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Travelling Alone


mikeyp102

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So I'm considering going travelling unfortunately it seems that I may have to go alone. Has anyone any experiences of doing this? How easy us it to meet people. What's the general age range? It'll probably be on the backpackers route, Thailand, Aus, NZ, Fiji (maybe throwing in Sri Lanka to watch the cricket to start off with) etc. I'm pretty confident and happy to talk to people, just a little worried that by the time I go I'll be 32 and everyone else will be a lot younger and ill stand out like a sore thumb.

Interested to hear people's experiences.

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Travelling alone is the best way to travel.  You can make your own schedule and do exactly what you want to do, but you'll still have the option of company without having to please others.  If you stay in dorm rooms you will easily meet people and you'll find there's many others in the same position.  I don't know why but things just seem to click and conversation flows.

 

Also if your on well trodden routes you'll often have people on similar itinerary and you'll probably end up with people to travel with from place to place.  

 

You get travellers of all ages, there'll be a lot of 19 year old wealthy gap year students, but generally I'd say the majority of people will be mid to late 20's.  

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I went over to south east Asia on my own last year (was 23 at the time). Had an amazing trip, met lots of people along the way, ended up in a few groups throughout my time there and came back with a few friends for life, have had a couple of reunions and still speak to some of them most days.

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Yeah as Wainy says travel on your own is the best way if you are planning on taking a lot in... Back backing can be a little intense and you don't want to miss out because one of your mates is a wuss and misses his girlfriend or can't live without aircon and wifi for a few days...

You'll meet loads of people on the way and all sorts of ages you might even tag along with a few for a while if they are going the same way as you but eventually you'll want to kill them :)

Saying that I'm lucky in that my mate and I have done loads of trips in the past 10 years without falling out but we are usually working to a kinda agreed itinerary ( over a fee weeks rather than an open plan over months ) , we will work out the countries / towns we are going to and then do our own research on what we want to see and then anything we both select is in and the stuff we don't agree on we will discuss a bit further and either compromise or sometimes we will split for a few days and meet back up ... Vietnam I went to Ha long bay (islands )and my mate to Bing Ba ( battlefield) and then we met up in Hanoi a few days later

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I've been to all the countries you listed so if you want more specific pointers nearer the time start a thread or drop me a PM

I.e if you are going to Fiji then a )if you scuba dive there is a great site where you can dive with about 40 sharks , even tigers , they hand feed them so it's safe the sharks aren't interested in taking bites out of you :)

And

B) direct flights to Tonga as well and one of the outer islands of Tonga you can snorkel with humpback whales ( seasonal ) ... Not cheap but you've got to do it if you can , I'll put you in touch with the bloke that took us out

Etc etc

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I'm doing it in a few days time, and it's only really recently I've realised I'm going on my own for the first time since I half did it about 11 years ago on a gap year of sorts. I'm excited, and I think you should be too. It's very liberating to not be held hostage to other people's interests. No compromise, just enjoy it and discover on your own terms. At 32 you'll be bang average I'd say, probably quite a few in the low 20's but I've met loads of pack packers from 18 through to 70 before. 

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See this is why I love VT, our support if villa has enabled me to open up access to a host of people with brilliant experiences.

It's very ealy days in my planning, but I will definitely be taking you up your generous offers of advice/information.

Tony I don't scuba, but was considering doing a crash course before I go as I knew there would be brilliant opportunities to see out there. As the sites globe trotter I was hoping you'd have some advice, so thanks in advance.

Rodders best of luck for your trip. Out of interest where are you heading?

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See this is why I love VT, our support if villa has enabled me to open up access to a host of people with brilliant experiences.

It's very ealy days in my planning, but I will definitely be taking you up your generous offers of advice/information.

Tony I don't scuba, but was considering doing a crash course before I go as I knew there would be brilliant opportunities to see out there. As the sites globe trotter I was hoping you'd have some advice, so thanks in advance.

Rodders best of luck for your trip. Out of interest where are you heading?

 

 

Do the 5 day scuba course in Kho Tao if your in Thailand anyway.  The cheapest way to get the proper qualification, then you';ll be a pro by the time you hit Fiji.

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See this is why I love VT, our support if villa has enabled me to open up access to a host of people with brilliant experiences.

It's very ealy days in my planning, but I will definitely be taking you up your generous offers of advice/information.

Tony I don't scuba, but was considering doing a crash course before I go as I knew there would be brilliant opportunities to see out there. As the sites globe trotter I was hoping you'd have some advice, so thanks in advance.

Rodders best of luck for your trip. Out of interest where are you heading?

 

the dive company in Fiji offer courses  as well (if you don't get time in Kho Tao :) )

 

learn to dive on Monday , dive with sharks on Tuesday 

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See this is why I love VT, our support if villa has enabled me to open up access to a host of people with brilliant experiences.

It's very ealy days in my planning, but I will definitely be taking you up your generous offers of advice/information.

Tony I don't scuba, but was considering doing a crash course before I go as I knew there would be brilliant opportunities to see out there. As the sites globe trotter I was hoping you'd have some advice, so thanks in advance.

Rodders best of luck for your trip. Out of interest where are you heading?

 

nowhere exotic! just hostelling across belgium and the netherlands, so not exactly the backpacker type travel and a bit easier to meet people but still should be fun!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was thinking last might about flying to Europe for the last two weeks of the World Cup. Bounce around Germany and Holland, watch football and maybe drink real beer for the first time in three years. 

 

But flights to Amsterdam, Munich and Genoa are all like $1,700 r/t. By the time I'm done sleeping, train riding and drinking, it'll cost me three times that. Not sure I can justify it at all.

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So I'm considering going travelling unfortunately it seems that I may have to go alone. Has anyone any experiences of doing this? How easy us it to meet people. What's the general age range? It'll probably be on the backpackers route, Thailand, Aus, NZ, Fiji (maybe throwing in Sri Lanka to watch the cricket to start off with) etc. I'm pretty confident and happy to talk to people, just a little worried that by the time I go I'll be 32 and everyone else will be a lot younger and ill stand out like a sore thumb.

Interested to hear people's experiences.

I prefer going it alone, for all the reasons Wainy said. I've found it easier to meet people when you're alone. You meet more locals when you're alone too. And you go to sleep and wake up when YOU want to!

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just a little worried that by the time I go I'll be 32 and everyone else will be a lot younger and ill stand out like a sore thumb.

Erm, 32 is still pretty young, man  :)

 

I'm 43, so staying up all night at the beach bar, dropping ecstasy and pulling hot girls is totally out of the question. Right?

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  • 2 weeks later...

One thing i'd recommend is getting yourself signed up for some multi-day activities, that way you're sure to meet a few people along the way.

 

In New Zealand they have 9 'Great Walks' which tend to last a few days. You stay in very basic huts where there's nothing to do except play cards and talk to the people around you. While you may start the trek on your own, you're guaranteed to pick up a few friends along the way. We did the Milford Trek and ended up a fair few friends richer at the end of it.

 

That would be my tip.

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Or do the organised pub/bar crawls in the evening

Did one in Rome the other year , saw it advertised and it was free if it was your birthday ( it was) so my mate and I went along

We were about double the age of everyone else and all we kept being asked is "what are you doing here"

As everyone else was a student pack backing rocket polisher they had no money so after the first hour of drink all you can that was included they then kept trying to sponge drinks or drink from your pint when you went to the toilet

Was almost the worse night out I've ever had , only redeemed as one of the girls flashed her boobies around 1 am ...,

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nowhere exotic! just hostelling across belgium and the netherlands, so not exactly the backpacker type travel and a bit easier to meet people but still should be fun!

I guess you're already on your way but are you hitching at all?
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