

most of my travels have been solo, and part of the reason was because it was an empowering, terrifying experience for me as a woman. here i am, a teenager, no money no phone no plan, how are you going to survive? it was a test of my will, my wits, and my determination to survive. i'm sure young men can get the same feelings out of it, but the fact that i did it with no harm coming to me was amazing. i think it pushed me to learn things that i would have never learned otherwise, but it also did some negative things. it made me flighty and distrustful, and overly suspicious of everyone. it damaged my relationships with the male gender on a whole. but i'm slowly undoing that

 

[TheSpade]

How many here have traveled solo, what were your experiences like?

I have travelled solo to Australia, SE Asia and South America and every single time I was terrified before I went but soon as I arrived everything was fine. It's really not a problem as you're never really alone unless you want to be, there's always someone heading to the same place or going in the same direction and hostels are a brilliant place to meet people. You'll always find someone up for doing something, no matter what it is. Travellers are a friendly.

I thought for a while I preffered travelling with a good friend from back home because it means shared experiences, always got company etc BUT it also means you don't interact with people as much, don't talk to as many people and so on. I think now I actually prefer to go solo, especially if I meet up with some good people in my destination who I can travel for a while with. My last trip to S. America was a good example of this, met 3 different people at various points and basically travelled seperately with one of them for almost the duration of the trip, got on with them perfectly.

When you go solo you can be who you want to be, you've got no one from back home who knows you, no one has any prior judgements or expectations of you and you can act in anyway you like. It helps you be free, I like that.

love traveling, it's where most of my money goes.. I

Same. It's pretty much all I think about and love it more than anything.

but because i was with familiar people i found it difficult to fully immerse myself within the culture.

Definitely a good reason to go alone, get involved more with locals. Couchsurfing is good for this even if you don't want to sleep on peoples couch.

And so, the idea of traveling alone is beginning to sound very appealing, im at a stage in my life where everything has more or less unraveled.. i've drifted from friends, i don't find myself identified with anything, my entire outlook on life is becoming redefined and i find myself coming to terms with the fact that i must have faith in myself.

Sounds very similar to me. I've lost touch with most of my friends from school / younger years and have no real desire to get in touch, the ones I do see don't really inspire me. My uni mates I still like but we're mostly pretty different and again they don't have much interest in same things as me. I don't really enjoy myself when at home and find myself bored with everything, it all seems so stagnant could easily get stuck back in a rut living here. My outlook on life is completely different to everyone I know no one is interested in the same things as me. I have to do my own thing and get away from here more permanently instead of 5-6 months trips then back for 6-8 months to make more money as I'm doing now.

I've been able to avoid uncomfortable situations and scenario's for most of my life because i always had a comfort zone,

Haven't we all. Change terrifies me usually but I know it's a good thing and have gotten better in recent years at embrassing it. Without change things would be very depressing.

i feel traveling alone will force me to take action, and accept the moment, freeing myself of having to rely on others; developing and strengthening my own values

It will certainly help. Go for it, there's no reason not to and you won't find it nearly as bad as you envisage.

Travelling solo is pretyt rewarding and fun. Enjoy!

 

[malakaix]

Hell, I spent an entire day in Berlin just scrambling around a couple of old cemeteries, taking photos and just enjoying the lush over-grownness of it all. I'd be very hard pressed to find a travelling companion who would be into doing that.

This sounds a bit like myself, when i was in Switzerland with family i spent most of the day just walking around Zurich on my own, sitting on bench's looking outwards to the lake and mountains taking photos and just soaking up the atmosphere.

Get out therd mate and see what the world has to offer.how old are you?
No matter what age or country of origin,there bood people still left in the world. Go find them and run a muck. Dont set time lines.try to get to know the place and the people who live there..and make sure to go off on the beaten track.

Im down under, theres plenty of shit to do here

Thanks gavatron, im almost 22.. and im actually from Australia Currently living in Perth, i've seen some of the east coast and north (cairns area) my housemate recently decided to travel around Australia in a van with a friend, which was one of the reasons that inspired this question.

As your trip lasts longer, you will discover yourself interacting with people in new ways that you never would in your day to day or if you had your friends/family with you. Any introversion that you may have flies out the window because of it's uselessness regarding your happiness/survival.

This is particularly what im interested in, strengthening social skills through interacting with people from different countries and cultures, knowing that who i was back home means nothing here and i can be who i need to be in the moment.

I also get an enormous amount of self-confidence in been able to converse with random people in order to reach a common goal, im actually doing a couple of course's in German.. i was inspired by the language and people when i was in Switzerland and Austria with family late last year.

are you male or female?

most of my travels have been solo, and part of the reason was because it was an empowering, terrifying experience for me as a woman. here i am, a teenager, no money no phone no plan, how are you going to survive? it was a test of my will, my wits, and my determination to survive. i'm sure young men can get the same feelings out of it, but the fact that i did it with no harm coming to me was amazing. i think it pushed me to learn things that i would have never learned otherwise, but it also did some negative things. it made me flighty and distrustful, and overly suspicious of everyone. it damaged my relationships with the male gender on a whole. but i'm slowly undoing that

I'm Male, but i have the same reasons for traveling solo.. the empowerment as an individual, a testament of my wits and willpower in order to survive.

My ex, who i'm no longer in contact with went solo over to Europe for 6 months on her own, granted she was 24.. she did mention it was intimidating been on your own as a woman in a foreign country especially at night and at some of the hostels.. but she came back quite empowered from the experience.

I have travelled solo to Australia, SE Asia and South America and every single time I was terrified before I went but soon as I arrived everything was fine. It's really not a problem as you're never really alone unless you want to be, there's always someone heading to the same place or going in the same direction and hostels are a brilliant place to meet people. You'll always find someone up for doing something, no matter what it is. Travellers are a friendly.

I thought for a while I preffered travelling with a good friend from back home because it means shared experiences, always got company etc BUT it also means you don't interact with people as much, don't talk to as many people and so on. I think now I actually prefer to go solo, especially if I meet up with some good people in my destination who I can travel for a while with. My last trip to S. America was a good example of this, met 3 different people at various points and basically travelled seperately with one of them for almost the duration of the trip, got on with them perfectly.

When you go solo you can be who you want to be, you've got no one from back home who knows you, no one has any prior judgements or expectations of you and you can act in anyway you like. It helps you be free, I like that.

Thankyou TheSpade, this is very re-assuring and sounds exactly like what i want to gain from traveling solo.. it's that freedom i seek and the ability to be who you want to be, go where you want to go, eat what you want and most importantly meeting people along the way.

At this point in my life, i would love nothing more then to meet-up with fellow travelers.. people on the move, pursuing the same goals.. not caught up in prior engagements, the nomadic lifestyle has always appealed to in some degree.. but i've always been terrified of it, however the experience's gained from it are truly priceless.

Thank-you all for your personal experiences and insight, i am most definitely going to do this in the near future.. the life experience and personal wisdom gained through traveling is unmatched.

 

[Dave]

@Gavatron-- my point precisely.

@malakaix-- when you go, put together a travel blog (either Onsite or off) so that we can enjoy in your adventures vicariously!

 

[who_can_say]

Most of my holidays recently have been solo BUT with a few days where friends have been able to join me. I like traveling solo; forces me out of my comfort zone, but also, as has been mentioned, I get to do what I want, when I want, where I want.

When I first started doing it I would get lonely and, being shy when I was younger, not go out much, but now I'm fine.

 

[thujone]

Great reply, Spade!

I'm glad this thread popped up because I'm planning a solo trip later in this year. I'm intending to throw caution to the wind, travel obscenely light and deal with what happens as it happens but at the same time I believe in the value of research done before-hand. Whatever I can arrange before leaving means more time and energy freed up for actually enjoying myself once I am at my destinations!

The reason I want to do this trip solo is because, as a lot of others are saying, traveling with others means having to make sacrifices. This time around I'm simply not willing to spend the money on a flight if I have to be making compromises.

My main concern is how to ensure I can still meet people and have a good time alone in a foreign environment with language barriers. Anyone have some advice for this?

 

[malakaix]

@malakaix-- when you go, put together a travel blog (either Onsite or off) so that we can enjoy in your adventures vicariously!

Will be sure to do so!

 

[ektamine]

Do you like to hike?
What is your favorite hiking spot?
Why do you like/dislike hiking?
Where do you suggest others should go hiking?
Any cool hiking stories?

Do you like to hike?
I do, I love exploring forests and beaches and everything inbetween, but I have to say I'd rather do it on a bike. I like hiking but I like the added distance of bicycling... Hiking does have its advantages though, mainly the slow pace of it gives you more time to ponder/think/appreciate.

What is your favorite hiking spot?
Around here I would have to say Wilder Ranch probably, maybe big basin. Basically, the redwood forests, or the open coast.

Why do you like/dislike hiking?
I like hiking if I plan to spend a whole day in a wilderness area. I will usually bring food&water, [NoDrugTalkInSO], a camera, and maybe some drawing supplies. Hiking gives you a lot of time to think and explore.

Where do you suggest others should go hiking?
Whatever part of nature feels best to them. Forests, usually, but it could be anywhere. Deserts too.

Any cool hiking stories?
Yeah, but they probably aren't interesting enough to share. Oh wait, when I was a teen I went to a wilderness backpacking therapy group and lived out of a backpack in the Utah wilderness for ~10weeks. It was pretty intense, beautiful, and amazing.

This sort of forest:

NSFW:

 

[Bomboclat]

I know a bunch of people who went on that Utah wilderness thing, ive heard great things, though it doesnt seem to really "do the trick"

Nice to see this get bumped!

 

[ektamine]

Well the reason it doesn't 'do the trick', at least in my group, is because we were all sent there against are will. Literally, I woke up in a juvy cell with too large black men in white suits in the cell, they looked at me and said, 'we are going to the airport'.

Next thing I know, I'm living in the Utah wilderness for 10weeks, and immediately after that I was sent straight to Western Samoa (a country in the south pacific by Vanuatu) to attend a 'rehab' (it was actually just a scam that posed as a rehab, that threw us is a school run by samoan villagers). After leaving that juvy cell, I didn't see or talk to anyone in my hometown (other than parents by phone) for 1 year. All against my will.

But yet, I don't regret it at all. In fact living in Western Samoa was the best time of my life:

NSFW:

(Anyways, sorry for the tangent, I just love that place – Plus, I used to hike in Samoa too!)

 

[muvolution]

Do you like to hike?
I love it, and probably hike at least 2-300 miles a summer.

What is your favorite hiking spot?
I'd have to kill you.

Why do you like/dislike hiking?
Unity with nature, solitude, clarity of mind, not seeing people.

Where do you suggest others should go hiking?
as far away from me as possible

Any cool hiking stories?
Went hiking in Colorado wilderness in June and a surprise snowstorm almost killed my friend and I.

 

[wooger]

I love hiking

I like being out in the outdoors and looking at the scenary and stuff, its peaceful. It's also good 'thinking time'. Thats why I usually go alone. I don't mind people tagging along but I much prefer to go by myself.

I like this lil spot in wales where there are some waterfalls, because you can follow a track round and go behind the waterfall, its so refreshing!

lol at the snakes in australia thing. I was stupidly photographing a snake in a national park whilst trekking there and a local comes running up like 'get away from that snake!!! are you crazy?? we call that a death adder' close call! lol.

 

[muvolution]

Ive always wanted to go desert wandering.
It's always seemed like a really neat thing to do

Ive only been hiking in the desert once and that was on a small trail

has anyone ever been on a long desert trek?

you can get super lost at the great sand dunes national monument here in Colorado. You could hike up to 100 miles and still not get to the edge of the dunes if you are going north-south. It is really nice because the elevation is too high for snakes, so there is really nothing to worry about when you are all twisted on mescaline and lost in the dunes, well, as long as you have water.

 

[lostNfound]

I love hiking. My favourite spot is the Bogong High Plains in Victoria in Spring/Summer. My favourite trip was a hike from Harrietville, along the razorback, and up Mt Feathertop.

I love the beautiful scenery - the razorback is above the tree line but there are wildflowers everywhere, wild grasses and in sheltered areas, patches of mountain ash. There's nothing like the smell of eucalypts in the morning, and that clean feel of the air. Kangaroo grass is also ridiculously comfortable to camp on top of - I had one of the best nights sleep of my life camped on thick kangaroo grass near Diamantina Hut on the slopes of Mt Hotham.

There's just something about the colours up there that I love - the bright blue sky, yellow grass, grey green leaves and silvery white trunks. It's so beautiful to me, I can't wait to go back.

In Australia, it's very wise to wear long pants as there are snakes, and also of course to take plenty of water. You also have to watch out for sunburn, even when it's not very hot the UV level is often high.

The razorback.

Also a huge fan of this part of Australia. Too long since I've been though.

Care....... Love the Yosemite pics

 

[CoffeeDrinker]

I was hiking in Penang, Malaysia. I was exhausted, having forgotten to bring water, and having just passed a throng of gigantic soldier ants. I sat down and panted and panted until I heard my panting grow thicker and thicker and realized: oh fuck, something HUGE is crawling up my pants and approaching scrotum vicinity. So balled-up and clenched it from the sides with my fingers, simultaneously raising it away from the skin as quickly as possible.

I felt its legs trying to grasp on and I'm sure I'd have been bitten had I gone slower. It cracked open and resleased a HOT brown fluid. EWW. I never found its remains when I took my pants off. I have no idea what it was till this day

Places I'd love to go hiking in the future: Along the Dempster Highway in the Yukon; The Altais and the Pamir, The British Isles, Along the Silk Road, ad Southern Patagonia/Tierra del fuego, and of course, the himalaya.

You're the ESL teacher right? Man what a job, to get to go all around the world like that.
All those places sound amazing. I'd definitely like to go to the Himalayas, and I'd also like to go to Dharamsala India and see the exiled Tibetans who some think can read minds, not all of them mind you, just the ones who've been meditating for longer than I've been alive, or so it's told by some pious and excited Buddhist Monks.
Maybe they could teach me Tummo meditation if I prove my sincerity...

Anyway that story of the hot fluid creature sounds fucked up. Soooo fucked up!
I'm equally fascinated and disturbed by that. I'd want to hike in the jungle for the sights, and some of the creatures there, in addition to who knows what local flora , but the thought of hubcap size spiders running around, and 25 ft. long snakes slithering around, and giant throngs of giant soldier ants taking shit over en masse, just creeps the bejesus out of me. I don't know how the locals do it.
Actually I have an idea. Do you think whatever it was crawling up your leg was trying to escape the giant horde of ants, so it climbed up your fleshy, warm, moist, leg for some security.
The jungle seems like it's one scary thing after another. Even for that thing that you killed. It thought it was safe escaping the huge mob of little terrorist ants (since there's not an unimagined difference between soldiers and terrorists), but then it met it's final doom at your hands. Just like how you thought you had just escaped some danger with the ants, only to have some unknown and unpleasant creature bum a ride off you, and got curious about your family jewels.
How far up your leg was it?
Did the juices get everywhere?
Was that the creepiest moment you've ever experienced?
Was it an arachnid of some kind? It was at least an invertebrate if it just cracked open, poured juices out and left no remains, which doesn't narrow down the possibilities too much, but that's a start.

So many questions! Yet I hope that never happens to me.

 

[Care]

Care....... Love the Yosemite pics

thanks.
It really is a fantastic place, places like Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point are accessable by car, so even someone who isnt into hiking can pretty much see all the most awesome stuff (long as you dont mind some crowds).

And if you are looking to get away from the crowds there are hundreds of square miles of pristine wilderness. Ive seen bears,deer,elk and even a lynx in yosemite.

here are some more photos

approaching the back of half dome, if you look closely you can see the cables going up the back (whiteish line, the small black specs are people on the cables).

The lynx