Traveling Alone

[eightysix14]

Hi! I am 25 yo Indonesian.

I planed myself to traveling alone by next year. I read many articles and found that NZ or Netherlands is a good choice.

Or anyone could tell me your experience?

I wanna travel to gay-friendly country as well as they have decent gay night life.

[ubertired]

Hi! I am 25 yo Indonesian.

I planed myself to traveling alone by next year. I read many articles and found that NZ or Netherlands is a good choice.

Or anyone could tell me your experience?

I wanna travel to gay-friendly country as well as they have decent gay night life.

Some tips:

- Always use a bag with a hard case. So people can't cut through your luggage. If you are staying in a hostel, you can also safely lock your luggage to the bed or other places with a laptop cable. Don't be lazy and think that its heavy, not worth it, etc. When you survive a few thefts you'll be really thankful.

- Always do your research. Don't assume three star in France for hotels is the same as three star in Bangkok. You can get very very nasty surprises.

- Give out as little information about yourself as possible. And be wary of what you say. You may think telling someone you earn, say SGD 3k a month is nothing much, but to others it means you are plenty wealthy to them.

- Party smart. Go drinking, but don't get yourself drunk.

- Don't assume gay people won't cheat you.

- Always memorize the phone number of your credit card company. I always carry at least one card that offers 24 hour replacement guarantee in the country I am in.

- Lower your credit limit. I always prepay all my hotel bills, airfare, etc, and then call my credit card company to lower my limit to $1500. If I need to spend more, I can always call in raise the limit. However, if you do lose it, you lose very little.

- Never let price be the deciding factor. If its too good to be true, it usually is. If you find the cheapest place / price possible, I would advise you to pick a place about 25% more expensive. Choose cheap, but not the cheapest.

- Google maps / streetview is your best friend. Always checkout the neighbourhood you plan to visit. It can look amazing from photos but at night the prostitutes and mafia come out to play.

- Always be familiar with the local laws. Some people may try to extort money from you by saying homosexuality is illegal (so you won't go to the police), but it isn't necessarily true.

- If you own a smartphone, get a local line or unlimited WIFI. You can use it to find your way around, or use it for translation or to find good deals online.

- Even if you travel alone, don't admit to it. I usually say my friends like shopping and I don't, but we'll be meeting up for dinner later. Don't invite trouble.

- Don't be flashy. If you keep showing off your latest IPhone, dress from head to toe in branded, you are going to be a target. Dress sensibly, don't show off your cash.

- Even if someone pisses you off, unless it is a major issue, ignore it. He / she may have a big group of friends, and your trip can turn nasty easily.

Edited July 31, 2011 by ubertired

[eightysix14]

thanks for a very useful tips buddy!

[hazilyhasty]

I never had experiences travelling alone but I did backpacked with two other girls in Central Europe back in March/April. However I believe some of the tips will still be helpful for you:

1. Never, ever get drunk alone. You'll get pick pocketed at best, and for the worst... I don't even dare to imagine. My friend was robbed in Rome, Italy because he was drunk - even when he was with a group of friends, although all were equally intoxicated (thus defenseless, and stupid).
   
2. Get a local map, ask the hostel you're staying with for tips about making your way around and eating places. They're generally more than happy to pass you some really useful information.
   
3. Try to avoid shady places.
   
4. Train stations in Europe (not sure in other parts of the world) are usually NOT open 24/7. My experience was to be chased out of the central train station in Geneva, Switzerland, and had to spend the rest of the night on the streets. We had to seek refuge in the nearest police station.
   
5. Don't assume anyone speaks and understands English. Keep a handy book on common phrases of the local language with you. When we were stuck in Geneva in the middle of the night (see above), only one police officer from the whole area understood English. The rest spoke French or Swiss-German.
   
6. Distribute your money among your belongings, e.g. backpack, hand luggage.
   
7. Check roaming charges with your telco company. My friend was charged SGD100 for using Edge network in Berlin for less than 20 minutes.
   
8. Keep your valuables with you at ALL times. When I was travelling, I brought my camera, phone and passport with me at all times, even if it was only a trip down to the hostel lobby for breakfast.
   
9. Watch out for fake police officers. A common trick in Europe is for a scam artist to walk up to you in police uniform (or in plainclothes) asking for identification. Someone may create a distraction, and before you know, the "police officer" will be on his feet fleeing the scene with your passport. Very common in Southern Europe - friend lost her passport in Venice, Italy.
   
10. Speaking of lost identification documents, know where is the nearest embassy/high commission you can approach in the event of such theft happening to you.
    
11. Always be early, especially for your scheduled transport.
    
12. Drugs - laws pertaining consumption and/or posession of soft drugs are shady and ill-defined in European countries. Usually not illegal if for personal consumption but please check and double check yourself and your luggage before you return to Singapore.
    

Travel safe! And remember: for anything that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

[suckling_pig]

Depending on what comfort level you like, you can consider a campervan. For me it is perfect for the total freedom it gives me. I got a campervan and drove around west coast US for a month earlier this year. If you are going to NZ you can consider a campervan too. To me, the main advantages is that You don't have to book hotel rooms ahead of time. This gives you complete flexibility.

If you are travelling alone, dont go for the big lumbering vans, they are expensive, more difficult to drive, and need special parking places (at a RV Park etc). Go for the smallest ones available. A good company is Escape Campervans. I got a campervan that had a kitchenette, a queen sized bed and was only USD38 a day. So this covered both my transport and accommodation for most days !!!! Of course you can ask for additional insurance and other stuff for a little more money.

If you have a small campvervan, its the size of a --- a van! you can park it in normal parking spaces and this is usually free especially at night. Park at a place where you can have a toilet and other amenities close by. RV parks can cost USD 25 to 80 a night, and although they have facilities like a laundrymat, showers, toilets, convenience store, swimming pool, lounges etc, you may find you may not actually need them. You can get most of the facilities by finding a place to park in the center of town.

Always go with your intuition. When in parts of town that are a little less safe, you can feel it. If you enter these areas on foot, walk briskly, confidently and avoid eye contact. Dont go looking at buildings and people like you are a tourist. See how the locals behave and dress and try to fit in.

Unless you are going to stay in hotels only or plan to use taxis only, go for a rucksack instead of a wheeled bag. It makes a difference when trying to use the subway and bus systems.

Hope this helps.

SP

[eightysix14]

I never had experiences travelling alone but I did backpacked with two other girls in Central Europe back in March/April. However I believe some of the tips will still be helpful for you:

1. Never, ever get drunk alone. You'll get pick pocketed at best, and for the worst... I don't even dare to imagine. My friend was robbed in Rome, Italy because he was drunk - even when he was with a group of friends, although all were equally intoxicated (thus defenseless, and stupid).
   
2. Get a local map, ask the hostel you're staying with for tips about making your way around and eating places. They're generally more than happy to pass you some really useful information.
   
3. Try to avoid shady places.
   
4. Train stations in Europe (not sure in other parts of the world) are usually NOT open 24/7. My experience was to be chased out of the central train station in Geneva, Switzerland, and had to spend the rest of the night on the streets. We had to seek refuge in the nearest police station.
   
5. Don't assume anyone speaks and understands English. Keep a handy book on common phrases of the local language with you. When we were stuck in Geneva in the middle of the night (see above), only one police officer from the whole area understood English. The rest spoke French or Swiss-German.
   
6. Distribute your money among your belongings, e.g. backpack, hand luggage.
   
7. Check roaming charges with your telco company. My friend was charged SGD100 for using Edge network in Berlin for less than 20 minutes.
   
8. Keep your valuables with you at ALL times. When I was travelling, I brought my camera, phone and passport with me at all times, even if it was only a trip down to the hostel lobby for breakfast.
   
9. Watch out for fake police officers. A common trick in Europe is for a scam artist to walk up to you in police uniform (or in plainclothes) asking for identification. Someone may create a distraction, and before you know, the "police officer" will be on his feet fleeing the scene with your passport. Very common in Southern Europe - friend lost her passport in Venice, Italy.
   
10. Speaking of lost identification documents, know where is the nearest embassy/high commission you can approach in the event of such theft happening to you.
    
11. Always be early, especially for your scheduled transport.
    
12. Drugs - laws pertaining consumption and/or posession of soft drugs are shady and ill-defined in European countries. Usually not illegal if for personal consumption but please check and double check yourself and your luggage before you return to Singapore.
    

Travel safe! And remember: for anything that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Thanks for your reply and tips!

Since it's going to be be my first time traveling outside Asia, I did many research through web or by buying traveling guide book.

As a backpacker the main thing is to keep safe and efficient and find informations as much as you can before travel to desire country.

[eightysix14]

Depending on what comfort level you like, you can consider a campervan. For me it is perfect for the total freedom it gives me. I got a campervan and drove around west coast US for a month earlier this year. If you are going to NZ you can consider a campervan too. To me, the main advantages is that You don't have to book hotel rooms ahead of time. This gives you complete flexibility.

If you are travelling alone, dont go for the big lumbering vans, they are expensive, more difficult to drive, and need special parking places (at a RV Park etc). Go for the smallest ones available. A good company is Escape Campervans. I got a campervan that had a kitchenette, a queen sized bed and was only USD38 a day. So this covered both my transport and accommodation for most days !!!! Of course you can ask for additional insurance and other stuff for a little more money.

If you have a small campvervan, its the size of a --- a van! you can park it in normal parking spaces and this is usually free especially at night. Park at a place where you can have a toilet and other amenities close by. RV parks can cost USD 25 to 80 a night, and although they have facilities like a laundrymat, showers, toilets, convenience store, swimming pool, lounges etc, you may find you may not actually need them. You can get most of the facilities by finding a place to park in the center of town.

Always go with your intuition. When in parts of town that are a little less safe, you can feel it. If you enter these areas on foot, walk briskly, confidently and avoid eye contact. Dont go looking at buildings and people like you are a tourist. See how the locals behave and dress and try to fit in.

Unless you are going to stay in hotels only or plan to use taxis only, go for a rucksack instead of a wheeled bag. It makes a difference when trying to use the subway and bus systems.

Hope this helps.

SP

Thanks for your tips fro traveling in NZ!

My friend told me that I can choose to rent campervan so I don't have to find any hostel. Or I can rent a small vehicle like Toyota Hatchback or Ford Focus or Hyundai Getz. It will reduce fuel cost but I have to find hostel to take a rest. But maybe for one or tow nights I could sleep at car.

Can u advise what month I should go? Where I can find many festivals/events but still considering the weather condition.

Once again. Thanks it's very helpful.

[suckling_pig]

Thanks for your tips fro traveling in NZ!

My friend told me that I can choose to rent campervan so I don't have to find any hostel. Or I can rent a small vehicle like Toyota Hatchback or Ford Focus or Hyundai Getz. It will reduce fuel cost but I have to find hostel to take a rest. But maybe for one or tow nights I could sleep at car.

Can u advise what month I should go? Where I can find many festivals/events but still considering the weather condition.

Once again. Thanks it's very helpful.

I haven't been to NZ yet, so I cant know for sure. But my guess is that spring and autumn would be the best times. You can look up NZ climate data for North and South Island and decide what month suits you best.

I believe cycling holidays are also very big in NZ. You could consider that too.

SP

[ubertired]

Thanks for your tips fro traveling in NZ!

My friend told me that I can choose to rent campervan so I don't have to find any hostel. Or I can rent a small vehicle like Toyota Hatchback or Ford Focus or Hyundai Getz. It will reduce fuel cost but I have to find hostel to take a rest. But maybe for one or tow nights I could sleep at car.

Can u advise what month I should go? Where I can find many festivals/events but still considering the weather condition.

Once again. Thanks it's very helpful.

You will want to read the fine print as well - in the event you get into an accident, what are the terms involved. And also, they may not rent it to you if you're an inexperienced driver (< 2 years).

Make sure you have enough funds for contingencies.

[eightysix14]

I haven't been to NZ yet, so I cant know for sure. But my guess is that spring and autumn would be the best times. You can look up NZ climate data for North and South Island and decide what month suits you best.

I believe cycling holidays are also very big in NZ. You could consider that too.

SP

Yes, I guess so. Since NZ has a many beautiful picturesque nature landscape.

[eightysix14]

You will want to read the fine print as well - in the event you get into an accident, what are the terms involved. And also, they may not rent it to you if you're an inexperienced driver (< 2 years).

Make sure you have enough funds for contingencies.

Yes, behind the cheap price, there's a big contingencies behind it. It's must be a thing that we should consider it seriously. Still, the way we drive and also luck will be the main factor. In my mind, since I live in Indonesia which it has the same right side driver like NZ, I think, I will adjusted easily.

[suckling_pig]

Yes, behind the cheap price, there's a big contingencies behind it. It's must be a thing that we should consider it seriously. Still, the way we drive and also luck will be the main factor. In my mind, since I live in Indonesia which it has the same right side driver like NZ, I think, I will adjusted easily.

Actually NZ is a British Commonwealth country. They drive on the left side of the road. Its quite easy to adjust.

For the campervan insurance, there is a relatively small additional option to make it "fuss free". In event of accident, you don't pay a cent. I took that option, so it was totally worry free. If you interested in this company just search "Escape Campervans". In fact they are a NZ company.

SP

[eightysix14]

Actually NZ is a British Commonwealth country. They drive on the left side of the road. Its quite easy to adjust.

For the campervan insurance, there is a relatively small additional option to make it "fuss free". In event of accident, you don't pay a cent. I took that option, so it was totally worry free. If you interested in this company just search "Escape Campervans". In fact they are a NZ company.

SP

Thanks for the correction, I mean the driver in the right side of the car but drive in the left side of the road.

I have browsed "Escape Campervans" it seems quite affordable for van vehicle type.

Thanks for the tips!