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>>1088497

Went on my first solo trip over January to Bulgaria & Romania, literally only a week long but i actually learnt a lot.

Its really not that bad, you get to do what you want to do, when you want to and not worry about anything else, as someone that always travels with friends and family this was a big one for me.

Its easy to keep up with others over the internet anyway, i spoke a few times with my family and friends and that was good.

If you go to youth hostels, you meet people anyway. My advice, as someone that likes a drink and to party, if you go to a hostel with a bar its way easier than having to go out at night to some random bar to try and make friends. You start the night at your hotel, and once you have found some people to hang out with you can go all over the city with them. In one night i met like 10 different people at my youth hostel on the first night, and fuck that was a fun night.

Another thing i did, which could be shifty but it worked out for me, was meet up with a few locals online that were happy to show me around a bit and give me the real experience. In the end i met a guy on Reddit that was the CEO of some software security company that took me to some abandoned communist monument in central Bulgaria in the middle of a fucking blizzard which was fucking AMAZING. (Pic related, Budludzha)

Also, on that, i actually met some Bulgarian anons on /trv/ that offered to help me too, too bad the timing didnt work out with their work, but friendly Bulgarian anons, if your reading this, i made it and it was amazing, i hope you get there sometime soon, thanks for the help.

I guess it mightn't help that much cause i was only solo for a week, but trust me, its actually a lot better than you think, but i guess it depends on your personality.

>>1088498
>but i guess it depends on your personality.

I'm a pretty quiet guy which wouldn't help, but I guess I'll just get a few drinks in me and I'll be good.

Thanks for the advice.

Is Bulgaria a must see while I'm in Europe?

>>1088499
I wouldn't say it's a "must see" but it's an experience which will stick with you. Unique alphabet and more eastern than any other country in EU will give that foreign edge over most other. It's a place you don't see a lot on the internet, so the feeling of discovery will be more potent. Tell me an area which you're interested in to tell you what BG can offer.

>>1088498
>Also, on that, i actually met some Bulgarian anons on /trv/

Glad it worked out, mate! Did you have to use a crowbar to get in? I hope you had to. ;^)

>>1088498
I really want to visit Bulgaria and Romania at some point this year and a week sounds good. Where did you go?

It's fine op. I've traveled alone for the past few years and staying in hostels always means you will net meet people. I'm quite easy now, I've met plenty of people and I'm not worried about being lonely at all. The more you travel and the more comfortable you are with yourself the less you will worry about being lonely. P.s. Naples is fucking fun.

>>1088518
Thanks for the encouraging words, Naples is definitely on the list

I've traveled alone a lot before. Sure it can be a bummer unable to share your experiences with somebody, but you end up meeting so many people and you can always share what your doing on the likes of Facebook if you really need feedback from people you know.

Moreover traveling alone gives you plenty of "you time" in which you can figure out what you really want out of life. Traveling is just as much a spiritual and mental thing as it is seeing known locales.

>>1088497
We get a lot of people here asking about solo travel. Go ahead and try it out, it's really not that different. You end up meeting a lot more people going alone I think. Stay in hostels and you'll easily meet a ton of people every day and you don't even have to be outgoing.

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>>1088499

>I'm a pretty quiet guy which wouldn't help

I'm not super talkative either but i can normally find someone to talk to, just find someone from your country/area and jump in, you do have to make an effort sometimes and swallow whatever it is that is stopping you from chatting to people.

>Is Bulgaria a must see while I'm in Europe?

Its not a must see, but its much better than i thought it would be actually. I had never been to eastern Europe before and was intent on visiting somewhere that spoke cyrillic and somewhere that none of my friends had been to before, a bit off the tourist track (and it really was, in winter there were very few tourists around).

>>1088502
>Glad it worked out, mate! Did you have to use a crowbar to get in? I hope you had to. ;^)

Haha thanks, there was a little hole on the right side of the big doors that we used to get in, apparently there are other ways as well. There were a few doors underneath that we couldn't get into because they were big, heavy and closed, looks like nobody has ever gotten into them because everything is so rusted. Some people say it was a bunker for the Politburo to hide in if anything ever happened while they were meeting, if i went back i'd try and break that door open with a crowbar, worst comes to worst your seeing something nobody has ever seen before.

Also, if your planning to go, see it now, its in very bad condition and vandals keep ruining it, murals are not bad condition, but Marx and Engels are 2/3 ruined. The hammer and sickle on the roof is also damaged by people throwing rocks and isn't easily readable.

I'm currently in Japan on my own and I'm having a blast. Constantly on the move, doing and seeing new things every day.

I won't lie, I do feel a bit lonely, but that's more due to the fact that I've already been away from home for 2+ weeks after being sent to the Philippines for work. If I was fresh, this would be even more amazing.

It's pretty international friendly out in Tokyo, but most of the locals still avoid foreigners like the plague so it's a bit tough to make friends when constantly on the go. I'm staying at a small hotel (a repurposed apartment complex it seems like) in a neighborhood of mostly elderly people so that doesn't help matters.

Traveling alone still beats not traveling at all. I admit it'd be more fun with a friend (peer pressure to do more things rather than waffling on it and doing something more comfortable), but the experience so far has been fantastic.

Travelling alone gives you the best times and the worst times. I did a solo Eurotrip this summer and made friends in every city except Amsterdam, which I blame on being in a shitty hostel. Hang out in the smoking area and you will befriend people though, its sort of how it goes.

Not OP, but would you recommend an English speaking country first to get confident with public transport and general self-confidence?

I want to go to Iran but for a first solo trip that seems a bit extreme. Would just going somewhere like New York or maybe even somewhere Scandinavian where English is very prevalent be a good first trip?

For what it's worth, I'm English so Europe is easy to travel around in.

Related to what you guys were saying, I have a Bulgarian friend and he says a lot of positive things about his home country and has strongly recommended going. I might see if I can go with him one day.

>>1088497
I just got back from my first solo trip in 6 years after breaking up with my gf.

It was great.
>Hadn't even arrived in the country and I was chatting to some exchange student on my plane with promises to meet up when we arrived.
>First night, hooked up with some hot af Tibetan rocker from my hostel's band and checked out some fucking cool bar she knew
>Second night, hunted down some legendary hole in the wall restaurant. Filled with locals so the only other white guy there got put onto my table. Spent the meal chatting with him, headed to a craft beer bar he'd heard was good (it was). Started chatting with a couple of German chicks and a local guy sitting at our booth. They invited us to another bar. Made friends with a bunch of local girls, a Brit teaching English and some old dude there. Played drinking games until the bar kicked us out then hooked up with one of the local girls.
>Third night. Met up with the guy I met one the plane. He invited me to a uni party. Had a great time, made out with a few girls and got offered a job.
>Fourth night, on train
>Fifth night, met up with the guy from the second night again. Went rockclimbing with him and spent the night in another craft beer joint.

Trip quietened down once I got out in the rural areas and I had a few rubbish nights and days but even there I was sharing meals with locals, getting invited out to their parties and travelling with random othr tourists for a few days. And this was something I'd missed travellling with my gf. I had so many incredible experiences over those few weeks, the sort of things that make non-travellers think you're bullshitting them. And those were the sort of things I hadn't really experienced since my last solo trip on my gap year.

The trick with travelling solo is to just be really open. Force yourself to talk to others, be sociable and be friendly. Don't be afraid to change your plans and change your plans spur of the moment if you get invited for it.

>>1089173
Anybody?

>>1089770
Try India. You will learn everything there about socializing, public transportation (from chicken wagons to somewhat decent cots on trains), every possible tourist scams, and (possibly) digging into a whole other culture than what you're used to.

The hostel biz in India is still in a someqhat early phase, but that's what makes it fresh.

Also, in my trip across Asia last year, it was the place I consumed the least alcohol, which was good for my liver, since about everywhere else, I was blasted every day of the week.

>>1089184
Where were you anon?

>>1089774
Thanks. I'll have to look in to India because it's never really appealed to me, although my exposure to it has always been somewhat negative.

There's pros and cons for both op. I used to be afraid to travel with a gf because you'd have all these memories. And it's true. So I was jaded for a bit but eventually, it becomes amazing again.

I find that traveling with a gf makes the shitty parts better when you can share it (if they aren't a bitch) but my happiest moments alone are way better. Only thing I miss is having my arms around a chick when you're staring at something beautiful. It sounds cheesy but it's a great feeling.

Meh. You meet more people on your own - that's a fact.

>>1088497
>We had plans to go to Europe together this year but things didn't work out.
I still want to go, but I don't have anyone to go with now. All of my friends are broke as fuck and I'm not even sure they'd want to go anyway.

OP I'm srs doing this next summer I have yet to book shit tho. I'm in the same dilemma, minus the girlfriend. Friends blew money on dumb shit while I saved by driving a shitty car since I was 16 and living at home. I'm 20 now. If you wanna talk hmu and we'll exchange contact information. I've only been to Scotland before for a week in 2014.

>>1089166
lmao this is what i'm planning on doing. I wanna party hard in Amsterdam. I only smoke for the social aspect and at concerts, so I figure it won't be a huge deal. Despite how negative of a rep smoking gets, smokers are some of the most easily approachable people.

I travelled to Paris on my own in 2009.

Wasn't too bad, I did eventually meet up with some people I knew from university on one of the days but for the rest I just strolled around on my own even though my French is utter shit tier.

Most of the travelling times I have had since were with my ex-wife, and now starting to travel a lot with my new girlfriend.

I do have a solo trip planned this year though. Cycling from Cambridge, UK to Rotterdam via ferry, then through Netherands, Belgium and northern France.

I guess it is a bit different to you because most of the time I will be on the road anyway. At night I'll stay in hostels and just chat with random people in bars.

Don't be afraid!

>tfw guy offered to pay for my ticket and have me stay in his house in egypt for a bit but he wants to see my nude body on cam and irl

I know he won't do anything but fuck, why aren't things free in life?

>>1090625
That sentence could be read wrong, let me re-word it

"I know he won't do anything, but shit - why can't anything be free in life?

Mi advise go for it. I traveled South America I visited Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia. I drove my way I don't know how but it was fun. In Cochabamba, Bolivia I met this women beautiful and intelligent in the bus terminal I stop there tu use the internet in a Cafe Net she sat next to me it was love at first sight. That was three years ago and we are still in contact... So what I'm trying to say don't fear being alone maybe you'll find your next one year relationship.. Travel is living

>>1088497
Travelling alone is fine if you have any social skills. You meet plenty of people

>>1090640
>>1088497

I would say traveling alone is even beter when you dont have social sklls, you are just forced to develop them and that's one of the best gifts of traveling.

If you also wanna keep it real and get to know some locals who will show you around i would totally advise using platforms like Couch Surfing, Airbnb or nightswapping. There's a lot of ppl out there willing to host you for few or no money and show things only locals do.

Of course the hostel idea also works very good if you wanna meet othr travelers who are there for the experience.

I live in germany and if you decide to make eurotrip would be glad to host (please dont rape me)

>>1090626
>I know he wont do anything but shit.

Highly recommend using Tinder on your travels. Pay for the premium subscription and get matches in cities a few days before you get there. Chat with them a bit, get some recommendations on where to stay and what to do, etc, and then when you get there take the interesting ones out to dinner and drinks. You'll get a local tour guide, sex, and interesting insight into the area.

People get all excited about eating the local food, shopping in the local places, etc. but then they go fuck white backpacker girls. If you really want to know the local culture, you have to fuck the local girls too.

OP I was literally in your exact same situation last year. Went to SEA with my girlfriend of 4 years in January. We split up in June and had booked a trip to Myanmar for September. The whole time leading up to it I had no idea if I wanted to go. Ended up going and had a great time.

Ultimately I think it comes down to what type of person you are, if you like/need to be around other people a lot. I don't mind being alone (as sad as that may sound) so travelling alone didn't bother me. The thing that annoyed me about when I went with my ex to SEA was that she would get tired because of the heat after a few hours and start bitching out at me. Because I was on my own there was nobody to bitch or whinge and I could do whatever the hell I wanted.

Another thing I noticed is that if you're on your own, people are far more likely to talk to you. When I was with my ex, not many people would talk to me because I was with somebody (or at least that's the impression I got). But when I was in Myanmar (and then Taiwan on another trip), anyone and everyone who could speak a little English would try to have a chat with me, on trains, buses, on platforms, everywhere, which was pretty cool.

Also OP, get on interpals and find people who live where you're going to go and try and befriend them and use them for company if you like.

>>1088497
>it just seems so lonely, boring and empty.

How do you exist? I would have killed myself if I felt this way.

>>1091515
I love to walk some new landscapes and cities on my own once in a while, but if I'm 2 full days without speaking to a friend or family I start getting the jitters as well. No idea why.

I know it sounds all cliche and tumblr-esque, but it actually is really good. One of the best things I found was the travel days- spending 8 hrs on a train with someone whos hungover or not in a good mood is pretty miserable. Particularly travelling with girls- they love being on time, finding the hostel/hotel straight away and then cramming all sightseeing or whatever into the first day. When you're flying solo there's no pressure to get anywhere or do anything on time. I loved just chilling out and reading and listening to music while on long journeys, not have to worry about entertaining anyone who's with me, then just walking around drinking beers and eating food- not running straight to the nearest instagram opportunity.

Stay at hostels, preferably ones a bit more party orientated, you'll meet people everywhere you go. I always found girls are impressed if you're travelling alone too...I found a lot of them seemed sort of fascinated by it.

>>1089173
Anywhere in Western Europe, lots of places in the U.S. or even the three Baltic countries. Poland is also really interesting and simple for a first-time solo traveller. Enjoy man!

>>1091846
Thanks. Any recommended places in Poland?

I do/don't want to visit Auschwitz at some point. Does Krakow offer enough other things to justify going there?

>>1092696

Been to Warsaw and Krakow. I'd definitely recommend Krakow over Warsaw.

Krakow's old town is sensational and the bar scene is pretty cool. Didn't spend all that long there but would like to return. Naturally, Auschwitz is bleak but a must.

I've been travelling alone for the last 15 years, and I don't want it to be any other way anymore.
I don't meet any people except on an occasional tour here and there, but it ends then and there. I don't stay in hostels either (can't sleep in them).

"feeling lonely" and "needing to be with people" is a social construct. Get over it.

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>tfw want to travel alone but in some countries people will think I'm a refugee

>>1088497

on a slightly related note, how easy is it to travel in a spur of the moment style (as in, fly to one place and just sort of make your way without booking many hostels or flights etc)

>>1088497
I'm going to travel alone soon but I cant decide if I want to stay in a hostel or hotel

the deal is that I want to bang a ton of really cheap prostitutes, like at least 2x a day for a week. But I want to make friends and go out with them.

Money is not a concern for me, I have a high paying job, I just don't get much time to travel

Would it be weird to bang hookers in my hotel in the day and then go to the hostel at night and make friends to go out with? I don't mind the cost of paying for both

>>1092714
Thank you. How much Polish would you recommend learning? I only know how to say Hello, Fuck and I love you. I don't think that's enough.

>>1092793
Very easy. Harder in some countries, obviously, but it's pretty much how I travel. The thing is that you can pinch pennies by pre-booking but the freedom/flexibility is worth the price difference for me.

>>1092794
If money isn't an issue, no. Just don't tell people you have a hotel room too or RealTravellers/other people might find it odd. I often need my own room/a quiet place to recharge my introvert ass so I can meet a ton of people. So whenever I'm staying in a hotel, I'll sneak into hostels and party with people. It makes for funny conversation when they ask what room you're in and you say "I actually just snuck in"

>>1090659
>sex

> you have to fuck the local girls too.

i want u people to die

>>1092765

Ain't no social construct retard. Humans are social creatures.

It's like saying eating is a social construct lmao.
Some people just have exceptional temperaments and block their typical urges like you apparently, big Yoda.

>>1092803
Snuck in like Black Dynamite?

https://youtu.be/1aoWVRhgEqI

>>1092794
Depends where you're going I suppose. It will be very easy somewhere like Bangkok. I banged something like twenty women in fourteen days out there. I was having sex to kill time. Thirty minutes until I had to be somewhere? Find an attractive woman and say "I have thirty minutes. Let's go to my room". Job done.

>>1092816
I feel like this only works under very rare circumstances - were you paying these women?

>>1092847
Yeah. I forgot to mention that. Quite a key detail to forget.

>>1089184
I'd also like to know where this was. Assuming Asia?
>>1092848
So you're saying it's safe to assume attractive women are hookers?

>>1092854
No, but when they're stood out in the middle of the street in bikinis asking you if you want to fuck I say that's a safe bet.

>>1092857
How much did you pay them?

>>1092792
I know this feeling too well, even the 'dress well' advice didn't help much