Solo international vacation

J

justinisapilot

Well-Known Member
Back story:
I recently upgrade from a ready reserve to a full time employee with my airline. This means I now have benefits and paid vacation time. It also means I am at the bottom of the seniority list. This has forced me to take my few days of vacation next week and next week only as all of the other weeks for the entire vacation bid year have already been taken (there were 1817 people above me on the seniority list the last time i checked). Since I learned of my vacation with short notice, I was unable to get anyone in my family or circle of friends to get those days off to join me on my vacation. Now here I am a week before my vacation and all I have is a passport, the ability to fly almost anywhere non stop or one stop from Atlanta, and the realization that i will be making this trip solo. So my question is...........

Question: Have you ever taken a solo international vacation? Where did you go? What was the experience like?

I am particularly interested in visiting Tokyo, but I don't know the language and a trip that far away solo seems daunting.
 
justinisapilot said:
Back story:
I recently upgrade from a ready reserve to a full time employee with my airline. This means I now have benefits and paid vacation time. It also means I am at the bottom of the seniority list. This has forced me to take my few days of vacation next week and next week only as all of the other weeks for the entire vacation bid year have already been taken (there were 1817 people above me on the seniority list the last time i checked). Since I learned of my vacation with short notice, I was unable to get anyone in my family or circle of friends to get those days off to join me on my vacation. Now here I am a week before my vacation and all I have is a passport, the ability to fly almost anywhere non stop or one stop from Atlanta, and the realization that i will be making this trip solo. So my question is...........

Question: Have you ever taken a solo international vacation? Where did you go? What was the experience like?

I am particularly interested in visiting Tokyo, but I don't know the language and a trip that far away solo seems daunting.
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Solo I would go to Asia: Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan

I would not go to South America, Africa or Europe Solo
 
I wouldn't see any issue going to Europe solo. Some really cool places out there. I second Tokyo, though.
 
Many times I've done it... Europe, Japan, Argentina, Israel. Tokyo is great for solo travelers!
 
justinisapilot said:
Question: Have you ever taken a solo international vacation? Where did you go? What was the experience like?
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Many European choices out of ATL...pick a flight with the lightest loads. I have gone hiking in Switzerland, specifically the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Wengen, and Grindlewald. Also a great skiing area this time of the year.
 
Springer said:
Many European choices out of ATL...pick a flight with the lightest loads. I have gone hiking in Switzerland, specifically the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Wengen, and Grindlewald. Also a great skiing area this time of the year.
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I would second Lauterbrunnen, but unless you are planning on skiing, I'd save that until the warmer season. Southern Europe is fine to go solo to, but if you have the time, Asia is probably the place to go.
 
justinisapilot said:
Back story:
I recently upgrade from a ready reserve to a full time employee with my airline. This means I now have benefits and paid vacation time. It also means I am at the bottom of the seniority list. This has forced me to take my few days of vacation next week and next week only as all of the other weeks for the entire vacation bid year have already been taken (there were 1817 people above me on the seniority list the last time i checked). Since I learned of my vacation with short notice, I was unable to get anyone in my family or circle of friends to get those days off to join me on my vacation. Now here I am a week before my vacation and all I have is a passport, the ability to fly almost anywhere non stop or one stop from Atlanta, and the realization that i will be making this trip solo. So my question is...........

Question: Have you ever taken a solo international vacation? Where did you go? What was the experience like?

I am particularly interested in visiting Tokyo, but I don't know the language and a trip that far away solo seems daunting.
Click to expand...

Traveling solo is the best way to go as far as I am concerned. Not speaking the language will not a ruin your trip if you can meet some English speaking locals to help you out; bring a phrase book though. I am a big fan of www.couchsurfing.com and use it everywhere I go to find locals to show me around. I would go to the Philippines if you haven't been yet and be sure to check out Palawan if you go. Filipinos have to be some of the friendliest people in the world, they speak English, the islands are beautiful and it is dirt cheap. I also recently went to Peru and visited Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu and highly recommend that as well.
 
Europe is great solo. There are plenty of English speakers, and the public transportation is great and very easy to figure out.
 
I did Paris and London for 10 days solo last March. Best 10 days for the most part! Nobody to try and work around, do what you want to do, etc. I did get a bit lonely towards the end but I saw and experienced sooo much! Highly recommend Europe!
 
I took a four day solo trip to Germany before leaving my airline gig and had a blast. Started in Frankfurt, then saw Leipzig and a little bit of Berlin before flying home. Mass transit is absolutely phenomenal there. You can literally take a train anywhere in the country.

I stayed at hostels each night and met really cool people. I'd ask my roommates in the hostel if anyone wanted to get something to eat at night and before you know it, I was having dinner and swapping stories with a Swiss guy, New Zealander, and a couple Australians.

I'm all about taking in the local culture of places, so during the day I got food at the farmers' markets, talked to local artists and shop owners, checked out museums, and just walked around town looking for cool stuff. The little things amuse me, like figuring out how to buy and mail postcards, or stopping a local and asking them to interpret an interesting poster.

Didn't feel the least bit lonely or bored. Just pack to be comfortable outdoors and on your feet in whatever place you go.
 
I went to Europe in May and visited a few countries and my favorite by far was France. Absolutely gorgeous and everyone was very friendly. My second favorite would be the Netherlands. Keep in mind though, it's expensive. When I went the exchange rate was not favorable at all.

As far as transportation, there is public mass transit everywhere and as previously stated, you can go anywhere by train. However, it can be a bit confusing. After a night of fun in Amsterdam, I found myself at Amsterdam Centraal (train/bus station) reading the train board trying to find the right train back to where I was staying. It was very confusing but at the same time a lot of fun to figure out. I had to talk to a few locals and finally found my way after talking to a train engineer.

If I had the money, I'd live in Paris. Loved it there.
 
This all sounds like so much fun. I would probably start off in New Zealand/Australia if it were me personally. Maybe go "Truman" and hit up Fiji for a weekend while im in the hemisphere too.
 
dasleben said:
I wouldn't see any issue going to Europe solo. Some really cool places out there. I second Tokyo, though.
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Europe it`s not the easiest place to make short term friends, in Asia there are a lot of Solo travelers and usually it`s easier to join a group or have a conversation at a Bar.
 
tlewis95 said:
This all sounds like so much fun. I would probably start off in New Zealand/Australia if it were me personally. Maybe go "Truman" and hit up Fiji for a weekend while im in the hemisphere too.
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Fiji is actually really over rated, and really expensive to reach from NZ or AU, compared to LAX for example...

Unless you stay in a enclosed resort or do a very expensive trip to an outer island, you won`t feel you are in a tropical paradise, Suva is probably one of the worst cities I have ever visited, really dirty and dangerous at night, not to mention it rains 6 days a week...no beaches either. Nadi is just a place where you jump on a plane to go somewhere else, unless you have big $$$$ most budget places in that area are horrible.

It is a country constantly unstable, Indians and NiFijian hate each other and on some of the Islands because of this nothing works.

They have been hit pretty bad by an Hurricane last month, not sure if many outer islands have recovered from it yet.
 
swisspilot said:
Europe it`s not the easiest place to make short term friends, in Asia there are a lot of Solo travelers and usually it`s easier to join a group or have a conversation at a Bar.
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I dunno...last time I was in London on vacation, I met an Aussie girl on a Stonehenge tour. :D
 
Europe is too cold this time of year, so is Japan.

I did a 10 day solo vacation to Bali, Indonesia in 1997. Had a great time. Went mountain biking in the rice fields; hiked up the tallest mountain ( volcano ) on the island; SCUBA dived on a sunken WW II wreck off the northeast coast; lazed on the beach; took in the cultural shows at night in Ubud. Cost all of $350 for ten days ( excluding air fare ).

Avoid Kuta, bunch of drunk Aussies there. Spent one night there and then headed up to Ubud. Had my own villa in the rice patties with breakfast served on the porch in the morning. Cost me $9.50/night. Spent another a few days at a beach motel in Sanur.

Typhoonpilot
 
If you go anywhere solo, go to Thailand, that way nobody will find out what you did there o_O

I've been around Europe solo, and it is pretty cool, unless you are into partying. Then you gotta take a wingman.
 
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