/r/solotravel &quot;The Weekly Common Room&quot; - General chatter, meet-up, accommodation - May 19, 2024

Australian travel nerd

We don't allow surveys and the like where the reason for the survey and how the information will be used isn't disclosed.

0ldsql

Hey. Has anyone been to the Basque Country? I read that the region is one of wealthiest and thus most expensive regions in Spain. Is it on the same level as Madrid and Barcelona or more expensive? (eg accommodation, restaurants, activities etc.).

NanukBen

I have been a few times in both Barcelona and Bilbao, and I can say that Bilbao is not cheap, but less expensive than Barcelona.

ynwa_glastobater

Where should I go for 5 days - 1 week?

I was meant to go to Spain next week with my girlfriend and her family however we split up about 3 weeks ago, I have a whole week booked off work and I want to make the most of it. I’m leaning towards krakow and maybe zakopane and Wroclaw for a couple days. I love Italy, Greece, south of France, I’m not sure if I should stick with what I know or go somewhere like Poland. I like beer and mooching around if that helps.

Glum-Return-520

You should actually just go to Spain. Just got back from 10 day solo trip in Seville, Mallorca and Madrid - highly recommend for anyone looking to just take off and learn new culture, history (lots to see in Seville), beach/hike, etc..

ynwa_glastobater

Even though I’ve been there like 5/6 times already?

Glum-Return-520

I mean no then def try somewhere new

Glum-Return-520

If you’re leaning towards somewhere already then just go with that - trust it

That_Sweet_Science

For those that have been to Brazil, what are your honest thoughts on safety?

Australian travel nerd

My understanding from talking to people in Brazil and who've visited there is that it depends a lot on where you go. The only place I've visited in Brazil was Brasilia, and it was very safe - the locals noted that it's one of the city's best features.

10d

Hello! I'm a 31F taking my first ever solo trip to London at the end of August! I've wanted to visit England since I was 9 years old, and after a slew of terrible dating experiences I booked this trip for myself. As most people on this sub have talked about, I'm both extremely excited and extremely nervous for this trip. I'm highly (*highly*) extroverted, and yet still worried that I'll end up feeling sad or alone. I've been reading all the articles and threads on meeting people and looking at other people's travel itineraries; thanks past travelers!

For those who've been to London I'm curious to know more about cute bookstores to visit and fun massage/spa/hot spring moments in London/England. I know Bath has their Roman bath experience. I'm curious if there are other opportunities either in the city or closer to London. Lastly, I tried to find London walking tour recommendations but only found a handful from past posters. So any walking tour companies/experiences people would recommend, I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance and happy travels everyone!

frozenconstellations

Definitely recommend touring the Tower of London and getting Indian food (I'd just search for top-rated places near you). Would also recommend taking the bus or train to Oxford for a day. I might be biased because I went for uni, but just walking through the meadows and touring the colleges is magical and inspiring.

Thank you for these recs! I work at colleges and LOVE touring them so...I might actually tour 😂😂

Australian travel nerd

I'm not sure how you define cute bookstores, but my favourites in London are Foyles on Charing Cross Road, Hatchards on Piccadilly (both of which are large) and the London Review Bookstore. Forbidden Planet is also good if you like science fiction or fantasy. I found the famous Word on the Water bookstore to be disappointing - while a bookshop on a barge is a great idea, it's not a particularly good bookstore.

https://booksandbao.com/ is a good resource for finding good bookstores in the UK.

London Walks offers a huge range of walking tours, but some of the guides can be a bit eccentric: https://www.walks.com/ I've done some fantastic walks with them and some that I abandoned at the half way point. The turn up and go business model is very good and there's always a large but not too large group on the walks.

Thank you so much for all of this!!! I'm vaguely aware of Forbidden Planet...but hadn't realized it was in London. Tbh I'll add all these bookstores to my list!

Now that you mention it I did see some folks talk about walks.com 😅 So thank you for the reassurance and inside scoop.

Thank you so much for all your help!! I really really appreciate it!

NanukBen

10d

I haven't been in London in more than 20 years, but I remember fascinating book stores on Charing Cross Road and also on Cecil Court. Enjoy

Thank you so much for these recs!! I'll def add these streets to my list! I appreciate you!

ScottToiletPaper

10d

Im planning a trip in December. I find it so hard to narrow down where I really want to go. There’s so many possibilities that sound incredible. Picking one is very hard. How do you all go about deciding where you go?

anima99

10d

I asked the big travel sub about my budget for 3 people in Europe (based on three times my solo budget + 25%), and wow they all just shut me down. I was totally surprised.

Made me realize solo traveling forces you to be good at handling money or at the very least, not be afraid of booking small hotels.

Guido_Fe

Were you specific with your question? Europe is big and the prices vary a lot

c1nelux

10d

Has anyone else ever gotten random extreme fatigue on a trip? I’m two weeks in so it’s not jetlag, but last night I slept 12 hours and still can barely move today. I took a ‘rest day’ Monday so I feel guilty staying in today, but even just going to the store to get something to eat this morning felt like I was dragging myself through the mud.

Australian travel nerd

10d

It’s likely fatigue from doing far more physical activity than what you usually do, but you might want to see a doctor if this continues. Taking things easier is the right response.

aquincygoodman2

11d

Any tips for a first timer?

I've been to a lot of countries now but they've always been with friends or my parents, I think it's time I finally run a trip solo. Any tips for someone's first time? A few places I've thought of are Italy, England, Australia, Singapore, Korea; obviously for a first time I'd love to go somewhere affordable, safe, easy to get around with plenty to do. Anybody have any recommendations on where to go, how to stay safe, and how to have fun when traveling solo?

Australian travel nerd

10d

Our wiki has articles on most of those issues.

iadorebrandon

11d

I am planning a solo trip to Norway or Finland between September and November. This will be my first ever trip abroad by myself, so I have a few questions that I'd like to ask! I apologize if these questions have been asked before. What is the weather like in Finland and Norway during those months? Are there any areas you'd recommend for housing? Would it be better to rent a vehicle for travel or use public transportation? I enjoy hiking, so I would love to see some breathtaking views and historical locations! Are there any language barriers that I would encounter in either country? If you need any additional info, I'll happily follow up!

Thanks!

11d

I am a little burntout from Uni and I am looking for a summer (End of June until 19 July) holiday spot, where I can stay in max 2-3 spots (want to reduce very long distance bus journeys or national flights) and have a (relatively) good number of beaches or sightseeing places near me.

I thought about Montenegro or North of Spain. Any other advice?

zirlatovic

11d

I'll visit Malta this weekend. I complied lists; historical attractions, restaurants, nightlife. If there are underrated and hidden gems, what do you recommend?

amey_wemy

11d

Anyone up to travel in Germany tgt? I'll be visiting the more touristy areas like Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, and Freiburg i.br (ik not touristy, but yea).

Will be heading there like tmrw hahaha

hocusPocusSw

11d

Next four days I'm gonna stay in Stockholm. Say hello if someone wants to meet. I'm Brazilian. My English is not perfect but I can handle it.

thelostnorwegian

11d

I've been looking to go to south america to learn spanish. Found a school Xela and started looking at flights, but europe to guatemala is $2000. Kiwi.com has an offer for about $800, but looking at all the reviews here its best to avoid them. But $4k to fly there is quite expensive. Is that normal?

11d

Without checking the specific route, I can only say: It might have to do with the number of stops (transit-airports) in your route.

Try to find a route, that only has one stop and preferably not in the US. For example if you live in Prague, check flights from Munich or Frankfurt. You can reach these cities with a train the night before your flight.

You can also try flying into a neighbouring country and enter Guatemala with the bus.

It can also have something to do with the time you want to go. I would not go between July and August.

If you can not cover these costs, my advice is: look for another country or postpone. I am myself looking for places in Latin America and found flights with KLM, Avianca or Iberia to Ecuador and Chile in January 25 that are between 700 and 1200 Euros both ways.

thelostnorwegian

10d

Thanks! I did some more research and found some more reasonable prices, under $1000 at least.

Try to find a route, that only has one stop and preferably not in the US.

Any reason for this? The best flight I found was Oslo>NYC, NYC>Guatemala City. Cheapest and least layovers.

10d

It is just from my experience. I never fly via the US. I always try a stop-over in Frankfurt or Amsterdam.

But these routes are getting pricier too. Might look into Madrid (Iberia) soon.

kp0027788

11d

Hi all, I will be in Slovenia from this weekend until the end of next weekend. I plan to cycle around some different places but will spend the last few days of my trip in Ljubljana. Is anyone else from here going to be around at that time?

BeWonderfulBeDope

11d

Anyone in Dubrovnik Croatia? 37/F in Dubrovnik until Saturday, then open Croatia plans until May 27!

geosc

12d

Anybody going to be in Lima, Peru from May 25th through June 8th and want to meet up?

CeruleanSky73

12d

Hello, I just joined this sub 2 minutes ago. I'm a middle aged (single) mom based in the Seattle area with limited travel experience. I did just go to the Dominican Republic over December holiday and it was wonderful. I was recently laid off from a contract job and was resigned to start a job search slog, but then I (within 2 days) immediately got two job offers. The non-remote job starts June 3rd so I have 1 week to get lost if I want. I have this urge to decline both jobs and be unemployed for the summer, drawing about 4K/month in unemployment benefits, and applying for jobs w/ a target start of September, but this is kind of irresponsible as a sole supporter.

What should I do on such short notice? I was just thinking about going to Leavenworth by Train to see my sister (but lodgings are expensive) then take the train to Vancouver, a place that I'm somewhat familiar with. But it's a long time to spend on the train to look at scenery I've seen my whole life (PNW Coastal). If you had a wild card free week, where would you go? I have a Passport. I could also do these trips by car.

Since I am just starting a job in June, my week of July 4th vacation plans (to Cabo) might not be feasible (I'm checking). The next time I could travel would be Thanksgiving holiday and I really want to go to Portugal and see European Christmas markets. Looking forward to learning from you all!

If there are travel references I should pursue (I've had difficulty locating non-dated country specific travel books and atlases). I'm also interested in tips on traveling (in the future) as a retirement age person and living abroad. My GF suggests Thailand as it's a destination for a lot of German retirees.

Particular-Ask-3314

12d

Maybe this will warrant its own thread, but I'm not sure. I'm solo travelling for the first time to France at the end of June/beginning of July. Starting in Nice, then over to Marseille, and finishing in Lyon. I do speak French, so finding English-speaking accommodations isn't a concern.

I'm a vegan, and these places (especially Lyon) seemed to check the most vegan-friendly boxes for me. Any food recs, including markets, brunch spots, drinks?

I'd like to go the whole trip without any guided/group tours, but I'd love to meet people and be at least a little social. Any tips for bike/car rentals or train passes to make getting around easiest? Also, any ideas for social meetups, gatherings, or events? I'll likely be staying in hostels with dorm options, so I'll probably meet some people that way. Any suggestions for hostels or other lodging to look into (or avoid)?

Also, let me know if I should make this its own thread. I'm new here 😅

Thanks! xo

hoQuoc

The only vegan spots that I can suggest in Lyon would be Like An Elephant and Culina Hortus/Culina In Via.

I'm a vegetarian and spent 2.5 days in Lyon a few weeks ago. I couldn't get myself a reservation to CH but I stumbled upon CIV, which is their "street food" version to CH's fine dining. I mentioned to the employee at CIV that I was visiting for a few days and couldn't get a reservation at CH, and they were kind enough to ask if they wanted to see if they can ask the chef to see if they can squeeze me in on short notice since the chef uses that location to prep for the CH. I declined the offer since I had other plans, but you can try going to CIV if you want to try a taste of what CH has to offer or maybe get yourself a reservation.

Check out Happy Cow if you haven't heard of it. It helps me find vegetarian/vegan friendly locations when I'm traveling and that's how I managed to find these spots.

grimpala

12d

Posting here because it was removed for being “low effort”:

Hello ! Looking for some destination advice. I'm open to pretty much anywhere, but here's some background! I appreciate you all.

Six years ago I went on a 5-ish month solo travel through most of western and Central Europe, and it gave me a lifelong love of solo traveling. For the past 5 years I worked a corporate job, and took my vacations as 2 week solo travel stints in Central America.

As circumstance would have it I got laid off earlier this year. I'd been wanting to quit and travel for a while anyways so I'm taking it as an opportunity to get back on the road with the money I've got saved up from the job. My lease ends in July, and I'm going to be doing an outdoor wilderness course in Wyoming until mid-August. From then, I'm free to travel internationally again :)

Ultimately, I'd like to end up in New Zealand when the winter ends (December?) there and do a bunch of hiking there. But in the mean time, I'm not exactly sure where to go. I love experiencing interesting natural environments, learning about different cultures and interacting with people I wouldn't normally get to. And I also love meeting fellow travelers in hostels.

So I'm trying to figure out where to go from mid-August to December which is when I'd head to NZ. Budget isn't the biggest concern but I've ruled out e.g. Scandinavia because $100+/night with very limited hostel options for lodging doesn't seem reasonable to me.

I'm thinking that Asia would make sense due to its relative proximity to NZ but it seems that SEA might be in rainy season, and East Asia might be very hot? I've tried researching options in the area but have come up a bit short. So I'd like to ask you if any of you have any great experiences of traveling to places during those months. I'd love to hear it and excited to get back out there!

12d

Hi, I'm flying to Lisbon on the 31 of June and out from Porto on the 10th of July. Any ideas on how to structure my trip? Any solid hostels? Parties? Feel free to DM if you're also going!

Lehobhob

Ha funny I'm flying into Porto 3rd July and flying out of Lisbon ten days later. I'm coupling it with a music festival in Lisbon the second week but I'm doing 4 in Porto and 6 in Lisbon. Reading up it seems you don't really need more than 3 days in each of the two cities, only more if you were to do day trips to nearby places

oooh very cool. Which music festival?

Lehobhob

NOS Alive. It's a pretty decent lineup actually. I'm only going the Thursday and Friday

cool. I'm already flying back on the 10th, too bad

sadcar2

12d

Are there any nice hostels in Central Europe that aren't in the major cities? I'd love to visit somewhere more rural or in the mountains without having to get an Airbnb just for myself, but there's pretty much nothing on Hostelworld for smaller towns and cities. Particularly curious about Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, and anywhere with mountains.

maybenomaybe

12d

Have a look for a "penzion" (guesthouse) in Slovakia. They are like bnbs or small hotels and can be very cheap. They won't be as social as hostels where you're sharing a dorm room, but you'll still run into people at breakfast or in common spaces. They are all over the place near the Tatra Mountains. Look for villages along the TEZ (Tatra electric railway) which is a great and cheap little train that runs in and out of the mountains so you don't need a car.

grimpala

12d

I had an amazing stay at Ginger monkey in zdiar but it seem like it is shut down now :(

routinepopfly

12d

It wouldn't make sense to run a hostel in a rural town that doesn't get much tourists or visitors. You could try Booking.com since some only list their properties on one site, but I imagine you're not going to find a lot of options.

puffy-jacket

12d

I love Latin American food and culture, but few to no specific destinations really stand out to me as somewhere I’d be interested in going to alone - I definitely like nature but don’t really like intense hiking or outdoor activities, and I’m not that big on nightlife - I love to drop in for a drink or two and some music but am not really interested in partying alone, especially as a shy, fem-presenting solo traveler. my favorite places I’ve been to had a decent mix of nature, laid-back sightseeing, museums, etc in areas that were pretty compact and easy to get around on foot, bike or public transport. Suggestions for places that I might wanna check out?

11d

you "are not big on nightlife" but you want to go out with other and socialize? That's a bit tricky to answer. In your case; I would recommend Ecuador: Quito, Banos, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Montanita. Or Colombia: Medellin, Cali and either Salento or Bogota

puffy-jacket

10d

you "are not big on nightlife" but you want to go out with other and socialize?

I didn’t really mention socializing specifically but yes? I go to bars and clubs sometimes i just prefer a more laid back scene, some people visit certain cities mainly to party and I respect it but it’s not me and I’m not really used to doing that stuff without a friend. just looking for a little help brainstorming places that are known for having a good mix of things to do. Will def look into the places you mentioned I appreciate the help!

grimpala

12d

Medellin maybe? It’s got a mix of everything you’re looking for

puffy-jacket

10d

That sounds awesome thank you for the tip

hamlet_darcy

12d

Hello!

In Turkey, trying to take out lira from an atm for cash from my Visa card but all the atms are Turkish? How do you take out money from an atm here if you only know English?

Thank you!

Australian travel nerd

12d

You can use the camera feature in Google translate or similar apps to translate what’s on the screen, though this is a bit nerve racking with ATMs! I needed to do this in Brazil recently.

The way the interface steps through the transaction is pretty standardised worldwide, and this provides a way of verifying what the app is translating.

Junior_Assumption_13

12d

I have a trip to Switzerland booked for 6 days in October. I’ll be in Zurich for my first day - Lauterbrunnen on my 2nd/3rd/4th days (as a base for exploring the Bernese Oberland - Zurich on my 5th day - Travel home on my 6th day.

I’m going to start putting together an itinerary and would really appreciate tips, advice and recommendations on things to do and see! I am looking online but thought asking here would be helpful.

Also, is the Bernese Oberland pass worth it for 3 days?

Thank you in advance!

ETA: I have been trying to post this on its own but hasn’t been allowed

11d

I second the other advice: check out Interlaken, Wengen and Grindelwald.

Also: You can do Zurich in one full packed day or 1.5. If I were you, I would make may way directly to Bern on the first day and check out Zurich in the 24h before your return flight.

Junior_Assumption_13

11d

Thank you, will definitely do this! Do you know if the train pass is worth it?

For Zurich, I’ve already booked the accommodations and by the time I travel back to Zurich on my last day it’ll be enough time to see quite a bit but would feel less rushed with the 2 days I think

Particular-Ask-3314

12d

Lauterbrunnen is one of my favorite places, I'm so excited for you!! Definitely check out AirTime Café for breakfast, super cute atmosphere and delicious, handmade food. I highly recommend visiting Wengen, if just for the train ride up from the valley. Interlaken has some pretty incredible food, architecture, and sightseeing as well. It's been a while since I visited, but I loved it.

Junior_Assumption_13

11d

Ahh thank you! I’m writing all your suggestions down as will start making an itinerary soon. You make it sound so beautiful!

Oscarsome

12d

Hey everyone!
Gay male here headed to London later this June and want to definitely go to some gay-focused spaces, if anyone has any recommendations for queer friendly areas/restaurants/bars, etc., please let me know! Or if there's a good place where I can find resources for London queer spaces. Or even a place for gay travelers to connect? Thanks!

Also, if anyone is/will be in London on June 25-July 3rd and is looking for a potential travel buddy, please let me know! I'd love to connect with someone else so much! This is my first solo trip ever and I'm terrified, but also excited and would appreciate any help!

Australian travel nerd

12d

I suspect that you'd be best off Googling here. London is a very large and generally socially liberal city, so there will likely be a very large range of options.

Oscarsome

12d

Oh for sure! Was just hoping to hear from anyone's personal experiences from the subreddit here or to potentially also find other queer solo travelers to meet up with.

Low_Nefariousness765

13d

Anyone want to do some Coffeeshop hoping next weekend in Amsterdam?

applejelly1234

13d

I am in Porto on a solo trip from 22nd to the 28th, my mate caught covid and cant go, So I will be knocking around anyone know where is good to meet other solo travellers in Porto?