Some of us are afraid of going solo because of the fear of the unknown. In reality, there is so much beauty that lies in the breakdown and comfort that we can find in chaos. If you are one of those who are afraid to travel solo, today’s guests will prove that it is never as bad as you imagined it to be. Jackie Nourse of Traveling Jackie and the Budget-Minded Traveler breaks down the seven reasons to go on solo travel. She also gives away ten solo travel tips and rules that come in handy. Making that solo adventure travel safer and fun are Monica Aranguren and Jason Waitkins. As they both share their amazing trips in New Zealand, Galapagos, Mont Blanc, Annapurna, New Zealand, the Galapagos, and Patagonia on their own, discover insights on this subject that would definitely make you book a trip for yourself straightaway.

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Listen to the podcast here:

Photo courtesy of Cindy Vranken of MegaCindy.com (our guest on the Kilimanjaro episode)

Is Solo Travel for YOU???

Afraid to travel solo – especially solo adventure travel? Today’s guests share their insights as to the Pro’s and Con’s of solo travel and share what they consider the benefits and challenges, plus their tips to make adventure travel solo safe and fun.

Today’s Guest Interviews on Solo Adventure Travel

Jackie Nourse of Traveling Jackie and the Budget Minded Traveler, Jason Waitkins and Monica Aranguren share their thoughts on taking a solo holiday and what it’s like to travel by yourself.  See some of their solo adventures photos down below!

Seven Reasons to Solo Travel

There are lots of reasons you might travel solo:

1. Maybe you can’t find anyone to travel where you want to go, when you want to go.  If you want to go, but aren’t comfortable going completely on your own, consider small group travel.  Be aware of any single supplements and look for companies that pair you with someone if you don’t want to pay extra to travel alone. My affiliate, Active Adventures (different company with a similar name) does NOT make you pay the dreaded Single Supplement.

2. You need some time to yourself to just THINK!  If you need to figure some things out in your life, consider taking a long distance hike or cycling trip.  You’ll have all day to yourself, but will meet people along the way for when you could use a little company.  Check out my West Highland Way and Cottswold Way long distance walking holiday adventures for some inspiration.

3.  You want to develop your ‘Grit Bone’ or what Jackie calls her “Courage Muscles”.  There’s nothing like adventure travel, and in particular, solo travel to test your mettle and to expand what you think possible for yourself!  It’s a great way to boost your self esteem and self reliance, too!  If you want to feel empowered, try adventure travel, and in particular SOLO Adventure Travel!

4.  It’s easier to meet new people when you travel solo.  Locals are more likely to come up to introduce themselves when they see you alone, so you’ll have more local interaction.

5.  You’ll develop better problem solving skills.  When it’s just you, YOU have to figure out what to do when something goes awry.  You’ll learn that you are quite good at finding a solution, no matter how clumsy it is, when you know that you simply HAVE to!

6.  You’ll discover what you really like and dislike:  when your schedule is completely your own, you have to make ALL the decisions, from what time to wake up, to what, when and where to eat, to how to spend your time, etc.  If you go someplace and decide you’ve had enough, you can simply leave without conferring with travel mates, or you can spend all day in a museum that rocks your boat, but would bore your normal partner.

7.  Traveling solo can sometimes be lonely, so even introverts learn how to strike up a conversation (my go to questions is, “So how was your day?”  People love to talk about themselves.  You’ll always find other solo travelers at the bar next to a hostel, so head there at cocktail hour to find others that would love to chat.  For that matter, consider even staying in a hostel so you can meet folks in the common areas.  Many offer single rooms so you don’t have to sleep dorm style.  

Alternately, stay at an Airbnb where the people live there as well and the comments from previous guest indicate that the hosts like to be social with guests.  Consider Couchsurfing.  Also sign up to do a Walking Tour or other group activity to meet others.  See if there are any interesting Meetups going on while you’re in town and reach out to the group organizer to attend.

Solo Travel Tips and Rules

I’ve been traveling solo for five years now and I’ve come up with some rules that help keep me safe and reduce stress (in no particular order):

1. When ‘winging it’ while traveling, I make sure that I know where I am going to sleep before noon.

2. Whenever possible, I make sure that I arrive at the night’s accommodations before dark.

3. When out, I never leave my food or drink unattended.

4. Don’t drink too much or do any drugs.  Get back to your room at a reasonable hour.

5. Be careful of overly cautious locals who might be setting you up… does someone on the bus or train rush to try to share a cab with you?  This could be a setup: the cabbie could be a partner in crime.  Check the US State Dept Travel advisory for the country you are visiting to see what the current local scams are.  Register your trip with the Smart Traveler Program.

6. Ask your hotel to call you a cab or take highly rated Uber or Lyfts to avoid rogue cabbies. 

7.  Ask a local to circle bad areas on a paper map.

8.  Be mindful of your surroundings at all times and have an exit plan. 

9.  Hold onto your luggage, going so far as to bike lock it to yourself should you be on a long train or bus where you might sleep.

10.  Make sure someone knows where you are supposed to be and what time you are supposed to arrive AND when to sound an alarm should he or she not hear from you.

One of our guests today, Jackie, is also a travel blogger and podcaster. She did an excellent episode on Solo Travel you can access here.  You can also find her at Traveling Jackie, the Budget Minded Traveler (now Jump).

Also be sure to check out my interview with Jackie on adventures in Quebec!

Other Links Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Travel Safety Tips
Cotswold Way
Mont Blanc

Dolomites

Galapagos

Kilimanjaro Part I

Kilimanjaro Part II

Annapurna

Jason Waitkins’ Solo Adventure photos

Here are a few photos Jason took on some of his solos adventures. He’s been to several places covered on Active Travel Adventures – see links below the pics if you want to learn more about these fantastic locations!

Included below are scenes from Argentina, Chile (Patagonia), Ecuador, Peru, Kilimanjaro, New Zealand and Nepal. Jason is smart: he’s making sure that when he travels, ALL of Jason’s trips are so-called ‘Trips of a Lifetime”! You go, Jason!  All photos courtesy of Jason Waitkins.

 

Some of the adventures Jason has taken that have been covered by ATA include:

Patagonia (Argentina & Chile)
Ecuador
Kilimanjaro
Nepal
Peru  [Machu Picchu]
New Zealand (Coming Winter 2019)

Monica Aranguren’s Solo Travel Photos

Here are some pics from trips that Monica has taken solo. Links to adventures we’ve covered on Active Travel Adventures are below. Monica is also taking travel by the horns and doing EPIC vacations!  Well done, Monica!!!  Some of the adventures Monica has taken solo include the Dolomites, the Galapagos, Mont Blanc and New Zealand.  All photos courtesy of Monica Aranguren.

Some of Monica’s epic trips that ATA has covered:

Dolomites
Mont Blanc
Galapagos
New Zealand (Coming Winter 2019 to ATA)

Solo Adventure Travel

We’re going solo. That’s right. Even if you have a partner, I want you to read this blog post because there are definite advantages and challenges to traveling solo. Even if you think, “There is no way I would ever travel solo,†please read on with an open mind. You might change your mind. I’ll be interviewing three solo travelers about the challenges and joys of traveling solo. Since I usually travel solo myself, you’ll hear my two cents worth as well. It’s a great show. Even if you think, “No way, I could never travel solo.†I beg you please read on and see if you don’t change your mind.

If you’re like me, you don’t want to live an ordinary life. You want to live a kick-ass life, and one way to do so is to add adventure travel to your life. I find adventure travel brings out the best in me. It challenges me, it encourages me, it enlightens me, and it inspires me to lead a bigger life. On this program, you’ll learn about amazing adventures from around the world plus get the tools and information you need so you could do these adventures with confidence. You’ll come home feeling empowered and with amazing memories and stories that you can relive forever. Don’t worry, the bar is such that my relatively fit 58-year-old body, particularly with some training, can do these adventures and you can too.

This episode is a roundup episode. I’ve got three guests that I will be interviewing separately about their experiences with solo travel. Our first guest is Jackie Norris, who we met on one of our episodes. She is the host of Traveling Jackie and The Budget-Minded Traveler and has been traveling solo for a long time. She has a ton of insights to share with us. When I interviewed her in Quebec, I asked her casually about solo. We got engrossed in it that I decided to take that section of our interview and added to this solo episode. Our other guests are Monica and Jason. I’ll let them introduce themselves. Let’s start with my interview with Jackie. Jackie, why do you travel solo?

The reason I do solo travel is that I’m solo. I don’t let that stop me. For years and years, a lot of people struggle with the idea of getting out on their own. It’s a necessity for me. It’s what I have to do and so I do it. I never thought I would enjoy it, but I do love it now. You have to get to a point where you’re comfortable with it. I’ve already been traveling for a number of years by the time that I went nomadic like fully solo nomadic a few years ago. Even after that much time of being comfortable traveling, it was weird to be on my own all the time. For the cons, you are by yourself. All of those travel decisions are made only by you. Even where you’re going to eat for breakfast in the morning or if you’re going to get a beer this afternoon, everything is solely up to you. There’s no one that you can confer with.

That also happens to be one of the advantages of it. Sometimes it depends on which perspective you have looking on it. Maybe it depends on the day. Sometimes it’s amazing and sometimes you wish there was someone there. Loneliness is a real thing. I have written about that before and most solo travelers will face real loneliness. It’s not just the point of being solo in a place, it’s feeling alone. There’s a big difference and that can get to you if it’s a while. I traveled for months at a time and it can get draining on me to be alone. At the same time, this is where I am in my life and this is what I’m signing up for. This is also my work and this is what I’m choosing to do. It’s part of the territory if you look at it that way. The freedom that solo travel provides is unmatched in this world.

There is a feeling that comes with being on your own in some far-flung corner of the planet completely left to yourself and your own thoughts. What you want to do for the day, everything is your will. It is the most freeing feeling ever. It’s incredible. You can do whatever you want. There are definitely pros and cons of solo travel. I always encourage people to at least try it out because you get to know yourself very quickly. Even if you think you know yourself, you don’t, not until you solo travel. You could see what you’re capable of and what your weaknesses are. It’s an incredible tool for life to solo travel. Everyone should do it at least once.

You had a quote in your the Budget-Minded Traveler episode number 63 that I loved. It was, “Lose yourself until you find yourself.†Could you talk a little bit about that? I thought that was excellent.

It gave me chills when you read it. That came from a piece that I wrote on my Travelling Jackie blog. It was when I decided to leave everything behind and go out on my own to travel the world solo for real for the first time. This was many years after having traveled a whole bunch already and studying abroad and all that. This was different because I had a relationship, I had a house and I had all these things. I felt very lost at times, but it’s because I had to recreate what my life looked like. That was my moment to decide what my new normal was going to be going forward. I did lose part of myself there in that in a good way though. It’s like you have to go see what the world has for you and then figure out what you look like in that new normal. Figure out what the path forward is in this new reality that you’ve created. That’s at least how it applied to me. It depends on what your situation is and why you’re choosing to solo travel. Where you are and you’re like so much about experience outwardly when you travel, has to do what’s going on inside. That was my experience at the time. I totally went out and lost myself until I started to rebuild and find what that meant to start over.

It’s obvious that travel in general and solo travel in particular, changed your life.

I’m grateful for that because I feel so much surer of who I am. I’m so much stronger now. I have so much more confidence. These are the things that come with being on your own for so long in a place. It’s not saying being on your own at home where you’re comfortable with everything and you know the name of the store owner down the street, whatever. It’s not like that at all. Everything is different. Everything is new. Foreign languages, foreign currency, borders, flights, hotels, everything is a challenge. When you add that element to being completely on your own for a long time, maybe for the first time, it changes everything. Your personal growth is expedited more than anything.

The world outside of your comfort zone is not a place to invite fear. It's a place to invite curiosity. Share on X

In the last few years since I lost my husband, I’ve been traveling solo. The one question I get over and over again is about safety and the Boogie Man at night. How do I deal with the safety issues? How do you respond to questions like that you get?

Are you not afraid about those things at home? Bad things can happen anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are. In fact, US these days could be a lot less safe than a lot of other places that I travel. I don’t dwell on that stuff at all. I have some tricks up in my sleeve to make sure that I’m safe and my belongings are safe. I pay attention. I always say that common sense is your best defense. I stand by that 110%. Don’t leave your common sense behind when you walk out your door. The world outside of your comfort zone is not a place to invite fear. It’s a place to invite curiosity. Go explore that and find out what it looks like because it’s not about fear and safety, it’s about adventure, life, growth, people, connection, culture, food, language, activity and beauty. That outweighs the fear. It’s not a thing.

I’ve been traveling for many years, knock on wood, but nothing’s ever happened to me. I’ve never been in a situation I couldn’t handle. Maybe that’s because I carry my common sense close by. Maybe I’ve gotten lucky. Maybe a lot of things, but I do speak a lot about safety because I know that people ask about it and are concerned. You can’t let that stop you from doing anything. Otherwise, you’d be stuck in your own house. What happens if there’s an earthquake and your house fell down? You can’t be safe anywhere in this world if you look at it that way. Go do it, get out there and go experience it. You’ll find the confidence over the fear the more you go.

I want to go back to something you said about being more aware and things can happen to you even at home. It could be safer while you travel because you’re more on red alert and you’re more aware of your surroundings, whereas at home you’re lackadaisical.

You know how they say that most accidents happen within our house like car accidents.

You’ve got your guard down. You may be doing other things. Whereas when you’re traveling solo, you’re paying attention.

It’s an interesting metaphor.

It’s the same thing with hiking on a trail. If I’m on a trail I don’t know, I’m acutely aware of everything that’s going on around me and my surroundings. If I’m on a trail that I know very well at home, I’m not paying any attention whatsoever.

I’m glad you made that point. It’s such a good point.

Another question I get asked all the time is, “How do you eat dinner alone?â€

It’s great. I’m used to that by now. It’s funny.

A lot of the women I know are uncomfortable eating dinner in a restaurant by themselves.

That is something you have to put your big girl pants on and go do it. What are you going to do? Not eat? Hide in a corner with your takeout? Go do it. Here’s the thing. No one cares. I’ve finally figured out after all these years that if someone is staring at me, which does happen, I know why. It’s because they’re curious. They’re curious about something. Whether it’s why I’m wearing a backpack in this town or why am I sitting by myself or, “She’s speaking French with an accent. I wonder where she’s from?†People are curious. They’re not out there like, “Look at that girl. She’s by herself.†It’s not like that at all.

It’s not like you’re wearing a big L on your forehead.

Think about it with you. If you see someone solo walking down the street of your town with a big backpack on, aren’t you curious? “I wonder where they’re going. What are they doing? Are they traveling?†It’s all curiosity and it’s not negative. If you’re worried about what people are thinking, that’s the first part. It is not negative. If you can figure out how to make that place comfortable for yourself, like for example, one of the things I love to do as I travel and as I’m at home is I love craft beer. I love trying different beers all around the world. You could do this with wines or cheeses or whatever, anything that has to do with a restaurant. What’s your thing?

When I get to a new place, a bar or whatever, I love to sit down and get a new beer. Beer is like home to me. I can do that anywhere in the world. I have the thing that I can go to that’s my company. I work at breweries often. I will go to a brewery and get a beer. I call it a focus beer, #FocusBeer. I work that way. It’s part of finding comfort anywhere I can be in the world. Those things matter. I will make sure if I’m going out by myself, I will get a drink. Something that makes me feel a little like maybe takes the edge off, I will get a beer and I will enjoy myself. I will people watch, whatever.

You can choose to get out your phone and have a conversation with someone across the world if you want to or you can choose to put your phone down. You can bring a book. It doesn’t matter. It’s about you, it’s not about what other people think. It’s funny because sometimes I’ll pass by a restaurant that’s super full. I’m like, “I don’t know if I want to go into that one all by myself.†If I pass by a place that I can see that there is a table where I might feel comfortable, that’s where I’ll go in because I’m still introverted. You’ve got to take care of yourself. That’s what it’s about, it’s taking care of yourself, making it comfortable for you, and adventure.

I find too, if I’m traveling solo, I’ll have more opportunity to meet locals because they feel more comfortable coming up to you when you’re traveling solo than if you’re with other people.

If you’re putting out an energy that says, “I’m approachable,†then people will approach you for sure. For people who don’t want to be alone. Maybe you’re only traveling solo because no one else wanted to go with you and you’d rather have a buddy. I highly recommend staying in hostels. It does not matter how old you are. You can find hostels with a private room, which is what I like to do. The beauty of that is you have an immediate community if you choose to have it. You can meet people in the communal areas. That’s something that hotels do not offer. Finding either like CouchSurfing, staying at a hostel or staying at an Airbnb where there’s a host on site and you can expose yourself to other people. If that’s where you are in your travels, your life, and you want to be around other people, then put yourself in those positions. It’s easy to retract and do things on your own if you want to be solo. That’s easy. In fact, you’ll probably still get approached because people are curious. There are other people who are solo who are going to sit down at the bar next to you and start talking about beer with you, and realized you’re not Italian and be curious about where that accent comes from.

I love that about hostels. I learned that for the first time about a few years ago because it is lonely. If you go to the hostel community rooms, you meet the people. If you’re not staying in the hostel, my week time of being alone is cocktail hour. That’s when I want to talk to somebody. I don’t care the rest of the whole day, dinner, no problem, but at cocktail hour, I want to talk. Go find the bar next to the hostel because that’s where they’ll be and they’re traveling solo too so they’re looking for somebody to talk to as well. What advice would you give someone who’s considering traveling solo for the first time?

Solo travel lets you expand a little bit more in 'getting out of the box.' Share on X

Go and don’t be afraid. I don’t think you’re going to regret choosing to travel solo. You’re going to learn something that’s time well spent. Getting out, seeing the world, any of these things, these are adventures. This is our one life. We get one shot so go do it. You’ll find that you’re much more resourceful than you realize. You’re going to be the one with a story to tell afterward. I encourage you to try it, test yourself, get out there and make it happen.

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Next up, let’s hear what Monica has got to say about solo travel. After her interview, we’ll get a guy’s perspective. Can you start by introducing yourself and perhaps telling us your age?

I’m Monica Aranguren and I am 58 years old.

How did you get into adventure travel?

Quite honestly, I found myself single again. That was back in 2007, 2008. I started to do a lot of hiking on my own at that time. When I got to my 50th birthday, I decided I wanted to do something bigger and that’s when I started to look into adventure travel and planned to go to New Zealand at that time.

Was that your first trip to do the New Zealand hike? I take it that you were going solo because you were single again?

Yes. I didn’t want to leave adventure behind.

That’s great that you’re adventuresome. How did you make the mind shift to say, “I’m going to go on my own?†because it’s a scary concept for a lot of people to go on a trip all by themselves.

The comments I’ve also gotten from friends when I’ve let them know what I’m doing. I’ve been an independent gal all my life and it’s like let’s push on through. I was like, “I’m not waiting for life to happen to me. I’ve got to do it. I’m going to go on these trips because I want to see these places.†That was my motivation.

Did you do that on your own solo or did you go with a tour company or how did that work out?

The New Zealand trip I went with a group. I went with Active Adventures there and had been making different trips of that nature since.

Our regular audience will recognize Active Adventures as one of my favorite companies and affiliates. I’m super excited that I will be going on the same trip that Monica went on. Monica, how do you decide where you’re going to go?

Sometimes I see a photograph and I’m like, “I want to go there.†I might get a vision in my mind of a place I had been thinking about and then I start to investigate the location and how I might be able to get a taste of it.

Are you still traveling now? That’s been many years since you were single. Are you still doing solo travel as your primary way? Is that all you do or do you mix it up with others? How does that work?

I’ve made some group-led trips. I’ve also done some that are self-guided where I’m still with a company that’s moving my belongings, setting up the itinerary and the maps and all of that, but I’m doing it on my own.

I would imagine when you’re in the group setting on the guided trips, that also gives you some more socialization. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Each experience is a little different. Meeting people from different places and learning about them, joking with them, creating songs with them, eating with them, all kinds of things. It’s a lot of social interaction with the group. When I’m on a self-guided hike, it’s a little quieter, but I also tend to favor that sometimes because I like to be in the quiet of nature. Sometimes I like to interact with the culture on a different level. I enjoy that piece as well.

What are the pros and cons in your mind of solo travel?

The pros are that solo travel lets you expand a little bit more in “getting out of the box.” It lets you meet new people that you might not otherwise meet when you’re traveling with a companion that you’ve known for a while like a friend, family member, whoever that might be. Cons, I don’t think there are any. I will say I choose a single room so that I don’t get any snoring so I can sleep on my own. For me, that’s important. That would be the only con for me if I can’t sleep. That’s why I tend to choose a single room. Other than something like that, I can’t think of any, quite honestly.

Since I lost my husband and now that I’m traveling solo, the thing I’m always getting is, “Aren’t you afraid about the big bad wolf, getting raped, mugged or whatnot?†Can you talk a little bit about the safety issues?

Even if you think you know yourself, you don't, not until you solo travel. Share on X

I have never felt not at ease. I’ve always felt safe on these trips. With a group, you’re surrounded by your group all the time because you’re doing all the activities with that group. The only time you’re separate is maybe if you have a specific day that you have in a particular town on your own. You might visit that, but never any concerns of safety in that sense. When I’ve been on self-guided tours, in the case of the company that I worked with, I had a GPS, I had instructions and I had a phone. I had a contact I could call 24 hours a day if there was an issue. I always had someone who would check on with me. I felt like I was supported in both styles of travel.

How about loneliness? Is that ever an issue?

I would say during the self-guided hikes because I might see something and not have anyone to talk about it. Other than that, not really. When I’m with a group hike, I’m with other people. I’ve always got companionship with me.

Another thing I always get is how do you eat by yourself?

I’ve been asked that as well. I carry a book with me and go with it that way. I’ve gotten used to it. I’m not very self-conscious about it and enjoy interacting with the waiters, waitresses and the hosts wherever I’m eating, and enjoy myself that way.

There’s also more attention and curiosity when you’re traveling solo and that you get a lot more local interaction, which I enjoy very much and think of as a plus.

That is true, especially if you’re at little small restaurants. The host or the owner might chat with you more, which is great. I was on a trip where an older gentleman, I was walking around and I had my camera going, came up to talk to me in Italian. I was in Italy and he was talking to me about how he had owned a camera like that. We had a nice little chat and then I was back on my way. That was fun to be able to chat with him for a while.

If somebody is sitting on their couch saying to themselves, “I’m like Monica, if I don’t get off this couch, I’m never going to see the places that I want to see.†What advice would you give them so they get the courage and the confidence to go try this on their own?

Don’t wait. If you’re attracted to making this trip, do it. It will open up a whole other level of possibilities, experience and independence. Do it and enjoy yourself and don’t wait for another opportunity.

Have you found that solo travel is important too, that it’s somehow changing who you are?

I’d love the companionship, but it supports my being independent and doing my life. Living my life the way I want it and taking advantage of the opportunities, especially outdoor hiking opportunities, while I can do it. That’s how it positively helps me out.

It empowers me. When I get back from one of these trips, I’m like, “I did that.†If I can do that, then I can do this, whatever my current real-world problem is.

It’s self-empowering. If maybe a particular trip is going to be a little more challenging, I’ve got to rise to the occasion to work out and get read. It feels great when I’m out there and accomplishing it. It’s an empowering experience and one that supports a good sense of independence and moving forward the way you want.

Have you kept up with any of the people that you’ve met on your trips?

I have. I made a trip in the Mont Blanc area of France, Italy and Switzerland a few years ago, back in 2016. There were four singles on that trip actually. The four of us have had a couple of reunions. Our last one was in Toronto. We always go out a little hike and then eat out and see wherever we’re visiting together. It’s a lovely experience and this time, we were also able to hook up with a couple that was from the Toronto area that had been on this same track and got to have a lovely dinner with them. It was a great time together.

I found that usually in each trip, there are one or two people I’ll meet that we ended up becoming friends. Even if it’s just Facebook friends, we keep up that way. In fact, when I go to the UK, I will be staying with a gentleman and his girlfriend that I met in the West Highland Way for a couple of days before I start the long distance trek on the Cotswold Way. I’m excited about that. Can you tell us some of your favorite stories about some of your trips? I know you went to New Zealand. When you look back on New Zealand, what’s the one story you tell?

It was deciding to do the bungee jump. There were only two of us in a group of ten that had the courage to do that. I’m glad that I did that and the rest of the group cheered us on. I had a blast doing that. It was a little scary and I was a little nervous once I got on the plank that I was supposed to drop off from. It was so freeing and so much fun to be hanging down on this large rubber band. I’m happy I had that experience, especially celebrating my 50th birthday then.

You’ve also gone to the Galapagos. What’s your favorite story about the Galapagos?

What struck me is there are many amazing animals, penguins, sea lions, fish and iguanas. It’s fascinating to be surrounded by these wonderful creatures that are not timid at all with humans. That was wonderful. I remember, in particular, going snorkeling and seeing manta rays, these giant ones underneath floating and then swimming below me. It was amazing to see their size and beauty. They were golden and had some black spots on them and they were moving on their leisurely pace. It was fantastic.

We did cover the Galapagos episode. We also covered Mont Blanc, which you’ve done too. What’s your favorite story there?

It's an incredible tool for life to solo travel. It shows what you’re capable of and what your weaknesses are. Share on X

This is a social story. All the hiking was fantastic in particular because we were above the tree line a lot of the time. That was beautiful to see these huge snow-covered mountains in your face and you are looking at them. It was a splendor for me. The social story is that the group I was with, a few of us somehow got into rapping while we were hiking. They come up with these silly tunes and that made me start to create this particular rap, based on all the food that we were eating. I presented that at the end of our tour at our last dinner. One of my colleagues in the group backed me up, making all the funky little rap sounds. We put it together and it was a hoot. We had a great time doing that.

That sounds fun. That’s a great story. You’ve got another fun place you’re going to, which also has been covered on the Active Travel Adventures Podcast. Tell us about that.

I’ll leave to make a trip in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, north of Venice. I’m very excited about that. I’m excited to be back with a group because I’ve done some more self-guided hiking in the last couple of years. I’m going to be with a group again, which I look forward to. I’m looking forward to the scenery and the exercise because that’s what we love about hiking is the workout too. It’s going to be good.

Annie, who I interviewed on the Dolomite episode, has traveled all over the world. She’s done everything and she said that was the perfect trip. She said it was the best mix of exertion, the hiking, the scenery, the people and the foods.

I’ll carry that with me for sure.

Any other thoughts on solo travel or adventure travel you’d like to share?

Seize the day. There’s so much to see out there and so much to do. Get out there and do it.

—

There’s nothing like going on an adventure. Finally, for our last interview on solo travel, we’re going to get a guy’s perspective. Can you start by introducing yourself, please?

My name is Jason Waitkins and I am 37.

How did you first get into adventure travel?

My first trip was in 2003. I wanted to visit New Zealand. I was reading about it growing up and it sounded like a cool and awesome place. The Lord of the Rings came out and that propelled me even more. I’m like, “I have to go here.†In 2003, I went. I didn’t want to go there just to sightseeing. I wanted to hike. That’s what drove me into that being my first trip.

Were you already pretty active before you got into adventure travel?

Yes, I hiked. I grew up and my parent’s house is right next to a section of the Appalachian Trail. I grew up knowing, “That’s the longest marked trail in the United States,†and all that. I hiked the sections of it nearby. I then branched out from there. There are some pretty nice and interesting trails not far from where I live.

Where is that?

New York. I’m in what’s called the Hudson Valley region. I grew up in Garrison, which is the town south of Cold Spring. It has become a hikers town because there are a few challenging trails near there. It’s easily accessible from New York City. On the weekends, a lot of hikers come up on the trains because you can easily get off at the Cold Spring Station and travel around and you don’t need a car. You can work your way back to the station.

Our topic is solo travel. Is that something you’ve always done or is this something new for you?

I pretty much always did solo initially because growing up, it was a small town. I was one of the few who liked adventure travel, so it was only me. I enjoyed it a lot. I always join a group usually. If it’s a tour, there’s a group I usually end up joining. If they’re not solo, then they are either with a friend or a spouse or whatever. We are there for the same thing. It’s a good way to meet new people.

What would you consider the pros and cons of solo travel?

My best thing is I can pretty much go when I want. I can center around my schedule. There’s no coordination. If there are two, three or more people traveling, it’s going to be harder to get time off from work, for example. For me, I prefer solo traveling for the most part because it’s easy to coordinate with myself. I look at the dates, “This trek is going here and I can go here at this point and I have a certain amount of time off I can take.†I did one adventure trek with my father not too long ago and we do have to coordinate. There was a little more work involved to make sure, “We’re going to do this. We both have time off. We can both get there without issue. We’re both fit enough. We both know what we’re getting into and all that.†There are pros and cons to each, but for me, I have a set of places I’d like to go, a set number of countries or treks that I’d want to do and want to visit. To me, it’s easier. If I don’t know anyone else who wants to do it with me, I go ahead and do it.

You make an excellent point because not only do you have to coordinate the time schedules but also the physical difficulty rating is consistent for both parties and all parties.

At the time, my father had some knee problems at the moment, but at the time, he was okay. It was a not too challenging trip, at least graded three. We always look at the gradings of the trip with a grain of salt. You have to know what you can and can’t do. It’s better to read the descriptions rather than just reading by the number they give. The company we were with, they assigned numbers one through six, six being the hardest and this one is graded two. Afterward, I say, “This was more like a three,†and it was because we were in Scotland. There are a few sections where there was no trail, it was pretty much bushwhacking and it was muddy. Walking through that section was quite difficult more so than it was. Even our leaders said that. You have to be careful. Make sure everyone can do it and make sure you know what you’re getting into.

Female solo travelers have a few different concerns than males. Can you talk about safety as a solo traveler from the male perspective?

I personally have never been worried about my safety, but it is always a consideration. My first big travel was to New Zealand, which is generally a country more on the safe side. My next travel was in Peru, which is a developing country. I read up quite a bit on it. What vaccines do I need to get? What is the crime rate? I always read up on the countries I’m visiting, although you also have to take those with a bit of a grain of salt. A website I usually go to at least at first to check out the country I’m visiting is the US State Department website because it gives descriptions on visa requirements and any vaccines that are recommended. I always try to look that up. It also tells what the crime is.

However, it is over-exaggerated to a degree. You always read about the bad things and I also look at what they say of the crime is. However, it tends to be over-exaggerated sometimes because you will only read about the bad things. They’ll always say there are very high crimes and there are police corruptions or there’s this or there’s that. You’ve got to be aware of your surroundings is what I always do. When I was growing up because I lived close to New York City but not in it, going to New York City, I was always told like, “Put everything in your front pocket, not your back pocket. Watch out for muggers. Watch out for this or that, anyone who tries to bump into you.â€

You’ve got to be diligent and to do that. As a solo traveler, the first time where I was there ahead of when the official tour, I was joining started was in Peru in Cusco. I want to go there. I was worried about acclimatizing to the altitude and so I got there a day ahead of the main tour and walked around. I was feeling winded at least at first. I ended up adjusting perfectly fine. I was looking in all directions and making sure there were a lot of people around. No one ever came up and I never felt unsafe, but I was extra careful. The thing I do is a lot of the pants I wear for general walking around have zippers on them. I don’t know if that helps or hurts. My biggest concern is my passport or my wallet getting stolen.

Let’s talk a little bit about what you feel when you’re doing an adventure, whether it’s hiking, paddling, cycling, and you do it solo. There’s the possibility that you get hurt and there’s nobody around to help you. Do you have any concerns about that or is that one reason that you do group travel?

I experienced that personally. A couple of years ago, I was hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine. I ended up slipping and falling and not able to stand. I was traveling solo at that point. I had to take out my cell phone and I dialed 911. There were a few trekkers who walked by. This was a day hike. I wasn’t backpacking or anything like that, but still, it was a very rugged terrain. A couple of hikers nearby stopped and said, “We’ll wait until people come and get you.†They had to carry me off and that was a humbling experience. I kept thinking, “I’m not going to fall or this isn’t going to happen. I’m still within civilization. I’m not in another country.†I can only imagine what would have happened if I was on the Inca Trail, where you have to hike for three days. What would have happened if that happened? Having a group and having a leader there who at least always had a radio or a cell phone to contact whoever that is, it’s quite comforting and more so now than it was many years ago.

I did an episode on safety on adventure travel and also another interesting story is the episode Part Two of the Kilimanjaro series where our guest had to go down the mountain on a stretcher. It’s a very interesting episode in that regard. Let’s move on from the scary things and let’s talk about how do you choose where you want to go next.

When I first started this back in the early 2000s, I had a bucket list. The main two were I want to visit New Zealand, I want to hike there, and I want to hike the Inca trail. I was reading about how beautiful the trail is, how it’s a great payoff ending up in Machu Picchu, which is also beautiful. After that, I started making a list of countries and places I wanted to visit and then looking at, “I want to visit here. I want to do this. Where’s this located?†My biggest goal after making the Inca Trail was Kilimanjaro. I said, “Where is that? That’s in Tanzania. That’s in Africa.†I went from there. “What else is there?†Choosing that trip, there are a lot of tour companies that do Kilimanjaro and the one I ended up picking with was one that was doing a specific route up the mountain. It had extra days. It was more expensive, unfortunately, but it had extra days while climbing and it did a specific way. It did the Western Breach if you’re aware of that trail, which most companies do the other way.

This one, we did the Western Breach. We stayed in the Crater Camp, which is also rare for that, but I figured that was good for getting used to the altitude. That’s why I ended up going with that tour company. Beyond that, there’s a list of countries I’d like to visit. The main ones were Kilimanjaro, Galapagos was one, and the next one that I haven’t done yet is the Alps, which is on my bucket list. Basically, I said, “Where can I hike that I haven’t hiked before?†I started looking at the companies I’ve gone with before and a few other notable ones. I look at what they offer to see if it’s financially feasible, if time-wise it’s feasible. I pretty much go from there. I have a semi-life goal to visit every country in the world. I don’t think I’m going to get there, but I want to visit and hike everywhere I can. I go with the ones I want to the most and I’ve done quite a few of them but there’s still quite a few left.

Have you found that solo travel has changed you in any way?

Initially, I don’t know if I felt different. I enjoy it like that’s my vacation. That’s how I get away from it. My first few trips, I wouldn’t even take my cell phone with me. I’d leave it at home and that was my disconnection from the everyday hustle and bustle. As far as changing me, I don’t know if I have an answer for you. It’s helped me grow a certain way like enjoying because I live alone. I’m single and pretty much live alone. To me, it’s a great way to meet new people because even if you’re not with a group, you’re always going to meet someone on the trail most likely. That’s the way I interact with people, my fellow hikers. I don’t know if it changed me in any way other than that. It’s just something that drives me to continue going. I have places to visit. I want to keep going.

Have you kept up with any of the people you’ve met on the trails?

A few but not too many. There are a few like with Kilimanjaro because that was such a small group and that was a long track. It was a long trip. The whole trip was eighteen days, but to trek up the mountain was nine days total. We got to know each other well. We still communicate through email every once in a while. It’s usually around the anniversary, which is late January. We usually send emails saying, “It’s been five years, it’s been six years, how is everybody doing?†There are two people who I do send a Christmas card to because they send one to me each year. We write down what treks we’ve done or what we’re planning on doing. They sent me one a few years ago and they said, “We finally made the Inca Trail that you talked about. It was as you described it. It was great.†I always write down what I did. “I did the Galapagos. I did Nepal and all that.â€

A lot of people, when they find out that I’m going to be traveling solo, say, “Aren’t you scared or don’t you get lonely?” What advice would you give somebody that’s on the fence and trying to decide whether or not they should try a solo trip?

Try to join a group of some kind, an adventure trekking tour where you’ll be joined with other people, preferably a smaller group. A nice number would be between eight, twelve, fourteen people is probably ideal because then it’s not too big and it’s not too small. Do that. Try to look up an organized tour of an area where you want to visit, whether it’s Machu Picchu or somewhere in Europe, wherever. See if you can find a tour company that has a group that you can join because of the way I see it, everyone is there to do what you’re doing. We’re here to hike this trail. We’re here to visit this landmark or whatever it is. That’s going to be a thing you have in common.

Every trip I’ve been to, I’m nervous when I step off the airplane, especially if it’s a country where English isn’t the first language. I made it through passport control. I handed them my passport. They stamped and I went through. I’m like, “Where’s the meetup point?†I’m always worried that I’m going to miss the meetup. It’s never been a problem. Usually, they always say, “The leader is going to either hold a sign or they’re going to be wearing a brand of shirt of some kind.†I came back from Ireland and we had to meet in Belfast in a small out of the way bus station. There was a bus station and the train station and they’re both connected by a hallway. I was walking back and forth a couple of times through it because the leader was late by five to ten minutes. I was worried like, “Am I missing this tour? What’s going on?â€

I ended up seeing, “There she is.†She ended up walking through and she was trying to find parking because parking was limited in that station. Everyone nearby walked up and said, “I’m part of this group.†I get nervous for the meetup, but once the meetup is done, we all say hello, and we’re all like, “Let’s go. Let’s do this.†By the end of the trip, we’re all saying our goodbyes and saying, “It was a pleasure to meet you and this was fun,†and everything. If you’re worried about traveling solo, to sum it up, it’s good because you’re going to be with other people who are like-minded, possibly other solo travelers, and you don’t have to worry too much about the organization. Everything’s planned out for you. You just got to get to the location.

You make a good point. When you use a tour company, they pretty much take you by the hand. You don’t have to worry about the logistics of getting to the different places, which can be quite complicated, particularly if you’re traveling solo and you can’t juggle cars or whatnot. It makes it a lot easier for you, plus you’re solo but with company.

In certain countries like I’m about to take an Italy trip. I was going to take a few days ahead of the tour to visit some of the cities and I sat and planned. That was fun now because I can quickly look up, “I can take the train from Rome to Venice. That sounds good.†What hotels are nearby and whatever? I’ll just join. My whole plan is I’ve got to get to where I meet the tour in Venice. After that, all I’ve got to care about is my flight home is the day they drop us off like, “That’s it, done. I don’t have to plan anymore.â€

If you’re new to the program, I do a Travel Planner for each of the destinations that we cover on the show. You can download these for free by going to the page for each corresponding destination or go to the directory page and click on the destination and get it from there. If you sign up for my monthly newsletter, you will get them automatically for free. It’s my way to help you plan your adventures with confidence. It will have weather information, safety information, recommended tour companies and suggested itineraries. Everything on a handy, usually a two-page printer-friendly with active links document so that you have on one piece of paper everything you need to know and do to plan your adventure. How about we finish up with you sharing some of your favorite stories from your trips. When I name off some of the adventures I know you’ve taken, can you tell us your favorite go-to story when you think about that destination? Let’s start with Annapurna, which is one of my most popular episodes. For those unfamiliar with Annapurna, it’s in Nepal.

I wanted to see the Himalayas. I didn’t want to do Everest because I had already done Kilimanjaro. I was climbing so high to see altitude for the sake of saying I climbed it. That’s not on my bucket list anymore. Annapurna, that whole circuit was very beautiful. You see a lot of mountains one after the other. Each one beautiful and the highlight was completing it, getting to Annapurna base camp. I forget the altitude offhand, but that was actually a trek. We had pretty good weather and we got up early one day and saw the sunrise over. I got some great photos of the sunrise over the Himalayas and that was probably the best. It was maybe not of the hiking part, but it was interesting being in the city of Kathmandu, the capital city. It was quite interesting that it was organized chaos on the roads. The section where we went, the Thamel area, where there are a lot of trekkers. The roads are very narrow and everyone was walking around. It was quite a cultural experience to see how people every day get up and do this, but from a hiking standpoint, every day had more beautiful views than the next.

What about your first adventure trip to New Zealand?

My favorite location, I enjoyed the area where we went to Milford Sound. It was very beautiful. It rained that morning and then it stopped. Our guide had told us this is perfect. When it rains there will be a lot more waterfalls that you’ll see because a lot of them just trickle or whatever while it’s sunny out. When it rains and after the rain, you’ll see a lot. That was beautiful walking around that area. I also enjoyed Mount Aspiring National Park. That one we walked in and we camped in a hut for a night. It snowed that night. On the way back it was snow covered. It’s not a lot. It was maybe an inch or two, but it was cool to have pictures going one way where it’s all green grass and clear, and coming back, everything was snow covered. It was beautiful.

How about your Galapagos adventure? Did you do just the Galapagos or did you also do mainland Ecuador?

I did both. In terms of hiking, I enjoyed the mainland better without a doubt. I can’t remember the town we were in, but it was a town down in the jungle. We did what was called reverse canyoning, which is climbing up waterfalls. These waterfalls aren’t like the raging waterfall. They are not the Niagara Falls type waterfalls. It was an awesome and challenging, but not too challenging, hike through the rainforest. They told us ahead of time, “You’re going to get wet. If your camera isn’t waterproof, don’t bring it.†It was nice. It was a three-hour hike to where we were going through rivers and up the waterfalls and whatever. It was an hour or two off the trail that was dry to get back to where we were. The Galapagos itself, honestly, the best thing was snorkeling and Kicker Rock.

We came up close with hammerhead sharks and they said, “You don’t need to worry.†There were quite a few times where I was like, “Are you sure we don’t need to worry?” Swimming and seeing, I saw at least three types of sharks. There’s a Galapagos shark. The whitetip reef was the other one. We saw quite a lot. There were tons of wildlife in this little area snorkeling. We spotted eagle rays. They are beautiful, that’s another thing. I can’t say enough how awesome the sea turtles looked. Everyone that I saw was beautiful. Whether it was sitting still in the areas where we saw them resting or whether they’re swimming. The Galapagos, hands down. It was the snorkeling. We did hike a couple of spots, but these hikes were nothing compared to the mainland.

You’ve made some killer trips. How about Patagonia?

The biggest accomplishment with Patagonia was definitely the W Trek. That was difficult. It was the second hardest trek I’ve been on because the way we did it was the first day we go up to Torres del Paine or The Towers of Blue. That was twenty kilometers total round trip. That was the first day and by the end of the day, everything was hurting. I was like, “We’ve got four more days of this? What did I sign up for?†After that, the next day was only eleven kilometers and it was mostly flat. That was a joke there. They always would say mostly flat. It was never properly flat. It was always ups and downs all over the place. That’s the whole completing the W Trek. After the second day, I was like, “This wasn’t too bad. I’m going to do this.†I’ve never backed down from a hike before. “I’m doing this.†The very last day was beautiful viewpoints over the huge Grey Glacier. That was the biggest accomplishment and the best hike of the Patagonia trip.

When is your next adventure?

I’m going to Italy and hiking the Dolomites. It’s my first trekking in mainland Europe. I’ve trekked in Ireland and I’ve trekked in Scotland, but I’ve never trekked in mainland Europe. It’s been on my bucket list and I’m doing it.

I‘m sure you’re going to enjoy that. Annie who I interviewed on the Dolomites, who has traveled the world and done amazing adventures all over the world, said that was the perfect trip. It was the perfect mix of culture, food, hiking people, everything. She said it’s marvelous.

I’m looking forward to it for that reason.

Do you have any final thoughts for our readers?

The only thing I can think of is if you’re worried about solo traveling, just do it. Go with a tour company. You don’t have to organize it completely by yourself. That sounds like a daunting task even for me now. Do it. You won’t regret it.

I agree because you can plan regular travel on your own but trying to plan the logistics for adventure travel is super difficult. I always recommend using a small group tour company.

Seeing some of the trips I’ve been on, there’s no way I would’ve been able to know to do some of these things or been able to organize it. There are a lot of logistics going on there with fees and permits and all that.

Not only is planning an adventure trip logistically difficult oftentimes, particularly in foreign countries, but it can also save you money by using a small group tour company. You don’t have to rent all the different vehicles and hire different guides in different places. It’s all planned for you and you have the benefit of having other people help share that expense. It’s been great having Jackie, Jason and Monica on the program to help share their insights in solo travel. I’d like to share with you some of the rules that I’ve made for myself now that I’m doing solo travel. These are in no particular order and many don’t apply if you’re with a small group tour because all this is taken care for you. If I’m truly traveling solo, here are some of my rules.

I want to know where I’m staying that night by noon. I don’t mind winging it and figuring out my itinerary and such when I get to a place, but I want to know where I’m going to rest my head. I’ll make sure I book something at least by noon of the day that I’m going to be staying somewhere. I make sure I arrived before dark, in case I get lost or run into some other complication. I always keep my eyes on my food and drink, making sure they don’t leave my sight. I don’t go to the restroom and leave my drink on the table so I don’t have to worry about somebody slipping a drug into it. I’m careful of overly friendly locals, particularly if they have no reason to be overly helpful. You might find somebody on a bus or a train that says, “Let’s share a cab,†or they’re all of a sudden your best friend. Often that could be a setup for a con that it’s their partner in crime that you’re “sharing the cab†with. Be a little bit cautious about that. Get your hotel to call you a taxi or take the ride share programs like Uber or Lyft and use somebody that’s got multiple stars.

When you get to an area, ask the locals about the area. Show them a paper map and have them circle areas that you should avoid. When traveling, always be aware and keep mindful of your situation. Be aware of who’s around you and if the hairs rise in the back of your neck, your subconscious has seen something that you may not even be aware of. Take action and don’t be afraid to make noise telling somebody to back off or make a scene. I know we’re raised to be polite, but that is not the time to be polite. That’s the time for you to make a commotion. When you’re in an area particularly if you don’t know, always have an exit plan. Figure out how do you get out of the situation should something arise. Make sure somebody knows where you’re going to be and what time you should be there and at what time they should raise the red alert. If you’re traveling internationally and don’t want to use up your data, still periodically turn on your phone so that your phone registers the GPS of your last known location.

If you’re not sure if solo travel is for you, try doing what I call doing the plus one. Wherever you are in your comfort zone, push it a little bit so that way you stretch your boundaries. Build up your courage, build up your self-confidence, and get the benefits that I keep talking about by doing this travel. You’re not going to regret it. If you’ve never taken a trip by yourself, why don’t you try going for a weekend? It doesn’t have to be some big exotic place. Go someplace by yourself for a weekend and see what it’s like. Maybe after that, you’ll have the courage to try a week and then perhaps after that you might try going on some international trip. Each time you do it, push yourself just a little bit more outside of your comfort zone. In all the times I’ve traveled and all the places I’ve gone, I truly have never had an incident that I can even relay to a problem. You heard the same thing from our guests, particularly Jackie who has been everywhere, has never had an incident and she’s been doing this for many years.

We also talked about a whole bunch of destinations. You can go to the directory page and click on any of the different destinations and see all the cool places we’ve covered on this program. Finally, I’d like to ask you, as I’m planning the adventures that we’re going to be doing, can you reach out to me? I don’t care if it’s email at Kit@ActiveTravelAdventures.com, via Facebook or our Facebook group, at Twitter @Kit_Parks, on Instagram, @Parks.Kit. Let me know where you do want to go so I can put together the programs that you need to plan your next big adventure. I will be back with another great adventure. Until then, this is Kit Parks, adventure on.

Important Links:

• Traveling Jackie
• The Budget-Minded Traveler
• Travelling Jackie blog
• CouchSurfing
• Active Adventures
• Cotswold Way – Past episode
• Galapagos – Past episode
• Mont Blanc – Past episode
• Dolomite – Past episode
• Safety – Past episode
• Kilimanjaro – Past episode
• Directory Page – Active Travel Adventures
• Annapurna – Past episode
• Patagonia – Past episode
• Kit@ActiveTravelAdventures.com
• Facebook – Active Travel Adventures
• Facebook group – Active Travel Adventures Closed Group
• @Kit_Parks – Twitter
• @Parks.Kit – Instagram

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