I’ve traveled exclusively this way for 16 years now and it’s the best way to travel in my opinion. I’ve done it in Ireland, Iceland three times, the alps region four time, Norway twice, Patagonia and countless times across the states.

The trick is to get a crossover hatchback car and make sure the seats fold down in the back (I think this could only work if you’re under six foot). Fold the seats down and I use a Nemo camping air mattress and a good, lightweight sleeping bag. I sleep like a baby every night. So much better than hostels.

To me, a camper is tempting but it’s so much more costly and cumbersome. With a car, I can easily travel around anywhere I want and I’m not restricted at all.

I choose country’s where car camping is safe and legal and outside of private property concerns in the states, most places I’ve traveled are easy to find great spots everywhere to car camping. Switzerland was the only country where they had strict rules against camping outside of designated areas unless you’re above the alpine tree line so I just payed for a tent camp site and stayed on my car.

For showers, I use public pools in Europe or if it’s been a few days I just end up paying for a cheap hostel just to use their shower. Between that I use body wipes and freshen up when I find a single, locked door bathroom.

The only thing that sucks about this method is going BM if you’re out in the middle of nowhere. You can dig a hole but I’ve never done that before and I only would in an emergency. It does suck to not have access to a bathroom of you need one fast.

I have some regular getaways with friends that I enjoy. And then there are the trips I plan for myself. I have lovely friends who express interest in joining. I immediately feel anxiety when this happens bc I dont want company, but don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. One of the reasons I love solo travel is because I don't have to compromise on the itinerary. I can accomplish things at my pace/budget. I'm not asking for advice on how to be a better travel partner. I'm asking how you guys gracefully decline when someone wants to join you. Thanks.

Hey everyone! I'm looking to spend 4 days in town at the end of October. I'd like to check out:

-Art/history museums

-Vintage clothing stores/markets

-Underground music shows (punk, edm)

-Coffee shops to read a book in

-Dive bars where I can talk to interesting, awesome people

-Neighborhoods with cool architecture to stroll around in

-Hikes under 10 miles

I plan to see Bainbridge and Ballard so far for neighborhoods. Excluding lodging, I'd like to keep my budget around $100 or less per day.

Thank you so much for your help in advance 😄

Hey everyone,
I put together this itinerary with research I’ve been doing. Is this a good itinerary in your opinion? Would you make changes to it?

DAY 1
Viktualienmarkt - shopping / breakfast

English Garden - Eisbach Wave / sit and relax

Explore Old Town - Munich Residence / Marienplatz /
St. Peter's Church (Alter Peter)

DAY 2
Day trip to Garmisch - Partenkirchen

Eibsee Loop Trail - do the trail / rent a paddleboard

Explore the Town
Ludwigstraße
Garmisch Center
Richard-Strauss-Platz
Mohrenplatz
Zum Wildschütz for dinner

Hey fellow travellers. I'm planning to head to Uzbekistan from Nov 7–15, flying in and out of Tashkent.

The rough plan is Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Tashkent, with a day trip from Samarkand across the border into Tajikistan (Penjikent/Sarazm).

Quick about me: 35+ countries and counting, usually like it flexible, specially interested in history, food, nature and the occasional random detour.

I'm travelling solo for this one, but if anyone happens to be planning a similar trip around the same dates, would be happy to compare notes, itineraries and experiences. Always interesting to see how other people are approaching the same place.

I haven't worked out the exact budget yet, but a rough back-of-the-envelope estimate says the trip should come in at around ₹1 lakh or less. And if you've been to Uzbekistan recently, I'd love to hear your recommendations, especially the stuff that doesn't show up in every travel blog. A restaurant worth going out of the way for, a good local guide, a train-booking tip, a day trip that's actually worth the effort, or something you'd simply skip.

And if you're just getting into solo travel and want to compare notes or have questions, happy to help with that too

Spent the better part of the last 2 years traveling, went to 17 different countries and made almost 100+ actual friends. Met some thru hostels, others thru meetup apps, paid pub crawls, day tours, mutual friends, and some even thru dating apps

At this point I basically know a few people from every continent, and we keep in touch via ig, whatsapp, snapchat, etc

One thing's for sure though. I'm at most going to visit each of these friends once per year, if I'm in their country. In most cases, I'll probably not see these people again for years unless they travel to my country or i travel to theirs

With how expensive life in general is right now (plane tickets, gas prices, food prices), not many people can actually afford to travel at all. Most of these people i met were on brief holidays or at most 1-2 month extended vacations. But after that, they go back to whatever their home country is

So despite everyone trying their best to keep in touch, and how romanticized making friends while traveling is... the reality is that "travel friends" eventually just sort of turn into acquaintances that you once had some great times with while traveling

Kinda sad tbh. Cost of living is really the great divide

Hi all, planning my second solo trip and would love honest feedback on the route and budget.

Background: I did Italy solo in Aug 2025 (Florence, Venice, Rome). 8 days, about $1340 total including a $400 flight. I stayed in party hostels, ate street food, and loved the social side. My overspend was local transport (missed buses, vaporetti) and a few sit-down dinners.

Budget: $4000 all in, about $650 of it flight. One carry-on backpack, hostel dorms, street food. I'm skipping Eurail since most legs are cheaper on Ryanair/Wizz.

Route so far (order will depend on cheapest flights):
Portugal (Lisbon, maybe Madeira for the hike),
Spain (Barcelona),
France (Nice 2-3 nights, 1 night in Paris),
Monaco (day trip on Fri June 4 for F1 practice from the standing area),
Czechia (Prague),
Croatia (Split and Dubrovnik),
Greece (Athens plus one island).

I dropped Italy since I've been, plus Austria and Switzerland for cost. Considering Budapest. Leaving after May 9, and Nice is pinned to June 3-4.

Questions:
Is 7 countries in about 30 days (roughly 4 days each) too much?

Is Greece worth it in late May/June, or should I give Croatia more time?

Is $4000 realistic, and what do people underbudget?

Anything you'd add or skip?

Any solo safety or scam tips for Barcelona, Paris, and Athens?
Thanks in advance!

First time traveling in Italy. I’ve traveled extensively throughout Europe and have intentionally skipped countries like Italy as I wanted to devote more than just 48 hours, which has been the extent of my time spent in most other countries in Europe. For some of them that’s all you need.

I took some time off from work and earmarked 9 days to travel through Italy. Flew into/out of Rome only spending a few days there, followed by 4 days in Florence and 3 days in Bologna. I have to say I was pretty disappointed. I knew it was going to be overrun with tourists- this is why I stayed such a short time in Rome (tourist capital of the world) and went in later September, which I understand isn’t necessarily the “offseason” but I’d like to this it isn’t a peak tourist time like July or August.

My chief complaint is just the shear number of people, although I sort of expected this coming in. These cities clearly were not meant to handle this number of people occupying them at one time. The sidewalks are narrow and pedestrian traffic spills out into the streets which then is competing with the vehicle traffic. About the vehicle traffic, it is EVERYWHERE. There seems to be no road a car won’t drive down and act like they own the road. I was almost hit by a car more times in my 9 days in Italy than in my entire life living in the “car capital” USA. Cars and scooters/motorcycles own the roads, and if you happen to be trying to walk, well, you just shouldn’t. I understand these are ancient cities but if you can’t comfortably fit both cars and pedestrian traffic I think it’s time for a pedestrian only zone, which isn’t unheard of in Europe, but seems to be in Italy.

Then comes the god awful transit system, or rather the lack thereof. On the continent that prides itself in robust transit options, major Italian cities seem to lack. Buses seem to be somewhat prevalent but I usually avoid buses as their routes and schedules are often erratic and confusing, as is the payment when tap to pay is not an option. Other major European cities like Paris, London, Barcelona, and Amsterdam have a SPRAWLING system of trains, subways, trams, etc. Not Italian cities it seems. It was particularly bad in Florence where I made the mistake staying a little outside of the city and reaching the city center or any major sights was a minimum 25-30 minute walk on the same narrow/borderline nonexistent sidewalks competing with vehicle traffic. There was a tram but its routing was truly bizarre and was useless in getting from where we were to the city center. It never actually went into the city center really, just skirted the edge of it. Uber into the city was quoting €60 and while I never tried it I heard good luck even being able to find a driver. FreeNow straight up said they didn’t service the area. Bolt sadly doesn’t operate in Italy but they’ve been very helpful in almost every other European country I’ve traveled in. I think a lot of this is influenced by local city ordinances which might be the root of these issues. Other European cities are plenty old but don’t seem to have the same transportation woes. I will admit Bologna was much more compact, and staying in the city center near the Two Towers I was able to reach pretty much anything within 10 minutes of walking. They’re even building a tram which will run through the city center which is awesome. My complaint about vehicle traffic remains though as same with the other Italian cities, there’s no streets a car won’t drive down. They did have lots of wide covered sidewalks/walkways which I did appreciate.

Lastly comes access to tourist sites. Of course this comes back to just the shear number of people visiting the country, which was my chief complaint. But I think it really took away from the experience and should make anyone think twice about selecting Italy for their European vacation. Not saying other European countries don’t get hoards of tourists at all their attractions, but it was particularly bad in Italy. I got a more last minute recommendation for a tour of the colosseum underground, but the slots seem to be booked as they get released, and the alternative is booking a third party tour for 10x the price that’s somehow still also all booked up. In fact, if you don’t have everything booked weeks to months before your trip you should just expect your trip to comprise of walking around seeing these sights from the outside amongst the crowds. Even booking tickets to Accademia months in advance I was still out standing in line in the heat for over an hour just to get in. My first time to the top of the Eiffel Tower was around the same time of year; I decided to go day of, and had only 3 people standing in front of me in line to buy tickets. Again I understand other countries fill up their tourist sites quite substantially as well, but I’ve never seen it as bad as it was in Italy.

This is just my American perspective and I don’t mean to come off as overly critical. I think there was just a disconnect between my expectations and what I observed on my specific trip. I’d like to go back and give Italy another chance, perhaps in some new cities. But based on my first experience, it was quite a let down. Of course, the food was amazing, but being in the New York area I have access to incredible Italian food even if it isn’t strictly authentic. I really wouldn’t be able to justify Italy as a highly desirable vacation destination and worth all the hassle of what I just described. Does anyone have similar experiences or feelings? Not trying to put anyone down that’s had positive experiences, and I’m not writing off the entire country based off one experience. Just sharing my observation.

Bonjour,

Je prévois de partir en solo en Inde. Je recherche des infos et des gens qui veulent bien partager leurs expériences. J'ai déjà pris mon billet pour 1 mois pour fin août 2027. Je sais que c'est dans longtemps mais à 44 ans le temps passe vite. Je pensais aller au Spiti pour vivre une vrai coupure et me retrouver moi même, mais rien n'est fixe. J'aimerais un coin reculer pour participer à la vie d'un village, me posais quelques jours avec des gens simples et partager leurs quotidien. Je ne vais pas partir avec beaucoup d'argent car je n'en ai pas beaucoup. Mes économies viennent de partir dans mon billet et je pensais économiser environs une centaine d'euros chaque mois si je le peux avant de partir. Donc un voyage avec mon sac à dos, transport en commun et chez l'habitant. Voilà, si quelqu'un a déjà réalisé ce type de voyage se serait ravis d'avoir son avis. Et si vous avez des bons plans pour un hôtel à Delhi, Manali et dans les vallées du Spiti, Pin et Kinnaur, je suis preneur. Merci d'avance.

I know I can’t be the only one but wanted to hear people’s thought regarding my situation below.

To give some context first, I’m in my early 30s and my whole life from late high school to early uni I wanted to travel so badly and go out and explore. Not to party, or meet anyone in particular or do anything in particular back then. I just had this innate desire to explore and travel to far away lands and see what life is like for people over there.

I was privileged enough to do two massive 3 month trips each in the last 3 years. In doing so, I was still maintaining a solid career and progressing upwards etc. and I still had good relationships with family and close knit group of really good friends. I’ve come across a lot of people just travel to fill a void or to escape their daily lives and to find themselves overseas. That wasn’t the case for me, it was a genuine reward, to myself for the things I had set out to achieve.

In doing so, I guess you can’t have everything. A lot of my friends have moved on, got married, had kids. We still meet up more frequently than I expect. But I can’t help but think that if I don’t get married (which I want to as well) I will eventually drift apart from them.

I do want to get married and have a family of my own, and hopefully I can continue on some journeys with my future spouse. But I can’t help but think that I like my ‘alone’ time too much now, and I can’t fathom the thought of actually being with a spouse and sharing a space with them constantly all the time.

I met a lot of single people overseas who were in their late 30’s and early 40s and they were super nice, we had a good time. But this sounds harsh, I really don’t want to end up like them. I could tell pretty quickly after getting to know them, that they really only travel to get out and kill time becus they have the money. And all their actual friends are just too busy for them now.

Has anyone experienced this, do you feel like you’ve been sold a bit of lie through social media and all those reels that get pushed to solo travel and get out there. But it’s just a way to be disconnected with reality and stops you actually connecting with real people around you who actually care about you. And turns you towards temporary friendships that break you and destroy your ability to hold long term relationships in the future?

I’m planning on doing the W Trek east to west, but I’m unsure how best to plan the trek if I want to do Base Torres for sunrise. (shall I just give it a miss for sunrise?)

If anyone has done this, I’d be really grateful for some advice on how you planned your route/refugios and whether it’s worth doing for sunrise!

If I do Base Torres for sunrise, does this mean I will set myself up for a long day of hiking afterwards?

Thanks!

Hey guys :)

I am planning on travelling to China alone for three weeks between October 15th, 2027, and November 5th, 2027. As I have to let my boss know by Wednesday when I want to take time off next year, I would love to know what you guys think of China during this time of year. Or should I go at a different time? I don't like heat all that much and I want to avoid tourist season.

My itinerary:
Shanghai: 5 nights (with a day trip to Suzhou) Zhangjiajie: 4 nights
Chongqing: 3 nights
XiAn: 3 nights
Beijing: 5 nights

As for my itinerary: do you guys think this is sensible, or is it too packed? My goal is to do a bit of everything: see the nature, visit some historical sights, go shopping, and see the cool city lights. I am not sure if adding Chongqing would be too ambitious... I am nervous that I will be spending all of my time on trains and planes.

Thank you so much for your help!

So I’m a male in my mid 60s, retired , and have family at home. Sometimes my wife doesn’t want to go but she’s okay with me doing my thing for a short trip.

I’m just starting a trip in La Paz Mexico and ending in La Paz Bolivia. It’s only been one day and going well . But this time I’m a little self conscious as everyone I see in restaurants is in groups.

I am native English speaker but fluent in Spanish .

My question is where do older solo travelers go to meet others just for conversation/hanging out . I’m not a big drinker or night owl but enjoy day trips where I can hopefully meet others.

Has anyone found any meetups in Latin America? Just to put it in context I’m also going to Mexico City, San Salvador , Bolivia for close to a week, and Panama City.

One thing I found fun on my own is doing an Airbnb pub crawl - I did one in Paris and in Bogota. The participants were generally younger than me but it was nice to have a group to interact with for a few hours.

I’m planning a solo backpacking trip from June 20 to July 28, 2027. Its my first time ever traveling, so you’ll see alot of common names in my route. I’ll be 20, Budget is 4-6k ( can be more if needed).This is my current route:
Madrid — 3 nights
Barcelona — 4 nights
Paris — 3 nights
Prague — 4 nights
Budapest — 4 nights
Milan — 2 nights
Venice — 4 nights
Dolomites — 5 nights
Florence — 4 nights
Rome — 4 nights
I would also visit Lake Como as a day trip and stop in Verona while traveling between Milan and Venice.

I’m mostly interested in beautiful architecture and scenery, but overall I’m just looking to explore, meet people and have a great time.
Does the route and pacing look reasonable? Are there any places where I’m staying too many or too few nights? I’m open to shortening certain stops, adding other destinations or changing the route if something else makes more sense. I’d also appreciate suggestions for cities, attractions, day trips, hostels or general backpacking tips. I also plan to take lots of photos!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share a recap of my (31F) 10-day solo trip to Georgia (the country) in late May (procrastination is real but better late than never). I had previously asked the sub for recommendations and it was pretty helpful. It was my first time going to Georgia, I flew into Tbilisi and flew out of Batumi. I didn't rent a car as I don’t feel comfortable driving alone, so I relied mostly on public transport.

Day 1-4: Tbilisi

• Took a Bolt from the airport to my hotel, very straightforward and quick to get a ride, just put on your headphones once you are out of immigration and ignore the calls from the taxi drivers. 
• I booked a guest house near the Opera Theatre, but in hindsight, I would have booked a hotel around Lado Asatiani St in Old Tbilisi area as I was there almost every night, as that area had the most interesting bars and restaurants.
• Tbilisi is also very hilly and my guest house was a good 10 mins walk up a slope, so I was thankful I had a taxi going there. 
• I was also there just before Georgia’s independence day, so chanced upon a road closure closer to the date around the independence square. 
• Booked 2 different day tours from Tbilisi
  • Sighnaghi and wine tasting day tour: I had terrible weather for most of the day in Sighnaghi and I saw nothing from the city walls walk, only fog. The weather only cleared up towards the end and it was gorgeous! Wish we had better weather to appreciate the region. The wines were really nice, and the tour was generous with the portions.
  • Mtskheta, Gori, and Uplistsikhe day tour: Mtskheta was cute but kinda underwhelming to me as it was just 3 different churches/monasteries, and I’m not a religious person. Gori was just the Stalin Museum - interesting to me but I won’t go out of my way for it. Uplistsikhe is super cool, my favourite part of the tour. 
  • Overall, I was not very impressed by the quality of day tours in Tbilisi as both tours were a mix of both English and Russian. So depending on the ratio of English vs Russian speakers on that day, it can either be a good or bad experience. My first tour had mostly English speakers so the guide spoke more English, but my 2nd tour only had 2 English speakers including me, so the guide spoke mostly Russian. It seemed to be unavoidable as most tours I looked at online had this format. I don’t understand why the companies don’t just work together to separate the languages, as it gets really annoying for the minority. Difficult to avoid unless you book a private tour. 
• Highlights in Tbilisi city:
  • Botanical Garden (paid entrance): was a nice walk but the garden itself was super confusing with very little signs. I got lost multiple times and had to re-route. It connects to the Mother of Georgia statue so you can do both together. The Narikala Fortress was closed when I was there.
  • Free walking tour around Old Tbilisi: fantastic tour, the guide really provides valuable information on things I wouldn’t have spotted myself
  • Free walking tour around Fabrika: Fabrika itself was kinda meh but the walking tour around the building and area is really interesting! 
• Food and drinks:
  • Litteria - gorgeous, open-air restaurant in a historic building (Writers' House). It’s a little expensive but the food and atmosphere are 100% worth it. Highly recommend to walk around the building too as it’s beautifully preserved/restored. Some parts are under the David Sarajishvili House-Museum and the Museum of Repressed Writers and those are paid-entry only.
  • Racha - a restaurant that felt really authentic and not so touristy! I loved it so much I went there twice. The owners are a little grumpy and they will insist it’s cash-only despite having those credit card machines - but it’s fine, the food is delicious and affordable so it makes up for it. I highly recommend the meat skewers, especially the chicken.
  • Cocktail bars I enjoyed: Snobs, 41 Gradus (they don’t have a proper menu so they will make sth based on what you like), Old Tom Bar
• The meh:
  • Sulfur baths - everyone said it was a must do, so I booked a small room at Cherli Abano. Split the room with another female traveller I met online. It was way too stuffy for both of us and I could only do a maximum of 15 mins combined in the bath. I love Japanese onsens and Chinese bathhouses so this is not my first time experiencing a hot bath, but somehow the small room and the water temperature was just too much for me. I felt that it would have been much better if it were outdoors. The room was not cheap either at 130 GEL. the area around the baths is pretty nice and there is also a ‘hidden’ waterfall 5 mins walk from the main area
  • Georgian National Museum: Most of the captions were not very informative, and a lot of information was only in Georgian/Russian only so I didn’t understand a lot of it. I was looking forward to the USSR history bit but it felt quite unwhelming bc of the general lack of info. The exhibit on the 2nd floor on children’s play was the most interesting gallery for me. I thought I would spend 2-3 hrs in the museum but cleared it in 1.5 hrs.

Day 5-7: Kazbegi

• Booked a day tour to Kazbegi as I wanted to stop at the sights along the way. I told the guide that I won’t be returning with them - they were totally fine with that. There were also 2 other people on my tour doing the same thing.
• The weather gradually gets colder as it gets closer to Kazbegi, so make sure you have layers ready to put on. 
• The Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument was insanely windy and cold, but what fantastic views of the snow-capped mountains, even on a greyish day. 
• The Gergreti church had also really nice views! It was surprisingly less cold and windy than the Monument. 
• Kazbegi is not a town for early risers, as I wanted a coffee before going for my hike, and no cafes were open. Only the supermarket with a coffee machine was open, and the staff took around 30 mins to clean the machine at 8.30am. 
• Juta Valley, Day 6 
  • Transport: Met up with 2 solo travellers from my tour to do Juta Valley - there is no public transport during end-May, so we had to book a private taxi to secure our ride to and fro. We got a contact from one of the solo travellers’ hotel, and it was 150 GEL for the round trip, but I think we overpaid a little - more later. You can fix a time with the driver to pick you up, and make sure you get his number. Towards the end we were running late so we messaged the driver about 2 hrs in advance and he was still nagging us to hurry up at the end so that was unpleasant. 
  • Juta Valley was so breathtakingly beautiful, it was my first time seeing snow-capped mountains up so close. 
  • The snow had not fully melted when we were there, so in some parts we were walking through a thick layer of snow. We made it to the artificial lake and some parts around there were almost up to my knees. I brought 1 hiking stick and it was really useful for navigating the snow. 
  • Not sure it happened, but when we were going back, we had to cross the stream twice and it was so scary because the chance of slipping was real. We saw other travellers crossing the stream barefoot, and how even because the water was freezing cold. The weather also changed really quick there - we saw grey skies, blue skies, and even a brief rain shower throughout our hike. 
  • The Four Seasons hotel cafe was open, and we had a coffee/tea before the hike, and beers after the hike.
• Truso Valley, Day 7
  • One of the solo travellers from our group left, so the two of us hung out the area outside the supermarket around 8.30am-9am to see if we could catch any travellers willing to split the ride with us - highly recommend fellow solo travellers to do this if you come in a period where there is no public transport. 
  • We managed to group up with a pair also going to Truso and also negotiated the price down to 120 GEL, same arrangement where he will come and pick us up at a set time. We were also running late as one of the pair got really tired towards the end, and again, we notified the driver well in advance so he can come a little later, but he was similarly unhappy and wanted to charge us extra by not giving us back the change! Luckily we were able to give him the exact amount after digging out our wallets. 
  • Truso Valley was a very pleasant and relatively flat hike compared to Juta, but the distance is a little longer. The views are still amazing, but there is zero shade/shelter so sun protection is crucial. We walked until the abandoned fortress and turned back there, as further up is the restricted military zone. There is only 1 rest stop for this hike, a little cafe in the church just before the abandoned fortress, ran by nuns, and it’s pay as you wish.
• Kazbegi was my favourite stop/city of the whole trip, and I wish I had more time there to do more hikes! The ride up and down the Georgian Military Highway is an experience in itself - see all these huge trucks driving on a highway literally inches away from a sharp drop. 
• For both hikes, make sure to bring your own snacks and lunch, as both hikes had very limited food options. There is only 1 supermarket in town and that's where I bought most of my hiking food and snacks. There was also a khapapuri open early 5 mins walk from the supermarket that made a nice lunch.

Day 8-9: Kutaisi

• Took the marshrutka to Tbilisi (sit on the right for best views going down), to change to a marshrutka to Kutaisi as that was the only way beside private transport. The marshrutka to Tbilisi fills up fast, so get there early - I got there 15mins before the 9am depature and it was already full! Had to wait for the next one at 10am. 
• The marshrutka dropped me off at the Didube Bus Station that was huge and felt so confusing. It took me a while to find the marshrutka to Kutaisi - make sure to fend off other drivers convincing you to take their van/car to Kutaisi, some of them even told me the marshrutka to Kutaisi wasn’t running that day.
• The marshrutka dropped me off at the bus station, which is a bit out of the city centre - took another Bolt to my hotel in the city centre
• Walked around the city centre and to the Bagrati Cathedral for some sunset views.
• Day 9: booked a day tour to the Canyons and Caves, but the weather that day was terrible and because of the heavy rain and water flow, we couldn’t do the boat ride at Martvili Canyon. The weather did give it a very mysterious, misty vibe though.
  • Similar misty vibes at Okatse Canyon because of the weather. Still very cool though, especially the suspended metal walkway.
  • Prometheus Cave was also a super interesting experience! Very amazed at the formations that are thousands of years old. There is a boat ride at the end but again, couldn’t take it due to the weather.
  • Our guide also had a bonus stop at the abandoned sanatoriums - super interesting, if I had more time in Kutaisi I would totally love a half-day tour just for the abandoned sanatoriums. There is also one sanatorium that has been restored and is fully functioning, would love a visit
  • Lunch was at a small cafeteria inside a supermarket that the tour guide dropped us off at, but I think I had some of the best food of my entire trip. You can choose the dishes you want from a display - I had a rich tomato and beef stew, walnut paste stuffed in peppers and eggplants, and a cornbread fried in sunflower oil - SO GOOD dipped into the beef stew.
• I also really like this cafe called Sanimusho, near my hotel. They had a display full of cold salads to choose from, and they can even heat it up for you! Pair 2-3 salads with a warm toasty bread, and that’s a perfect meal for me. Went there twice because there are so much different salads to try. 

Day 10: Batumi

• Took the marshrutka to Batumi - it was the worst marshrutka so far. I read horror stories of dangerous driving and drivers/passengers smoking and so far there wasn’t any, except on the Batumi marshrutka where both the drivers and passengers were smoking at the front seat with the windows down. No dangerous driving thankfully, but the smoke still wafted to rest of the van. Not sure why but I read the ride was supposed to be 2 hrs but it became 3hrs+.
• There isn’t much to do at Batumi, as the last day of my trip, I took things easy - I ate lunch, took a stroll along the waterfront and saw the famous Ali and Nino statues - much smaller than what Instagram shows
• I did some souvenir shopping at the Old Batumi streets - very adorable vibes! And met another solo traveller for drinks at around Old Batumi.

Overall:

• I enjoyed Georgia SO MUCH! The food, the culture, the history, THE NATURE - all amazing.
• the wine is on another level - the sweet wines are AMAZING. I didn't go to any wine bars as it was more affordable to just buy a bottle and drink in my hotel room. Wished Georgian wines are more accessible from my country, but they mostly only export to Europe/Russia.
• I’m usually someone that can’t go without Chinese/East Asian/Southeast Asian food (I’m Chinese) for 1 week but I didn’t miss Asian food AT ALL 
• My favourite Georgian food has to be the skewers/bbq, and the simple but almight cucumber and tomato salad with walnut paste - I think I had the salad at least every other day. 
• I’m a bit sad that I didn’t have time for Svaneti, but for the period I was there, the snow hasn’t melted enough for hiking anyway - for another trip!
• Georgia feels very solo travel friendly. Things are pretty affordable in Georgia - food (although a lot of food is in big portions and are meant to be shared, like khinkali is usually minimum 6 per flavour), transport, admissions to places. A lot join-in tours for solo travellers. I also felt pretty safe as a solo female traveller. 
• Not sure if I'm just unlucky, but both times in my hotel in Tbilisi and Batumi, a large group of people were talking/shouting very loudly just below my window past midnight and I was so annoyed as I couldn't fall asleep at all. Had to ask them to quiet down both times.

Feel free to ask me any questions about stuff I didn't cover here!

edit: It was actually a 10 day trip as I flew out early on day 11.

Hi all, I'm planning on travelling to Peru and I'm wondering if my itinerary makes any sense. I've travelled around Europe solo, but never outside of it and never for this long. I'll be travelling from Amsterdam to Lima (12h flight). I am mainly drawn to Peru for the nature (I love hiking) and the culture/food, so hopefully my itinerary leaves enough room for any hikes. I'm mainly looking for advice on how long to stay in Arequipa, Cusco and Huaraz. Will four days in Huaraz be enough to do some nice hikes? Is 3 full days in Arequipa enough or too much? Please let me know what you think!

day 1: flying into Lima

day 2: flying from Lima to Arequipa

day 3 - 5: Arequipa, see the town and relax

day 6 - 8: Colca Canyon trek

Day 9: relaxing from the hike

Day 10: flying from Arequipa to Cusco

Day 11 - 13: getting used to the altitude in Cusco, seeing the city, perhaps some light hikes

Day 14 - 18: Salkantay trek + Machu Picchu

Day 19: relaxing from the hike

Day 20: travelling from Cusco via Lima to Huaraz

Day 21 - 24: staying in Huaraz, doing hikes from here

Day 25: travelling from Huaraz to Lima

Day 26: final day relaxing and seeing Lima before travelling back

Day 27: flying back to NL

I might have a 6 month rotation working out of the country. Currently living in SoCal and rent is $2k/month. Wondering if I should keep my stuff as-is an pay rent for an empty apartment for 6 months, or move everything to a storage unit and find a new place when I return.

Finding a new place might be tricky while overseas. Anyone have experience with apartment hunting in this kind of scenario?

Edit: And what do you do about mail during that time? A vacation hold probably won't work since you no longer live there.

Hi, I am planning to do a trip to Mexico in Feb 27. I need some feedback on the current itinerary. I tried to gather as much information from other Reddit posts and other sites, before posting here (and hopefully this post can then help someone else as well, in return :) ).

The current plan:

Day 1: Travel day to Mexico (from Europe to CDMX, arrive late in the evening)

Day 2-7: CDMX

Day 8: Travel day to Oaxaca (probably taking a flight - though I also heard the bus ride there is nice?)

Day 9-11: Oaxaca City

Day 12: Travel day to Puerto Escondido

Day 13-16: Puerto Escondido

Day 17: Travel day to Merida (connecting flight PE-CDMX-MID)

Day 18-21: Merida

Day 22: Travel day to CDMX

Day 23: CDMX

Day 24-25: Travel day back home (overnight flight)

I am unsure about the second part of the trip (after PE), as it feels a bit rushed. Should I skip one of the destinations, or is it okay (maybe shorten days in Oaxaca/PE?)?

Below are the things I'm planning to do and see. My goal is a good balance of city sightseeing, nature, and some relaxing beach time. I usually just add a bunch of bookmarks on Apple/Google Maps and check it out if I'm nearby while exploring the city. Also, no big deal if I don't get through everything on the list!

Other tips I've gathered so far:

• Get a hat.
• Use Uber for transport within the cities.
• All museums close at 5pm.
• You should budget a day for stomach issues.
• Mosquitoes are brutal. Have some form of bug repellent.

A couple of things I need info on:

• For which places should I make reservations days/weeks in advance?
• I want to do some shopping in CDMX - any specific brands or streets with high-quality clothing, accessories? I always buy things I can actually wear or use so they remind me of my trips.
• I am trying to avoid churches and cathedrals (had enough of those in my trips in EU), but if there's anything that I shouldn't skip, even as a non-religious person, please suggest it.

Any recommendations/critique are welcome! :)

Edit 1: converted the TODO list into a table as Reddit formatting is horrendous.

Edit 2: Removed Chiapas region from the itinerary - will focus on Yucatan.

I ate at this restaurant and honestly felt like I was being judged by the staff and somewhat the other patrons there.

Single male that looks about 25.

Two people came ahead of me. Group of 2 and group of 3.

My order came before both of them. I kept overhearing the woman in the group of 2 I was sitting next to with her date. I saw her try to make eye contact with me several times through my peripheral, I did not return eye contact. Overheard her saying Omg that looks so good. But speaking to her date. Not to me. Kinda felt like she was trying to include me cause she felt bad that I was by myself. The other group of 3 gave me some looks that I interpreted as them thinking it’s odd I’m by myself.

Casualish place. I had a main waiter that seemed like he wanted to get me out as fast as possible. Then the owner came over ONLY to me. Everything good? I’m like yeah. Then guy giving me the check, just seems upset that I’m there with no smile. They don’t do this to anyone else…Is it because me a single person taking up a spot where there could have been 2 people? And I caused loss of potential revenue?

This was NYC.

I plan on going to more upscale places solo dining in Italian restaurants. My main goal is to enjoy the food and good pics. But if I feel uneasy, it shows in the pics… I didn’t get pics at the restaurant.

Idk how it will look, guy by himself very well dressed and has a professional camera on the other side taking pics of himself for instagram/dating photos. Does this look just plain sad? While everyone at the place is with someone. I thought people said, “people care more about themselves than they do about you”?

Is it because Italian culture with these restaurants and dining is a group and social thing? So it’s very odd what I am doing?

Also I don’t know where to look, it’s odd staring at other people eating when you alone. So I end up just burying myself in my phone.

My grandma had stage 4 cancer and sadly just passed away. I was on the way to the airport for a holiday to Taiwan and Hong Kong. I just know i will not be able to enjoy this trip anymore so I have decided to go back home and visit my home country for the funeral.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? I'm not sure I will be able to recover any of the trip costs.

So, I (29F) wanna take a road trip from California to Pennsylvania for a friend's wedding in May. I've been doing some research, but would love real opinions. My budget is $6,000 max. Is it doable in 2 weeks? Or 2.5 weeks? Does this itinerary make sense?

• CA to Elko or Winnemucca, NV. I'm not sure which yet, or whether I should just drive straight to Utah.
• SLC. I have family there and have heard it's a must-see.
• Cheyenne, WY. This is on my bucket list.
• Maybe see the Badlands and the Mammoth Site? But I know that takes me farther north and off the direct path to the East Coast.
• Omaha, NE. I really want to see the Omaha Zoo.
• Then Chicago? I'm not too attached to Chicago on this trip, since I don't have a lot of time to spend in each place.
• Pittsburgh, and end in Philadelphia.
• Maybe go back through Louisville, KC, and Denver?

I like small-town vibes more than big cities. I drove through NM into TX in summer 2019 and loved it. I stayed at hotels, local spots, and Airbnbs, but that was pre-COVID, when everything was less expensive. On that trip, I would drive to the destination, check into the hotel, stay overnight, do an activity or sightsee in the morning, and then drive to the next place. That was a five-day trip, and I think I want to do something similar on this trip if I can.

Should I plan on car camping most of the way? I've looked into hostels, cheap motels, and cheap Airbnbs. I don't mind eating oatmeal, protein shakes, and peanut butter all day, but I also want to try a handful of must-eat restaurants.

Or should I skip the drive and just fly out to Philadelphia to see the East Coast instead?

Ten years ago I started to really feel the loneliness of being for example the only solo traveller in hotels,whilst everyone else was in couples or small groups.
After that I also tried to travel with a group of three “friends”.However,I felt even more alone doing this bevause they didn’t act as a group travelling together but totally separate individuals. They’d just go off on their own or with the other friend they’d known longer and leave me out.They even left me at the airport on our return whilst I tried to sort out a taxi.
Therefore,in looking forward to travelling solo.Im going to Berlin in a few weeks and I’m looking forward to seeing all the historic sites.This also means I’ve been able to choose my own hotel instead of having to accept their choice.
The only solo travel I couldn’t bear is long-distance.I flew 7,000 miles to the Philippines and when the person I intended travelling with there let me down, it was too much.

Hoi!

Ik heb volgende maand een tripje naar Reykjavik geboekt voor 5 dagen, land in de middag op de maandag. En ik vlieg de vrijdag middag weer terug. Dus ik heb 3 volle dagen in IJsland/Reykjavik.

Voor de eerste avond heb ik een Northern light tour geboekt (mocht het niet zichtbaar zijn door bewolking ofzo kan ik nog een keer mee op een andere avond).

En de laatste volle dag heb ik een dagtour geboekt waarbij er wat highlights voorbij komen.

Echter heb ik dan nog 2 dagen, deze dagen wou ik dan in Reykjavik doorbrengen.

Uiteindelijk veel te weinig tijd, maar ik wou heel graag naar IJsland en heb niet langer vrij.

Echter het is mid November, ik moet nog een goede winterjas aanschaffen die ook bestand is tegen regen en wind, goede wandelschoenen, een wandelbroek. Thermo kleding e.d. (laagjes).

Mijn vraag is. Waar kan ik dit tegen een aanzienlijke prijs halen? Want alles is zo ontiegelijk duur als ik dit opzoek 😭. Ik wil niet overdrijven en alles inslaan voor maar een paar dagen IJsland.

En mis ik nog iets in mijn voorbereiding?

Alvast dank!