First time traveling for 3 weeks alone

I'm kind of envious that you're so confident in traveling alone by yourself for the first time, sadly I'm more shy and intimidated to do such a thing. Especially knowing you'll be alone, and there won't be anyone with you.

>>1218474
This is one of the greatest thing about travelling alone. You will meet so many people automatically, it's crazy.
All you have to do is go outside of your room and do what you did when you were a child, just talk to people. It's a bit weird the first, maybe even the second time, but it's not a problem after that.
If you go to a hostel, you wont even have to go outside of your room to meet new people. Just be friendly and i will promise you everyone will be friendly to you.
The reality is, every solo traveller is exactly like you, a little bit anxious and afraid.
People are way, WAY WAY more like you than you think.

Have fun with your new friends mate :)

Monitoring bread.

>>1218488
Won't be funny at all like the thread with the kid that wants to go to japan. This OP seems to be a kind guy, full of excitement that turned into worries but totally reasonable and friendly

>>1218497
Don't know what you are talking about, but yea OP seems genuine.

Also, gunna be going to Amsterdam and Paris next July. I'm probably going to stay there for about a month. How much money will I need to stay for a month? I'm also comsidering going to other countries while Im there.

>>1218474
>(esp. Mount Athos)
You better look that up carefully. Athos is a royal pain in the ass to get into, there are tight quotas and prearrangements required. If all else fails, there are ship cruises that go around the peninsula so you can at least see the monasteries from afar, though you'll be the judge whether they're worth it.
Thrace and Macedonia are probably the least interesting regions of Greece, so you'll likely want to stray a bit farther from Turkey.

And yeah, a week in Istanbul isn't even close to hard to fill. Mine went really quickly and I still had some larger sights left I didn't have the time to see. 3-4 weeks isn't much for Greece either - I had no trouble filling a full month and that was just the mainland.
Don't miss the water cistern next to Hagia Sophia, the entrance is a bit unassuming but it's very much worth it.

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>>1218481
I mean I'm nervous too, but luckily I was able to live and work on my own over the summer so I am used to being alone with only long-distance support

>>1218484
>>1218497
>>1218502
Thanks guys for the encouragement and friendly responses!

>>1218519
Yeah I was a little worried about Mount Athos so I will definitely spend some more time reserving housing/transportation and finding out if it is truly worth the restrictions that it might place on the trip.

Also thanks for the heads up on the fact that it IS possible to spend that much time abroad!

P.S. Is it possible to get onto a sail boat and explore the Sea of Marmara (in an affordable way)? I don't know if this region is really the place for that kind of sailing though

>>1218502
I also did a similar trip 2 years ago Amsterdam->Antwerp->Paris.

Paris was genuinely a shithole and I felt bad that I ended my holiday with that city.

Amsterdam was really chill and enjoyable and Antwerp was great for cultural reasons (also the red light destrict in Antwerp is bigger and better than in Amsterdam).

Paris was a giant scam. I still get mad thinking about it right now.

If you really want to go to Paris make sure that it's the city you start at so you can leave ASAP when you find out for yourself that it's SHIT.

>>1218560
I never got the hatred people have for Paris.
Is it because they actually expect quaint cafes and les artistes straight from Amelie and get a rude shock? It's just a typical western European capital with rude people, tourist traps and immigrants, but the museums are top notch and the architecture is great.

>>1218481
begin by one week at an all-included in the Carribeans. It's literally the ''easiest' solo trip to do

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>>1218564
I wonder why that is anon.

>>1218560
kek, i visited Paris last year for a month and absolutely enjoyed the fuck out of it. Met some cool ass people too. Wouldn't change my experience for the world.
Why do you think it's shit, lad?

>>1218474
>I am not trying to be a tourist
>My goal is to avoid sterile tourist traps
Nothing wrong with being a tourist and enjoying popular sites and tacky stuff. Every first time backpacker has this same attitude, that their trip is going to be totally unique and life changing and off the beaten path. When they get to their destination they complain about how the tourism industry has ruined the character of their place and how they want to go to less touristy places, but then they won't go to any town that doens't have a youth hostel or is off the main bus route.

I am not having a go at you, just trying to help you enjoy yourself some more. Those unique, unexpected, off-the-beaten path moments are a great part of travel, but so is seeing popular sites or letting yourself enjoy places that exist for that very purpose.

As for how much time to spend in each place... the great thing about traveling alone is you don't need to plan that in advance. Book a few nights accommodation in your first destination, then the rest can be sorted once you get there (unless you're going somewhere super busy in peak season then you will need to be a bit more organised). What I do recommend however is having at least a rough idea of some places you want to go and a logical order for seeing them, that way you don't waste too much time sitting in the hostel lobby trying to find things to do.

Finally don't stress too much, thousands of people are out there right now doing exactly what you are about to do. The first week or two will be a bit of an adjustment but after that you'll have things figured out and everything will go smoothly.

>>1218484
Damn son, sounds nice.
I'm about to start a guided trip through SEA for 3 weeks and startimg to get anxious af...
Haven't ever been longer aboard than one week and never alone.
At first it seems like a cool idea to go somewhere out of my comfort zone, but as the time comes closer I just want to quit and stay at home
>don't know where tf comes from, feels batman

>>1219167
Yeah I'm afraid this will happen too once I start actually planning the trip to Greece. If I get cold feet I'll just have my parents encourage me to keep going.

I started solo travel completely unplanned. First couple days were hectic, but i quickly learned how to travel happily. The important thing is to just make sure you go. Stay at hostels and mooch off more experienced travelers. Its so fun and so easy. You won't be disappointed!