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Travelling ‘Sola’: World Hum’s Roundtable On Travelling Alone As A Woman

Travelling alone isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a woman.

But, that shouldn’t put you off getting out there and hitting the road, with or without travel companions – the benefits generally far outweigh the downsides, and there is something unbelievably rewarding about making your own independent way around foreign lands.

International travel blog World Hum recently started an email roundtable between four accomplished travellers, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Liz Sinclair, Terry Ward and Catherine Watson, in which various aspects of ‘sola’ travel are debated and discussed.

The roundtable is handily divided into twelve sections (one for each broad topic covered) and whilst you’re unlikely to get through it all in one setting, it’s definitely a must-read for women considering hitting the road ‘sola’.

Posted in General Travel, Solo Travel | No Comments »

Travel Buddies: Do We Want Them, Really?

Finding a travel partner isn’t always easy. Friends may not always want to go where you want to go (and vice versa), or for as long as you want to go.

If you are travelling solo, hooking up with people you meet on the way can be an option (it can get lonely on the road, and it’s more expensive), but that too has its dangers and potential hitches.

Timen of travel blog In My All Stars wrote a great article recently about the pros and cons of travel with partners, surmising that the benefits of travelling with partners generally outweigh the negatives, but that there are, nonetheless, some things to look out for.

He also links to Rolf Pott’s take on the matter (always enlightening is Mr Potts).

Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice, but because travelling in pairs (or more) often works out to be less expensive (shared rooms etc), for purely economical reasons even hardened loners might ultimately soften to the idea of a travel buddy or two.

In My All Stars is worth bookmarking, by the way. Some excellent articles and useful travel tips for backpackers from this ‘experience traveller’.

Related entries:
Finding A Travel Buddy
TravelHiker.com – Social Networking For Backpackers That Brings Home The Bacon
Meet your ideal travel buddy online

Useful resources for backpackers:
Cheap hostels – find and book cheap hostels online
Travel Buddy Forums – find a travel buddy if you haven’t got one already

Posted in Cool Travel Blogs, General Travel, Solo Travel, Travel Community, Travel Tips & Planning | No Comments »

Abby On The Go: Solo Travel In South America

Just stumbled upon an inspiring personal travel blog called Abby On The Go.

Abby has just embarked on a 5-month solo trip around South America, starting out in Santiago and heading for Gautemala.

She’s already been to Valparaiso, spent quality hammock-time in Coroico, a small town in the ‘Mysterious Yungas’ and was in Oruro for Bolivia’s biggest party: Carnaval –

Carnaval was crazy – a good time but I hope to never go back to this one. The main street was lined with teetering wooden bleachers and parades went from 10 am to 2 am Saturday and Sunday. The costumes: Devils with huge hoods like dungeoness crabs, women in varying stages of nakedness and stylized traditional dress, masks, marching bands. Beer everywhere, people drunk in the morning, men peeing everywhere, even the dancers were offered drinks by the crowds. Guaranteed by the time they reached the stadium, everyone was drunk. Fireworks on every corner… The last night we danced with the dancers in the streeet until the wee hours during a tremendous thunder storm.

Check out Abby’s blog here (she also takes some great photos: here and here) – she’s just getting started!

Useful resources for backpackers:
Cheap Hostels in South America – find and book hostels offering special online rates.
Budget Travel Forums – share travel tips or pick the brains of other, more experienced, backpackers.

Posted in Cool Travel Blogs, Destinations, Solo Travel | No Comments »