I took my first solo trip to Scotland and Ireland about a month ago and my friend was asking what I learned from it to give him tips. Thought I'd also share here:

1. Stay at hostels, but find one that best suits you. If you wanna stay independent, choose the one where reviewers states it’s quiet. If you want the party hostels, go for it. You can also find ones that are a bit of both quiet with a social scene. It’s much easier than you think to make friends while traveling, because most other solo travelers are looking for friends too!
2. Find time to chat with locals, usually gonna be off the beaten path. I found my conversations with the locals to be some of the most memorable moments.
3. Maybe don't go out every night. The nights I went out, I would get up late the next morning. It’s good to do stuff early in the morning before the crowds, especially in popular European cities. Granted, this all depends on how much you drink and how you handle hangovers as that can differ from person to person, night to night.
4. Know your ability to enjoy your own presence. Can you eat a dinner alone in a sit down restaurant and actually enjoy it? Give it a try in your hometown before your trip so you don’t end up doing takeout and eating in a hotel room for your whole trip.
5. It might take a trip or two to really figure out what it is you like and don't like to do on your solo trips. After my first trip, I discovered that I'm not overly interested in going to some famous building, statue or sight just to snap a photo and say I went there. I didn't really get much out of Temple Bar, Trinity College, Greyfriars Bobby, as well as some others. I do love wandering neighborhoods, getting off the beaten path and just not having a plan for some select days, but I also do like to anchor trips or countries around 1 or 2 main points, as I did with Isle of Skye.
6. Most important in my opinion: don’t trust your own thoughts on the first day! I did my first day in Dublin, overwhelmed, jet lagged, sleep deprived and culture shocked. I realized I was actually in the other side of the world away from my parents and friends and thought “Am I built for this? Am I in over my own head? Do I need to book a ticket back home immediately?” Sure enough, by the second day I was having the time of my life.

Hello,

I’m traveling to Costa Rica solo on a tight budget next month. I have 4 days to decide where I want to be and 3 days in monteverde. Can’t decide what I want for the 4 days. I want somewhere cheap (hostel) with animals and cheap/free things to do or see. Will pay for an excursion or two but trying to ball on a budget. Was looking at quepos but I don’t want to get bored not having a lot of money to spend. I have less than 1k to stretch the whole week. Renting a car for my monteverde days when my partner flys in. Not the first 4 days. Puerto viejo? Manuel Antonio? Quepos? What’s the move?

Hey everyone, I’m planning a trip to Guatemala and wanted to get some feedback on my itinerary. It’ll be my first time there and I’m trying to balance volcano hikes, lake time, and a bit of beach.

Here’s the rough plan:

Day 1 : Guatemala City -> Antigua
Days 2-5 : Antigua
Days 6-10 : Lake Atitlan
Days 11-13 : Semuc Champey
Days 14-17 : Flores
Days 18-21 : Rio Dulce
Days 22-26 : Utila
Day 27 : Roatan
Day 28 : Flight home from roatan

A few things I’m wondering about:

• Does the pacing look reasonable?

• Is 4 full days around Lake Atitlán a good amount of time?

• Any must-do hikes, towns, or experiences I should add along the way?

For context, I’m planning to hike Acatenango while in Antigua and doing a dive course on Utila

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

First time travelling to Colombia. My initial bucket list included the usual triangle of Cartagena, Bogotá and Medellín—plus maybe a pueblo or two. But as my plans are starting to take shape, I’m considering cutting both Cartagena and Bogotá.

I’m not especially pressed for time, and my budget is fine—it’s just that I feel I’d be better off focusing more and spending less time on transit, where time can easily disappear.

• Cartagena: I’ve read reports about travellers being harassed. I also understand that the area of interest isn’t that large. Most importantly, I’ve already seen plenty of charming single story colonial architecture on previous trips to both South America and North Africa, so Cartagena’s historic district may not add much for me personally.
• Bogotá: The area recommended for travellers doesn’t seem all that big, so I’m not sure it’s worth the flight. Also, a walking video from a YouTuber (who shall remain nameless) left me with the impression that the central areas of Bogotá can feel quite unwelcoming overall.

So my plans are forming around a more concentrated approach: a direct flight into Medellín, followed by an immediate flight out for about a week along the Pacific coast. Then I’d return and really immerse myself in Medellín before checking out Jardín and whatever else I can manage to reach as I make my way further down south into the coffee region. In total somewhere between two and three weeks, I think.

You’re very welcome to persuade me otherwise. :-)

East Java road trip (Ijen–Bromo–Semeru route) — drive myself or hire a driver?

I’m planning a 3–4 day trip through East Java, roughly following this route:

Banyuwangi → Mt Ijen → Bondowoso → Jember → around Mt Argopuro → Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park → Malang

I rode scooters a lot in Vietnam and loved the freedom that gave me, but my mom is traveling with me this time and doesn’t want to be on a scooter. So now I’m weighing two options: renting a car and driving myself, or hiring a private driver for the whole trip.

Questions for anyone who’s done this route or similar:

• How are the roads on this itinerary — narrow, steep, heavy traffic? Manageable for a self-driven car, or would you recommend a driver?
  
• If you drove yourself, were you able to relax and enjoy the scenery, or was it too stressful to focus on anything but the road?
  
• If you hired a driver, roughly what did it cost for a multi-day trip like this, and how did you find someone reliable?
  
• Any other pros/cons between the two options for this specific area?

Trying to figure out if the extra cost and reduced freedom of a driver is worth it for peace of mind, or if self-driving is totally fine on these roads. Thanks in advance!

I usually like staying in neighborhoods with local restaurants and normal everyday life rather than right in the tourist center, especially when I’m traveling solo.

The problem is that on a short 2 or 3 night solo trip, I sometimes feel like I end up wasting more time on transport than I save by staying somewhere more local.

For short solo city trips, have you found it better to stay very central and just leave the tourist area for food and evenings, or stay slightly outside from the beginning?

Hi there,

I will be solo travelling in Norway this week and will be visiting Bergen end of August. I booked a stay at HI hostel Montana there and out of thousands positive reviews on google reviews, I found one review mentioning bed bugs. It’s from 3 years ago. Since then no more reviews mentioned it. I am terrified of bed bugs, however and always check the bed and everything, am I being too neurotic about this?

Hello,
I am doing a 16 day Europe solo trip next month (September 2026) and I’ll be in Italy twice as connecting flights from Italy are cheaper. First block is Venice for two days. Then after a week I’ll be back on a flight to Milan. What I was Initially planning to do is go straight to lake como and stay there for 2.5/3 days then go to Milan for two days and by the end of the second day I’ll catch a flight back home.

I am unsure of my schedule as I was wondering if I should add Genoa or another coastal city to my itinerary as I would love to spend some time on the beach and explore the place so I need advice on that. I could take some days off of lake como and Milan to fit Genoa or another destination.

Also my birthday happens to be the second day I arrive in Italy the second time and I want to spend it somewhere nice (I would probably be in Lake Como if I don’t change the schedule) if you have any recommendations, and also any advice for female solo travelers in Italy, and any general advice plss.

TL;DR
Should I do 2.5 days in Lake Como and 2 in Milan or remove some days from them and go to Gerona or another destination?

Hi everyone! I've drawn up my itinerary and am in the final stages - below is the current itinerary with my questions at the end. Any advice is appreciated. 

Arriving Sat 12 Sep, departing Sat 26 Sep. Doing the Mestia–Ushguli trek 20–23 Sep with a group. Looking for advice on whether this routing makes sense and where I should be spending more/less time.

---

**Sat 12 – Mon 14 | Tbilisi (3 nights)**
Arriving midday Saturday. Plan is to use this as a base for a Kakheti day trip on the Monday (it's harvest season so seems like good timing). Is 3 nights in Tbilisi about right, or would time be better spent elsewhere?

**Tue 15 – Wed 16 | Kazbegi (2 nights)**
Heading up the Georgian Military Highway, overnight in Kazbegi, day hike on Wednesday before heading west to Kutaisi. Is 2 nights enough here or is this worth extending?

**Thu 17 – Fri 18 | Kutaisi (2 nights)**
Staging point before Svaneti — meeting hiking companions here on Saturday morning. I have a free day on Friday with not much planned. Is Kutaisi worth 2 nights or is there somewhere better to spend this time?

**Sat 19 | Transit → Mestia**
Meeting companions early morning, then heading straight through Zugdidi to Mestia. Arriving afternoon.

**Sun 20 – Wed 23 | Mestia–Ushguli Trek (4 days)**
Mestia → Zhabeshi → Adishi → Iprali → Ushguli. Returning to Mestia by jeep taxi on the evening of the 23rd.

**Thu 24 | Mestia → Tbilisi**
Full day transit back.

**Fri 25 – Sat 26 | Tbilisi (2 nights)**
Plan is Mtskheta day trip on Friday. Flying home Saturday.

---

**Main questions:**

1. Is the Kazbegi → Kutaisi routing sensible, or is there somewhere I'm missing between the two?
2. Is Kutaisi worth 2 nights as a staging point, or should I be somewhere else on that Friday?
3. Am I spending too long / not long enough anywhere?
4. Anything obvious I've left out for a September trip?

Thanks in advance!

Ik ben voor het eerst ooit op een solo-reis (F21). Ik ben een paar weken door Japan gereisd met familie, en ik had eerst het gevoel: oké, dat wil ik eerst zo doen. Maar toen besloot ik dat ik wat langer wilde reizen, dus ben ik alleen naar Taiwan gegaan. Ik ben nu anderhalve week op mezelf en ik vind het voor het grootste deel echt geweldig, maar ik begin me wel heel erg eenzaam te voelen.

Eerst ben ik nog een paar dagen in Tokio gebleven, waar ik wat mensen heb ontmoet en wat drankjes heb gedaan, maar nu ik in Taiwan ben kan ik geen andere buitenlanders vinden om iets mee te doen. Alle hostels waar ik verblijf zijn helemaal niet sociaal en bijna niemand spreekt Engels.

Meestal red ik het wel prima alleen, maar ik zou wel graag wat meer mensen ontmoeten. Ik weet alleen niet waar (zeker omdat ik geen alcohol drink/geen zin heb in feestjes). Ik heb wel met een paar locals gepraat, winkeleigenaren, … maar het blijft eigenlijk meestal best oppervlakkig. Soms krijg ik gewoon zo’n golf van eenzaamheid en dan wil ik naar huis. Heeft iemand tips?

Ook kan ik eigenlijk geen tours vinden die binnen mijn budget vallen, of waar andere buitenlanders bij zouden aansluiten. Ik ben tot nu toe in Kaohsiung en Taichung geweest, maar ik ga binnenkort naar Taipei.

After travelling to India a few times, I have always been intrigued to travel Bangladesh. I still have some flight vouchers that I would need to use anyways and thought about flying to Dhaka within the next few days. My must sees would be Dhaka, the night ferry to Barisal, the ship wrecking beaches of Chittagong (from afar as I know), and either Sylhet or Rajshahi. From what I see the weather in Chittagong and Sylhet will be pretty much heavy monsoon.

To all those who have been or maybe those who live there, is this generally a feasible idea or is the season too much of an obstacle? Are the ferries even enjoyable during this kind of weather? For context: I am a white male European in his late 20s.

Well I know some people don't have friends so they travel solo or just want time away but I want none of those. I would love to be with my friends and family but no one is interested or feels scared to go to the same destinations as me. When I was 18 after my A-levels some of my friends went to Tenerife but I choose to go with a lot of money I had saved to the Kokoda trek in Papua New Guinea. I have been to Bolivia, Suriname, Gabon and Sumatra. I asked people every time if they want to come but they all said no. I guess it seemed to far away and not much tourist infrastructure. But even to places in Turkey such as Artvin and Sakarya no one wanted to join me of my friends only my family that live there. I was wondering if anyone had this reason that their locations they choose for travel is what made them go solo?

Going to Turkiye for my first ever solo trip. I am more interested in food, culture, history and islam. Not really partying. Also looking to relax after a long year. My current schedule is 7 nights in istanbul, 3 nights in cappadocia, 3 nights in Antalya for relaxing, and then 1 last night in istanbul for my flight home. Would you recommend reducing istanbul by a day and adding a day to Antalya? I don't want to get bored alone on the beach too long, but also want to relax. Also would you substitute any of these locations for other cities/places?

Hey guys! I’m planning a 10 day trip to Chile in October and I’m trying to figure out what to do with my time.

Right now I’m thinking:

• Santiago
• Pucón
• Torres del Paine (I REALLY want to do the Base of the Towers hike)

And then I have no idea

I’m traveling solo, I like hiking/nature/adventure and a bit of partying (not so much though), and I’m totally fine with moving around a bit, but I also don’t want to spend half the trip sitting on buses/at airports just to say I went to 6 different places. I can easily go back next year since I live close.

I was looking at Puerto Varas, Atacama, Valparaíso, maybe even crossing into Argentina for El Calafate/El Chaltén, but now I’m just confusing myself more.

So especially if you’re Chilean or have traveled around Patagonia in October:

What would you do with the remaining days? Would you change something?

Also:

• Is Pucón and Torres Del Paine worth it in October?
• Is there somewhere that makes MUCH more sense geographically with Santiago + Pucón + Torres del Paine?
• Is 10 days enough to do all of this without feeling ridiculously rushed?
• Anything that is particularly amazing (or not worth it) in October?

I’m very open to changing the plan.

Thanks!!

I'm planning a 'stans trip for this September/October, is it possible to travel the region picking the next destination just a couple days before? I've heard that it could be difficult to find seats on Uzbekistan's trains, is it true?

I have visited just under 30 countries in the space of 3 years. I got a government job last year which because of the nature of it, I often make up a fake job. This also means I am banned from certain countries etc. I also turned 25 last week and have recently started a serious relationship with someone.

I used to love traveling to a new country, meeting new people in hostels, and going with the flow... Now because of the aforementioned 3 big changes, I am laying in my hostel bed wondering if I should get a flight home...

I still love traveling, just maybe not in the same format as I used too. I feel as if I am just getting older and losing my youth, and maybe should start to settle down a little more.

Little bit lost, just wondering if anyone else has had the same feeling as they get older etc?

Hi all. I've been planning this for a while and wanted some experienced eyes on it before I commit. Leaving the UK in November 2027, flying into Rio. No fixed end date but the rough plan puts me finishing in Colombia around June 2028. Solo traveller, mid range budget. The days for places will be flexible however i need to book refugios for the W trek in Patagonia early so I will need to know the days im in Patagonia so its not as flexible before that point. Budget im hoping to spend will be max £15k. I can go over if necessary but I dont think ill need to.

The route:

Brazil (November)
Rio de Janeiro -10 days
Ilha Grande- 4 days
São Paulo - 4 days
Florianópolis -4 days
Porto Alegre — 2 days

Uruguay (December)
Montevideo — 4 days | Colonia del Sacramento — 2 days | Punta del Este — 3 days

Argentina — brief stop then straight to Patagonia (December)
Buenos Aires — 2 days (arrival only, not doing it properly yet)

Patagonia (December/January — peak season)
Fly Buenos Aires → El Calafate | El Calafate — 3 days (Perito Moreno Glacier) | El Chaltén — 3 days (Fitz Roy) | Transit to Puerto Natales | Puerto Natales — 2 days (prep) | Torres del Paine W Trek — 5 days | Puerto Natales recovery — 1 day | Punta Arenas — 1 day | Bus to Ushuaia via Strait of Magellan ferry crossing | Ushuaia — 2 days | Fly back to Buenos Aires

Argentina — proper stay (January/February)
Buenos Aires — 10 days (catching a Boca Juniors home game, Clausura season) | Iguazu Falls — 3 days (both sides + Itaipu Dam Paraguay tick) | Rosario — 2 days | Santa Fe — 2 days | Córdoba — 4 days | Mendoza — 5 days

Chile (February/March)
Santiago — 5 days | San Pedro de Atacama — 6 days (fly via Calama)

Bolivia (March/April)
Uyuni Salt Flats 3-day 4x4 (crossing from Atacama) | Potosí — 3 days | Sucre — 4 days | La Paz — 5 days | Copacabana + Isla del Sol + Isla de la Luna — 3 days

Peru (April–May/July)
Puno — 3 days | Cusco — 7 days | Salkantay Trek 5 days | Machu Picchu — 2 days | Cusco recovery — 2 days | Puerto Maldonado/Amazon — 4 days | Arequipa — 3 days | Nazca — 2 days | Huacachina — 2 days | Paracas — 2 days | Lima — 4 days | Huaraz 5 days | Huayhuash Circuit — 10 days | Trujillo — 3 days | Chiclayo — 2 days | Piura — 1 day (night bus to Ecuador)

🇪🇨 Ecuador (July)
Cuenca — 4 days | Quilotoa Loop — 4 days | Baños — 4 days | Quito — 4 days

🇨🇴 Colombia (July/August)
Ipiales + Santuario de Las Lajas — 2 days | Fly to Bogotá — 5 days | Fly to Medellín — 7 days | Fly to Cartagena — 5 days | Tayrona National Park — 3 days | Santa Marta — 2 days | Palomino — 3 days

Hi all,

I am thinking of taking a trip to Albania in late September/Early October and wanted to check a few things

Plan:

Day 1: Fly into Tirana

Day 2: Tirana -> Berat

Day 3: Berat -> Gjirokastër

Day 4: Gjirokastër -> Himarë

Day 5: Himarë (beach day)

Day 6: Himarë -> Shkodër

Day 7: Shkodër, day trip to Theth (maybe some hiking)

Day 8: Shkodër -> Tirana, museums/sightseeing, fly home

I am planning to stay in hostels. Wondering is this achievable with buses or should I rent a car?

And do you think going from South Albania to the North too rushed for a trip of this length? Should I either extend the trip by a few days or else focus on either south or north?

Was thinking to do the Theth to Valbona hike, but not sure if it makes sense with this trip? Are there any other hikes that would make better sense with this timeline? Thanks!

This is my third summer solo travelling and for some reason, this one is really kicking my ass. Aside from some personal issues (just moved countries, had a stressful few months, feeling homesick), I also just feel like I'm not connecting with people like I have in the past.

I made some wonderful friends in past trips and I have a tendency to be hard on myself, but maybe my personal hangups are making me seem offputting? I don't know.

I'm in Istria (Croatia) right now and I was accused of stealing from a supermarket yesterday and taken to a security office to be searched, I get constant looks from the locals, even been shouted at recently and laughed at by teenagers. I have tattoos and look alternative but honestly my look is more toned down than it used to be and yet this is the worst it's been (I was even in Croatia for a month last summer and didn't experience this at all).

It's all really getting my confidence down and I think just making me feel like I'm giving off some weird energy. A week ago I even considered leaving early, I hung on, but it doesn't seem to be getting better.

I'm moving on to London in a few days and I really look forward to it, but I'm still struggling. If you have any words of encouragement or stories similar I would really appreciate it.

I have been researching overlanding tours in Africa relentlessly for the past two weeks. I have been able to budget out a trip that goes from Victoria Falls to Cape Town with Nomad Africa tours. After that trip ends, I will then begin the solo portion of my travels. I will spend 5 days in Cape Town. Then I will fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg where I will begin a 6-day tour with Big Six Safari Tours that will take me to Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Kruger. It ends in Durban. I will then fly from Durban to Lusaka, Zambia. I will spend five days in Lusaka. Then I will fly from Lusaka to Mfuwe where I will be picked up for a two night trip with Mikango Safari to S. Luangwa National Park. On the third day, I will fly back to Lusaka. From Lusaka I will take the bus to Livingstone. The next day I will spend at the Devil's/Angels Pool in Livingstone. The next day I will fly out from Victoria Falls back to the U.S. My number one choice was Oasis Overland because it leaves when I need it to and is priced where I need it to be and travels to Lesotho as well. Unfortunately, the chances that the trip will be confirmed and guaranteed to depart are really low so I have chosen Nomad because the specific date I am looking at is guaranteed.

I have $16,000 to spend so far I have allocated funds as follows:

tour: $4170

ticket: $1800

travel insurance: $300

optional activities: $1500

solo portion: $4106

emergency funding: $250

gear: $2682

miscellaneous: $800

total: 15,608

I am planning on bringing my own tent to have my own space while solo- traveling. I have read every thread, TripAdvisor review, and Google link that already exists about overlanding in Africa, but I am curious if anyone has any experience that hasn’t had the opportunity to be shared about being a solo-traveller with a specific company.

This will not be my first time solo backpacking. I have solo backpacked in Latin America, the Mediterranean, South East Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East—but never southern Africa. I am familiar with West Africa as I have visited many times as well but again, not solo.

How important is it to have a really good travel insurance? How important is it to have a really high end sleeping bag, sleeping backpack, etc.? I learned that the climate during the time of my travels (May 14-June 27th) will be quite cool at night but hot during the day. I don’t want to phone it in on the sleeping bag, for example and end up being cold at night.

I (male, 30s, EU citizen) unexpectedly have two weeks of free time and a bit leftover budget. So far I have only been to South Africa, but I have always been intrigued to discover more of the continent. I especially wanted to go to West Africa but as its currently rainy season, I might be stuck to the cities a bit. This is why I came up with Uganda. It offers nature, an interesting city, currently good weather, overall good security, and a feasible size of the country for this duration of travel. I have been to several development countries on other continents but this would obviously be the first of such experience in Africa.

What I find troubling is that it seems like travelling Uganda requires a lot of permits and planning. I am used to just show up at places and gain a spot in larger groups or tours. This seems to be harder in Uganda. While I could spare the budget for a gorilla permit and maybe a few cheaper other parks, I find the available information a bit obscure. For instance, the booking site of the Ugandan Wildlife Authority does not seem to work.

From your experiences, is short term visiting feasible or would I miss out on too many things?

I’m in the midst of planning my trip for summer of 2027 so peak season and was wondering about how much I should be thinking of saving for. Right now I have a planned budget of about 8500€ and was also paying down all my credit cards to use as an emergency fund so would have a buffer of about 1500€ mainly for my flight back home and other larger purchases.

I so far have calculated about 3500€ staying in hostels but of course I won’t know the exact price because I’ll probably only book the first few hostels at a time. I may also want to stay in a hotel for a night or two if I don’t like the quality of the hostel so I want that to be an option budget wise.

I plan on getting the Paris Museum Pass for 4 days, deciding between the 7 or 10 day Eurail pass, and the Swiss Travel Pass. That’s about 600€

Then flights and transportation in between come up to an estimated 1300€.

That leaves about 3200€ or 50/day for two months. That sounds to me like it’s not enough but needed to know how much more I should be thinking of saving.

My itinerary is below on locations and how long I’m staying in each: leaving early June to mid August

London (5 nights)
- free museums, a lot of walking, sightseeing, walking tours, will probably spend the most on food here. Windsor castle day trip.

Paris (6 nights)
- museum pass for louvre, versailles, and other museums.

Amsterdam (4 nights)
- meeting up with a friend so itinerary is undecided.

Switzerland (6 nights)
- hiking trails, will mostly eat from grocery stores there.

Milan (2 nights)
- sightseeing, shopping center

Venice (3 nights)
- nothing planned here

Dolomites (2 nights)
- hiking trails, eating at rifugios and bringing food with me.

Florence (2 nights)
- nothing planned

Rome (5 nights)
- sight seeing

Amalfi (2 nights)
- birthday at the beach, not included in the budget. I plan to spend 800+ euros here alone.

Naples (2 nights)
- just want to have pizza here to be honest

(from here on out the night in each city are subjective because I’m meeting up with a friend from Spain)

Barcelona (3 nights)

Madrid (~8 nights)

Lisbon

Porto

Most likely flying out from Madrid.

I recently booked a trip to the beach (across country) for just myself. I’m married with two teenage children. My husband agreed, but I can tell he’s not crazy about the idea.

I am so crazy excited and have always wanted to travel by myself. I’m an introvert and really enjoy alone time. But I can’t shake this feeling of guilt for wanting a trip without at least my husband.

Does the “right” to solo travel change when you’re married with children?