Best solo travel destinations: the Solo Travel Society has their say.
Cailin's favorite is Australia. Here she is in Sydney.
The Solo Travel Society is a group of about 800 on Facebook that share experiences about solo travel.
For those willing to be published I asked one simple question: Where did you have the most fun as a solo traveler and why?
Here are the responses. They are short wonderful stories with tips for places to go and insights on what you’ll discover when you travel solo.
Marcelle, Favorite: Kissimmee near Orlando Florida because I had a 2-bedroom condo all to myself and a rented car with GPS to go wherever I needed to. I was located 10 min from downtown, and the Walt Disney attractions. I stayed for one week and it cost less than $1500.
Jeffery – Favorite: Luxembourg. It is a fairy tale city/country. We were welcomed by the most gracious people and enjoyed a fun filled 4 days. Our Hotel had sweeping views of the Castle and city, we ate well, we made many friends and we will surely be back soon!
Cailin - Favorite: Australia. “I have had the most fun as a solo traveler in so many places. I’ve actually never not had fun while traveling somewhere solo. Sure there are the odd lonely times, but I always seem to have great travel experiences. If I had to pick one place I would have to say Australia is high on my list. The Australians themselves and the people who travel there have always been so friendly and great to me, from the guy at the airport phone store who quickly replaced my phone when it broke to the lovely guys that offered me their vodka at my hostel in Sydney, I always felt like I had a friend close by.”
Lynda with Ken Griffith at the CMA Music Fest
Lynda – Favorite: Nashville. I am a huge country music fan and had wanted to go to the CMA Music Fest for years. My dream came try 2 years ago and it did not disappoint. I went solo so I could stand in lines for autographs if I wanted or skip one thing if something else came up that seemed like more fun. I saw and heard lots of great music and musicians (not just the big stars but truly hard working musicians). I talked to people and made new friends. I think I only ate alone a couple of times because people invited me to join them. I did and saw everything I had wanted to do and more…and would return to this magical city again in a heart beat.
Humberto – Favorite, Iquitos, Peru. One of the most amazing jungle cities I’ve ever been to. Its small and secluded enough from mainland Peru but still perfect for a night! I met some awesome people there including a fisheman named Miguel who took me all around Belen and out to his neighborhood bar!
Arantxa – Favorite, Utrech, Holland. I loved the canals and had a great meal in one of the restaurants on my own. I enjoyed the explanation a student gave me about different architectural styles in the town. I stayed in a fab youth hostel, beautiful building with a fab breakfast and great garden
Lee – Favorite, Sorrento, Italy. A 3 month sabbatical in Sorrento Italy, testing if I can live “Italian”. A life transforming experience from learning how to shop in the market to having the luxury of walking by the sea for miles on the cliff road, stopping on a bench to read or eat a bag lunch, never having a schedule or the phone ring. Living outside the box! The one lasting effect it had on me was that I finally had time to think. Yes that sounds simple, but working a 7 day a week job selling never gave me time to focus on non work items. Now I am free
Daniel – Favorite, China and more… I did a few years traveling/working. When I was 18 I went to college for business because I had done well in it in high school. Two months in I realized I actually hated it and dropped out. Disappointed and without direction I was pretty keen to do something with myself, and asked my parents for guidance. They reminded me of the last summer that they had gone to China to teach English for a month, and to me it seemed like the perfect escape. Three months later with a TEFL course under my belt I was on a plane to China. I don’t think it hit me until I landed in Shanghai the gravity of the choice I had made. Thankfully most of my experiences in China were very rewarding, and I followed it up with a year in Australia working first as a waiter and then as an ESL teacher to new immigrants, and finally spending a year in South Korea also teaching English. I was incredibly lucky that I was able to have these experiences (especially without a degree) and it truly helped me learn more about myself and what I wanted to do with my life. I’m a couple years in at a school that I love and have grown more than I could have possibly expected. If I had not done this alone, without the guidance of others, I would not have been able to force myself out of the cocoon and make my own mistakes to learn from. I cannot stress the importance of solo travel enough and encourage others to take the leap. The fear soon passes, and the rewards are worth it.
