What if I don't meet anyone? What if I get lonely? I'm a girl... will I be an obvious target for something bad?!
So South America has always been on my list of things to do. This summer is really my last opportunity to go away for an extended period of time (any by that I'm only talking a month and a half). I have found myself in an unexpected position of now being single and therefore solo on my travels. Having a hard time convincing any friends to commit.
Can anyone give me advice on travelling solo? How easy is it to meet people? How do you go about meeting people? I can imagine myself sitting in the bar of a hostel waiting to 'bump into' someone! As a solo traveller is there anything I shoudl specifically take with me?!
Also if anyone had any more general advice on travelling south america it would be great to hear from you... i.e. places not to be missed. Getting between countries etc
Reply to this Hi Christie and welcome to Travelblog 😊
Go solo! You can do what you want when you want instead of having to organise friends wants and needs in with yours. If you are staying in hostels you will meet people, there are solo travellers everywhere. I know what you mean about sitting at a bar waiting for someone to talk to you so dont, take a book with you and prop yourself in a cafe or somewhere visible but not hidden away in a corner which sends out leave me alone messages but not hanging off the bar like im desperate and smile at people who walk past. Smile at people sitting alone in airport departure lounges..a smile back is your intro to walk over and say Hi would you mind if I sat with you til my flight is called? May I ask which flight you are waiting for?
You sometimes have to be the one to initiate conversations. Most of all, dont look at this as...my relationship crumbled now i have no one to go with....you are going with YOURSELF..enjoy the travelling you who has the freedom to wake up and think...hmm..might go and climb a mountain today or hmm..might go and sit on a beach today and do nothing.
Im sure many others here can help you regards specifics of travelling through South America - solo or otherwise. Enjoy your trip :D
Reply to this Hi Christie, I want to second what Cindy, Littlewing, wrote. Traveling alone can be a great experience, one that you create. One way to meet interesting people is to take a couple organized tours while on your trip. On a trip to the penguin island I met a great person who was also traveling alone. Even though we only spent an afternoon chatting, it was a great experience and we became email buddies. On another tour I met an interesting Australian couple and ended up running into them at the hotel later and joining them for dinner. Being open to talking with people isn't always the easiest, but it does have some fun rewards. Do be aware of your surroundings and listen to your instincts though.
As for traveling in South America, I had the most incredible trip in Argentina with a couple stops in Brazil and Uruguay. Please check into Patagonia to see if that would interest you. It is truly an amazing place. There are many great blogs on here that you can find by clicking the countries you are interested in. If people are blogging about some great place, you may want to check into it. Have a great trip. I hope to read some good blogs from your tip.
Reply to this Hello Christie, please don't let the fact you are travelling alone deter you - it is a far more enjoyable experience than most people expect.
I had a similar experience to you way back in 1992. There was supposed to be four of us travelling to Spain to attend the Running of the Bulls, the Expo in Seville and the Olympic Games in Barcelona. I was the only one who travelled to Spain from Australia. I ran the Bulls alone, spent more than a week at Expo solo but meeting many different people, and attended the Opening Ceremony of the Barcelona Olympic Games with only strangers around me. Those seven weeks were amongst the greatest of all my travels.
As with most people who travel alone, they often wonder one or two weeks into their trip why they were so concerned/worried in the first place. It is really easier than you think, but as Brendan and Cindy mentioned, you need to make some effort for it to work properly.
[Edited: 2012 Dec 27 02:01 - The Travel Camel:11053 ]
Reply to this Hi Christie -
I'm a single woman and I have been travelling alone for almost thirty years, and I love it. If you are friendly and polite,you'll meet people. A smile is a great calling card!
You might try asking asking local people their favorite lunch spot or where you can get a good cup of coffee. I've had people walk with me to a restaurant and sit and chat while I awaited my meal. And no, they were not looking for a handout; they refused my offer to treat them.
As a single woman, no matter where in the world you are, you may attract some unwanted attention. A firm "NO," is generally sufficient, if not, walk into a post office, or an upscale store, and ask for assistance. No store wants its customers driven away by any unpleasantness.
So go! Enjoy yourself, and enjoy being with yourself.
Reply to this Solo travelling is best thing it helps to interact with new people because if you don't know much about the places where to visit than u can ask them .And you also get chances to experience new things.There will be no boundations ,you can roam any place at anytime without any discussion.It will also helps you in increasing self confidence.
Reply to this I backpacked Europe alone for three months. I spent two days in a hotel out of necessity and found that a very lonely and isolating experience. The rest of the time I was in hostels I'd carefully preselected from HostelWorld or HostelBooker and I had the best time ever! In fact I noticed that many people who travelled with a partner or friend tended to isolate themselves more. Solo travellers in hostels get to meet so many great people and sometimes we'd spend anything between an afternoon and a week enexpectedly travelling together because we had the same destinations in mind. I don't know about South Africa though. My friend is a white South African and says she's faced quite a bit of prejudice however she's a local, it's probably different for tourists. On the whole if you're staying in hostels and are confident enough to say hi to strangers then I'm sure you'll be fine. Remember to research any travel guidance about areas you should avoid and laws you need to know though. Have fun!
Reply to this Solitary travelling 's best thing it assists to be able to connect to completely new individuals due to the fact if you do not realize considerably about the sites where you should go to as compared to you can question them. And yourself acquire probabilities to see completely new issues. There will be simply no boundations, you possibly can wander anywhere each time without dialogue. It will can help you in raising confidence. Answer this.
Reply to this Its good to travel like solitary but some time we need a partner and we miss them when we went and see some other people to enjoy with friends and family and some time it is good to take experience solitary in the new places. And for a girl it need to take all booking in advance if it is possible and read many things about that place where you have to go.
Reply to this Hi Christie!
In my opinion it is better to travel alone starting out, you will inevitably meet people on the road especially in South America. South America is an amazing place with tons to see you will enjoy for sure! The obvious place to meet people is in hostels which you meet many new friends from all over the world who are doing the same thing as you and also will give you tips and tricks to traveling so never fear about being lonely when you are traveling!!
Buen Viaje!
Greg
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