Traveling alone?

[SmoothieX]

Great!

http://www.farmholidays.is/

 

[cultcross]

I travelled alone for two months after my first year of university, and although I had many of the same concerns I ended up loving it. Your life is completely your own, something you rarely get to enjoy normally, and you can do literally whatever you want. Tips are fairly simple, but useful:

Take locks for stuff. Be able to padlock your bag, and preferably padlock it to you if you wish to nap in a station or airport.

Hide stuff. Don't put anything valuable in an obvious place - you should split up your money and keep it in at least 4 different places so you've always got an emergency stash to fall back on. Don't carry large amounts of cash unless you absolutely need to.

Carry a dummy wallet with about $20 and some expired cards in. If you are ever mugged, hand that over instead of your real one.

Take a book everywhere - if possible, one set where you are going. It isn't just for bus journeys and things, a book is a great way to relieve the awkwardness of eating out alone. You can also use it as a conversation starter.

It seems counter-intuitive but don't call home too often. Constant communication with home will only accentuate feelings of loneliness and homesickness. Try to think of being alone as an adventure.

If you're staying in hostels, take earplugs and an eyemask if you can put up with them (I can't). Also, a torch is a lifesaver which will make you more popular than the guy who comes in at 3am and turns the main light on to change.

And the biggest tip? Relax. Nothing says 'target me, I'm a tourist' like acting nervous and like a fish out of water. If you act confident, even if you're shitting yourself in a hole of a bus station in the part of town the cops won't go to, you won't stand out (voice of experience, there!). Part of this is knowing what you're doing before you get to said shithole. Don't get there and pull out a map or a guidebook, know in advance where you need to go and walk there with a purpose.

 

[Holdfast]

Leaving aside the obvious stuff like work trips, I've travelled alone for actual holidays. I like it as you have both total freedom and no hassles. I can't say I've ever done anything similar to what the OP plans (backpacker hostels and the like) as I prefer proper hotels. I don't think I'd do anything like trekking in the middle of any kind of wilderness alone either. But a normal beach holiday or city break? Sure.

 

[Captain_Nick]

Would you travel alone?

Yes

It's bloody awesome

Don't overthink it, you'll talk yourself out of it

Just jump in

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I love travelling alone. I'll do that when I visit Melbourne on the weekend. Even thou I'll see many friends at the convention, I'll spend a lot of time doing my own things.

And, as australis said, there are many Australians posting on this board.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I don't mind travelling alone. I do it all the time. Did it in Boston a couple of months ago and had a great time.

 

[TerokNor]

Thanks for all the answers. Hmm... well I suppose I could sort of travel alone to places and at the places join in trips (like hikes through the wilderness, cause those I also would not like to do alone, like someone of you said). Hmm... I still hope to find someone, but if not... yeah, than I give the traveling alone a try.

Hostels I do not mind. I can make myself comfortable in the most simple conditions, as long as their is a bed or place for a make shift bed, a toilet and some water and as long as I do not have to sleep outside on a bench or something.
Proper hotels are surly nice, but too expensive. Need to travel on low budget.


TerokNor

 

[SmoothieX]

I think if I ever travel alone, I'd bring my dog. It's alone in the not with another human sense, but she's an excellent conversationalist, and I'd still have someone to play outside with.

 

[Rarewolf]

Now my hosts said, if I cannot find somebody else for exploring the South Island for some days (Or Australia/ Cook Islands) I just should do it by myself and stay at backpacker hostels and there I will meet enough people, so that it does not feel alone.
I never did something like that before... I mean I traveled alone, but I met friends there...like I traveled alone to Scotland and to the USA but I knew before that I will meet X and X and X there and that we will spend our time together.

I'm seriously considering 1-2 weeks in LA next Feb, that would be on my own. Never flown on my own, or spent that long by myself. It's really just deciding on a room in cheap not highly rated B&B, or a bed in a highly rated hostel. Money will go further in a hostel. I think I'd go mad on my own for a week too.

 

[Holdfast]

I think if I ever travel alone, I'd bring my dog. It's alone in the not with another human sense, but she's an excellent conversationalist, and I'd still have someone to play outside with.

re: the bolded bit: probably makes more sense than most humans, too.

 

[SmoothieX]

Yes, we regularly debate religion and the arts for hours at a time. She has some interesting opinions on 4th Century Mexican literature.

 

[Captain Ice]

Now my hosts said, if I cannot find somebody else for exploring the South Island for some days (Or Australia/ Cook Islands) I just should do it by myself and stay at backpacker hostels and there I will meet enough people, so that it does not feel alone.
I never did something like that before... I mean I traveled alone, but I met friends there...like I traveled alone to Scotland and to the USA but I knew before that I will meet X and X and X there and that we will spend our time together.

I'm seriously considering 1-2 weeks in LA next Feb, that would be on my own. Never flown on my own, or spent that long by myself. It's really just deciding on a room in cheap not highly rated B&B, or a bed in a highly rated hostel. Money will go further in a hostel. I think I'd go mad on my own for a week too.

Don't know if you are interested, but there is a Doctor Who convention that meets in February every year in LA.

 

[Bread]

You know my problem right now is, that while I found some people who I can do some traveling with on the weekends on the North Island of NZ, I can find no one, who wants to do the following things: Traveling for about 10 days in January 2012 to places on the South Island, flying over to Australia for some days next year, no specefic date yet, flying to the Cook Islands for some days also no specific date yet.

Everybody I asked so far either has vacation time to a different time than I or gets visitors from home (the parents, the boy-friend...) and than will do traveling with them, or as for Australia and Cook Islands, only wants to do NZ and nothing else, because of the money.

Now my hosts said, if I cannot find somebody else for exploring the South Island for some days (Or Australia/ Cook Islands) I just should do it by myself and stay at backpacker hostels and there I will meet enough people, so that it does not feel alone.
I never did something like that before... I mean I traveled alone, but I met friends there...like I traveled alone to Scotland and to the USA but I knew before that I will meet X and X and X there and that we will spend our time together.

Going like the backpackers do would be traveling to somewhere and hoping to get in contact with someone, that I don´t know yet.
I am not quite sure if that fits my personality. On the other hand I really want to see also the South Island...and Australia..(well a smallish bit of it) and some Pacific Island. So it would be stupid, only because I don´t find no one to come to spend all my vacation time in the Auckland area.
Well I only have 16 days vacation time, but still....

So my question..did one of you ever traveled all alone and got to know people on the way, just doing this and that together and then traveling on alone? How was it? Isn´t that dangerous? Can´t it happen that you just end up alone, because other people do other things or already have enough people to travel with or you just do not fit into (like I am no partying type and don´t drink alcohol)...I just want to see the nature, hiking and some easy cayaking and seeing whales and some places like Dunedin and such things.
Would you travel alone?

TerokNor

Check out Gumtree, we're in Auckland and there are always adverts looking for travelling companions on Gumtree, usually students on their OE.

 

[Rarewolf]

Don't know if you are interested, but there is a Doctor Who convention that meets in February every year in LA.

Just a bit! That's the reason I'd have to go in Feb. Its an excuse to fly 5 1/2 thousand miles... and back again

 

[TerokNor]

I have finally booked my first longer travel in New Zealand and even found a travel-mate, an italien girl. That’s great, cause not only will I not travel alone (at least for this travel), but we have to talk English as well, as she cannot speak any German, nor can I speak any Italien.

This travel will lead me from Christchurch (flying there from Auckland) to Kaikoura – Picton- Marahau (will spend New Years Eve there..is there anything to do?)- Greymouth- Franz Joseph- Queenstown- Invergargill/ Stewards Island- Guns Camp/ Milford Sound- back to Queenstown- Mt. Cook- Rangitata- back to Christchurch (flying back to Auckland).
Are there any must do´s on that way? I though of doing hiking of course, the whale watching and maybe swimming with dolphins, a cruise through Milford Sound and a Kajak-tour... and depending if I have any money left maybe a LOTR tour in the Queenstown area.

I will miss out Dunedin, tough. Do I miss with that something really important?

Also I wonder... is it a waste of time to fly to Australia (Sydney or Melbourne) for 2-3 days in July? Would it be only raining then and be grey and unpleasant or so?

Thanks!

TerokNor