Will probably be staying in hostels and stuff to save money.
Will probably be staying in hostels and stuff to save money.
I will be 21 years old, recent university graduate from Toronto and want to take 1-2 months to fulfill my life's dream of just backpacking/travelling Europe. However, because of the cost (dedication to save up enough), time (most want to work right away), and love of adventure (many friends who are homebodies), I will be going alone.
Would it be worth it? I heard it's not as fun as travelling with friends, which I have always done before. Also, I'm a female, would that be riskier for me?
Thank you
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In response to: Msg #162903 Hi, You'll be allright in EU countries. I've just hosted a young woman solo backpacker from Brazil and she was saying it was ok to travel on her own in France. She also told me about a website called "workaway.info" where you can find accomodation against help around the house.
Reply to this In response to: Msg #162903 Hi,
I think I will be ok to travel alone as a solo girl. Inside the EU you do not have to be really afraid of things like murders or something. If you take yout credit card instead of cash and you´ll keep it with your passport at some save place (under your clothes) it should be fine 😊
Travelling alone requires a strong will. You are freeto do whatever you want, wherever you want and it is easy to decide about things. On the other hand you have to be prepared that not everywhere they will understand english and if something happens (injury, you get lost, your things are stolen,...) you will be there on your own. You just have to be able to manage it.
If you are it will be a great adventure and you will never forget it. Count pluses and minuses and decide 😊
If coming to Prague I (<snip>😉 can provide you a range of services to make at least stay in Prague more comfortable. If not coming here I can give you some advices about EU.
Contact me at <snip> if you need some more info.
Good luck,
Jan
[Edited: 2012 Dec 27 20:03 - Jo Trouble:16935 - Advertising url and email address removed.]
Reply to this I am living in The Netherlands, and I'm a female too. However, I never felt myself unsafe, even at evening when I was biking alone at home, or when I walk with my dog.
Somethimes, I take the train or bus in the evening by myself alone and I never had any weird or unsafe situations. However, you should never gave attention to drunk or agressive people.
If you have hostel close or in to the centrum in The Netherlands and travel during day or begin the evening, you are safe.
Of course, especially in city's you have watch out for purse snatchers, also by day light.
Reply to this I think you would be safe traveling alone, even out of the EU in more eastern Europe and the Balkans, where everything is much cheaper by the way and still amazing.
I do suggest once you get to your destinations though to find some people in your hostel to tag along with for the day (maybe another solo traveler?) and especially at night if you'll be going out. I've never felt unsafe in a hostel for what it's worth. Most everybody is basically like you and a little wary of everyone at first, but you get used to it.
Colin
Writer for Wanderled
Reply to this Traveling alone can be fun and rewarding. One of my first big trips was in New Zealand. I traveled for a month myself and had a grand time. You will gain a lot of confidence.
You will find it safe to travel alone but don't forget to use common sense. Don't walk on dark streets at night. Be cautious of your back pack. Don't leave any valuables in the room. Make certain your passport is on your body.
Don't wander off with strangers. You will make plenty of acquaintances in the hostels.
You should have a wonderful time.
Reply to this First of all it is normal to feel a bit of trepidation when jumping off into the unknown. And speaking as a person who always does a lot of homework there will be lots of unknowns to deal with on a trip. One of my favorite expressions is "make you decisions based on knowledge rather than fear". Do as much homework on the location you are traveling to as you can by utilizing the internet. It is not enough to know that you will be staying at such and such a location but figure out how to get from say the airport or train/bus station to your hostel or hotel. Do this by utilizing the internet. I usually check out the metro and bus schedules of locations I visit on the internet and study it beforehand. For example I figured out how to get from the airport into the city and then how to get to the nearest metro/bus stop from my hostel/hotel. Of course if money wasn’t a concern I would take a taxi but still have a good idea of how to get where I wanted to go so as to keep the driver “honest”.
When deciding where to stay use websites such as hostelworld.com, or hostelbookers.com as well as tripadvisor.com to find budget accommodations to stay at but most importantly read the reviews on each location. Since you are a woman those reviews are particularly good for finding out if that particular hostel or hotel is where you wish to stay. Those reviews are usually the deciding factor in my decision on where to stay.
I also have found much practical and useful information by logging on to lonelyplanet.com and going to the thorn tree forum and reading the questions and answers posted there. I check out the questions and answers specific to the location I intend to visit.
Of course I read all the travelblog.org blogs on a location I wish to go to as well.
As far as traveling alone I have almost always traveled solo and by using the same common sense behavior that I use in any city in the US I didn’t have any problems.
The freedom of traveling alone for me has always overcompensated for loss of any personal daily contact with one particular person.
And BTW nowadays with skype, emails, etc. you can keep in almost constant contact with the folks at home anywhere you have wifi. And most accommodations have free wifi, as well as most Macdonalds (free or for the price of a cup of coffee).
Use the free version of Skype. They try to get you to download the one that you pay for but the free version has always been all I have ever needed and I talk to family members back home almost every evening when I travel. It’s almost like just being in another part of town.
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