I was reading through some of my old posts and came across this from a now closed post from August 2018:
“Thoughts greatly appreciated! Late October-Early November. 3 nights each in Vienna, Krakow, and Budapest. $725 flight with no layovers. Staying in all hostels both as a cheaper option and easier to meet people. Cost of entire trip won’t be an issue though. I have my trip all planned out, but just need some reassurance from travel lovers on how crazy I would be to NOT take this opportunity. I’m a 26 year old, single male who has only traveled solo once before earlier this summer for 5 days to San Francisco. I prefer traveling with other people I know, but there is something to be said for traveling solo and controlling everything yourself. I’m at an age where I am well off financially and being single and not having many obligations. Whether my friends are away at grad school still, getting married, or not having funds to travel, it’s becoming not as easy to plan trips with friends. So I’ve wanted to start taking things into my own hands and traveling alone instead of letting time pass me by. I love to travel and only use my vacation days at work for traveling and they are starting to pile up. I have already heard from the naysayers about traveling solo thinking I’m weird for doing it and the “well what did you do there by yourself” ignorance. I’m 95% percent committed to pulling the trigger on this trip and doing it. Just wanted to come to the message boards for some reassurance on doing it and also any thoughts about traveling overseas solo for the first time.”
All I can say now is WOW. Less than 4 years later and with a pandemic disrupting travel for about 1.5 years I have traveled solo to:
- 3 continents (Europe twice, Asia, and South America)
- 11 foreign countries
- Moved across the country to live in a new city (Atlanta)
- Numerous places throughout the U.S. including Boston, San Fran, San Diego, Miami, Austin, New Orleans, Nashville, Tampa, Smoky Mountains, Arizona, Charlotte just name a few
- A few cities the mainstream media deems “dangerous” - Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Tijuana
I can honestly say the favorite out of my solo adventures was in fact that first trip I spoke about. The fact that was my first big trip, plus Krakow and Budapest are two of my favorite European cities contributed to those memories.
I had to laugh at my line: “I prefer traveling with other people I know.” Complete opposite now. Nothing like meeting people at hostels and sharing your adventures together. I like saying that strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet. Hope this post provides some inspiration for those hesitant on solo travel. All I have to say to end this post is my travel slogan: “Just Go”