Hello!

I'm planning to spend a few days by myself in Malaysian Borneo in November. I know this isn't the best timing weather-wise, and isn't really enough time to fully see the island, but my schedule isn't very flexible. I'm planning to choose one general, and spend my entire time there.

I'm particularly interested in conservation, nature, and hiking. Although I would love to see some of the unique wildlife found on the island, I'll be satisfied exploring the rainforest, even if I miss the big five.

Normally, I prefer challenging, less-curated, (cheap) itineraries and I'm often willing to skip the more famous sites to see more remote, unusual locations. However, after research into Borneo, it seems like many of the best locations for enjoying nature, such as Kota Kinabalu, Danum Valley, Kinabatangan River, require guides for some or all trips into the parks, and many of the non-guided locations are quite crowded and touristy. So for the first time in my life, I'm considering if it might be worth it to book a guide and even stay at a place like the Danum Valley Field Center, leaving most of the trip plan to someone else.

It seems like there are three types of trips I could do:

• Fully curated trip in a more wild, remote park, likely Sabah
• Independent trip to accessible, well-hiked areas, likely Sarawak
• Hybrid, where I book a guide for a day or a few hours at a time on the edges of the larger natural areas, and do a few independent hikes

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with guided or unguided explorations of the island. Would hiring a guide give me a mass-market overly curated experience, or would skipping the guide force me to visit only the most well-worn tourist trails? Should my limited time and the likelihood of bad weather change my calculations?

Hey!!
I’m a Canadian 22F first time solo traveller. I intially planned to travel for 6 months due to my friends wedding being in India late Feb. my plan was to start in thailand, then to the banana backpack trail throughout SE asia then end in india.

I’ve been in thailand for 2 months now and have absolutely loved it and everyone. The only thing is my anxiety is at an all time high, my tummy is always turning, it’s hard to eat and i always feel sick.

For the past week i’ve been really debating going home to be with my dog, go back to work and see my family. But i don’t want to regret missing countries and experiences and also disappoint my friend getting married.

I would really love some advice because im really stuck between these two feelings.

I (23M) am doing 6-7 weeks in portugal/spain/morocco before Christmas, and would love any suggestions from anyone more familiar with the regions and what they are like during this time of year. rough itinerary;

🇵🇹 porto-braga-guimaraes-coimbra-sintra-lisbon-lagos-tavira

🇪🇸 donana national park-cadiz-seville-cordoba- jaen-granada-ronda-gibraltar (yes technically 🇬🇧)

🇲🇦 tangier-rabat-fes-atlas mountain hiking-marrakesh-agadir-tagazhout (if i have time)

have a bigger trip to india and east asia planned after christmas, so dont wanna spend thousands and thousands on this trip. any advice or recommendations greatly appreciated!

About 6-months ago, I returned from a 6-month solo travel trip across Oceania and SE Asia. The first few weeks of the trip were with my (now ex) girlfriend, but the remainder was solo. I'm in my early 30's, so a bit above the average age of most solo travelers (but rarely felt old). I was solo through Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and ended in Nepal. The trip itself was incredible. Incredible in the positives and negatives. I think being alone in a country where you know no one, can't speak the language, and are struggling can be such an empowering feeling once the dust settles.

I was looking through some photos a couple days ago and felt nothing but immense sadness and longing. People say you change doing a trip like this - and you definitely do - but it's interesting how easy it is to fall back into the same routine that you tried to leave behind. I love the person I am when traveling, it truly is the best version of myself. Seeing these photos of that time highlight how different of a world I live in day to day. It's like seeing photos of a friend you're no longer in contact with.

I'm not sure if I'm looking for advice or just looking to vent. I'd love to hear about how folks have incorporated their 'travel-selves' into their non-travel selves and what changes they've made to capture the awe of travel in their day to day lives. Eh, maybe I am looking for advice ;)

Anyway, if you're reading this and on the fence about traveling - do it. I have 0 regrets. The world is your oyster. It's more doable than you think, and will change the course of your life.

Hellooo r/solotravel, I, 24M, recently embarked on my first solo trip to the Netherlands and Croatia in the summer flying in from Mumbai.

And since I had such a gala of a time I’m here to eat your ear about it. So without further ado, drumroll TRIP REPORT

BUDGET

I shelled out around 3-3.5k USD in all, inclusive of my flights, hostels, transit, food, alcohol and all my experiences.

Could it have been cheaper? Yes, if I wasn’t dumb enough to pick two European countries poles apart then perhaps the flights in between the two wouldn’t have cost me just as much as the Mumbai-Amsterdam round trip.

Why did I do it despite such a reality? Because the heart wants what the heart wants, and sometimes the heart feels like giving the wallet a little kick in the nuts. Long story short, I’d romanticised the trip in my head before I worked out the logistics and then I refused to back down. This is a warning. Logistics first, romanticisation second.

LENGTH AND LOCATION

16 days. 6 in Amsterdam, 10 in Croatia split as 3 in Hvar, 3 Dubrovnik and 4 in Split.

ACCOMMODATION AND ACTIVITIES

I stayed at 4 hostels - 1 in each city and this was basically what made my trip. I’ll elaborate below.

TRIP DETAILS

I basically rolled into Amsterdam shitting myself. I remember after checking into the OneFam Amstel, I stepped out for lunch by myself and thought that I was a gigantic dumbfuck for having done this all alone for the first time. I was overstimulated and anxious.

What broke this feeling was making my first friend. There was an American dude just loafing around in the common room, but he was super nice and we spoke for a bit. One of the hostel volunteers, their newest addition was also super nice and made a genuine effort to speak with me.

And things kicked off from there. That feeling of comfort compounds and soon I’d made fast friends who kept me company day and night till I left the city (I miss them terribly, still in touch). I thought I’d under-planned the trip by only having a couple of to-do items on my list but boy you see these 20 something year olds in hostels really pull up across the globe with nothing but their underwear.

So what did I end up doing?

The answer to that is what didn’t I do?

And the answer to that is: a lot of things actually.

The thing is when you put a bunch of hapless 20 something year olds with different interests and budgets together, you get not a lot of sightseeing, but a tonne of sidequesting.

But I’ll give you the gist below that has a bit more je ne sais quoi than simply saying that we got high in the day and drunk in the night.

AMSTERDAM
Cycling through the afternoons, hitting the coffeeshops, hunting for stroopwaffels and delis and Dutch fries. Nights meant rage cage in the hostel to pregame followed with by trips to pubs and clubs. I didn’t return to the hostel sooner than 3am on any given night and never sober and because of this I don’t know what an Amsterdam morning looks like. Spent a week there.

I also did the Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank House, not one but TWO canal tours (I was dragged by my hostel friends to an unlimited wine and cheese one. We were a group of seven, noisy as hell and pegged as such by the tour guide. Felt like I was back in school for a moment. I kept it classy though, no noise from me). So yea paid respect to the culture too.

CROATIA
I’m gonna bundle Hvar, Split and Dubrovnik together because I don’t want to bore you guys with excessive details and because my fingers are gonna hurt after a while.

I did the boat parties, the island hopping, the Dubrovnik city walls, the Game of Thrones walking tour, caught the Croatia-England game in a fanzone (Croatia lost 4-2 and the English lads weren’t being gentlemen about it, heard knives were pulled but I kept my distance from the scene, spectating from safety).

I’m dropping a line to here to say that Dubrovniks Old Town is probably the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. And I’ve done a decent amount of travelling.

I remember feeling awful leaving Amsterdam and entering Hvar my first stop because what do you mean I need to leave all my friends behind? I missed them terribly and the idea of having to repeat the process all over jaded me out.

It didn’t help that my first night in Hvar had a flirtationship go sideways and I had some really odd company. Met my first “lads on tour” from Essex. Lovely chaps really, very warm but uh interesting at times.

But the travel Gods smiled on me and I made some wonderful friends the next day. Happened by sheer luck that some people I’d spoken to in the common room earlier sat beside me on the steps outside a Hvar bar.

Even luckier that two of them would keep me company (separately) in my next two stops in Dubrovnik and Split. It was sooo much easier heading into those cities knowing that I’ve got a social anchor ready for me. And yes long story short, I had a fantastic time in no small part thanks to the people I met.

WHAT I LEARNT

1. Being open minded and friendly takes you a long way. People aren’t dying to be your friend, but I’d say most solo travellers aren’t opposed to making a friend either. It does take a bit of initiative and first impressions do a lot of work in these situations so present well.

2. Be patient. It won’t all fall into place by the get-go and there will be times you won’t feel too good. But honestly it can be so incredibly liberating once you’ve gotten comfortable. This sounds generic as hell but unfortunately it’s true.

3. Plan if you wanna sightsee and hold firm. I don’t regret caving into a second canal tour or a boat party even if they were repeat experiences because I genuinely enjoyed them. But like it came as a trade off against spending that time elsewhere. This wasn’t a problem for me, but people have done a lot more in the same amount of time as me. I didn’t go to Utrecht, I didn’t go to Krka or Plitvice. I might have missed out but honestly no regrets.

TRIP VERDICT

11/10. Amsterdam and Croatia were both wonderful. Dubrovnik was gorgeous and I could have spent more time there.

Please ask me questions and let me gush.

I have been with my wife for 10 years. Except for our honeymoon all my international trips have been solo. My wife is a terrible traveler, and was an anxious wreck any time we had to travel from one location to another.

Next year I have to attend a conference in Europe. My wife has decided she wants to meet me somewhere in Europe.

I really enjoyed solo traveling and kinda winging it. My wife would have a meltdown if we tried that.

Any advice for someone used to solo traveling and now traveling with another person?

Hey everyone,

I'm 28F and have a 2.5 week trip to Japan booked from the 1st December. It was originally planned with my now ex-partner and since the breakup I've lost almost all excitement for it. It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit and I spent months looking forward to it but life has changed quite a bit recently and now feels a little overwhelming.

The breakup came with a fair few unexpected expenses, including car issues and the costs of moving out of our shared place and getting myself settled again. I've spent the last few months trying to get back on my feet financially and while I'm doing okay now, this trip would mean coming home with most of my savings depleted.

For context, I work full-time in an office job and also study at university. It's not a particularly high paying job but I've also recently stepped into a role with more responsibility at work, so things have been particularly busy and demanding lately. I wouldn't be splurging on this holiday but I also wouldn't need to stress over every dollar while I'm there. It's more the thought of coming home with very little savings after everything that's happened.

Uni wraps up in mid-November and I'd be flying out not long after. Between the increased responsibilities at work, exams, the breakup, moving and just generally trying to get my life back together, I'm feeling pretty exhausted. November is already such a busy time of year and I can't tell whether I genuinely don't want to go anymore or whether I'm just overwhelmed by everything.

My flights are non-refundable but I can still cancel all of my booked accomodations.

Part of me thinks I should go, enjoy Japan and make new memories for myself. The other part wonders whether it would be more sensible to cut my losses, rebuild my savings and visit another time when I'm in a better headspace.

Has anyone gone ahead with a big trip after a breakup or during a financially stressful period? Did you regret going or were you glad you pushed through? Would love some outside perspectives because I'm genuinely torn!

Hi all! I’m (27M) planning roughly 30 days in Japan, arriving around 8 November to Osaka and finishing in Tokyo around 8 December. I’m thinking of flying into Osaka and travelling east, ending in Tokyo.

I’m travelling solo, staying in a mix of hotels, where I can afford it, and hostels, where I can find social ones (any recommendations appreciated) and enjoy food, hiking, scenery and fun activities/experiences. I’m really into gaming and films which I know Japan has some really cool experiences for, so any more recommendations would be great (Nintendo museum tickets sold out already 😢)

I’ve been travelling for most of the year and have done a lot of “exploring” so I’m not wanting to spend a lot of time simply wandering cities, so keen to include some more hands-on and adventurous activities

My current rough itinerary is:

**Osaka (Days 1–3)**
**Day 1** – Arrive in Osaka, Dotonbori and street food
**Day 2** – Osaka Castle and Shinsekai
**Day 3** – Osaka Aquarium or another food/activity experience

**Himeji & Hiroshima (Days 4–6)**
**Day 4** – Himeji Castle, then travel to Hiroshima
**Day 5** – Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum
**Day 6** – Miyajima, Itsukushima Shrine and Mount Misen hike

**Kyoto (Days 7–11)**
**Day 7** – Travel to Kyoto and explore locally
**Day 8** – Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera and Gion
**Day 9** – Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Monkey Park
**Day 10** – Toei Kyoto Studio Park, film sets and ninja activities
**Day 11** – Nara day trip, deer park and Todai-ji

**Kanazawa (Days 12–13)**
**Day 12** – Travel to Kanazawa, Omicho Market and local food
**Day 13** – Kenrokuen Garden, Nagamachi samurai district and Higashi Chaya

**Takayama (Days 14–15)**
**Day 14** – Travel to Takayama and explore the old town
**Day 15** – Hida Folk Village and Hida beef

**Matsumoto (Day 16)**
**Day 16** – Travel to Matsumoto and visit Matsumoto Castle

**Kiso Valley (Days 17–18)**
**Day 17** – Travel to Kiso Valley and explore Magome or Tsumago
**Day 18** – Hike the Nakasendo trail between Magome and Tsumago

**Hakone (Days 19–20)**
**Day 19** – Travel to Hakone and relax in an onsen
**Day 20** – Hakone ropeway, Owakudani and Lake Ashi

**Tokyo (Days 21–30)**
**Day 21** – Travel from Hakone to Tokyo and settle in
**Day 22** – Asakusa, Senso-ji and Akihabara gaming/anime district
**Day 23** – Ghibli Museum (subject to getting tickets)
**Day 24** – Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour
**Day 25** – KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS 10th anniversary exhibition and sumo experience
**Day 26** – Mount Takao hike
**Day 27** – Kamakura day trip
**Day 28** – Flexible Mount Fuji day trip to Kawaguchiko (could be swapped with most other Tokyo days depending on the weather forecast)
**Day 29** – teamLab Planets, Tsukiji Outer Market and any remaining Tokyo sights
**Day 30** – Extra Tokyo day for food, gaming, neighbourhoods or a weather/ticket backup

A few questions:

Am I spending too long or too little time anywhere - am I missing out on other experiences by spending so much time in Tokyo?

Would you replace any of these destinations with somewhere else?

Are there any major places or experiences I’m missing, or any experiences included that aren’t worth doing?

Are there any more niche experiences related to film or gaming I could include?

Does my route make sense logistically?

Is the Kanazawa–Takayama–Matsumoto–Kiso Valley section worth doing, or am I trying to squeeze too much in?

Given the time of year, are there any seasonal or weather considerations I should factor in?

Is there anything that needs organising well in advance (already aware of studio ghibli museum)?

Are there any activities that would be best organised as part of a group tour?

Any advice and recommendations would be much appreciated, thanks!

Will be traveling for 3 weeks between Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Looking for recommendation for good hikes, scenary places, attractions, and events going on around XMAS and NYE in Hong Kong. I already booked the depature and return flight but my tentative city to city schedule is flexible. Anything I should change from this itinerary?

Thu, Dec 10 JFK -> Taipei
Fri, Dec 11 Taipei
Sat, Dec 12 Taipei
Sun, Dec 13 Taipei
Mon, Dec 14 Taipei
Tue, Dec 15 Taipei
Wed, Dec 16 Taipei
Thu, Dec 17 Taipei -> Taichung
Fri, Dec 18 Taichung
Sat, Dec 19 Taichung -> Tainan
Sun, Dec 20 Tainan
Mon, Dec 21 Tainan -> Kaohsiung
Tue, Dec 22 Kaohsiung
Wed, Dec 23 Kaohsiung
Thu, Dec 24 Kaohsiung
Fri, Dec 25 Kaohsiung -> HK
Sat, Dec 26 Kowloon
Sun, Dec 27 Kowloon
Mon, Dec 28 Kowloon -> Macau
Tue, Dec 29 Macau
Wed, Dec 30 Macau ->  HK Island
Thu, Dec 31 HK Island
Fri, Jan 1  HK Island
Sat, Jan 2  HKG -> JFK

Hey, I’m from Sydney, Aus and heading to Byron Bay NSW over the Christmas period for 5 nights. Staying in Mullumbimby, I”ll have a rental car with me to get around.

The plan is to do a mix of hiking, beach, visit waterfalls, maybe do a wellness retreat & spa, go fishing & fly my drone. Happy to wake up early and do sunrises and also go somewhere for sunsets if it’s worth it.

Will be flying into Ballina, and keen to drive all the way up to Gold Coast as well.

I have a half decent idea of what I want to do, it’s definitely a trip filled with adventure rather than relaxation.

I haven’t been to Byron in like 14 years, so it’s been forever. So keen to hear any advice, tips from people who have been there recently. Any places that I should must visit or places to avoid completely and why. And if there’s any good suggestions on stop overs on my road trip from Ballina to Gold Coast.

Thanks in advance

I will be turning 18 next month and i've always liked travelling to new places. I've never travelled to different countries alone before, besides just walking over the border into different countries for a couple of hours.

Im planning to go to Prague for 4 nights in february next year. I will have 3 full days to explore the city. I'm mostly interested in nature and history. My plan is to explore a nature area like the Prokop valley on te first day and discover a part of the city afterwards. On the second full day i want to visit the old town, Malá Strana and the surrounding parks on the hillside. On the third full day i want to visit an forested area to the northeast of te city and maybe another nature area afterwards. I will definietly have time left to explore the surroundings of Žižkov, the part of the city i'll be staying in. I've someone has other reccomendations for my trip please let me know. And what is it like to visit Prague in february/winter?

Hello and thankyou for reading this :)

I'm 20M and planning a month trip to South America. I'm both excited and petrified at the same time but I feel this urge that I need to just go and do it. As of right now the first destination officially staying at is El Chalten a main hub for all hikes around Patagonia. I have a general plan on what things im going to do and im slowly creating a gear list. Any suggestions or must haves are always welcome (whole lists in general really lmao). I'm super open to everything travel whether it be museums, general cultural experiences and especially food. I've done my fair few amount of research but people who have gone and experienced it will always know best in my opinion. I'm hoping to move northward throughout a majority of my trip ending in Cusco Peru (depending on politics and such) and any must hit destinations whether it be in a different country.

TLDR to summarize cause I cant keep the plot for the life of me. first time solo travelling Starting in El Chalton moving north. Any must see locations or places to go and stay that aren't gonna be super touristy and rinsing my wallet. Any suggestions on things that are worth trying and doing and or stopping by. And then a general list for solo travelling of must haves (as well as bags and brands to buy from). Any questions to help narrow down my intentions ill try to answer timely.

hi everyone! hope y'all are doing well! F21 in the initial phase of planning my solo-trip to Italy in early February 2027. i've done my homework as best as possible and learnt about the different regions of Italy so i can place the cities more realistically in my itinerary & it's just not the major cities floating in my head. here are some questions that'll shape how i execute the trip fundamentally:

1. which airport, in terms of navigability & proximity to the city, is more convenient to fly to as a first timer? Rome or Milan? and accordingly, if i land at Rome (since it is at the center) should i head downwards to South first or North?

i'll take the train from Milan to Paris once i'm done exploring Italy (after about 10 days)! so it'd kinda be repetitive to land at Milan, head South and then come all the way back up to Milan again to catch my train. or is there some better alternative i'm not aware of?

also, i'm quite sensitive to cold weather and tend to fall sick easily (typing this with a runny nose) i definitely want to avoid catching a cold as soon as i land. which region would you recommend for me to stay in first so i can gently get used to the freezing temperatures?

1. i either wanna ski (Mont Blanc) or plan a day hike (Dolomites) or BOTH (yeah, both). it'd be my first time skiing & seeing snow so i don't know what to expect at all, but i'm excited! i don't wanna stay at any fancy resorts or have fancy meals throughout my entire trip so i'd be more than happy to stay & eat where the locals do, especially since i have a backpacker's budget and enjoy things when they're slow paced. which area would be most suitable for this? i don't wanna buy super expensive passes either. i've heard for beginners, there are some designated free zones? would you recommend them for a true first-time experience?

2. how many days per city in Italy is sufficient? i'm thinking 10 days in Italy, 4-5 in France & 5 in Spain. since major chunk of it is in Italy, i'd like to be as fair as possible! meaning, i don't miss out on a lot. obviously, the idea of seeing an entire country and its cities (which were built over years) in 2 days is absurd but still!! i'm very much into history so i'm afraid it'll be like a kid in a toy store.

some towns are partially closed in winters is what i've heard, so it's fine to skip those. or maybe not? in such a case, do things get more expensive for tourists provided most things are shut?

1. what's the best way to bag cheap accommodations? hostel culture doesn't seem to be that big there so i'm quite puzzled. €23-25 per night is what i'm aiming for, however unrealistic it may sound. for major cities, i've heard you can stay at monasteries for decent prices. can anyone share what to expect & beware of whilst booking?

these questions are at the tip of my tongue right now!! thanku!!

Hello everyone!

I'm supposed to leave for a big solo backpacking trip to India in two days, but unfortunately I sprained my ankle five days ago.

It's been getting better, but I still can't walk without pain, and I'm limping pretty badly.

Now I'm trying to decide whether to postpone the trip (which would cost me a bit of money) or just go anyway, deal with the pain, and hope my ankle continues to improve and kind of "deal with that".

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who's been in a similar situation.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all! New to this community. Seasoned traveler (45M, swedish, traveled a lot for business, solo and in groups).

I am on a sabbatical leave, meaning I have some precious free time where I can discover parts of the world on my own while my "travel friends" are still working.

I had never been to Portugal -- so why not try Lisbon? Saw that you encouraged trip reports, and felt this could be a way for me to store some of my memories and see what other solo travelers think!

Wed 14th -> Tue 20th of October, no detailed plan.

Budget (using USD for convenience)

I had initially budgeted $1.5k, 50% for flights and accomodation, 50% for everything else. I like food/drinks, so expected to splurge. Ended up spending $2k, a bit above budget but mainly due to souvenir buys and extra drinks at nice cocktail bars.... no regrets!

Actual spend:
Flights: $400 with from CPH to LIS with 1 extra stop in FRA (Lufthansa) on the way out and ZRH (Swissair) on the way home. Decent price since I booked it all the week before.
Accomodation: $400, guest house accomodation in Alcantara.
Transportation: $100 inc trains back in CPH and train trips to Cascais and Sintra, plus some amount of metro/bus hopping and a few Ubers.
Food: $400, restaurants and cafes, no meals at the guest house (except some Lidl snacks...)
Other: $700, museum entrance fees, beers, wine, drinks, city tourist tax, souvenirs, other purchases and misc fun stuff.

Trip Length

6 nights. This was more than enough and gave space for relaxation and taking things at a calm pace, the accomodation was cheap enough that an extra night or two wasn't bad.

Destinations

Lisbon, with day trips to Sintra and Cascais.

Accommodation

Guest house "C&O Guest House Lisbon" in Alcantara, with a nice private room and shared bathrooms (two bathrooms for five rooms). Good amenities, nice shared kitchen, and the location was convenient -- not in the city central, but really close to transportation (buses and trams) to get into the city center and to Belem, and close to two train stations (Alcantara-Mar and Alcantara-Terra) to get to both Cascais and Sintra respectively. Would absolutely stay in the same area again.

Warning! Quite noisy due to proximity to traffic. This was a little issue the very first night, hard to sleep with not enough sound isolation. However for all nights except the first, I slept like a baby anyway.

Activities / daily fun

I didn't really plan this trip in detail, just saw the weather forecast -- the winter half year is dreadful in Sweden, and the weather in Lisbon looked excellent. Happily, this was true! I enjoyed blue skies and +25 degrees celsius (and more!) every single day, exactly what I was looking for as a relaxing escape.

I like exploring the town in my own pace using local transportation (buses, trams, metro, local/regional trains) -- went fine in Lisbon. Well, fine since I wasn't in any kind of rush. Almost 100% of the buses were delayed, but it seemed kind of normal, so I just went with it.

Wednesday: After being one hour behind schedule at check-in (see "what went wrong"), I started wandering in the immediate surroundings of Alcantara, hunting for some food. I decided to splurge on seafood, and found a great restaurant not too far from my place (Orla Marisqueria) that served me an excellent starter of tuna followed by mains of lobster/prawns in a rice dish. Not sure how to explain it, but it was a great mid/high-end fish and shellfish start to the trip, exactly what I was looking for. I grabbed a gin drink at a nearby place before bed time as I usually do on my first day, again at a very cozy and comfortable little hideaway bar.

Thursday: Sintra. Easy train trip from Alcantara, and a gorgeous day. Already from the start I could see why Sintra is recommended, a beautiful town littered with sights, both green sites and historical buildings. Went to the palace building and the Biester Palace (not many people there compared to the main sites but a great place!), and had the best octopus that I have had for a long long time -- as well as famous Queijada de Sintra, another of those pastrys but local to Sintra (pastel de neta is the famous one that you will find everywhere in Lisbon). A great day! Time flies and at night I found a nice midrange little mom-n-pop restaurant in Alcantara and had sausages and one of the hundreds of bacalhau variants, really good and I feel asleep easily after this day.

Friday: Full focus on the city center. Lavish breakfast at some cafe place in Baixa de Lisboa. You will find such places pretty much everywhere, I just did some searches and walked around until I found something nice. Climbed up to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, recommended! I was early so no lines, when I left an hour or two later the lines were sprawling. Got lost and had fun navigating mainly Alfama, having some nice time in the sun at the different sightseeing spots that are littered around town. Had another bacalhau variant for lunch and a nice craft beer in the afternoon in the sun. Quick crash back at the guest house before the evening, where I went wine-bar-hopping (excellent wine and tapas, especially the ham and cheese!), ended up at a really nice cocktail bar in the Bairro Alto area ("The royal vessel"), stumbled along to other bars in the area ("Black Sheep Lisboa") where there were a ton of happy people (and dogs!) having fun in outdoors in the square. There are many nice squares full of life in Lisbon.

Saturday: Took an uber home. Woke up with a hangover but no matter. Went to Cascais, there was some kind of Iron Man competition going on in town (full of people and great vibes overall!). The beach was lovely and there were lots of great things to see in Cascais as well. Easy to just walk in whatever direction and find things popping up along the way. Went to see the art district and the "Boca de inferno". Another lovely sunny day and the hangover subsided quickly. For the evening, yet another food-and-bar-hopping round in the city center, now with focus on first the food market "Timeout market", then Bairro Alto, jumping between different cocktail bars to find new people to talk to. It went fine and I had a great saturday, full of life. Special shoutouts to the owner of a wine bar that I unfortunately forgot the name of, but... If you go to Lisbon, you will find stuff to do at night!

Sunday: Another uber home and a good nights sleep. Belem time, more sights and pastries and sun and horse shows and monuments etc. Had lovely sardines and chicken as tapas in the evening in the city center -- less alcohol this time!

Monday: A more calm and relaxing day. Started with enjoying another full cafe breakfast, then went to the Gulbenkian museum, as many other places are closed on Mondays. I recommend it, had a good time both with the historical exhibits as well as the modern parts. A nice pizza for lunch and then the usual couple of "break beers" while exploring the city from north to south along the Avenue da Liberdade via the big park close to the museum. Very relaxing! In the evening spent my time at LX Factory, a hipstery, artsy part with many little shops and restaurants of a slightly more local/alternative style. It was very good, not too touristy, has perhaps become slightly gentrified compared to what I would imagine it was at the start, but for me it was great. Had a good time, spent some money, found nice food, and so on.

Tuesday: Check-out day. I had an afternoon flight so had time for just one more destination. Decided to go to the Parque das Nacoes, just a few stops from the airport so very convenient as a last stop. There is a very nice park lined with restaurants here, which was perfect for me -- and you could see an infrastructure highlight from here, the longest bridge in the EU -- The vasco da gama bridge. I ended up having a nice full shellfish platter to end my trip with a splurge, before heading back to the airport to go home...

What Went Right

As mentioned the climate/weather was superb. I could not be more happy with the way things turned out. The public transportation system was easy to use, just "zapping" with the Navegante card was enough for all journeys. And one of my primary goals, finding great seafood -- accomplished! It was easy to find excellent restaurants with fish and/or shellfish, all of which was really really good. My secondary goal when city-hopping is to find great cocktail bars -- this mission was also accomplished! One of the friendly bartenders upon hearing of my quest told me "oh you like cocktail bars? here are six more recommendations to go to!" which is exactly what I like to hear, so I did not run out of places to get drinks at all.

People are friendly and sociable, one common theme when it comes to solo traveling is how to handle restaurants and bars when you go by yourself. I found this worked without any problems at all in Lisbon! I typically eat early in Sweden so I have a habit of going out to restaurants on solo travels when they open, and I then find that you get really good attentive service and can have a nice relaxed conversation with both the staff and with other "early birds". I did the same one night at a wine bar, and ended up having really long conversations with both the owner and the other guests and learnt a lot about portugues wines and wine culture (I am not a wine expert, more of a beer and gin drinker).

The sights are extraordinary, as with many historical city centers there is more than enough to see. Highlights were Castelo de Sao Jorge, all of Alfama (easy to get lost and have a good time just wandering the streets), the cathedral, the different "Miradouros" dotted around the place, and just the general cozy feeling of it all.

What Went Wrong

On arrival, I noticed that the metro was closed due to a strike. Oh well, no big deal, can just take a taxi or an Uber right? Wrong! The queues were enormous and ride-hailing was stuck, so I went by the normal buses instead, which of course were packed due to the strike situation. I had planned to use normal public transport anyway but wasn't really prepared to do it on day one while tired after the flights, especially since I had booked an appointment for the guest house -- but my host was friendly and accommodating even though the change of plans and delays due to slow baggage handling etc meant I was late by an hour. This is the usual advice -- add some buffers to your travel plans in case things are not optimal when you arrive.

Some of the places in Sintra and Belem require time-slotted reservations. I knew about it before, but I did not act on it and just went to Sintra without reservations. I had a great time there anyway but I noticed on the ticket pages that the convenient time slots were all sold out. No matter, there is much to see even outside the main sights, and I left feeling more than happy with my day trip. I might very well be back in the future and then I know to make a couple of reservations a day or two in advance! So there are one or two sights that remain for a follow-up trip, good motivation to come back!

Recommendations

Just walking around and taking in the historical significance and culture is a must. Talking to the friendly people with an open mind is great. The fish and shellfish is excellent if you look for good places! I would definitely prioritize "middle/high end" places for food, and focus on local food with seafood focus rather than international food and so on. Had lovely Iberico ham as well at one of the wine tasting places! Oh yes, the good little bars and wine bars and cocktail places were really nice, and the town is full of life on fri/sat.

Of course the pastries are a must to try as well. And there are so many not-to-miss-sights in both Lisbon proper and in Sintra -- there are more things to see than you can manage even if you have a full week.

Final Verdict

Easily worth the trip. Many things were as expected (I have been to Spain, Italy, France, Greece before and Portugal is in some sense not wildly off in vibe from some of the places I have been to before), but overall a delightful, relaxing trip! Not too expensive, just the right amount of chaos, but civilized and friendly.

Thanks all and I have enjoyed catching up and reading other posts in this community. Look forward to more inspiration for future trips.

Anything else that should be part of this trip report? All feedback is appreciated.

Let me know what I missed or what I "did wrong" if you are from Portugal/Lisbon! I would love to come back.

I’m (29 F) half Filipina living in America, and have been to the Philippines throughout my childhood and early 20s solely to visit family. Now that I’m older I plan on solo traveling and seeing the other islands, but my Filipino family is heavily discouraging it for safety reasons. Anyone Filipino in this group who can weigh in? I was thinking of traveling up to Buscalan Village/Baguio, Palawan, and maybe some areas in Central Visayas. My family lives near Metro Manila. I’ve already done a lot of solo traveling in the states, and I’m at least a little comfortable with Tagalog and overall culture because I’ve spent a good portion of childhood there. So, is there something I’m missing and being naive about? I see so many American solo tourists visiting who vlog about how comfortable they are, but my family is TERRIFIED for me. And I get that there is significant crime and it’s not regulated the way the states is. But I also know how hospitable the community is as a whole. Can anyone give advice on this?

My flight departure changed from midnight to 5 AM. I don't have any transportation that early in the morning so I was thinking I can arrive at the airport late the night before (close to midnight) check in and sleep a few a hrs at the airport. I don't travel often so I don't know if it's allowed. The airport is San Francisco International Airport, domestic flight.

29F, I’m planning a trip to Colombia in December and wanted some advice. I do big solo trip every year and like to feel flexible while I’m away, so I have time to form connections with people I meet (I have made some amazing friends through solo travel). This is harder in bigger countries where you need to plan domestic flights in advance. My current plan is loosely the below:

London > Medellín
- time in the city
- maybe spend a night over in Guatapé (I see people saying it is worth a night and not just a day trip)

Medellín > Pereira
- a few nights in Salento + cocora valley
- are there any other places to visit around here?

Pereira > Santa Marta
- travel straight to minca for a few nights
- stay a night or 2 in Tayrona
- I’m sure there are other towns around here I could spontaneously travel to, this seems the most likely place for unplanned travel

Santa Marta > Bogota, to fly back to London
- I have a friend in Bogota so could stop in for 1 night, or can just transfer through

Is this too many flights for a relaxing trip? I cut out Cartagena because I kept reading it is just super touristy. I’m not so interested in shopping, nice hotels or bougie brunch & cocktail bars.

I like nature, hiking, wildlife, meeting people, good coffee, local food and taking it slow/being spontaneous. (I also love a good party lol).

Let me know if you think I’m missing anything or if there’s anything you think i could skip? I’d rather see less and experience more, than try and tick a bunch of places off a list. Also don’t mind seeing ‘less impressive’ areas if there are less people around (e.g. I skipped Chichen itza in MX and visited Ek Balam instead - amazing btw)

I AM FLYING FROM THE USA. I am visiting in no particular order as of yet: Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and either Krakow or Wroclaw for a month. I plan on train between the countries when I am there. I am asking about just my arrival and departure from Europe. I have found flights round trip for two people open jaw fly into Prague and fly out of Vienna for 1490 round trip for two people and fly into Budapest and fly out of Vienna for 1496 and then fly into Prague and fly out of Budapest for 1793 and then lastly fly into Budapest and fly out of prague for 1722. So obviously I save the most money with the firs two, but as I have not been to central Europe before, unsure how well trains are connected between these countries, I don’t want to backtrack or go back to cities I already went to and waste time and money, am I really saving money with the cheaper flights? From my research people/AI recommends the second two as you start from the most north and end up in the most south or vice versa, but it’s 300 more total. Just wondering if anyone could help me out and tell me if I chose the cheaper flights, would there still be a logical and reasonable train route? I was thinking Prague>Krakow>Budapest>Bratislava>Vienna or Budapest>Krakow>Prague>Bratislava>Vienna if I went with the cheaper flights. I’m just not sure if those are connected well and how long the trains would be. Thanks!

I started having a whirlwind romance with a guy from LA and we were planning to do long distance for the first little bit because I’m in London. Everything was going great and we were looking forward to spending time together in LA in November. Turns out he hadn’t been honest with me and his ex is on the scene still- so now I have flights booked to LA and no plans. We were going to do some fun camping/beach/desert adventures. I’ve never been alone before and don’t know the city- any tips for a solo mid 30s female on cool neighbourhoods, fun things to do, music, food etc? Any hot tips much recommended, hoping not to feel too sad while I’m there! I won’t have a car and don’t want to spend loads if possible!

I just finished a week traveling through Andalusia with a focus on the history of the Islamic caliphate and taifas from 900-1500CE. It was an incredible trip and I learned a lot, and since I couldn't find much on this specific type of trip beforehand I figured I would share my takeaways.

The basics: my itinerary was Malaga (arrival and one night stay) > Cordoba (2 days) > Granada (2 days) > Caminito del Rey (day trip from Malaga > Malaga (1 day). I specifically decided to save Seville for a future trip since it's such a big city and a bit unconnected to the history I was interested in exploring.

What I loved:

- Cordoba: This was by far my favorite city. I stayed in the Patio del Posadero and it was truly the best hotel I've ever experienced. It's the smallest boutique hotel in Cordoba, with only six rooms, and the staff and owners will make you feel like family from the moment you arrive. The tasting menu dinner and breakfast by chef/owner Jose were incredible and not to be missed. I also loved the winding streets, the preserved medieval architecture, the food, the people - all of it was so intimate and less over touristed than my next stops. I browsed several local artists galleries and bought a gorgeous wood burning and watercolor piece. The Grand Mosque/Cathedral was the most incredible religious and architectural site I've ever visited. It truly was an awe-inspiring experience. 10/10 would stay longer next time.

- Granada: I also stayed in a small historic hotel here, the Hotel Casa Morisca. Get the mirador room: looking over the Alhambra made it hard to even want to leave! I took a private tour of the Alhambra with a historian (Adri - the best! He makes history videos at camyzap_). That was similar to the Grand Mosque, completely overwhelming in terms of the scale and history. I spent most of my time wandering around the old town and experiencing all the gardens I could to escape the crowds and heat. My favorite was the Casa del Chapiz, which was the only place I was alone the whole day. I had a lovely flamenco show at Cueva los Amayas and really enjoyed how small it was. There's a reason it's the only show with a line around the block.

- Malaga: I had a very tasty vegetarian meal at Meet Vegano since I couldn't eat any more bread meat and cheese! I also enjoyed Tandoori Mexican. The cathedral, the alcazaba, were cool but I was a bit down with tourist sites by that point so I just wandered. A morning at the Hammam Al Andalus was just what my sore legs needed. The massage by Cristien was very good, and the pools were so relaxing.

What i'd do differently:

- Skip the Caminito del Rey: this was such an investment of time for such an underwhelming experience. First, our bus had no AC and we got stuck in 3 hours of traffic to get there. Second, the first half of your visit is basically like a Disneyland hike. Youre packed in a group of 20 people slowly shuffling along behind the next pack. The guide was clearly bored/tired after a long day so we really didn't benefit from being stuck together. I was relieved when they let us go independently for the second half, but as someone who hikes a lot in the US and abroad, this wasn't that exciting and felt more like a fake hike made for people who couldn't do a real one.

- Spend more time in Cordoba/Granada: I would have cut my last day in Malaga despite enjoying the Hammam. Malaga was completely over touristed, the beach was gross and didn't get much sun in the afternoon, and the hotel (Palacio Solecio) was so underwhelming after the first two beautiful ones, especially for the luxury price. Felt like a place for bachelor/bachelorette parties and completely consumeristic with all the luxury stores. And the prices were double the other cities! I probably should have known given my focus on historical sites, but would have enjoyed wandering the streets of Cordoba or Granada for an extra day instead.

Overall, I loved this trip and definitely want to come back again. All trips come with the less enjoyable parts, and overall it was an incredible and privileged experience. The best part were the Andalusian people I met and bonded with. The culture is highly friendly and welcoming!

I'm 23M and heading to Budapest in December for my first solo trip. I've booked 4 nights at Maverick Central Market in a private ensuite room.

I'm naturally quite introverted, but one of the main reasons I'm doing this trip is to push myself out of my comfort zone, meet new people and hopefully have some spontaneous adventures along the way.

I went with a hostel specifically for the social aspect, but I'm slightly worried that having a private room means I'll end up just exploring the city alone during the day and returning to my room in the evenings, which kind of defeats the purpose.

I'm not against going out, drinking or having a few chaotic nights out. I'm just not naturally the sort of person who walks up to a group of strangers and starts chatting.

For those who've travelled solo, particularly introverts:

- How did you actually go about meeting people at hostels?

- Does staying in a private room make it significantly harder?

- Is it normal to just approach people in common areas and strike up conversations?

- Has anyone stayed at Maverick Central Market specifically? How social was it?

I'm perfectly happy exploring alone sometimes, but I'd really like this trip to be more than just a city break by myself.

Would appreciate any advice or experiences!

I'm happy to go to the cinema, restaurants, bars, walking tours etc alone but I'd never play mini golf or do ten pin bowling alone.

Hi!

I feel a bit silly posting this on reddit but I've been hemming and hawing over what to do for weeks and my vacation is finally here. I'm on the precipice of burn out from work/life (feeling slow, sluggish, like i've been going a mile a minute and I'm on the verge of tears all the time), and I'm finally taking some time off. I have a total of two weeks off and I'm spending the first week just catching up on things at home (cleaning my apt, going to the dentist, finishing a last min freelance project etc etc), and then would like to use my second week to go somewhere. All that's to say, I feel like I need something that takes minimal planning and can give me a mix of relaxation/turning my brain off for once and just be present/experience something new. I've been so go, go, go, and always have a plan, always am working towards a deadline or accountable to someone else etc etc. It would be nice to go somewhere where I wouldn't have to do that and can just do my own thing.

So the plan is to go away from Oct 31 to Nov 6 or 7 (I return to work on Nov 9). After some researching, I'm torn between two options:

1. Puerto Vallarta - booking the nicest hotel in my budget with a pool and close to restaurants/things to do within walking distance. I can spend a day on a beach club, but also I like the option of wandering the city, checking out the dias de los muertos celebrations, or booking some excursions (i found some cool ones like a day long hidden beaches hike etc). I like that Puerto Vallarta seems like a good mix of culture/exploring so I won't get too bored/feel lonely but I'm also finding myself in the trap of overplanning, and trying to make the most of it and optimize. ... OK looking at weather reports and it's seeming like PV is going to be hit by Hurricane Vance so maybe it'll be off the table completely
2. All-inclusive around Playa del Carmen so I don't have to think at all about where to go to eat, what to do and can sit around the resort and actually decompress for once but it's hopefully easy enough to book day trips to Cozumel or Tulum ruins if I get really bored. I'm thinking I can also check out the dia de los muertos celebrations in Playa del Carmen too. I've never really done an all-inclusive before and I don't really know if I'll enjoy doing nothing? i think it's been so long since I've genuinely done nothing...and also the idea of flying to a different country and not experiencing it as best as I can makes me feel guilty...like im wasting precious vacation days/money on doing nothing.

I know no reddit stranger can make a decision from me but I'd love to know if you've been in a similar position and what you've done before and what type of trip helped you the most with getting out of your funk and resetting?

ETA: Thank you for the responses and advice! I just booked the nicest all-inclusive in my budget so I could stop thinking abt it and turning the planning into a whole other ordeal lol. And hey, if I hate it, at least I’ll know for sure all-inclusives aren’t for me!