8 Tips for Solo Travel

As mentioned in my previous post — I got the somewhat crazy idea three years ago to head to Europe for the first time, by myself! (Yes, my Mom and Dad probably have a few more gray hairs thanks to my experience-seeking ways.)  So if you’re here because you have decided a solo trip is in your future, then congrats! It will truly be an adventure of a lifetime.  You may come away from it and decide you prefer to travel with others (or you may only want to travel solo!!), but no matter what, you’ll come away with a much greater appreciation and understanding of yourself.

As you start your planning, here are some key tips and takeaways for traveling solo from my own experiences:

Safety

The key is to stay aware and do your best to seem like you know what you’re doing… not much different from what you would do in NYC or DC.  Avoid beggars/street vendors, don’t let people put things on you (like bracelets), keep your luggage, etc… I had perfected my “don’t even try to talk to me” face by the end of my trip.  Though I did travel in the off-season so there was less of a risks of pick-pocketers being out and about, this advice would apply anytime of year.

This was my choice, but I was never out past 9pm… I would go to early dinners then head back to my AirBnb to relax, have a glass of wine I bought at the local store, read my book, or do some research for the next day… I personally felt more comfortable/safe not being out late.

Everywhere I traveled people spoke at least some level of English… a few were slightly annoyed to have to use it, but I expected that…. I mastered a Bonjour+Hello combo as a greeting in Paris so someone would not start rattling off to me in French.

Lodging

I stayed in eight AirBnBs and most of them were in a shared apartment. Booking my own room but in a shared apartment ended up being wonderful, both with safety because there is a “person on the ground” that kind of knows your whereabouts (at least when you’re supposed to arrive and leave); and also great because the host/hostess can give suggestions on some of their local favorites.  I literally didn’t try one thing in Brussels that my two hosts didn’t suggest.  It was Awesome with a capital A.

You’d probably meet more travelers in a hostel, but I felt safer staying at someone’s house who had been vetted by AirBnB and had high reviews/ratings from other people who have stayed.  I also chose to stay places based on location… every place I stayed was basically smack in the middle of things.  That way I was able to walk almost everywhere and rely minimally on other means of transportation.

 Planning/Booking

I planned my 21 days European adventure kind of oddly… I chose my dates and booked my flight to London and from Rome, then figured out what cities I could do in between and only be an hour or two train or plane ride…  then booked my AirBnBs and activities.  This trip for me was a “large sampling” of Europe as I had never been, so I was in each city only two-ish days.  Surprisingly, for most places two days was enough to get a good feel for the area (though I clocked about 10 miles a day walking).  I ended up really enjoying the random cities I included like Brussels and Munich too.

Activities

In nearly every city I scheduled one of those hop-on-hop-off bus tours (hello tourist!) or a walking tour for the first day I was in a new city.  This helped get me oriented really quickly with the city’s layout and the different neighborhoods I wanted to explore while I was there.

Packing

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m extremely efficient at packing.  I packed one carry-on and a bag for 21 days and besides wishing I had packed more socks, that amount served me well.

I packed items that could be layered and majority of the clothing was black (one to fit in most everywhere and two because it doesn’t show dirt).  Hindsight is always 20/20, but the one thing I wish I had thought to do prior to this journey was to buy a pack of underwear and a pack of socks and just toss them after I had worn them.  21 pairs of underwear and 21 pairs of socks take up a lot of space.  So this is on tip I wish I had thought of before my trip.  I’ve heard of folks who take this idea to the extreme… wearing old clothing that they can toss as they go.  But to that I’d say, if you’re going to Paris, London, or Italy wearing clothes with holes in it might not be your best idea 😉  Also a great idea is mid-trip to book an AirBnB with a washer/dryer or use the hotel’s washers. (This means half the socks & undies!!)

Communication

Since I have a data plan in the U.S. I don’t typically notice which restaurants and stores have available wi-fi.  So in going to Europe and wanting to rely minimally on cell data, I was surprised to learn that nearly everywhere had wi-fi.  Even town squares in Brussels have wi-fi?!  The key to only using wi-fi in Europe is to make sure you turn your phone to airplane mode and turn wi-fi back on before you leave out of your country.  That way you’re not accessing data at any point until you turn airplane mode off.

Navigation

I am so thankful that prior to my trip my friend taught me that Google Maps will work even without cell data or wi-fi.  What I would do is I would download a few different Google Maps of the city to my phone, then while still on wi-fi I would pick a place farther away where I was going to meander my way to and click for walking directions.  It would show on the map the suggested direction and once out of wi-fi rang I could literally look at my phone and see my little blue dot (i.e. the dot that shows your current location) moving along towards my destination.  (This blue dot showing you current location comes in handy whether or not you have loaded the directions a destination or not. ) Learning this technique has saved me from needing an international data plan.

Food

And finally, my favorite part of traveling… food! One of the most interesting parts of my 21 day trip was that I made a decision starting in London that I would try a “local” dish in each city.  I typically went off recommendations from my AirBnB host/hostess to find out some suggestions and this added a very unique element to my trip!

London – Sunday Roast @ Dean Street Townhouse

Paris – steak & frites at Le Relais de l’Entrecote

Brussels – mussels at De Noordzee (Not pictured was the Carbonnade a la Flamande and Brussels style Belgian waffle

Prague – roast beef on cream and roll dumplings at Cafe Louvre (opened since 1902)

Munich – pigs knuckle and coleslaw

Venice – pizza from a hidden pizzeria I saw locals popping into for a slice

Florence — lampredotto (aka. the 4th cow stomach, eep!) at ii Santo Bevitore

Naples – Sorbillo fried pizza (not pictured is the delicious sfogliatella I had every day for breakfast!)

Rome – Roman-style pizza at La Montecarlo

 

Though you don’t have to go to the extreme I did, I do think exploring food of different areas can be both a taste treat and provide you with even more insight into the region and ways of the locals there. (Even if it is three types of pizza!)

Enjoy your upcoming adventure! Have you been on a solo trip? Have your own suggestions? Let me know in the comments!

 

Is Solo Travel for You?

Three years ago I booked a 21 day, six country, nine city European tour…solo.  (It would also be my first time to Europe!)  After that trip I had women reach out to me curious about how I did it and how it was.  Some were tired of waiting for boyfriends to travel with, others just thought it would be intriguing… so for those wondering about traveling by themselves, here were my thoughts:

If you find enjoyment out of doing things by yourself, I would 100% recommend traveling solo.  I absolutely loved it because what I did each day was dependent only on me… If I wanted to sleep in and have my morning coffee  at 9:30am I could.  If I wanted to stop on a park bench and read my book in a garden, I could. I never felt that I missed out on something I wanted to do, or that I was holding up someone else from doing something they wanted to do… that sounds small, but it’s an amazing reason, for me, to travel solo.

But! I would also 100% recommend taking a shorter solo trip, like a long weekend somewhere new, before embarking on a longer trip.  Through two short solo trips I found that I did enjoy and find fulfillment out of traveling alone.  There are folks that, like me will love it, and others who will hate it, which is why I recommend trying it out first.  I did not even go somewhere foreign for my first solo trips.  I added on a few days to an Anaheim work trip to go to Los Angeles/Santa Barbara for the first time and I had an accidental solo ski trip to Lake Tahoe when my friend got sick at the last minute, but both of those proved to myself that yes, I could navigate car rentals, hotels, restaurants, and activities… all. by. myself.

If you’re venturing out on your own, I wish you a fantastic trip! If you have questions, let me know in the comments.  Also stay tuned for my next blog post that covers eight areas of solo-traveling with advice from my own experiences!

Also if you’re interested, I’m including my own 21 day itinerary (a trip of a lifetime):

Europe in 21 days — My Itinerary:

Fri, Nov 6 = Flight to London

Sat, Nov 7 = London (Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour: info link)

Sun, Nov 8 = London

Mon, Nov 9 = London to Paris (Train)

Tues, Nov 10 = Paris (Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour: info link)

Wed, Nov 11 = Paris to Brussels (Train)

Thu, Nov 12 = Brussels (Half Day Walking Tour: info link)

Fri, Nov 13 = Brussels (Charleroi) to Prague (RyanAir Flight)

Sat, Nov 14 = Prague (One Day Walking Tour: info link)

Sun, Nov 15 = Prague to Munich (Train)

Mon, Nov 16 = Munich (Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour: info link)

Tue, Nov 17 = Munich to Venice (Air Dolomiti Flight)

Wed, Nov 18 = Venice (Walking Tour & Gondola Ride: info link)

Thu, Nov 19 = Venice to Florence (Train)

Fri, Nov 20 = Florence

Sat, Nov 21 = Florence to Cinque Terre (Full Day Hiking Day Trip: info link)

Sun, Nov 22 = Florence to Tuscany (One Day Tour of Tuscany/vineyard: info link)

Mon, Nov 23 = Florence to Naples (Train)

Tue, Nov 24 = Naples (Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour: info link)

Wed, Nov 25 = Naples to Rome (Train)

Thu, Nov 26 = Rome

Fri, Nov 27 = Flight from Rome to home

 

 

How a Foodie Does Portland, OR

‘Travel Languages’ may not have a book published about it like ‘Love Languages’ but anyone who has talked about travel knows how different people’s travel styles can be — some people travel to hit every single tourist spot within a 50 mile radius; others show up with only the destination selected and let the wind (or something) guide them to what they’ll see/do; some others only see the inside of spas and shopping centers; while others wander with a purpose and that purpose being food.

Portland, Oregon — known much like Austin, TX for wanting to keep it weird — provides the perfect setting to work off some calories between breakfast, coffee, lunch, coffee, ice cream, dinner, beer, ice cream, and can’t forget the late night doughnut.

After landing at PDX, if you’re starving then pop over to Terminal C on the way out to get your suitcase and pick up a beef pastrami on everything bagel at the fantastic Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen.  (There is also a sit down restaurant downtown if you prefer!)

Beef pastrami on a everything bagel at Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen

Take the MAX Light Rail straight from the airport to the city center, drop your bags off, then if it’s lunch time, and you didn’t already scarf down your bagel from the airport, head over to Bunk’s Sandwiches.  One might call it a hole-in-the-wall, but their sandwiches are stellar fuel for checking out the Pearl District.  Wanting something more than a sandwich? Some other great lunch spots include:

Pine State Biscuits — the founders came from NC State bringing with them their family’s biscuit recipe. They are legit, and if you eat at their Alberta location, you’ll want to take a stroll through the Alberta Art District to see all the colorful murals after this meal!

¿Por Qué No? — two casual locations on the east side of the river, both with tacos and margaritas, yum!

Pok Pok — locals and tourists flock to this Thai street food spot. (If there is a line, put your name down and head across the street to get an appetizer of Salt & Straw — read about this taste treat a little further down! Or do as the locals do and sneak over to Pok Pok’s Whiskey Soda Lounge where their infamous Khua Haem Pik Kai wings can be ordered usually without the long wait for a table.)

Afternoon beers anyone?  The Pearl District, well anywhere and everywhere in Portland, has many many beers to choose from (Fun Fact: Portland, OR competes with Asheville, NC for the title of “Beertown USA”).  Some of the more well-known spots in NW for beer include: Rogue Distillery & Public House, Bridgeport Brewing Company (claims to be “Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery”); and Deschutes Brewery Public House. Cross the river and you’ll find Burnside Brewing Company; Widmer Brothers Brewery & Pub; and many other craft-brew spots.

Tasting Flight at Rogue

Everyone has their own opinions about ice cream, but you must try Salt & Straw at least once in your life (and then you’ll be hooked and go to all their locations). There will typically be a line winding out the door at all the locations, but it goes fast, and is worth it.  Please take the advice to splurge for the two flavors and the waffle cone. As a foodie, you’ve heard of the farm-to-table phenomenon, now is your chance to try farm-to-cone!

Butterscotch Crush topped with Freckled Woodblock Chocolate in a fresh made waffle cone at Salt & Straw

There are so many places for dinner throughout Portland that it is hard to choose, and just like any foodie town, new places are constantly opening, so find a local and ask them for advice, but here are a few great staples that have lasted through the last years:

Noble Rot — a 4th floor restaurant across the river with views looking back towards downtown.  The chef picks food from their rooftop garden, need I say more.

Bamboo Sushi — a sushi place in NW serving fresh (and sustainable) fish. Happy Hour is going to be your cheapest bet, and behold there is a Salt & Straw around the corner so skip dessert 🙂

Tasty N Alder — the crab dip and steak are two things you must order, then ask the bartender what else to order, he will not steer you wrong.

TeSoAria — looking for more of a liquid dinner, this “city winery”  has a good variety of wine, plus on Tuesday they serve complimentary pizza with your wine (wine & pizza, yes please!).

Portland, Oregon provides the perfect getaway for any foodie, so strap on your walking shoes and enjoy! Have other favorites you have found from your PDX adventures? Let me know in the comments.