Author	Message
milo Member United States of America	# Posted: 23 Aug 2006 00:18:21 I am planning a back packing trip (solo). I would like to hear about others experience even if you didnt go solo. Where did you go? What cities, did you have an itinerary? Can I take a look at your list of things to do? If you come across a road block...go around it :-)

wowhot Member	# Posted: 11 Oct 2006 23:48:49 Canada coast 2 coast hi there Im a 26 year old guy who made a solo journey across canada, an epic journey on a budjet of 750 pounds my mission was to see as meny canadien citys as possible.i got a 250 pound flight ticket from STARAVEL arived in Ottawa in the snow in feb14 and then made my way hotel,motel,hostel & hitch hiked but be carful with hicking a lift be shure of what you getting into...OK..! who ya i offten grabed some work here there for me vancouver was the best ... jet skying in the evening skying in the mornig and its here i landed a cool job in a golf club.. but here is so easy to get work so dont worry about cash-canadiens generaly seem to be preety level headed and if you prepared to do a honist days work then cash in hand employment is ant a problem..and dont worry about the french speaking bit no body speeks it apart from a small part of the country. i jumped the train from toronto to vancouver 3-4 days on my way back i got the idea to look for work in america so i got the greyhound bus across canadia to nigiera then down to new york... well that went from bad to worse from the first step out of the bus a man got muged with a gun in frount of me.. and so the adventure went to a closest hostel from grand central station which im told is the largest in the world..well the momnet i steped in i was pushed down to the ground bye a english screaming for his passport becouse the receptionist sold it.. well the storys go on...from listening to gunshoots every hour or so.. i shourtly dicided to get out of here..Did you know that in new york the police lock the homeless in the underground station at night becouse its more work to pick up the peices of homeless people that are murdered every night on the streets.and that i found out becouse a police man draged me down the stairs into the station and told me that im lucky to even be alive on the streets at night so thats where i slept for 2 nights...well soon arfter this little hic up i headed back up to canadia into qubec..hay theres great hostel in the center of the old town..only becouse thay give you free breakfast and thats important when you saving money that can tie you over for lunch...well i hope i havent borded you..Now iv pass my story to others who have done simmalar trips and thay have had very diffrent experinces espechialy in amercia well thats my little story and thats what i lived .. so all in all Greyhound is great the train system is cool if your traveling solo you get to meet some great people and some very strange ones at that.
HorseHead Mcgee Member	# Posted: 26 Oct 2006 17:14:38 The main question is, how comfortable do you want to be? Personally, I am against the whole, "work while traveling" thing, I don't "travelers" should be taking jobs in foreign countries, but that is a different story. If you are really on a budget, avoid Europe...plus honestly, Europe is over-rated...and I think most people who have done RTW jaunts, in their heart of hearts would agree, Europe was likely the low light of their trip. Anyway, since I didn't travel alone, I can't really give you a good estimate for a solo trip...but here was my budget for 2 people, so I suppose you can cut these numbers in half to get an idea. (money quoted in US$). Also, these numbers don't reflect the cost of travel to and from the countries. New Zealand ($100-$125 per day). Not eating out. S.E. Asia ($80-$110 per day). We are talking Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia. There is some wide variation, For example, Singapore is the 26th most expensive city in the world (more expensive than New York), while Cambodia is quite cheap and Malaysia will be more expensive than Thailand. Cambodia, IMO, is a "do not miss" destination. Greece ($125 per day) Italy ($175-$200 per day) Good luck.
RobN Moderator UK	# Posted: 26 Oct 2006 17:59:18 "Personally, I am against the whole, "work while traveling" thing, I don't "travelers" should be taking jobs in foreign countries, but that is a different story." With working holidaymaker schemes, and similar, the agreement between governments is reciprocal to a greater or lesser extent (depending on which pairing of countries). So while people from Country A take jobs in Country B, there are people from Country B taking jobs in Country A. The idea is to give the participants an experience of other countries (& cultures) while not having a big impact on economics and labour force etc. Of course, if it's illegal work (not through such a scheme) then it's something else.
HorseHead Mcgee Member	# Posted: 26 Oct 2006 18:25:22 I don't really want to debate the whole working to travel to thing...my main issue is when it occurs in 3rd world countries, (I am not overly concerned when a person works in Europe etc.) Generally, a traveller should contribute to their destination, and I believe that if a traveller is taking a job in a foreign country (especially a 3rd world country), you are taking it from a local (but I know, this is a debatable point) who needs it more than you. Remember, travelling is, at root, a vain activity. Think about, most people do this to "experience" something...but that pursuit is pure vanity as it only contributes to "your" enhancement. That's why, if you are going to work, try volunteering in the country (you may get room and board). Moreover, I don't really agree that working gives you that immersion...in so far as most the jobs are in the "tourist" industry and your coworkers are typically your fellow travelers. As to Itinerary, the answer is yes, and no. In my case, I had a set date when I had to be back, so in getting my RTW airline ticket, I had to pick at least general regions to visit before leaving and how long I would have to stay in each. i.e. New Zealand, Oct 19-Dec 20, S.E. Asia, Dec 21-Apr 3, etc. But once in country, I left things fairly flexible. However, you will want to do some planning only because it saves you money to book ahead and releives the stress of not having a firm place to stay when you arrive in a new town (sometimes doing so in unavoidable). And honestly, you do more planning than you might realize (unless your hitching) and it gets tiresome...you show up to a town all excited about what to do and see, you plan on staying four days, BUT at day two, you need to start thinking about where to go next, how to get there, when to go, where you will stay etc, you may need to get to the internet, go to the train or bus station to get your ticket. When you're out a long time, this exercise gets very tiresome...basically, you end up spending about half day or so (what I ended up calling admin days) in any given destination preparing for the next destination. So, about every 2 months or so, I would stop in one place and stay for about 3 weeks so I wouldn't have to constantly plan. As you go, you get better at it, i.e. you start planning your admin days around other needed things, i.e. doing laundry, shopping for food (if you are cooking on your own), so you need to plan for the fact that you will lose about 1 out of every 5 days to admin stuff.
RobN Moderator UK	# Posted: 26 Oct 2006 18:33:52 "Remember, travelling is, at root, a vain activity. Think about, most people do this to "experience" something...but that pursuit is pure vanity as it only contributes to "your" enhancement." Looking at it in the short-term, then probably largely yes you are right. In the long-term though there are benefits that the traveller gains which may be a good thing for other people - e.g. a better understanding of other cultures and ways of doing things, and that your own worldview is not the only worldview - with other worldviews being just as valid as your own. For example, the US views much of the Middle East to be largely undemocratic with violations of human rights. However, Islamic countries in the Middle East can view the US as immoral (porn etc.) and greedy. Which view is right? I'm not saying a better understanding of where other people come from is the answer to world problems, but it definitely helps!
HorseHead Mcgee Member	# Posted: 26 Oct 2006 18:47:53 · Edited by: HorseHead Mcgee I agree with the benefits of travel and I am no way suggesting people don't go, but many backpackers I run into in my travels have somewhat of a holier than thou attitude about it i.e (I am an explorer, oooooh etc)...which strikes me as the attitude that those kids who try to be "different" just to be "different". I think many lose perspective that long term travel is a luxury, and really a luxury of 1st world nations. Honestly, you really can't say you have run into too many Thai backpackers, the vast majority are Euro, US, Canada, and Aussie. Anyway...it's still fun...so let's hit the road.
jenchicago Member United States of America	# Posted: 4 Jan 2007 20:43:34 I went to Mexico solo for two months. It was my graduation present from my parents, they bought me the ticket and I had saved $2000 (US) from working. I luckily did have some family there but most of my trip was solo. Here's what you need to know if you are planning Mexico: Mexico City: Teotihuacan (Aztec pyramids) a MUST see but try not to spend too much time in Mexico City because it's the most expensive part of Mexico, it's dangerous for tourists but if you walk with confidence and watch your back you should be okay. Other places to check out here are Bosque de Chapultepec, and the anthropology museum here is AMAZING. If you are going to spend an entire week here expect to spend around $600 if not more depending on your accomodations. Bus transport is easy in Mexico...a seventeen hour journey from mexico city down to chiapas (border of guatemala) will cost you about 80 bucks..definitely not bad. Chiapas is one of the cheapest places in the country and San Cristobal de las Casas is gorgeous and very cheap, a frequent hangout for other backpackers, hippies, and has a healthy organic food movement...a GOOD meal will cost you like $5. Very DECENT accomodations can cost you $13 a night. I did the Maya route and was in an indigenous community for three days, tours are cheap from San Cristobal and it's very tourist friendly, while small. There generally is a small admission fee $1-$5 for archaelogical sites, going there on a tour will usually save your transportation cost of a taxi. Don't go to Cancun, super super expensive, and IT IS NOT MEXICO...it's like a mutated version of american consumerism and isolation, if you're looking for a good place to go try Tulum, gorgeous beach and generally backpacker friendly. Merida is also a good place and you are close to many Mayan sites...lots of backpacker friendly stays as well. With transporation costs, depending how thrifty you are I'd say $200-$500 a week in places that aren't Cancun or Mexico City. Also as a female travelling solo I found Mexico to be quite safe, more men were concerned there wasn't anyone with me than I found anyone looking to harm me. The only bad/aggressive experience I had was with a European, not even a mexican. People are generally very sweet, and generous, it's a very welcoming enviroment. "To know and not to act is not to know"