Hi Lori. I spent most of my 20's traveling through Central America by myself, so I think it’s fair to say I have enough experience to answer your question. I love traveling alone. It opens you up to meeting and experiencing more things than traveling with others. All my experiences in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, CR, Mexico and Belize, can be classified as good, bad, ugly. I'm one of those kind of travellers who go into it with enough knowledge and planning, but leave room for spontaneity. I do not travel with fear, just caution and alertness.
One thing that was extremely alarming about your post was your considering bringing a weapon with you. I had to re-read your post several times to believe it. First off, one of the worst things you can do when traveling in latin americas is having a concealed weapon, second thing, drugs. I have no idea why you would actually consider this.
Your only weapon when traveling alone is your brain. You will rely on your cognitive skills, wit, and smarts. These will help you with any situation you encounter. You will make choices that will effect how well your trip goes. If you decide to get fall down drunk at a bar, you may encounter individuals whom take advantage. If you try to score some weed at the beach, you may find yourself being hauled away by the cops, hitching rides with strangers is always a no no. The only unreliable factor is being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and fate. Sometimes things just happen. You cannot change that.
Plan for safe experiences, volunteering, learning to surf, teaching english, homestays. You can do all the planning research online ahead of time. It also helps you develop an itinerary.
This trip will be an adventure of a lifetime, so please consider that in most of the latin americas, if you are caught with a concealed weapon, or heaven forbid, you have to use it, you are considered guilty until proven innocent. You will land in a jail and spend years trying to bargain your way out. Please reconsider.
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