PamelaE

Ok so I am a 26 year old woman from Bolivia and I was supposed to travel through Europe for 2 months with my best friend. but last week she told me she was not going to be able to go and I don't know what to do. I really want to travel and I have been waiting to do it for a long time but on the other hand I am so scared of the thought of going alone that I find myself considering backing out of the whole trip. I have a lot of friends and some family in different places in Europe but still the idea of getting lost or robbed or well many things paralyzes me with fear. i really need some help and insight on travelling alone. the only time I've been out of Bolivia was to Argentina for 10 days and I stayed with family so I am really inexperienced. HELP

centraleurope

That is a shame Pamela.... But of course you can do this!

If you are physically afraid, stay in nice and safe locations and don't push yourself (going out late at night, etc). Over time, I hope you will fell better.

If you are more embarrassed ....what do I do in restaurants ,etc... Always keep a small book or journal with you. I read a lot when I am alone. Then I never worry about sitting a a table alone.

I travel a lot for work and always have. So I was forced to learn these skills early. Now, I am so glad I have them. If you can push thru the early days, you will be too.

Worst case (assuming you have the means to do this)... You hate it after 2 weeks and head home early.

longhorn55

That's too bad that your traveling companion backed out, but you CAN have a fantastic time in Europe on your own. And it doesn't even sound like you will be on your own that much since you have so many friends and family there.

My first suggestion would be: Don't focus on the bad things such as getting lost or getting robbed. If you get lost, there are always local people who will help point you back in the right direction. And, sometimes when you do get lost, you find the most interesting or exciting things that you wouldn't have found otherwise. As for getting robbed--there's lots of ways to protect your possessions and I'm sure you can find that advice here or on any good travel website. My main advice there would be, "Be Aware of Your Surroundings".

My second suggestion is: When you aren't staying with friends or family, stay in hostels. When my children were in their early 20's, they each traveled around Europe. While my son traveled with friends, my daughter did it by herself. They both agreed that a good way to meet other young travelers was by staying in hostels. They used the website, Hostelworld.com to research and book their hostels and they said it was great because the user-reviews were very accurate.

michelhuebeli

From where you are now this whole big Europe must look scary and intimidating. So do this:

Make a point of going to stay first with friends or family with whom you know you'll be comfortable. Plan nothing beyond that, but read up on lots of places and ways to get there, so that you have a lot of information stored away. Just don't commit to any more traveling until you get there.

Your friends or family will be the best resource to guide you to easy targets when you say that you need some encouragement - they'll tell you "this place is really nice and easy to get to, just take the so-and-so train or bus and and and..." - maybe just for a daytrip, and that night you're back "home".

Then you go on another little trip, maybe stay a night somewhere else, and your friends or family help you reserve the hotel room.

Then you make a trip to another of your friends and stay there for a few days, and bit by bit your courage will grow and you become an experienced solo traveler.

sarge56

Pamela, take a deep breath!

When were you planning on traveling?

Most of us here who have traveled solo will tell you that traveling around Europe by yourself is easy and quite doable.

But if you are completely terrified, then I would suggest a couple of things: 1) Go for a shorter period of time, to "test the waters" (perhaps 2-3 weeks) and 2) Stay in one country and/or one city this trip.

Once you've gotten your feet wet, you can plan a trip where you can jump in a little more.

You could also consider taking a 2-week trip with an organized tour. Once you've got that done, you could stay on in Europe for a bit longer.

Where is it, exactly, that you wanted to go. And when?

(I am a middle-aged female and have traveled solo since I was 18! I love it. Nobody to argue with about which site, how long, what to eat...yada yada yada!)

kybourbon

Here are dozens of solo trip reports.

http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...collection.cfm

RJames

What a great oppoutunity you have.

A two month trip to Europe planned where some of your friends and family live, knowing at least two languages (English and Spanish since you're from Bolivia) which you can use to communicate with the locals, a desire to travel (from the op, "I really want to travel and I have been waiting to do it for a long time..........") and the help of people on this forum.

Many people travel solo and never encounter problems. The key to a sucessful trip is a well planned trip. Why not get guidebooks on the destinations you'd like to visit, post questions here on this forum and sooner or later you'll have
a very good idea how to organize your trip. That should give you the confidence to visit Europe independently.

Don't worry about getting lost, that is part of the fun of travelling. Sometimes getting lost can be a very rewarding experience. You've no doubt read negative comments of tourist being robbed, there is tons of information on how to protect yourself from being a victim much of which is common sense.

Research, ask questions on travel forums, get excited about the oppourunity you have and don't let the fact that you're an inexperienced traveller stop you. You'll learn travel skills on your first solo trip and you'll never forget the sights and the wonderful memories you'll create for yourself.

kja

I find solo travel to be a wonderful, incredible self-indulgence -- I actually prefer solo travel. kybourbon gave you a link to a thread where many of us post our solo travel reports; you might find some inspiration in reading some of them. Get yourself a good guidebook (actually, I'd advise investing in several), think about what YOU want to do, and post questions when you need further information.

FWIW, I think you've just been given a great gift -- enjoy it!

(P.S. I hope your friend is OK.)

swandav2000

Hi PamelaE,

I agree with all the posters above that you should take advantage of this opportunity to travel and to see a bit of the world. Yes, it can be scary when you imagine the entire trip and all of the bad things that can happen -- but I encourage you not to focus on that. I've done lots of scary things by myself (20 years as a woman in the Army), and the trick is to break it down into the smaller bits that you can easily face and handle.

For example, the first thing you have to do is pack for the trip. You can do that. Lay out your suitcase and lay out the clothes and accessories you'll need. Pack it up.

Next, you only have to get to the airport and get onto the plane. No problem. You can do that. (You may want to put most of your money, credit cards, and passport into a hidden neck wallet to give yourself a feeling of added security until you get to your hotel)

When you land, you only have to get to your hotel, easy. Decide if you want to take a taxi or a train, and make sure the hotel name is printed on a piece of paper that you can show to the driver or to other passengers. You can do this.

At your hotel, you probably want to get out and see a bit of the city or the town. Again, a nice and easy task. Get a map. Memorize what your hotel looks like from the outside. Memorize the street names that are nearby. Walk a block or two, then a few more. Find the pedestrian zone and walk along with the crowds, enjoying the shops and the atmosphere. Take a look at some restaurants to see if any look attractive.

The trick is to look at each task individually, and you'll see that each one is easy and well within your abilities.

I promise you that, once you do this, you will have learned a great deal. You'll not only have a great trip behind you, but you'll be ready for bigger and more interesting challenges as well.

s

unclegus

Solo travelling is great fun,i know it has suddenly been thrust upon you but embrace it and I am sure you will enjoy it.
Trip advosor has a very good solo forum and you may get some help there.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowFor...lo_Travel.html
Also Thorntree the lonely Planet forum is very good and there are mant travellers in your age group that frequent that forum.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa
there is even a section for arranging meet ups.

bilboburgler

Pamela, I did a three week trip around NZ and Frisco on my own years ago and for a few days I worried that I had no one to talk to, then I hunkered down and did what I wanted when I wanted to. I hiked into the NZ bush and watched birds doing their mating dance in beams of sunlight and I stayed in a great hotel in SF which was being pulled down the day after I left and I discovered Korean beer. I'd have done none of those things with Mrs Bilbo about, so enjoy and discover the real you.

If you do decide you are missing people stay in Hostels more than hotels and book yourself on a course (art, food whatever)

brizzieLizzie

Pamela,
This also happened to my daughter (22) She decided to go as her first couple of stops were Paris and London where she had already been and felt more familiar. If she wasn't happy she would come home.

After a month, she rang to see if I could change her flight home as she wanted to stay longer.

She travelled with Busabout and stayed in hostels recommended by them , sightseeing with people she met on the bus. She had a great time and it gave her confidence to travel solo in the future.

Good luck and enjoy your trip whatever you decide.

Russ

Personal safety: Solo travelers are generally less likely to experience harassment and/or pickpocketing/theft in Northern Europe than south of the Alps. Being a little paranoid in a place like Rome can be a good thing. In the north, you should still take precautions with your important documents of course ("money" belt.) Hostels are a great idea for meeting others; if staying in hostels, be a little choosy about the sort of hostel you pick, and be thoughtful about how you store anything of value if you're sharing a room (single rooms are possible in many hostels, by the way, and you can still socialize in the breakfast room, or in common areas - often there's a cafe or bar on premises.)

NYCFoodSnob

Being motivated is half the battle of conquering fear. Let's face it, until you actually do something you've never done before, you can't qualify it as experience. You need experience to conquer your fears.

I was a teenager the first time I travelled to Europe, and there was no such thing as the internet. I made many mistakes (none too serious), and I survived. These days, there is an abundance of solo-travel information that can really help calm the nerves and better prepare you.

Now, if you're truly the terrified type, then it will show, and unless you know how to be a competent actress, I don't recommend visiting a foreign country with a permanent look of fear on your face. The look of fear invites trouble. Once you learn how to look experienced, you'll throw off trouble's scent.

The beauty of traveling alone is the freedom to meet and socialize with new people. If you're not a good judge of character, then letting the wrong people into your space could cause a problem. Your post is tagged Germany, which happens to be a great place to meet new people.

Only you know how capable you are at adventure. No one else can tell you what your gut is telling you. I have always listened to my gut.

Good luck!

adrienne

How about a practice trip at home on your own before you spend lots of money on a European trip. That might give you some confidence and you'll see that you can figure things out as you go along.

Here's a thought about traveling with someone else - you don't know that your friend would be any help on the trip. Sometimes people just sit back and do nothing and depend on their travel companion. I've been on trips like that where I might as well have been on my own.

PamelaE

Thanks to everyone! I really want to thank you all for responding. Truth is I feel better now. I am planning on going all of December and January and I have decided to make the best of it. I realize it might be intimidating at times but in the end if I miss out on this because of fear I will forever regret it!. So... On with the plans thanks for so many tips you have all been wonderful!!!

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore"

Erynn

Pamela - I'm glad you're feeling better about the trip. I spent about 6 weeks in Europe last summer, mostly traveling solo to visit friends and family. Once I left the group tour in Ireland, I spent a week in a tent on the Isle of Man, then sent my camping gear home. After that I traveled with one carry-on sized backpack with a little less than 10 kilos of clothes and gear in it for the rest of the time. I found that made things immensely easier, as I never had to wait for luggage or worry about losing it, because I was always carrying it with me, even on the really cheap European airlines. Find out the carry on dimensions and weight restrictions for the most restrictive airline you'll be traveling on, and work toward carrying only that much.

I would definitely add my voice to the people saying hostels are a good idea, but do check them with different online networks of hostels for reviews. I stayed in hostels in Dublin and Prague and both of them were excellent. Many hostels will have a baggage room with lockers where you can store stuff you're not immediately using, so that you don't have to haul all your baggage around on a day trip around the city or a walk in the countryside.

Money belts are an excellent idea as well. I carried my documents in one under my jeans and I never had even an attempt at pickpocketing happen that I was aware of. I did get a little over the shoulder day pack for carrying a jacket, a water bottle, a little snack, and my iPad for checking my email and stuff, but it folded down nicely into the larger carry-on bag for flights and train trips. If it's sturdy and you wear the strap across your body rather than just over one shoulder, you should not have trouble with someone cutting the strap or doing a snatch and run with it.

For me the key was obsessive planning of places to stay and arranging travel tickets beforehand. I had an itinerary planned and bought as many of my tickets as possible before I left so that I had them in my money belt with my passport everywhere I went, in the order I would be using them.

Nearly everyone I met was very kind to me. I usually had a friend who spoke the language with me when I was in Brittany, Czech Republic, and Italy, so that did help, but I also muddled along myself making train and plane connections only being able to speak English and a couple of words of German. "Please," "thank you," "where is the toilet," and "where is a Bancomat" in the languages of the countries you are traveling through will go a long way in helping you feel a little more comfortable.

irishface

Traveling on your own is wonderful! This from a woman of __ years! I have been on many trips-many on my own-over nearly fifty years. One tip not mentioned above is to check in with the tourist office for half or full day trips. They can take you to some interesting places and are often a good way to meet others. Sometimes I end up meeting some of these new "friends" for a meal or another adventure on our own. Often just meeting others is time well spent even if you never see them again.

I have found that others on trains or at other places are much more likely to approach you when you are on your own rather than part of a twosome or group.

I am so glad that you have decided to take the plunge and try it on your own! Have fun!

tailsock

really happy to hear you're not going to abandon your trip Pamela! do realize that you have all of us here as a resource so you're not TOTALLY alone ;-) you can do this!