Want to take off on a journey alone? Have no concern. Here are some locations ideally suited for travelling solo.
Travelling solo could be an extremely rewarding expertise that teaches you a lot about your self and allows you to to pursue journey wherever you discover it.
But let’s be sincere: solo journey can be a little bit scary.
I travelled to a different continent solo for the primary time again after I was simply 17… I’ll admit I used to be kind of barely extraordinarily terrified. I couldn’t catch any sleep on my flight due to the extreme combine of pleasure and nervousness I used to be feeling. But the journey taught me that I may survive in an odd land simply positive — and even make numerous pals alongside the way in which.
But whether or not you have got a profitable solo journey relies upon vastly on the place you select to journey.
If you’re nonetheless new to solo journey, it’s completely vital to select the suitable vacation spot, as some are rather more applicable to this journey model than others.
Choosing a straightforward nation first
To be sincere, any vacation spot generally is a solo journey vacation spot. In principle, there’s all the time a manner you can also make it work. That doesn’t imply it will likely be straightforward essentially, however so long as you’re decided sufficient you possibly can journey alone just about anyplace (the one exceptions being—to my thoughts—just a few uncommon international locations the place it’s simply not very secure).
Some locations generally is a powerful nut to crack for a solo traveller.
Road-tripping by way of the heartland of the USA could seem to be a enjoyable and even cinematic thought, however in actuality, it’s tougher to do by yourself as you may need to remain in motels and motels that aren’t actually so welcoming to the solo traveller.
Going someplace tremendous loopy and intense like India can be not necesserily the most effective introduction to solo journey. If you need to dive straight into the deep there’s nothing stopping you, however the tradition shock goes to be fairly extreme and also you’ll should cope with all types of trouble each day.
My level right here is that if you wish to flex these solo journey muscle tissue a bit first, there are some higher locations to select from.
Travelling as a backpacker
There are many kinds of journey, however the one that’s merely the greatest for solo journey is backpacking. This is very true in case you’re younger, although the sort of journey can be tailored in several methods in case you’re older. My personal expertise is principally in travelling as a backpacker, notably in budget-friendly locations.
Some folks need to journey solo to truly get away from all of it, preferring distant locations the place they’ll not often meet anybody else. But if you wish to socialize throughout your journey, the best manner is to remain in hostels in international locations which can be no less than fairly widespread backpacker locations.
If you’ve not stayed in hostels earlier than, try my information to what hostels are and the way they work.
What to search for in a solo vacation spot
Anyone decided sufficient can (with expertise) journey solo virtually anyplace, however I imagine these three standards are ones to search for if you need issues to be a little bit simpler:
1. Is a rustic pretty well-travelled?
Travelling solo is a bit like displaying as much as a celebration by yourself. If it’s already an excellent celebration with numerous laughter and many individuals there, it’s straightforward to affix the enjoyable. If it’s an awkwardly quiet cocktail reception, you would possibly really feel in another way. The greatest solo journey international locations are like enjoyable events the place everybody’s already having a good time.
If a rustic is well-travelled it’s positive to have numerous backpacker hostels. Staying in hostels will make your journey rather more social and rather a lot simpler, as they usually have a enjoyable communal ambiance and entice many different solo travellers. Once you’re extra comfy you don’t must depend on hostels on a regular basis, however they’re extraordinarily useful, particularly to start with.
2. Easy journey logistics straightforward or numerous trouble?
When you’re by yourself it may be a little bit tougher to cope with sophisticated journey logistics.
A primary-time solo vacation spot ought to have loads of transit connections, straightforward visa formalities, relative security, and so forth. Not every little thing needs to be ideally suited as generally a little bit of journey can get you to larger rewards, nevertheless it’s good to not have to fret about too many issues directly so you possibly can deal with merely taking advantage of your time.
3. Is there a good circuit or an apparent route?
It helps rather a lot if a rustic has an apparent backpacking route or if a rustic is comparatively small. Large international locations just like the United States, India or China are much less ideally suited, as their geographies are wide-open and you may all the time go all over the place from any level.
But wherever there’s a extra compact circuit, travellers usually tend to be heading in roughly the identical path at any given time. This makes it simpler to make pals on the path (and to fulfill them once more and even journey collectively). It additionally makes it simpler to get helpful suggestions and data from different travellers about locations to go subsequent.
One of essentially the most good journey trails I can consider is the one in Vietnam. Because the nation is so slim, backpackers principally go in simply two instructions: north to south or vice versa. If you begin your journey in Hanoi and meet some enjoyable folks there, you could possibly keep in contact with all of them the way in which to Ho Chi Minh City.
Countries for solo journey
To enable you to together with your journey analysis, listed here are just a few ideas for international locations which can be superb for solo journey even in case you’re a newbie.
Thailand
Highlights: Bangkok nightlife, seashores and tropical islands within the south, calm and laidback Chiang Mai and Pai within the north, Buddhist temples, mind-blowingly good meals.
Why Go Solo? Thailand is, frankly, the best nation on the earth to go backpacking that I do know of. It would possibly seem to be a distant and unique place that might be troublesome to navigate, nevertheless it’s not. Some folks fear about language limitations, however I assure you this received’t be a problem in Thailand; many individuals converse English, notably these working within the tourism trade.
Thailand can be such a preferred vacation spot that you simply’ll discover nice backpacker hostels catering to all varieties of travellers all over the place, and it’s one of many best international locations to seek out journey buddies spontaneously. Are you nervous about travelling ‘all on your own’? Don’t be, since you’ll inevitably meet others travelling solo similar to you in Thailand on a regular basis. You can learn extra in my Thailand backpacking information.
Vietnam
Highlights: seeing the loopy hustle and bustle of a Vietnamese metropolis, the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay, and rice terraces of Sapa. If you’re seeking to celebration, you are able to do so very properly in Nha Trang.
Why Go Solo? Vietnam truly has one factor going towards it: generally you possibly can encounter scams and different hassles in essentially the most touristy locations, so it’s price studying up on these items so that you’re a little bit ready. What it has going for it: it’s filled with backpacker hostels, it’s low-cost and straightforward to journey round, and most of all, the nation’s lengthy vertical form makes it ideally suited for a solo traveller. Everyone is both travelling north to south, or south to north.
For extra, try my Vietnam backpacking information »
Peru and Bolivia
These international locations mix properly, with Peru being the apparent start line.
Highlights: virtually too many to say. The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, lake Titicaca (the most important high-altitude lake), trekking the Inca Trail or Colca Canyon, the salt flats of Bolivia, and far rather more.
Why Go Solo? Peru could appear like a giant nation on the map, and it positive is, however many of the motion occurs south of Lima. It has a good and really well-established backpacker circuit, with most individuals following roughly the identical route. Peru is arguably the preferred backpacking nation in South America, so that you received’t be the one one travelling there (solo or in any other case). If you need to meet different travellers, an excellent place to start out is Cusco. You can study extra about backpacking in Peru right here.
Southwest Mexico
Highlights: Paradisical seashores within the Yucatan area of Mexico, scrumptious meals and interesting tradition in Oaxaca, and a few nice seashore and celebration locations. From southeast Mexico, you may also simply dip into Guatemala to see the epic Mayan ruins of Tikal and the gorgeous lake of Atitlan ringed by huge volcanoes. For extra data, try my backpacking guides for Mexico and Guatemala
Why Go Solo? Contrary to widespread perception, Mexico is definitely very secure for vacationers, notably within the particular states the place most travellers go. Transporation connections are low-cost and handy, so that you don’t have to fret a lot about tips on how to get from A to B. Beach locations in Mexico reminiscent of Tulum and Playa Del Carmen are glorious for assembly folks and making pals.
More data on Mexico »
Western Europe
Highlights: the entire nice cities (Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona, and so on.), picturesque rural areas of France and Italy particularly, epic landscapes within the Alps, and plenty of dramatic selection between international locations particularly when in comparison with the journey distances concerned
Why Go Solo? I’ve centered a lot on far-flung locations up to now, primarily as a result of I’m from Europe myself and can generally overlook what’s proper at my doorstep! But Europe is clearly an incredible area to journey.
One of the downsides is that it’s actually unfold out and there are not any clear routes that everybody follows. It can be dearer than travelling in growing international locations. On the opposite hand, issues of safety are minimal and also you’re prone to have a worry-free expertise.
Europe is big for metropolis journey, so in case you like cities you’re going to like it. All the most important cities have nice trendy hostels. The Couchsurfing scene can be huge in Europe, and even in case you don’t need to keep on folks’s couches there are common CouchSurfing meet-ups the place you possibly can meet each locals and different travellers. (Though precise couchsurfing has moved over the higher Couchers.org nowadays.)
Australia
Highlights: Melbourne and Sydney are clear highlights, in addition to the various browsing/seashore locations, and naturally going into the Australian outback.
Why Go Solo? While it’s a huge nation, you can find that most individuals journey comparable routes alongside the coast within the south and southeast. Australians are HUGE travellers themselves (go to any nation on the earth and also you’re assured to fulfill some Ozzies) and meaning they’ve constructed up an incredible backpacker infrastructure in their very own nation.
Backpacker hostels are all over the place and so they’re superb. Something to remember relying in your perspective is that the backpacker crowd in Australia may be very boozy and tends to be fairly a bit youthful than elsewhere. It’s notably widespread amongst youthful European backpackers. This generally is a good or dangerous factor relying on what you’re searching for.
Remember: you possibly can meet folks anyplace
While it helps to select a very good place to journey solo, it doesn’t should be a lonely affair irrespective of the place you’re going. Most individuals who have travelled solo rather a lot will let you know that they’re not often alone in case you put within the effort.
Want to know tips on how to journey solo and take any of the challenges head-on? Then you should definitely try my e-book, Travel the World Without Worries, which covers all of the methods and hacks for profitable solo journey in nice depth. In the e-book, I’ll additionally share just a few of the (sometimes embarrassing!) tales from my 20+ years of taking solo journeys. The classes discovered will enable you to make pals, keep secure, put together on your journey, and tips on how to meet numerous locals and different travellers all over the place alongside the way in which.
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