Friday, June 5, 2020

Traveling alone: ​​10 unmissable mistakes and 10 tips to get started

Traveling alone is an experience to do at least once in a lifetime. There are those who do not feel cut, those who fear it and those who make themselves strong with one of the truest maxims ever: true joy lies in sharing experiences. Sometimes, however, you need to measure yourself against something different, to spend time alone or in the company of new people.


WHY TRAVEL ALONE?

Traveling alone gives you the opportunity to find and experience your own personal rhythm in getting around and in things to do. You breathe silence and listen to your thoughts more carefully. Paradoxically, it is precisely traveling alone that we know more people: the fact of leaving as a couple or in a group usually alienates external people and takes us away from the need (and pleasure) to forge a relationship with the people we meet.

In some types of travel, such as travel on foot or by bicycle, traveling alone is the optimal choice to move at your own pace without having to compromise which in some cases becomes too difficult.

10 TIPS TO START TRAVELING ALONE 

What are the tips for the first trip alone? As always, success lies in flexibility and in finding the right compromise. So take these 10 tips with pliers to travel alone:

1) Don't travel to places that are too touristy just because you are afraid of being alone for too long.
2) Don't leave at the last minute without planning your trip carefully.
3) Plan your trip carefully but apply your studies with flexibility.
4) Being flexible allows you to stay longer than expected in a place where you are particularly well, or to abandon one that, on balance, is not for us.
5) Bring books (or an ebook) and a diary to write. They will keep you company.
6) Start thinking about your first trip alone well in advance, imagining it and becoming familiar with the idea slowly.
7) Look for friends or online experiences of those who have already made the same trip.
8) Travel light in order to be more free, agile and comfortable.
9) Talk to everyone: with locals, with other travelers.
10) Do not be ashamed to go alone to clubs or restaurants. The first time is impactful but then the road is all downhill and you will find that it can be a pleasant experience and that sometimes it is difficult to be alone for the whole lunch :)

TRAVELING ALONE IN A GROUP

Starting alone and joining a travel group is a perfect solution to meet new people and face a journey away from the comfort zone. There are many agencies that organize travel for individuals in a group and are aimed at travelers of all ages: singles looking for a soul mate, retirees, married people with partners who do not like to travel or young boys and girls who prefer this solution to traveling. alone at 360 °.

In these trips you save on transportation costs and use packages and tourist guides. If you need independence and free time there is still plenty of it.

Adventures in the world  organizes group trips to distant or difficult places and not suitable for traveling alone.

TRAVELING ALONE: ​​THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PHRASES

Here are some sentences that will inspire your desire to travel alone and encourage you to do so, if you have not already done so.

It's difficult to become an adult if you don't travel alone. It is a way to overcome the fear of the other and also of oneself, in which we find ourselves facing nostalgia, we get to rediscover the roots. Until you travel alone you don't learn to relate to others (Paolo Rumiz).

Leaving is the most beautiful and courageous of all actions. A selfish joy perhaps, but a joy, for the one who knows how to value freedom. Being alone, without needs, strangers, foreigners and yet feeling at home everywhere, and setting out to conquer the world (Isabelle Eberhardt).

MISTAKES NOT TO BE MADE WHEN TRAVELING ALONE

When traveling alone for the first time it is easy to make mistakes. Matador Network  has compiled the list of the 7 most common mistakes you might encounter on your first trip. Sa solo. Find them below.

1) CHOOSE VERY COMMON DESTINATIONS : how many times have you seen photos of your friends at the Full Moon Party in Thailand? Keep in mind that if more than one friend has been to that destination, this place will definitely be crowded. The chances of being disappointed increase exponentially: it could be a very tourist location.

Fortunately, however, each country hides pearls that you must discover. The important thing is to make your trip personal: prepare a nice to do list and be your own guide.

2) BOOK IN ADVANCE : if you really want to start an adventure, do not plan trips well in advance. Be spontaneous. Having an idea of ​​which places to reach helps a lot in the organization of the trip but does not also plan the duration of the stays. Traveling also means freedom, especially if you are alone.

3) DO THINGS LAST MINUTE : if you have to get to a place, try to understand well how public transport works, how the traffic situation is, nothing can ruin a beautiful sunny day like knowing that your bus is already gone.

4) SLEEP EXCLUSIVELY IN HOSTELS : hostels are a wonderful place, where you will have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. If you really want to get to know the culture of a place, don't just go to places where there are only other travelers. For example, choose Couchsurfing, or accommodation on Airbnb to have the opportunity to get in touch with the locals

5) FOLLOWING THE GUIDES TOO : for some the guides are the real bible, inevitable in the backpacks of modern travelers. Feel free to rely on them for a general line of what you can see but do not rely on it exclusively. Talk to the locals. Follow your instincts and lose yourself at least once. Don't just rely on to do lists made by others. Your journey should not be to take the same pictures you saw on the cover of a book but to live unique, real experiences. Trust yourself, not a book. Rent a bicycle, motorbike or car and follow your way.

6) TALK TO TOURISTS ONLY : chat with the locals and maybe you will find yourself living unique experiences like attending an Indonesian wedding, fishing in the middle of the Borneo jungle or dancing all night with Croatian street musicians. Enjoy the freedom you have.

7) TRAVELING WITH TOO HEAVY BAGGAGE : the advice is to travel lightly, too heavy luggage will slow you down and make you tired. It takes little to travel, a pair of jeans, a sweater, underwear. Here you will find tips on how to make the perfect suitcase.