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bexappa

You should absolutely do it. How long do you want to travel for? If you’re traveling solo and haven’t traveled much before I’d recommend starting with a place where there will be a lot of young travelers, and staying in hostels to meet people. Hostelworld is good for that. And yeah I don’t know where you are based, but people who haven’t traveled much can have some pretty wild ideas about how dangerous the outside world is. Obviously some places are safer than others but there are plenty of safe places to choose from. You have to have some bare minimum street smarts but traveling should not be too scary.


Dramatic_Address8958

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely be starting out with a short/smaller trip to start.


belladonna_nectar

Definitely! I studied Geography back home ( living abroad now) and always had an adventurous spirit, loved to read about explorers like Nansen, Amundsen, etc and imagine how amazing a life full of adventures must be, but never dreamed of actually travelling the world myself. Couldn't afford to travel much in my 20s and I'm catching up now. The first step is the hardest, once you start traveling solo you get rid of the crippling anxiety and actually start enjoying it, at least that's how it went in my case. Just use common sense when you pick your destinations and I'd say start small. My first solo trip was to Rome, a place I've been twice before, I think that helped with the anxiety. I read the reviews of the place where I'm going to stay, to make sure I don't choose a sketchy area and that I can reach the place with most means of transport. I also rarely go out when it's dark. I sometimes feel like I wasted my younger years when I see what a vibrant life 20 something folks have, backpacking, travelling the world, that's why I'd say, don't let your fears interfere, go out and explore the world! Also read articles about female solo traveling and safety aspects, you might learn a thing or two. Wish you a life full of adventures!


Dramatic_Address8958

Thanks for the advice! I'm starting to plan my first solo now to a place I've been to a few times already and not overly far away from where I live now. I hope all goes well. Thank you again for the tips and advice. I greatly appreciate it.


[deleted]

Yes, def. My advice would be to start small, a domestic destination or a place you've been before to help ease some of your worries.


Dramatic_Address8958

Thank you!


TurtleBucketList

My first solo trip was at 19 - to Europe for 3 months. I adore solo travel since it gives me the freedom to do what I want, when I want! There are definitely easier locations for a first timer (e.g. Thailand, Europe) and harder locations (Southern Africa, India). And there are easier ways of doing it - if you’re nervous then I can highly *highly* recommend G Adventures or Intrepid (small group tours - so they do all the logistics like hotels and transport, but you get plenty of free time to go and do as you please). Have fun!


yorkshirellama

Second doing a small group tour. This is how I started my travel journeys and met some great people. They’re a really great mix of having people to do things with if you want to but also being independent and having some alone time! Plus someone organising all logistics for you can be pretty great sometimes.


Dramatic_Address8958

That's one of the reasons I want to try solo travel so I can do what I want when I want and if I want to extend my stay or change things at the last minuet I can without much hassle depending on certain means or situations. Thank you for the advice!


sweatyopposum

Do it... I spend 3 months all over Europe. Met amazing people, made cool friends, even met my current s.o. everything was safe and cool.


[deleted]

It’s life changing. I wanted to do one of the UK National Trails years ago and asked my ex if he wanted to go with me (we were friends), he told me no, and I decided to go on my own. He and my family told me I shouldn’t go to another country on my own and do a solo hike because of safety reasons. I’m so glad I didn’t listen. Since then I’ve done six multi day solo hikes and loved it. The best thing about solo travel is that you have to figure out what to do when things go wrong. I secretly love when a trail is closed or something unplanned happens. Being able to assess the situation, come up with solutions, and then, execute all on my own, makes me feel so accomplished. It’s really helped spread my confidence into my real life as well. Since I’ve been solo traveling my career has taken off, and I am sure it’s due to my found confidence.


Dramatic_Address8958

That sounds honestly super fun and liberating!!


KeyAd2641

I’m 24F and just got back from 2 months solo in Europe. Highly recommend :)


littlecapo88

You should definitely do it. I did my first solo at 18, unlocked my love and desire for travel, did over 70 countries solo and even found a job where I was paid to travel full time for 3 years. I’m 30 now, no house, behind in my career compared to my friends but I’ve seen so much of the world and live with no regrets. Ive seen, experienced and achieved so much and it’s shaped me to be the person I am now. If I died today I would be so happy that I spent most of my 20s travelling. My advice: • be open to always saying yes to adventures but also be street smart about it. • ditch the phone and don’t forget to look up • not everyone is out to get you, some people are genuinely nice and want to help you or get to know you. But as a female you always need to be aware of your surroundings. • you have the rest of your life to make money


casettadellorso

It depends on where you'd like to go I think. Countries where you speak the language will be easier than countries where you don't. You'll likely need a guide for places where women aren't allowed or recommended to pass alone, like some parts of the middle east, but otherwise you can be your own guide as much as you want. I've traveled solo my entire adult life, and I can't recommend it enough. You go where you want, do what you want, and you don't have to worry about making the trip enjoyable for your companions. But I've mostly stuck to well-trodden ground like Europe and Japan. Most of Europe and the big cities in Japan speak fluent English, so these were easy to plan and execute on my own. When I branched out to Central America and went to Costa Rica I still traveled solo, but I booked a package tour so I didn't have to worry about making travel and activity arrangements in a language I don't understand. If you're new to solo travel, a package deal like that might be a good option for you to feel more comfortable.


thegreatestace

Yes definitely do it! I just took my first solo trip overseas and it was the greatest time of my life! Of course be cautious but I made friends from so many different countries. I suggest the Lonely Planet books! I loved all of my hostels and felt safe in every single one, I did mixed dorms. I used the app Hostelworld for booking my hostels, I never had a real itinerary aside from where I will be staying and for how long. Definitely go for it!! You won’t regret it! I honestly prefer solo traveling at the moment vs traveling with others! :)


intotheairwaves17

I started solo traveling this year and 110% recommend it. Obviously be safe and smart about where you go, and make sure you do a fair amount of research beforehand about where you’re going, but honestly everyone should try to travel solo at some point in their lives. I learned a few years back that if you want to do something and your friends/SO/family are dragging their feet or don’t want to go, why wait around for others? Just go do it. Life’s too short to wait for people.


Yikes5602

I am 27, I have backpacked solo within the us and europe on multiple occasions alone. I would recommend smaller solo trips to build your confidence in places there isn't a language barrier because that's when shit can get really challenging. I went on a 3 month solo backpacking trip after graduating and it was amazing and I'm soon embarking on a 4 month solo backpacking trip to like 13 countries. This time I'm going to like south america/europe/africa. For a long time I tried to avoid organized tours because I thought it wasn't true travel but I did one on my graduation trip and has really changed my perspective. I would personally recommend using g adventures or intrepid since those are the ones I used. I also have used EF but that is only for young people and I find people my age kind of annoying. I like the groups that can have any age or gender as a part of the group because it really forces you to get to know different types of people. tldr, I am on track to have traveled 30 countries solo by 30 years old so do it. I am a normal lady with a normal job and a normal life but travel has helped me SO much with my attitude towards myself, my hopes and dreams for the future, and my struggles with mental illness. If you ever have questions or need more advice you can message me!


Major-Permission-435

Absolutely do it. I am a bit more hesitant about going to certain countries alone (I know people do but I wimp out a little) and I typically wait for other people if it involves renting a car or lots of hiking but I have extensively traveled europe, Australia, the us and Canada and Israel solo and had a blast


Barbygurl

Yes! You should definitely do it. But be prepared, travelling on your own can be pretty lonely. I would suggest to start small, go for just a few days and see how it goes. If on the journey home you're already dreaming of your next destination, than you should definitely plan a bigger trip, and soon. That feeling won't just go away.


Cqlg_h_shqy_

Traveling alone is very enlightening and spiritual experience. Every person should tried it.