When I say I travel “alone” this is, for the most part, what I mean: I make my travel arrangements and/or reservations for me, alone, by myself. I get on an airplane, alone, by myself. I fly through the air for a few hours, and then arrive in a new land - full of new people, customs, foods, and possibilities - alone, by myself. Does that scare the heck out of you? Me too, sometimes. Honestly it does. But it is also completely and utterly exhilarating. Hello World! I’m here! Now show me whatchya got!
Upon arriving in new lands, I have experienced a variety of situations that make it easier for me to move from “solo traveler” to “solo traveler who has people to hang out with.” Here are a few ways in which you may also make this transition, if you so desire:
- Sign up for language classes. These are chock-full of other travelers of various ages, from all over the world. Through the Spanish language schools I’ve studied in, I’ve met people from dozens of different countries, and some have become lasting friends. Most of them were also traveling alone, just like me! Then on the weekends, I had people to explore with in the area.
- Stay with a local family. All the language schools I have attended offer a homestay for an extra (but very reasonable) fee, or they are available without the school option. You stay in a home, with a local family, and eat two to three meals with them. They engage you in conversation. They can help you with your homework. They often include you in family outings and special occasions. I even watched some telenovelas (Spanish language soap operas) with my host families over the years. I stayed with a family for three months in Guatemala and it was an amazing experience. Their home was my home. I didn’t have to go back to some hotel room by myself and feel bored. But I still had my own room and could have privacy if I needed it.
- Find a volunteer gig. This is similar to the language school option. There are great programs you can sign up for before you leave home. Or you can wait and find something once you are at your destination. Some programs charge a fee. However, I have no experience with those and have only volunteered directly with local non-profits that do not charge for volunteering. Some will even help set you up with a homestay if you plan to be there for a while.
- Stay in a youth hostel. Hostels aren’t just for youth. Places like hostels have a lot going on all the time and just have the “we’re all here in the same boat, so let’s enjoy it together” energy. I have found that quaint inns/ small hotels often have a lot of couples for guests, some of them on romantic vacations. Not the greatest places to find travel mates. However, in those cases, I usually have found friends through the above-mentioned methods, and also talk to the hotel employees when I want to be social because they are interesting and can tell you so much about their country and lives. They can give you the inside scoop on things you won’t find in a travel book.
- Look for a travel companion on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree website (Travel Companion section). It’s a great way to find a like-minded person who might not want to be alone during their trip.
- Take group day tours with a local tour company and you can meet people, even if it's just for the day.
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| Pascal, Abate, and me with the tuk-tuk we took-took around Laguna Apoyo in Nicaragua. The driver took the photo. |
As I said, with all these methods, I have met people to hang out with while traveling. A couple of years ago, I went to Nicaragua for two weeks. I took Spanish classes for a week and met some interesting people there, students and staff. We participated in fun activities through the school, like field trips, cooking and dance classes. I also met a friend through Thorn Tree, a guy from New York who was going to be in Granada for a few days and wanted to see some sites with a travel buddy. I ended up spending an incredible weekend with him and a friend from the Spanish school. The three of us took a chicken bus to a canopy tour; rode in a tuk-tuk (see photo here of Pascale from the Netherlands, Abate Sebsibe from New York, and me, next to the tuk-tuk) to Laguna de Apoyo, a lagoon in a volcano crater, to go horseback riding; then took another tuk-tuk down the volcano back to Granada, with a few interesting stops along the way, courtesy of a tourist-minded driver. The next day we took a carriage tour around Granada with another student from the Spanish school, and later visited a museum. I’m sure I would have still done some interesting things alone (and actually did the following week), but meeting other travelers made it even more fun, that is for sure.
Traveling alone does not necessarily mean you stay alone 24/7. And my enthusiasm for traveling “alone” doesn’t mean that you should ditch your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/group of friends so you can hit the road by yourself. I’m just saying that if you do not have companions with whom to travel, don’t let it stop you from going to (insert name of your dream destination here), a place you’ve always wanted to see. There are many ways to meet people when you travel. In fact, I have found that traveling is one of the very easiest ways to make new friends.
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| Geared up to go! Here I am (front) with Pascale (middle) and Abate Sebsibe (back) on a canopy tour in Nicaragua. We were all traveling alone and met in ways that are quite common for travelers to meet each other: language schools and on-line travel forums. It was a great day! |
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