How to travel alone?

>>1200524
I recently discovered some free travel videos on amazon prime called Peregrine Dame. I was impressed she stayed at the dive hostels in her alone travel. Watch a video anon? Not every city is fun alone, but big cities can actually be great alone...all that indulgent me time in the museums lingering at what you want, when you want, ya know?

>>1200524
You meet people. If you're going the hostel or cheap hotel route, you'll encounter the international brotherhood (and sisterhood) of young travelers, all as lonely as you and eager to chat, go sightseeing or go bar-hopping in groups.

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>>1200524
If you cannot be social in your home country, you wont be abroad. It's not that hard to meet people but if you are boring person (and chances are you are - we are on 4chan) the experience will be mellow regardless.

I know it sounds bleak, but it's the truth. That doesn't mean you shouldn't travel - you can still have okay time abroad. Food will taste great, museums/galleries are interesting and hookers are the same regardless of how social you are.
You can also get drunk with loners like yourself and have good intellectual talk (if you are into it) - however don't expect that to be very fulfilling (you can have basically the same thing over the internets).

Perhaps good idea would be to make solo itinerary spiked with hostel stays and relaxation days.

>pic related, basic requirement for hostel nights

>>1200689
>If you cannot be social in your home country, you wont be abroad

Not true at all, people are far more open to meeting strangers abroad, and it's easier to not feel as awkward since if you make a fool of yourself you'll probably never see the people who saw it ever again. I was horrendously bad socially before I started to travel, and now I'm comfortable having any length of conversation with anybody.

>>1200524

Travel alone 2 or 3 times then you'll have "war stories" to make you a more interesting person

>>1200690
What this guy said. Travelling helped me get over social anxiety and made me much more confident.

Since breaking up with my girlfriend I have traveled alone exclusively this last year, loved every minute of it.

You have to force yourself into conversation and situations though, moviing out of your comfort zone is the most important thing. Sitting at a bar and making yourself interesting is important, prepare anecdotes, have jokes or at least something fascinating, like a piece of obscure and weird history. Either it will click or it won't, just don't be a pussy.

>>1200524
I travel alone and it's really enjoyable. I do some research into the local culture and look up any museums, historical sites, concerts, clubs/bars, etc that I'm interested in. I only plan a couple things to do a day so I still have time to check something else out if I come across it. I meet a lot of people traveling that recommend things in the local area or they like asking questions about my home country so don't worry about meeting people too much. Most people are nice, but just don't be stupid and trust everyone you meet. I look young and I am female so I'm a little more cautious than others, but you may not have that problem.

>really unsociable person irl
>did a weeks volunteering on nepal on work awaywith mate
>become mr charisma
>go back to UK
>back to same old

>>1200524

Do similar things you are planning to do on travel in your home city to see what it's like and see if you will enjoy it. That's what I did. I went to the botanical gardens, bars, hiking, museums, ECT alone. Of course it's fun to check out things you want to see, but I always find myself wishing I had a friend with me. And this is coming from a guy that doesn't usually mind being alone. I live in a 1 br apartment and the closest family is over 1,000 miles away. I think alot of people shill sole travel, but IMO it's always better to be with a good friend than alone. Imb4 responses telling me I'm wrong fuck off I'm not even reading that shit.

Traveling alone can be the absolute best because you dont have to constantly worry about somebody else. You do whatever you want, whenever you want.

If you ever feel lonely you can always chat up the locals or fellow travelers. Join group outings to sights and so on. If all else fails; just document your trip on Facebook/Twitter and let your online friends fill in the hole.

Its easy to travel alone. You decide where to go/what to do, and fuck anyone else's opinion.

As long as you aren't a total autist, and often even then, you will naturally run into people and engage in interactions. Some lead to fucking a chick you just met in the park at midnight, other lead to some dude giving you insights into Ayhuasca trips in the jungle. All good.

And the best part, again as long as you have an ounce of dignity, if the person you have just met turns out to be a fuckface, you can literally just say bye and walk away. Billions of other people out there you'll just blend into. You don't have to see them at your shitty job at home.

Super easy.

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>>1201422
>female

making friends while traveling aside, how does one safely manage to get around and be self-able enough to survive places like SEA and south America? surely having a partner would atleast share the burden.

>>1202559
by doing research up front.
know how to get from A to B. get all the essentials ready so that you can go from A to B. Let people know when you're going from A to B.

Granted being prepared wont stop anything bad from happening to you, but it will significantly reduce the chances of it happening if you've looked shit up.

>>1200524
went by myself to Brazil is was cool most of my traveling will be alone my friends are poor and bad with money

I can be very sociable but i don't require it to have fun so i mostly kept to myself on tourist attractions and i'm still learning Portuguese so mostly didn't speak to natives outside of super basic stuff and store clerks

If you are going to Europe it will be easy english is widely spoken you don' need to learn any language you can just goo to events that interest you and hang you don't have to make friends just have fun.

>>1202559
I was safer in Brazil alone i'm very street smart and a partner would have got me stabbed probably, I was in Rio.

I don't think people help unless they are better than you at blending in in SA(even if you are white you can blend in if you aren't a fucking Tall blonde viking) and in SEA it's mostly safe you have to be hip to the scams is all.

In Brazil you avoid trouble by not looking like a tourist, not speaking english loudly like a fool and this would be more likely with a partner. Many Brazilian wear headphones it's an easy way to avoid people realizing you are not Brazilian.

One other good thing is to avoid the areas that have higher crime although i stayed in a non tourist area and was fine late at night tons of people out and i didn't have much on me just my backup phone and maybe 50 Reais (16 usd)

Cant believe nobody has mentioned CouchSurfing yet.

I have travelled alone, backpacking through Western Europe and CS was extremely helpful. To sleep at places, to go to meetings where you could find people from lots of different countries, to find partners to travel with...

>>1201742
Same here

>>1200524

Hostels.

I traveled alone for the first time at age 23. I spent about 3 months in Europe. It was one of the best things I have ever done.

Hostels are a great Springboard, you'll meet people and end up doing stuff.

I have to disagree with the poster earlier about being an introvert and traveling. I'm fairly non-social and spend a lot of time alone. But when I took that trip I really opened up and became a different person. It didn't happen right away, but by the 3rd week I had truly become someone else. It was crazy.

The first day or two can be very scary. I recommend alcohol or anti-anxiety medication.

>>1201742

Same.

I became so outgoing.

Within a year of returning home, I was back to the old me.

Seconding all the posters who mentioned they became more outgoing in their travels.

I'm introverted by nature, and don't really seek out new friends when I'm at home. I'm not a total sperg, I just don't really interact smoothly with strangers at anything but a superficial and unsatisfying level.

Travelling changed that. It's hard not to get a communal feeling with other travellers, and being from different places makes you more interesting to other people and other people more interesting to you.

I'd really recommend you research the hostels you'll be staying at thoroughly OP. I found that the franchise style hostels weren't really conducive to meeting people as a solo traveller. Too many travelling groups of people who'd spend the majority of the time hanging out with themselves. Smaller hostels were much better, and I found a couple of hostels that had distinct no +3 group policies.

I think solo travelling is a very rewarding experience. But you do need to be able to enjoy your own company, because there will be times where you'll be alone. I for one enjoy that immensely, but other people aren't wired that way.

>>1200524
Huh?
I always travel alone. I traveled alone to UK, Italy, Germany, Thailand, Singapore.

Why should being alone be some kind of problem?

London hostels are literally shit tier, I've been in about 15 different ones last few years when I was living out of the empire casino, they have all been bad/ had me on edge, I guess ok if you can get a single.

Also going to ask in this thread.

In a few weeks I am going to be driving alone from NC to CO. Anything to know about cross country road trips in the US?

>>1200524
don't come to the UK alone for travelling go india thailand south america

>>1201273
Oh yea? Where'd you go, Thailand?

>>1200524
>Be alone
>Travel

It really isn't that hard OP.
You can have a good time if you are ok with being by yourself.
Or else you will always be someone else's bitch.

>>1200524
I'm traveling to UK next month, also alone and first timer. Maybe we could go together ;)

>>1204129
>Anonymous
I'm not sure which route you are planning on taking, but if you can avoid the route going through Kansas. I've had a few friends drive from GA to CO and they all said the drive through Kansas was by far the worst part. Apparently just 7 hours of nothing. They all took a different route on the way back just to avoid going back through Kansas.

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I haven't read anything but I'll say this.

Do you have a hobby? This seems to be tbr best thing. For instance I do Parkour. The global community is insane. What started out as a 3 week trip several years ago turned into a 2 month trip and I went to a country I didn't even mean to. I met all sorts of people by reaching out to the local communities.
Some of my best mates I actually met on /asp/ before it was a shit storm of gay wrastling.
I've kept contact with quite a few of them. Those that I met overseas.

With meeting people at Hostel this is literally what I did when I saw ANYONE in my room.

"Yo what brings you to -enter place here-?"

"That's cool l, I'm here because -enter reason here-. Wanna go grab a beer?

Also, take the free tours the Hostel offers. Shoutout to that faggot who got my dumb bagel joke and took MDMA for my first time.

>>1200524
Because nobody will be there to see whether or not your trip was a shit.

1. No-one will talk to you in hostels, bars, restaurants, basically any area of social congregation. Because everyone travels with someone else.
2. If someone DOES talk to you, it's because they will see that you are alone and vulnerable, and they will try to take advantage of you and scam you.
3. Likewise, you're more at risk of being mugged, pick-pocketed, etc, because you're alone.
4. You will be too self-conscious to enjoy anything your travel destination has to offer, and you will more than likely waste all of your time in your hostel/hotel/airbnb/host's room.
5. If something bad happens to you, and you have no-one to help you, you are fucked.

Don't travel alone. Don't fall for it, they are trying to troll you. If you are self-conscious and miserable in your home city, you will be self-conscious and miserable somewhere else. Travelling somewhere where people speak a different language is not a magic cure.

just my opinion though!

>>1204590
Lol

You will actually have a better time traveling alone than with friends/girlfriend at least if you don't have social anxiety or shit like that and even if you have it, you'll eventually get rid of it by traveling alone. You will meet a lot more people alone.

>>1204590
These things can honestly happen, but you can actively work to prevent this too.

If strangers make you feel uncomfortable, don't go anywhere with them alone. Take public transportation and stay in public areas. Don't carry a lot of valuables and don't place them in your exterior pocket. If you're in an area that's not the safest have extra cash stowed in a secret place. Do your research about where you'll be staying and where to avoid. Having a back-up plan if things don't work out is a good idea, as well as someone to check in with occasionally. As long as you're prepared you'll be able to enjoy your travels alone and not stress so much. You can just focus on the fun things you want to try.

Last year i planned my first trip to Europe with my gf but then we broke up. I almost gave up on travelling but almost everyone encouraged me to overcome the fear of being lonely travelling solo. I just changed my itinerary a bit, taking Italy off the list and adding Amsterdan and Praha since they're quite famous for the nightlife. Put that in consideration when solo travelling. Just do it!

In all honesty, I have been a expat for 7 years overseas in Asia.

I literally go out of my way to avoid people from my own race.

I don't even want to make eye contact with them. My first thoughts are: This person is a tourist, or scammer, or maybe a wanted criminal.

My second thought is... I bet this person would much rather enjoy interacting with the locals than simply talking to another human of his own kind. So why should I spoil his fun.
(opposite sex I am always down for a chat, or whatever... but I am married.)

Sometimes, I give a nod, or very small talk.. but that's about it.

>>1200524
Try youth hostels. If you don't have people problems, ask around if anyone is going to x, y or wants to do z.

>>1206117
bit racist

I travelled alone before and enjoyed it. Didn't really make friends aside from a local Syrian refugee turned travel agency salesman who was giving me banter, as I was staying in a hotel and everybody was minding their own business. The guy was chill and we ended up eating together and having discussions about religion and politics. I still talk to him on facebook every now and then. All because of a joke he made and the way I replied to it. He didn't even try to sell me shit or take advantage of me in some way, which you might expect. All he wanted to do is play vidya and return to his country as soon as possible. Anyway, you get to do what you want and when you want it and you can truly be yourself. With the internet, are you ever truly alone anyway?

My first trip abroad was to London...for work.. 1 month of work and then a week on my own.

Most of the work is in the coutryside...
However when my own vacation started, this how autistic I was... I was so convinced that me being a tourist at night in London I would get mugged. ( Way too much BBC crime shows for me.)... that I stayed at the hotel at night.. every night.. I was 20yo.
I regret not seeing any of the London nightlife.. but I will be back.

>>1200530
Just watched her on your rec. It's alright, but she sleeps with a bunch of douchebag chads on the show and everytime it happens I feel like I'm being cuckhol'd.

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>>1207056
>I feel like I'm being cuckhol'd.

Travelling for 2.5 years around the world. Right now wrapping up South America.
Always travelling solo, very rarely I tag along with someone if s/he goes the same direction.
I never had any problems, nor ppl gave me shut anywhere, but I'm tall, big, blonde viking-style guy (Poland fuck yeah) so I never really look like a local.

I'm pretty anti-social, but people are usually really open, especially in hostels. If I want to talk, I do, if not, I just hang out alone and read books / watch movies.
Sometimes (like right now, in Peru) I rent a private room in a local place, and just chill alone for a week or so.

Also hooked up with dozens of girls, which probably would never happen if I were travelling with someone.

Also I don't have to deal with bullshit of other people and do whatever I feel like doing.

So overall, I recommend solo travelling, unless you are a very people person (but you're not , we're on 4chan).

>>1204590
Ok Frank Miller, calm down.

>>1206117
>I hate people from my race
>I don't even talk to them
>theyre probably criminals

. . . K don't really know what that has to do with anything.

>>1204140
Why?

>>1208311
So you've been gone for 2.5 years?
How do you pay for that?

>>1208311
Man, I wish I could do 2.5 years... I don't think I have the drive for it though.

Do you still feel like you have lots of drive to keep going? Do you feel exhausted all the time? Are you getting sick all the time?

Especially in the last months of my trip, my body was just dead, even when I stayed in a place for a couple weeks at a time. All the drinking, culture shock, and just general stress on my body really wore me out over time. I was constantly getting colds and other sicknesses too.

It took me about a month after I got home to feel normal again. A month of sleeping lots, doing nothing but netflix/internet, and going for runs every day.

>>1200524
I've done it alone more often than not but keep in mind that I'm a biker who's immediately accepted by all kinds of other bikers as one of them, it also plays into the stereotype of a dashing adventurous stranger perfectly; when I say biker I don't mean that stereotypically faggy, excessively tattooed semi-criminal image but a normal respectful guy both on and off the bike

My standard MO is to pick out a country and roughly plan a tour of the entire territory without making any reservations or having some fixed schedule. Beforehand, a month or so of random browsing the internet about the place gives me a pretty good idea about what I want to see there so by the end of the week I would've seen and experienced a bigger chunk of the chosen country than most locals in their lifetimes thus being able to actually point out to them all the things currently worth doing, which builds quite an affection towards me on their part, plays on their partiotism and pride

I also find that being in a mixed company, even if just for the night, people tend to serve you chicks as a way of showing their welcoming nature. I don't do hostels because I'm no longer a poorfag and can easily find a b&b or an informal place for the night, as people quite oftenly offer you a room in their home if you connect with them

>>1208359
>>1208311
Forreal, im curious too

>>1203096
How much does a trip like that cost?

every time i've traveled alone i end up doing coke with sketchy people

will i enjoy south america? (i look puerto rican)

>>1200689

Such bs, I'm reclusive in my home city but totally fine socially abroad.

In a place where nobody knows you from a bar of soap just lie about your shortcomings, have fun and deal with your problems later.

Alcohol/drugs help.

>>1208359
>>1208792
Finished my second degree. Had enough of my job in cubicle (I did some internship and working during my studies).

Went with 1k USD (more or less) in my pocket to China. Know Polish, English, French, some Russian and some Chinese (took classes for Chinese 2 years back at uni, but never put too much heart into it).

Found a job there in sales/heavy industry.
Worked for few months, earning some cash and living in Beijing and various cities around PRC.
Quite job after a quarell.

Sold all my stuff and sent some less necessary things back to my mom.
Backpacking for some time in SEA.

Came back to Europe, travelled around on shoestring across most European countries with some leftover money.
"Settled down" for few months in my country, but still travelled in various cities, staying for few weeks in every place (I've never been/lived in some major cities in my country).

Finally found some digital job (legal/business analyst) and after having it for few months, decided to once again hit the road hard and sold/gave away all my stuff, packed into 60L backpack and left.

In 5 days will be one year in South America for me, only Ecuador and Venezuela left, the latter I'll probably omit.
I'm working online in various hostels/airbnbs/hospedajes (depends on my mood). Actually I'm working right now, a small break for 4chan.

I'm not earning much, around EUR1.4k per month, but more than enough for my simple needs of travelling around, visiting some touristy places, doing drugs and fucking some local girls.

1/2

>>1208365
>Do you still feel like you have lots of drive to keep going?
I don't really have a drive. I'm kind of person who's never excited about anything. I'm just strolling around the road, chilling and "following the sun" (even though right now I'm in a really rainy place, heh).

>Do you feel exhausted all the time? Are you getting sick all the time?
Excited, sometimes, but then I settle down for a little bit. I just strolled through Argentina and Chile within 3-4 weeks, mainly hostels due to countries' expensiveness, which actually tired me a little, so now I booked a private room and have been "hiding" here for a week.

>Especially in the last months of my trip, my body was just dead, even when I stayed in a place for a couple weeks at a time. All the drinking, culture shock, and just general stress on my body really wore me out over time. I was constantly getting colds and other sicknesses too.

I don't know, I've never really felt the culture shock anywhere I went. I've been travelling since I was literally 3 years old, my parents were taking me everywhere. So that never really tired me.
I'm from Poland, so we drink a lot, so apart from few heavy hangovers I never had problem with that.

I'm not really "taking care" of myself, but I eat healthy and avoid unnecessary healthy risks.
Recently I caught some serious cold in fucking Argentina, after crashing at some random hippie girl's place. Had some sex and after I passed out in the morning, that bitch turned on the fan which started blowing directly at me. This, mixed with my sweaty body without any cover was enough to fuck me up for a week, including while I was smuggling weed through the border.

>>1208955
Thanks for the lengthy sharing, really appreciate it.
Where is your online income coming from? Been looking into alternative non-location based income and have a couple things in mind, but nothing big enough to fund my travels.
Pretty much a large goal for the next part of my life, grew up in a cult and now I want to explore the world I've been kept from.

If this thread dies, I'd appreciate it if you could email me at [email protected]
If not, its cool. I'll figure it out anyway

I haven't read previous responses to see if you've got the advice you need yet, but I'll give you my 2c.

My first ever trip was Italy/Austria/Germany on my own. It was over 3 months and fully worth it.

I only travel on my own now, I'm in a long-term relationship and my gf doesn't mind. She knows that I struggle to travel with someone else's agenda and we make the occasional trip every year.

Italy is fucking amazing if you start south. It's beautiful, rich in food and culture and very cheap. I fucking love southern Italy, especially Sicily.

The north consider themselves more sophisticated, cultured and pretty much just better then the south. I've been some "progressive" northern Italians a few times now that have low opinions of southerners.

The northern cities you'll find packed with tourist and expensive. I'm not saying you'll have fun, but you might find it difficult (like I have) making the transition past Naples.

Travelling solo is great. I always stay at hostels (where I can) and leave my plans open. I've met lots of friends travelling that have stuck with me for a long time now. I see it as a way to meet friends you haven't met yet.

Ensure you stay at hostels that have a "good atmosphere". This may not always be the case, there may be a group booking, refugees or be it off season, but usually if the hostel has a positive rating when it comes to atmosphere, you'll meet lots of great people.

This is advice coming from an introvert as well.

The UK is great, I'm not as passionate about it being Australian. Good luck Anon.

>>1208967
Would you mind talking about your cult experience?

>>1208967
>Where is your online income coming from?
>>1208955
>Finally found some digital job (legal/business analyst)

Getting a job depeneds a lot on where are you from.

>>1200689
I barely talk to people in my home country unless I drink, but when i travel abroad there's no problem talking to people. I'm from Norway though and Norwegians don't talk to other people.

Traveling alone is awesome Anon. I prefer it because:

a) complete control over my schedule. I don't have to worry about boring other people if I want to spend extra time somewhere.

b) This is something that happens every time I travel with other people: they mention something they want to do, I buy my ticket so we can do it, they never get around to it and then the event is sold-out. Now I've bought a non-refundable ticket to the thing that was *their* idea. I've tried sending people reminders and I don't know why but it still fucks up.
Or people don't bother to actually learn about the area or things they want to do and when they're disappointed by the things that were *their* idea, we're both kind of standing around bored somewhere.
Obviously these are worst-case situations (and both cases were with inexperienced travelers--like maybe they had only traveled to visit friends and so they didn't have to research or plan because their friend was gonna take care of that, or they'd been on family vacations and hadn't actually planned the logistics of a trip before. If you were planning something with a travel partner who actually had experience planning logistics to new places where they don't know anyone, it might go more smoothly)

c) this might be me being a cheapskate, but I find when I travel other people hate the motels/hostels I tend to stay at. My philosophy is that the motel/hostel where I stay is just where I sleep and keep my stuff, and I should spend as little as possible as long as basic things like heating and bedding are accounted for. The two times I've traveled with other people, they insisted on nicer place

d) It gives me time to reflect. I like being around people but it's nice to just take a break, enjoy the things around me, feel free to start a conversation with someone new and maybe go with them somewhere, impulsively change my plan to explore something interesting, etc.

>>1203083
>>1203097
>>1201742

Keep it going guys! I believe in you.

>>1209017
Just a christian sect where I pretty much grew up surrounded by people who would shun or damn you to hell if you talked to girls too much. Traveling abroad would be a no-no because why do you need to travel when the "truth" is here at home?