/r/SoloTravel: Where traveling solo is traveling social!

This thread is for you to do things like

• Introduce yourself to the community
• Ask simple questions that may not warrant their own thread
• Share anxieties about first-time solotravel
• Discuss whatever you want
• Complain about certain aspects of travel or life in general
• Post asking for meetups or travel buddies
• Post asking for accommodation recommendations
• Ask general questions about transportation, things to see and do, or travel safety
• Reminisce about your travels
• Share your solotravel victories!
• Post links to personal content (blogs, youtube channels, instagram, etc...)

This thread is newbie-friendly! In this thread, there is no such thing as a stupid question.

If you're new to our community, please read the subreddit rules in the sidebar before posting. If you're new to solo travel in general, we suggest that you check out some of the resources available on our wiki, which we are currently working on improving and expanding. Here are some helpful wiki links:

General guides and travel skills

• Basic trip planning
• Determining your travel interests
• Packing 101
• Staying in hostels
• How to meet people as a solo traveller
• Staying safe
• Budgeting 101
• Money management and safety
• Working abroad
• Travel insurance 101
• Mobile data and SIM cards

Regional guides

• So you want to do a Eurotrip: A beginner's guide
• So you want to visit Southeast Asia: A beginner's guide
• Weekly Destination Threads: Archives

Special demographics

• Solo travel and mental health (with a focus on depression/anxiety)
• Resources for female, POC and LGBTQ+ travellers
• Other FAQs

This week’s destination is Switzerland! Feel free to share stories/advice - some questions to start things off:

• What were some of your favorite experiences there?
• Experiences/perspectives on solo travel there?
• Suggestions for food/accommodations?
• Any tips for getting around?
• Anything you wish you'd known before arriving?
• Other advice, stories, experiences?

Archive of previous "weekly destination" discussions: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/weeklydestinations

I'm curious if any of you was hosted by a monastery during their travels? I made a habit of visiting churches whenever I travel across Germany and even attended a few concerts that way. It's a pretty experience ( I would say even spiritual, if I were on the more religious side of life).

I read a while ago that you can book a monastery to sleep in during your trips. I'm curious what it is like. Did any of you try it? I'm especially curious if there would be any embarrassing moments if you're a "non-believer".

I just returned from two weeks in Kazakhstan, which included a 9-hour layover in Warsaw (great city, a lot more modern than expected). It was one of the best countries I've been to! I had found tickets from Chicago to Astana for only $1k, so I went ahead and bought them, and that was the majority of my budget because I always stay at the cheapest places I can find.

A quick outline of my itinerary:

Astana - 4 nights

Karaganda - 2 nights

(overnight train to Almaty)

Saty - 1 night, as part of a short road trip to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake

Almaty - 5 nights

Astana - 1 night

Some general thoughts:

• I had visited Kyrgyzstan a few years ago, so I was already a fan of Central Asia, and I wanted to return to the region. Even then, Kazakhstan exceeded my expectations. Its cities felt European and although the north is very flat, the south's geography is incredible. It felt like being in Colorado and Utah, with 1% of the tourists.

• Astana is the strangest city I've been to, only because I haven't been to Ashgabat or Pyeongyang. If you haven't seen the pictures of it online, check them out: the architecture is very futuristic and EPCOT-esque. At first it felt weirdly empty and I was afraid it'd be like those Chinese cities that don't have anyone actually living in them. But I found that it has plenty of lively public spaces.

• The train to Karaganda was hot and 2 hours late, but it was also very cheap, so I won't complain too much.

• I had no expectations of Karaganda and I did minimal research about it beforehand. It just seemed like a convenient stop between the two major cities. With that said, it was a very charming city of half a million people. It had beautiful walkways that went around the city, and its central park is massive. The park offers a bunch of activities (boat rides, carnival rides, gym equipment, soccer games), and it comes alive at night with street performers and whatnot.

• If you're going to ride 14 hours across Kazakhstan in a train, spend the little extra for a bed. Don't be like me.

• There aren't many car rental services in Kazakhstan. With that said, the one I used in Almaty was helpful. I rented a car from them for only a day and a half to see the southeast of the country, which is beautiful and well worth the trip alone. In addition to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake, there were plenty of scenic shots along the way, including other canyons. The whole area just seemed otherworldly. I wish I could've seen Altyn Emel National Park as well, but sadly I wasn't allowed to bring the small car I rented to drive on those roads, and I couldn't find a vehicle large enough to do so. Oh well, next time.

• Almaty is one of my favorite cities on Earth. You can take a bus from it to Ile-Alatau National Park, which has some of the most difficult hiking I've ever done. But even within the city, there's something to see around every corner. I was in the city for nearly a week and I felt like I had hardly seen any of it. There were just so many parks, trails, and random city blocks that were worth stumbling upon. Also, I found an adorable Kazakh squirrel that kept me amused for 20 minutes.

• The people of Kazakhstan are extremely friendly. Unfortunately I only know a few words of Russian and Kazakh, and few people there speak English, but the people I did speak to were excited to tell me about their country.

• I started playing Pokemon Go recently (in the year of our lord 2024) and it was pretty fun to play Pokemon Go in Kazakhstan, during the less busy days.

• You should definitely visit Kazakhstan if you can! I don't see it talked about enough here.

Hello!

What would be the best way to travel from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing? Ideally avoiding flights. Is the train railway for the transmongolian route currently operational? I heard it was closed due to the pandemic, but it seems like it will be reactivated this year.

I read that the train journey takes about 31 hours and costs 1,310 CNY. A flight would be close to the same price, I think, but since I will be taking several flights around those dates, I'm interested in the train option. Has anyone here taken this journey? Is it worth it as an experience? (quite subjective, but I would like to hear opinions)

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie solo traveler planning my first backpacking trip. I'm posting here hoping to get advice on my current plan, which is roughly as follows: KL - Cambodia - Vietnam - KL.

Here's a more detailed itinerary:

Friday (1 Day - Phnom Penh, Cambodia):

• Arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport (morning)

• Take a taxi or tuk-tuk to The Bridge Club hotel

• Check-in at the hotel (The Bridge Club hotel)

• Question: What activities do you recommend for a day in Phnom Penh? I have to stay at the hotel for a day as I'll be working remotely.

Saturday ~ Monday (3 Days - Phnom Penh to Koh Rong):

• Check out from The Bridge Club hotel

• Take a taxi to the bus terminal

• Catch a bus to Sihanoukville

• From Sihanoukville, take a ferry to Koh Rong

• Check in at Coconutbeach Bungalows

Tuesday (1 Day - Koh Rong to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam):

• Check out from Coconutbeach Bungalows

• Take a ferry back to Sihanoukville

• From Sihanoukville, take a night bus to Ho Chi Minh City (planning to arrive in the morning)

• Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and check in at Lotus Airport Hotel Saigon

Tuesday ~ Wednesday (2 Days - Ho Chi Minh City):

• Question: What activities do you recommend for a day in Ho Chi Minh City?

Wednesday (1 Day - Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur):

• Check out from Lotus Airport Hotel Saigon

• Go to Ho Chi Minh City International Airport

• Depart from Ho Chi Minh City International Airport

• Arrive in Kuala Lumpur

What I have already prepared:

• Passport valid for 6 months

• Etiqa travel insurance

• Booked flights and accommodations (mentioned above)

As a female Muslim traveler, I would appreciate recommendations on where to eat, pray, and any other activities or preparations I should consider. Budget suggestions are also welcome.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice!

Ive only been on one solo trip so far and im actually on the bus to the airport for my second!

During my first I went on a solo hike up a mountain, found myself crying for portions of it, I also went to visit the mountain statue in Lucerne at night and found myself with some tears then.

I have a feeling im going to cry on this trip too. Theres something about being away.

If your willing to share why please do!

My first was after some deep thoughts about my dad and some about a girl I was crushing on at the time but she was not single so I was processing that.

This time I had somebody end dating with me a month ago and although I feel like im well on with that anyway I think ill have a leak while away about it.

Im wondering how common it is for lone traveler’s to cry!

Also wanted to raise a bit of awareness for it because im sure im not the only one and it might just reach somebody that feels they are alone with their travel tears ❤️

Hi All, I’m 21M from the U.S. and just graduated college. I want to solo travel Europe this summer, and EF Ultimate Break’s ultimate European (35 days, 9 countries) caught my eye. Had a couple of questions regarding the dynamic and itinerary of this trip if any of y’all had been on this one or other EF trips before:

As for the groups themselves, are they mostly American? Do the ages of the travelers skew younger (around my age would be ideal)? Seems like the groups are also mostly female?

How party-heavy are these trips? I definitely want to party in Europe, but don’t necessarily need to every night. 2-3 times a week would do me well.

As for the tourism itself, is this a very much hit the highlights / always on the move type of trip? I also looked into Contiki and their ultimate European seems a bit more jam packed than EF’s. I’m not majorly into history and that stuff so hitting the highlights would serve me well while also having decent down time would be a plus (contiki seems like no down time in comparison).

If I were to go in the summer would my group be more people around my age as opposed to starting late summer / early fall?

I appreciate any insights people can share, and would also love to PM for more info if possible.

Thank you!

I'm planning a trip in Southeast Asia for September.

I would want to be flexible on how many days I stay in each location & my plan was to book hostels for the first few days and then decide afterwards if I want to extend my stay / change.

I saw here many user mentioning they book Hostel a couple of weeks in advance, even a few days in advance, so I assumed this was not going to be a problem, but as I'm looking at Hostelworld some hostel seems to already getting full for September!

Is it becoming more common for people to book super far in advance now? Or do hostels reserve some availability for later in the season (faking scarcity to encourage more booking)? Should I look into booking my hostels now, or is it better to wait and hope more availability opens up later?

Any insights or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Hello, I am planning a solo trip to Bukidnon for three days and two nights to escape the city's hustle and bustle.

I will be departing from Davao and would appreciate recommendations for destinations suitable for solo travelers. Since I am not an experienced hiker, I would prefer activities that are less strenuous to ensure a relaxing trip.

Thank you for your assistance. 🥰

Hi I’m going to Los Angeles this summer. I will be going to Disneyland, Griffith observatory, Santa Monica pier, Queen Mary. What is the best way to travel between the sights? Driving is out of the question because I’m epileptic.

Hey everyone,

I just returned from a South America trip, but want to keep my momentum going on improving my Spanish and was planning to head to Mexico in a couple of weeks while I search for work and to potentially take formal coursework in Spanish. Obviously Mexico City is a potential destination, but I was also considering Oaxaca or Puebla and am very open to any suggestions.

Would love any advice / anecdotes concerning favorite cities in Mexico. Normally, I am not a fan of big cities and prefer coastal / scenic areas, but in this instance I am looking for at least fairly large cities > 200,000 residents. Thanks in advance!

(F40) A month ago, I came back after travelling solo for 6 months and I was happy to. I was burning out from changing cities, countries, accommodations too often. Making new friends and saying bye after a few days. I was starting to lose my 'travel purpose'.

This week I couldn't shake off a sad feeling and I realised I miss who I am when I travel. I'm more open-minded, positive and adventurous. Yeah I had ups and downs during my trip but I was feeling great about myself and others.

I can and will create an environment where I can feel that way again but I miss the solo travel vibe, the variety of landscape, food, people, smell, activities, etc. I felt like a kid again discovering the world and myself and I miss it! Anyone dealt with a grieving feeling coming back? Any tips?

I can't wait to go again :-) !

**Update.

First, thanks for the messages and sharing tips and experiences! Right now, I don't have time to respond individually but I've read them all. Yesterday, I decided to take action and checked Meetups for anything. I found an event and arrived 10 min late. I saw a group and asked if it was the Meetup event, they said no but invited me to join. 4 hours later I made new friends, some local, some not. It reminded me that I can create the circumstances to make it happen.

Tomorrow, I'm going to a practical philosophy event and soon a cooking class. This is my accountability message I'm sharing with Reddit and a bunch of supporting strangers: Yeah, it's easy not to fall into a rut when I'm exploring the world but I REFUSE to let it happen again! I was bored to death/ depression before I left. No more!

I booked tickets and accomodation in Kyrgyzstan for travel in July (both non refundable) and later that day riots broke out in Bishkek against Pakistanis and Indians. I am an Indian male 😭 . What do you guys think? Is it safe to travel over there?

I've recently came back from a 5 month trip. The months before I left I made alot of healthy lifestyle changes (quit drinking for a couple month, quit smoking, daily walks, healthy food) and felt great. I wanted to do some health/fitness retreats on the trip but the first one I booked was overbooked. I did do one short one week one, but after that it didn't take long before I was soaked up into the backpackers lifesyle. Drinking nearly every day, smoking again, found it hard to keep eating very healthy etc.

I catched a cold in the plane back and have been extremeley tired since, wich makes me regret more not doing the longer (months) health retreats that I had planned.

I guess I did get the traveling out of my system and am aware now that I need something else to fulfill me, as even though I had great times, the whole moving around thing for months isn't for me anymore I guess.

Hi! I'm going to Italy and I would like to do day trips by train like from Venice to Verona and I found omio. Is it legit/safe? And how much in advance should I book the trains? :)

Hey everyone! I (21f) have done 4 solo trips now to various countries in Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Czechia, Germany, UK, and Italy), Australia, and USA so I've had my fair share of traveling and experiencing hostels. Although, since I'm a student who is in a co-op program, I only get 2-3 weeks off each time to travel so I'm planning on taking a semester off to travel for 3-4 months from Jan-Apr. The plan is to do volunteering at a hostel in Madrid for a month since I really enjoyed that city and use my weekends I'm not working to travel to Seville, St.Tropez. However, I am not completely tied to the idea of a month in Madrid so also considering other destinations in Germany (that is another country I really loved). Mid February I plan on flying to Tokyo for a few days, then Seoul, and then Vietnam for about 2-3 weeks. From there, I plan on going to Thailand (Mid March/April) for a month volunteering at a hostel and then using my weekends off to travel to Phuket and Chiang Mai. After that I plan onn flying to Singapore and Bali for a few days spending a couples days in each before finally making my way back to Canada.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me in terms of where to spend the month volunteering in Europe and if anyone has anything to say about volunteering at hostels while traveling? Also, are the months I chose good months for the destinations? I really want to swim in Thailand but not sure if those months are good for that.

Heading off to the Balkans next week and wondering if anyone has any experience of travelling in the region. I fly to Tirana first and will spend a few days there, then the vague plan is to go to Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and possible Montenegro.

Things I'm wondering: How is the transport? I will be getting about by bus/train, no information available online but from what I can see you just turn up to the station and find out. Is this the case?

I have also read that if you attempt to enter Serbia via Kosovo you can be sent back as they do not recognise Kosovo, is this true?

I plan to mainly carry cash as I've read most places won't accept card. Is it easy to get cash from a cash machine?

I've also read that hitchhiking is still practised and sometimes the best way to get about, is this true? Anyone with any experience with this?

Any big do's and don'ts? Any must see places?

Thanks!

I don't even know how to explain this, but I finally got the chance to explore the PNW this year and I've really been looking forward to it! Like, two weeks ago, I spent 4 days driving up the coast to Oregon from LA, but from the moment I arrived in Oregon I felt like an alien who landed on another planet.

I've experienced culture shock before, and that's not what this was. I thought maybe I was just tired from the drive, but the feeling only intensified with every day I was there. It was very uncomfortable and very unsettling. Nothing in particular I can point to for any reason why. I didn't have any particularly negative interactions with people, it was just an overwhelming feeling that "I don't belong here".

For many years I've had a mantra that wherever I am is exactly where I'm supposed to be, and this is the first time ever I couldn't accept that. I was glad to leave Oregon for Washington and the feeling has subsided even tho I'm literally just across the river. I'm going to try going back a couple times before I go home to see if I still feel that way, but at this point, I'm seriously thinking of going back after I'm done in Washington instead of continuing to Idaho and Montana. I've just kinda lost the desire.

I have travelled a lot and stayed at many people’s homes and now wanna host others to give back. I live in Switzerland but I just saw that Couchsurfing now charges to make an account and I’ve heard from others that it’s gotten kinda bad and haven’t met and traveller in a while who mentioned it to me. Is it dead? How can I offer people to stay at my place?

I’m traveling solo to Maine this summer (early/mid June), flying into Portland and then driving Route 1 to my accomodations in Bar Harbor the same afternoon. I’ll be there for 1 week (Saturday to Saturday), and my remaining budget after air faire, car rental, and accommodations is ~$500 give or take (but would like to save money wherever possible).

Would love any recommendations for must-see spots or cool places. I’m pretty introverted and not really into the bar/live music scene — but I love exploring nature, historical sites, cafés, book shops, etc. Off-the-beaten path/less touristy places are a bonus.

I already plan to check out Acadia, plus a few cool-looking lighthouses, but appreciate any and all suggestions! Anything I shouldn’t miss on Route 1 or in the BH area?

Wasn’t expecting much with Czech food but surprisingly it is really good, I didn’t have a bad meal. Prague is very pretty, even the buildings where people live are historical and have a history behind them. Not being a big drinker, I found evenings harder to find things to do but I feel that is the case for many cities.

Attractions close too early but again that’s the case for many other cities too. Czechs are the least friendly people I’ve come across so far, we’ll see if any other countries change that in the future but I didn’t see any smile or laugh who I interacted with and that was very strange to me but most weren’t rude at least.

I’d hate to live in Prague as it’s too touristy, busy and I feel like making friends with people who don’t smile or show much emotion would be difficult and strange for me.

The golden lane as touristy as it is, was very interesting to me. I loved seeing how the people lived, the weapons and armour they would wear and the torture devices they used.

The cathedral is amazing, the outside is just so unique and the inside is just as beautiful.

The Narodni museum I spend like 3 hours in, the animals look super realistic and it’s nice to see how big they looked in person and what some of the extinct animals looked like.

The Old Royal Palace was super disappointing, it was empty and had hardly anything to actually see. I don’t get why people like it, a very poor palace and attraction indeed.

St George’s Basilica was fairly pretty with the ceiling but I actually preferred the Church of Our Lady Victorious which had beautiful interior decorations.

Vrtba Garden was okay but not as good as I expected from the pictures but a nice place to sit and it was quiet when I visited.

Petrin tower, as expected busy but you get to the top and do see the amazing views that go for miles.

I also did a ghost tour which was fascinating to hear about the real stories which caused the tales of these ghost stories. Did another walk about the plague in Prague, good but not as a good as the ghost tour.

I think 4 days was plenty, I saw everything I wanted to see and wouldn’t know what to do if I stayed longer.

I'm hoping to go to Peru in July for 2 weeks (33F) and looking for some ideas/ feedback from anybody who has been before or especially recently, as to how to best balance the trip. I'm reasonably physically fit, can walk mostly unlimited distances etc, but definitely spent all my life at sea-level so also want some thoughts on whether my plans are sensible re adjusting to altitude.
FWIW I speak some reasonable basic conversational Spanish but nowhere near fluent, and I've only ever really been to central & north america before, this will be my first proper time in south america.

Very interested in: food, museums, culture, sights, walking and seeing beautiful things.
Not interested in extreme sports/serious mountaineering/ceremonies and all that sort of malarky!

Currently my plan is:

• Fly from London to Lima and stay in Lima for around 4 days, to shake off jetlag, explore the city and eat lots of delicious food.

• Fly from Lima to Juliaca and then spend 3 days exploring around Lake Titicaca (any ideas for specifically what to do there would be welcomed - from what I've read Juliaca is not a great place so would probably look to stay in Puno).

• Get either a train or the bus from Juliaca on to Cusco. Spend 5 days in Cusco, two of which I would hope to do one of the shorter 2 day treks along the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu (any company recommendations appreciated!). I gather I would need to spend a few days acclimatising to the elevation before attempting the trek?

• Fly back from Cusco to London via whichever stop over place is required.

Would really appreciate any feedback or recommendations! :)
I found this community so helpful a few years ago and had a great month in Mexico off the back of it.

So I’ve had a dream of traveling and have done quite a bit in the USA but only been to like 3 different countries ( Mexico, Canada, Bahamas). I want to backpack for about 4-5 months next year and possibly circumnavigate the globe. My budget will be about 30k and was hoping to visit Japan, Thailand, possibly Australia / nz and Europe. My interests mainly are history, nature, culture food etc normal traveling things. Im a 35 yr old male btw and don’t want to party too much but love a few beers in a dark pub and live music. Do you guys have any tips or advice for this ? Is backpacking feasible or should I bring more stuff ? Is there an esim that covers multiple regions or will I need a new one for each country ? Thanks for any input.

Last week, I tried to visit Cairo on a solo 1-day trip. I’m an American woman. I had a long layover so I booked an Airbnb and a 5-hour evening tour. The airport nearly broke me with the indifference and downright rudeness yet also harassment of the staff at every turn (trying to track down missing luggage). After that 3-hour ordeal, I calmed down, ordered an Uber, and planned to meet my guide. I’d been harassed constantly inside the airport “taxi? Taxi, lady? Lady, want taxi? Good price taxi!” but what I faced outside was exponentially worse.

Even though I had an Uber ride booked, dozens of men kept yelling at me and when they saw me going for the rideshare lot, they kept sticking their phones in my face with an Uber map open saying “I am Uber!” and trying to grab my luggage while blocking my path. Eventually, I became surrounded. I’ve never been in fear for my physical safety like that. Meanwhile, my actual driver was texting me to ask me to pay more money than the fare in the app. I told him no so he canceled the ride.

I saw police lights in the parking lot so I headed for them. I tried to order another Uber as I pushed my luggage and tried to fend off a dozen aggressive drivers who were all talking at the same time and trying to block me. That Uber driver texted me that he was already at the lot so I asked him to please pick me up by the blue flashing lights. He canceled the ride.

That was my limit for chaos and aggression. I headed for the airport doors. They were guarded and they didn’t want to let me inside but I kept pushing so they eventually did let me enter. After another battle at security, they let me through so I could go to the airline lounge. I pushed a couple chairs together in a corner and tried to sleep while mosquitoes bit me.

Never, ever again. I have accepted that I will not see the pyramids.

I’m planning a solo trip to Nicaragua. I won’t be there for a long time, only 6 days. Looking to see how to make the best of my short time there. I want to spend time doing excursions (specifically volcano boarding and volcano hiking) and exploring some cool cities. I would like to spend some time at the beach as well. I know one city specialize in pottery, would like to visit that one too. The cities I’m considering are:

Granada, Leon, San Juan Del Sur, Little Corn Island, Las Penitias.

I know I’m not going to be able to visit all these area, but looking for recommendations on which area I should visit/ make more of a priority. Suggested itineraries and hostel recommendations are welcome as well!

Thanks in advance.

Over the last 2 years have travelled 3 times to S.E.A. Mainly vietnam and the Philippines. This last 6 month trip i met locals through tinder to show me around. It really worked well! 1) i only “liked” back on profiles that i would date. 2) i was upfront that im travelling through but would love a guide. Surprising how well received this was. Just putting it out there for others to ponder. (No , none turned into more but one but could have had it wanted i think andyes i did compensate for travel admission and meals.