Traveling alone

[Authenticme]

I just wanted to ask the woman on the board, if they have ever travelled abroad alone? How was it for you? Did you feel safe?

I'm thinking of travelling alone to Portugal in April. If you've been there, please share your experiences with me! Thanks!

[mel_s12]

I'm a flight attendant so where ever I am on layovers I'm mostly by myself, unless the crew comes along. And I must say, it's so liberating traveling by yourself. You can do what you want, go where you please, and you are always so deep in thought with yourself. It's really a satisfying experience. (Although, traveling with a partner can be fun too).
I've never been to Portugal, but it should be fine. Just don't go out by your self after dark, unless you know you'll be safe. And stick to the mostly touristy areas.

[Vegan Princess]

Hi there,

I often travel around the US alone for work and stay extra days and explore the cities on my own. It's been awhile since I've gone abroad alone. I spent some time around London by myself at 19 and also Amsterdam at 18. I felt fine both of those times. In Italy I felt threatened by the local men while I was with another gal my age (highschool at the time). I think it was a factor of my age and the difference in culture though. I like traveling alone - you are on your own schedule and really have time to think and to take in everything around you. I say read up on the possible dangers, be alert and have fun! Also I have seen whole guide books geared towards women traveling alone - you may try and find one to help address any concerns.

Cindy

[Apasaraw]

You might like these sites:
http://www.journeywoman.com/

http://justusgirlstravel.com/

Portugal...wow! Never been. My best friend is Portuguese...lovely friengly people. I have traveled alone and I enjoyed it...it was a freeing feeling. I felt safe due to planning ahead and walking confidently. This alone wards off troublesome sorts. Finding a guide via your hotel is also helpful. Do you know the language..just "hello" and "thank you" in the native tongue with a smile and the country is your oyster.

[Authenticme]

Thank you all for your comments. I'm feeling more confident already. I do know how to say "Hello","Good Day" and "Thank you" in portuguese but that's about it! I'm going to borrow some language tapes from my friend to learn as much as I can by April!!!

[Authenticme]

Apasaraw,Thank you for those websites. I just checked them out. Very cool.

[sport]

Portugal would be considered a safe country.
I have been there and loved it but that was before I went raw so I do not know how raw friendly they are.

[aililiu]

travelling alone is wonderful. i spent a year travelling and most of it was with friends but near the end i packed in ireland by myself, and that was one of my best times. although i was a little nervous when the tourist office told me i HAD to hitchhike to get where i wanted to go ;) hahah. turned out fine. i dont think ive ever done so much journal writing my whole life, either ;) i havent been to portugal but ive been to spain and really enjoyed it. just use your common sense and im sure itll run smooth :) have fun.

[kiropa]

i did not read the replys -- but in my single life a travelled to and around both London and Israel alone. both were GREAT experiences.

Israel was terrifying at first, but extremely empowering. i do not speak hebrew and it was quite scary not to be able to read a street sign, bus schedule or map.

it worked and was a life-changing, unforgettable experience that i wouldn't trade for the world.

i'd travel alone now if my hubby and kids would agree :)

[Authenticme]

Thanks all! I'm quite excited for my trip! You're all adding to my enthusiasm. I'm feeling a little emboldened now. Like I should be looking at traveling to other countries too alone. I've been hearing great things about Dublin,Ireland. But first, let's see how I do with Portugal.

[kaybee]

kiropa--

I would LOVE to travel around israel alone--but would be absolutely terrified. I was there last december with a friend, and i felt safer having him with me but felt like i'd be alot freer on my own and my soul would have been happier wandering on my own, especially since we were going to alot of christian holy sites, which i found to be very intimate for me...so it was tough being there with someone with whom i didnt have an intimate relationship with and who i didnt want to be vulnterable too...in alot of ways i woudl have SO loved it more to have been by myself, wandering (or driving actually cuz i woulda been scared to not have a car. we were up in the ?northern? parts by nazareth and the sea of galilee, and it was amazingly deserted of tourists. gosh, i SO wanted to be there exploring by myself. would love to go back but would be absolutely terrified as a single woman there.... all my other traveling (mostly ireland) ive done on my own, but to not be able to speak the language, or even "fudge" it like i can in italy france etc would be SO terrifying....

authenticme: one more tip-- i have found (especially in italy), that if you stumble through and at least TRY to communicate in the language of the country that you're in, people will appreicate it and respect you more... and oftentimes will switch over to speaking to you in english for your benefit. just make the effort and it will often make people more likely to help you out because they feel like you are at least TRYING to do things there way in their country.

also, you mentioned dublin: ive done a fair amount of travelling around ireland on my own, so feel free to email me if you decide to go there and want more advice. i am madly in love with that country (feels like home, since my great grandma was from there). the bus system there is pretty good, and will generally get you where you want to go, though it may be LONG bus rides. i have also done a fair amount of hitchhiking there (starting when i was 26, and every summer since), and have to say it is really empowering, but i also wouldnt necessarily recommend it, except maybe around small village areas (ex: around the dingle peninsula, etc), as i have definitely ended up in a few sketchy situations and one pretty scary one.... you just never know who you are getting into a car wiht and i learned from the one bad lift that you do need to have an "escape plan" (like throwing up or something) in mind in case you need to get yourself out of a situation. That said, I met ALOT of really cool, super-generous people who often went out of there way to get me where I was going. if you do decide to do it though, it is better to take some precautions, like carry a map and whether the driver really is folllowing the route you need, have a cellphone and a flashlight, have a pretty good intution or the gift of having a "gut feeling" about people, etc. Also, hitching is MUCH SAFER in ireland if you can do it with a friend, but it is also much harder to get a lift with two people. also keep in mind that hitching is "going out of style" there and it is sometimes really hard to get a lift, and you could get stranded places, so have a plan B. people are FAR less likely to pick up hitchhikers there today for a variety of reasons good luck and please be super super careful (as much as that is possible with this sort of thing....) and dont come across as naive to the people who give you lifts; be able to know what youre doing, where youre going, what roads you should be taking to get you there, etc etc etc and TRY to do it with a travelling buddy... and DONT do it at night...

good luck, have fun. be safe.

kaybee

edit: whoa--authenticme--sorry--i just looked at your profile--youre a grownup :) so most of the advice ive given above is probably obvious to you. im not gonna go back and try to edit it, but please excuse me stating the obvious. i bet you'd be fine hitching or whatever in ireland. and have fun too. for some reason i thought you were a college student so i was trying to be extra heavy on the "cautions" ;) sorry. that said, still be careful cuz i had some old guy pick me up one day and then basically indicate that he expected me to be his prostitute... that was a bit of a scary. anyway, good luck, have fun.

[iamacranberry]

Apasaraw,Thank you for those websites. I just checked them out. Very cool.

I only travel alone. And I do travel fairly often.

[RawHeaven]

I've traveled alone to Indonesia, Europe and some of the states. The Bali trip was the biggest one. In the mid-90's I sold/away most of my possessions, quit my job, bought a ticket without booking anything else. Just let God guide me and found lodging and decided which town/village I visited first when I got there. It was an incredibly liberating, exciting and fun experience. My intention was to stay for 3 weeks and I ended up staying for 3 months. The dollar was doing extraordinarily well back then so I was able to extend my stay easily. I met the most incredible people... Balinese & mostly European expats who lived in Bali. Just had a very good, spiritually enlightening time. It was also a very humbling experience to come from such excess and be surrounded by beautiful people who were very connected to themselves and the earth and know they are capable of anything. I learned a lot about myself in the process and I will never forget the experience...it still brings a lot of joy to my heart and I still stay in touch with a family I met there.

[sport]

If you come to Ireland then you and Kaybee and myself can have a raw sleepover.

[kaybee]

yeeeeaaaahhhhh. raw sleepover parteeeee. ill bring the raw chocolate chunks from natural zing. oh yeah sport but i have a dog now too that travels with me. i got her outside of tralee last summer and shes becoming a world traveler; shell be coming back to dingle with me this summer. boxer pup. but i could leave her with friends so she wont crash the parteee.

[Authenticme]

If you come to Ireland then you and Kaybee and myself can have a raw sleepover.

Hey girlies,

Sounds good to me! We'd have so much fun! I'm also looking at travelling to different parts of the country now alone. I love New York City and I've never been to San Francisco. I guess I was waiting to have a "honey" to travel with but no reason why I can't see all of those places more then once!

[Vivafree2]

I also travel alone most of the time - i can see some places and focus more on sensing and feeling and seeing world around me. I mostly go to Europe - i can communicate and read most of their words so it is fairly straight forward.
I will be in June in England visiting Stonehenge and would love to go and see Mexican piramides - perhaps by the end of this year. Enjoy your trip and let me know if you need company.

[kaybee]

authenticme: i see youre in boston. if u ever want to go to ireland, aerlingus flies direct boston-shannon and boston-dublin and its a pretty short flight. thats where i always go from cuz my parents are right near amherst. also, you might find that once you get to europe, getting around from place to place via things like ryanair is pretty cheap. last december we got tickets from rome to france, roundtrip for .01 eurocent plus taxes and fees. it ended up costing like 40 euro RT or something. ryanair kinda stinks and they jack up all the other fees, but they are still cheap. i also went from rome to ireland at christmas on ryanair for like 30 euro RT plus fees or something.

if you hit the west coast here, i might be able to hook you up with a spot on the floor in seattle for a couple nights, though our house is kinda crazy with 3 roomies and 3 dogs. ill probably be leaving seattle and goin back to ireland in may tho

kb

[RawHeaven]

Hey girlies,

Sounds good to me! We'd have so much fun! I'm also looking at travelling to different parts of the country now alone. I love New York City and I've never been to San Francisco. I guess I was waiting to have a "honey" to travel with but no reason why I can't see all of those places more then once!

I grew up in San Francisco. It's a nice compact city to travel in solo. You can probably squeeze 3 SF's into Boston. You'll have a good time. Lots of sights to see...it has two really good raw restaurants also. ;)

[Authenticme]

if you hit the west coast here, i might be able to hook you up with a spot on the floor in seattle for a couple nights, though our house is kinda crazy with 3 roomies and 3 dogs. ill probably be leaving seattle and goin back to ireland in may tho

kb

Kaybee and Viva, such generous and kinds offers. Thank you! Wouldn't it be cool if we could form a travel club of some kind for rawbies! I just might take you guys up on some of your offers!

[Authenticme]

I grew up in San Francisco. It's a nice compact city to travel in solo. You can probably squeeze 3 SF's into Boston. You'll have a good time. Lots of sights to see...it has two really good raw restaurants also. ;)


Crystal, I have always,always wanted to go to San Francisco. I've seen on craigslist how some folks rent their apartments out for a week or so. I'm thinking on doing something like that.

[kaybee]

authenticme--actually there is a thing kinda like that--not for rawbies necessarily though, just for everyone. its called freeloaders.com . sport told me about it. basically you sign up to be listed as a potential place people can stay (floor, tent, couch, xtra room, you specify), and then you have access to the site that lists other people who offer the same who you can email to see if you can stay with them...

[sport]

authenticme--actually there is a thing kinda like that--not for rawbies necessarily though, just for everyone. its called freeloaders.com . sport told me about it. basically you sign up to be listed as a potential place people can stay (floor, tent, couch, xtra room, you specify), and then you have access to the site that lists other people who offer the same who you can email to see if you can stay with them...


www.globalfreeloaders.com

There is another one that I say on tv called couchsurfing but I have not checked it out.

[Authenticme]

www.globalfreeloaders.com

There is another one that I say on tv called couchsurfing but I have not checked it out.

There is an actual couchsurfing website/network. couchsurfing.com. It's just that I'm a vibey type person. I tend to go where my vibes take me. I get good vibes from this site! lol. I wouldn't offer myself to just any couch! LOL. Plus I'm a good guest as well as host.

[Vivafree2]

Travel club? - sounds good - what about visiting Toronto? We have few raw restaurants and city is quite vibrant during summer. You are welcomed!
Ireland i always wanted to visit - as it is GREEEENNNN!
I also plan to go to New York for few days, never have been in Boston nor Chicago.

[Apasaraw]

Hey girlies,

Sounds good to me! We'd have so much fun! I'm also looking at travelling to different parts of the country now alone. I love New York City and I've never been to San Francisco. I guess I was waiting to have a "honey" to travel with but no reason why I can't see all of those places more then once!


That's the spirit! Plus it's fun to show someone around the second time.:)
I'm going to San Francisco in March all by myself in March...maybe I'll see you there.;)

[miaculpa]

I travelled to the Algarve in Portugal alone about 5 yrs ago... lovely place. I tend to travel everywhere alone. I started at 16 and ended up in the UK, back packed thru Europe and ended up in Israel for a year.

I used to maintain an apartment in Amsterdam for a number of years earlier in this decade and ALWAYS went to Europe JUST to be alone and unwind for a month or two before coming back to the family in Michigan.

The one place I DID NOT LIKE to be alone in was Manila for 6 months, about 4 yrs ago. I had to work there for 6 mos and found it the most backwards in terms of women's rights and society (and I am half-filipino, btw).

I say, GO FOR IT. However, as with any place, just use yer noggin and keep yourself safe.
;)

[Authenticme]

I used to maintain an apartment in Amsterdam for a number of years earlier in this decade and ALWAYS went to Europe JUST to be alone and unwind for a month or two before coming back to the family in Michigan.

I say, GO FOR IT. However, as with any place, just use yer noggin and keep yourself safe.
;)

Omg, you like my new role model! Go to Europe to just to unwind for a few months before I go back to my family! Yeah,buddy! Sounds like my kind of life!

[miaculpa]

LOL That's coz I have three sons that drive me batty! :)

I am also lucky enough to have a job that gets my butt away every now and again... now that they're bigger I have to take shorter excursions (read: teens MUST BE WATCHED/SUPERVISED or the house will get destroyed).

They used to come with me when they were itty bitty. My youngest learned to talk in Scotland, which was soooo cute. My older two learned incredibly duuuurrrrttty words from the Scottish kids, tho, which wasn't so cute. :cool:

Travel is so awesome. I can't live without it.

[Authenticme]

That's the spirit! Plus it's fun to show someone around the second time.:)
I'm going to San Francisco in March all by myself in March...maybe I'll see you there.;)

Thanks,Apasaraw. It's like a viel has been lifted. I'm seeing all sorts of things in a new light lately. Hey,it would be fun to meet up for coffee or something. Rawbies across America! lol

[Authenticme]

Travel club? - sounds good - what about visiting Toronto? We have few raw restaurants and city is quite vibrant during summer. You are welcomed!
Ireland i always wanted to visit - as it is GREEEENNNN!
I also plan to go to New York for few days, never have been in Boston nor Chicago.


Viva, I've actually been to Toronto and I love it there. Cleanest city that I've ever seen. Wonderfully cosmopolitian. Definetely my kind of town!

[Vivafree2]

Come visit:)