Zapbasket Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 I'm not sure where this belongs.... I put it in "Self-Improvement" because for me, this trip represents a step towards recovery from an ugly break-up. I have two weeks' vacation allowed to me, I've been working at this company for 10 months, and I haven't used a bit of it. I'm not as well-traveled as I'd like to be and want to go on a solo adventure to another country. Where, I don't know: I'm thinking of everything from Scotland to Spain to Argentina/Brazil/Guatemala to Germany. The key issue to consider is money. I must spend as little as possible while also enjoying myself and taking as many new sights and experiences as possible. Any advice on where/how to begin? Thanks... Link to post Share on other sites
Ssheena Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Hi, As someone who has done lots of solo traveling, I thought I'd chip in. I've gone solo to Club Med's, solo to Maui, and been solo in big cities. I highly recommend tripadvisor.com to get an idea where to stay and their forums have been a great help to me. I think you first need to figure out if you want to be solo in a group (ie, Club Med situation or on a singles tour) or if you want to be all by yourself. Do you want to leisurely explore a city or two? Drive? Do you live in Europe? If you go to Brazil/Argentina won't it be the beginning of spring for them (I know Australia has seasons flipped from USA and think Argentina might)? I would think travel in Europe would be pretty easy with the train. Do you want an active vacation? Anyway, things to consider. Feel free to pm me or keep posting. I hope others chime in too. Link to post Share on other sites
sb129 Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 It depends on your total budget, where you are in the world, and what you would like to see. Travelling alone can be lonely or fun depending on what you make it! Ssheena is right, you need to decide whether you want to be completely alone or in a group. In a group you could meet some new friends! If you are in the northern hemisphere, then anywhere in the southern hemisphere is at the end of their winter- the further south you go the colder it gets. Australia is in its winter, although the top of Australia can still be quite warm this time of year. Sth America is in its winter too, but I think towards the equator its not too cold. Spain is lovely this time of year, and is warm without being too hot. You can get around Spain quite cheaply, food and drink is cheap. My favourite part of Spain is the Alhambra Palace in Granada. Its beautiful, and takes a couple of days to appreciate. I haven't been to San Sebastian, but have heard good reports from friends. Barcelona is an amazing city to explore, as is Valencia. If you wanted to party, you could get the ferry from Valencia to Ibiza, the party island, but it is NOT cheap! Italy, Greece, Croatia, Morocco, Egypt are other Mediterranean countries that are all still nice this time of year. Morocco is a fantastic place to visit, ridiculously cheap and the culture is amazing, although I probably would book on a tour rather than go as a single female as you can get hassled quite a bit, and scammed. You can get the ferry to Tangiers in Morocco from Spain, but again-don't do it as a solo woman. If you are travelling on the US dollar, I would avoid the UK. As lovely as it is, you will find it very very expensive. I have yet to make it to South America, so I will end this here and hopefully someone else can advise you on that part of the world. Link to post Share on other sites
lindya Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 The key issue to consider is money. I must spend as little as possible while also enjoying myself and taking as many new sights and experiences as possible. Any advice on where/how to begin? Thanks... Picking a country would be a good start. Then buy a Lonely Planet book on the relevant country. That'll give you loads of ideas for places to visit and stay. Staying in hostel dorms is cheap and sociable - and the people you meet there will be full of ideas for stuff you should do. Most hostels have facilities for booking trips - often for a lot less money (and, arguably, with a more hip group of people) than a hotel would offer. Link to post Share on other sites
heartoutside Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 Argentina is amazing and very traveller friendly, esp for english speaking persons. Getting there is the expensive part, but there are some deals out there, esp around now because it's still winter there (so it's around 40 at night maybe 50, and 60s on a sun day). However, once you get there it is cheap. Their economy crumbled about 4 years ago or so, and right now their economy is coming back up but the dollar hasn't. So you can get a 5 star dinner for $30-40. Cabs are super cheap, food every where is good. Buneos Aries is like europe in south america, I loved it and can't wait to go back again! I'm not sure if you're a girl or a guy, but if you're a girl, just be warned travel'n alone can be a big risk in some countries. Link to post Share on other sites
monkey00 Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 Canada? Not much of a culture shock if you're coming from the US but definitely fits low budget. Most countries you go to in europe uses the Euro, and the UK uses the Pound...so the currency is worth more than the U.S.'s. And from where I've been so far in the uk and europe, it wont be easy to plan a low budget trip. Seasonal flights have different rates, e.g. London goes about 500ish during the winter. so consider the season. If you want to stay somewhere safe and cheap, I'd suggest a hostel. I havent been to south america or Mexico, but those are great places and I assume their currency exchange is lower than the US. Link to post Share on other sites
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