Plan A Trip Online - What Are the Benefits of Traveling Alone? Backpacking Europe - Should I Travel Solo?

I had never been east of Utah, in fact. I had been a homeboy all of my life living on the west coast of the United States. It was my first real trip anywhere.

And had no choice but to commit to it, bought a ticket departing in 5 weeks, went online, i chose a date that I would embark on my journey, so. Or part of it anyway, every year I would tell myself that I needed to head out on an extended vacation and just roam the world. I grew up in Seattle all of my life and for the past 7 years I've been living in the Los Angeles rat race.

Your word should always be as good as gold. You'll have no choice but to follow through on your word, as the days tick away, and after a few weeks. Your friends will be reminding you all the time, believe me. That you are going to do it on that day, pick a date and tell yourself and everyone you know, or something that you always say you're going to do, rather than just talk about something that you want to do. I have a tendency to work better that way.

Live like I have never lived by surrounding myself with everything foreign and unknown, eat foods that I was unaccustomed to eating, create new friendships, experience foreign cultures. Explore and create, challenge. Leave my comfort zone. Go alone and get away from everything and everyone that I knew. That's exactly what I needed to do, it donned on me, then. " I can't go alone! "who's coming with me, the next question was, now that I bought my ticket?

Embrace the challenge.

Why would I want to party with them in another country. I can hang out with my friends (like I've been doing all of my life) at home in the US, besides. At this point, i need this time to discover life and the world on my own. This vacation is all about me. No dice. In fact a couple of friends wanted to meet me out there to party out in France and Spain. Alone I went, thus. So be it. I always deepen the stakes, "A man who risks nothing- gains nothing" and, i have always lived with the motto.

It's no wonder that France is one of the most visited countries in the world! . . Cafes, art, history, wine, cobble-stoned streets, cathedrals. And one that famous composer Frederick Chopin lived in right before he died, most of them ruins, we visited 8 Medieval castles. The countryside is absolutely beautiful in France and virtually untouched by tourist. Approximately 6 hours by train southwest of Paris, in the countryside of France, in France I met an awesome French girl and stayed at her place for 8 days (5 days longer then I had originally planned).

This is easy. Time was going fast and traveling alone in Europe was a cake walk and more than met my expectations. Two and a half weeks into my trip and I was living it up!

Madrid. The main event. I packed it up and headed to the very center of Spain, after hanging out decompressing on the Mediterranean for 2 days in a quaint little town called Alicante.

Spain, i observed her for 2 hours at Parque de Retiro in Madrid.

. . Etc, life in Spain, food and how she missed her big meals at home in Denmark, our families, we both sat there for another 2 more hours and spoke in english and asking questions about each others cultures and customs, so. Thank God! " Whew! I speak english, " "I'm from Denmark! ! She said "you speak english, amused? I mustered up enough courage to ask her something in my severely broken Spanish, shocked and excited. She sits on my park bench to put on her roller blades, 2 hours later, the next thing I know. She stood out among all of the shorter brunette Spanish nationals. 2 hours, at this point, she was this tall striking blonde sun-bathing at this park for.

All living in the same apartment living in Spain to study Spanish and art, and a French girl, a Norwegian girl, the next night we met up with her friends 2 Swedish girls.

Ultimately came out to visit me in Los Angeles within a year of returning home from Europe, two of the girls that I met on my trip! I even extended my trip for another 5 days before heading back to Los Angeles. They also invited me to stay at their apartment(which I happily obliged) for the remainder of my trip! These girls were off the hook! We would usually end the night at aroud 5-7am every night, to club, to club, going from club. It was party time, for the next week and a half!

And meeting people I did, i love meeting people! These are memories that I will always cherish, needless to say.

. . Because I traveled alone. The bottom line is this.

. . If I didn't travel alone. And the grass IS greener on the other side, i was in God's country. A great benefit to traveling solo. . . Ahhh. I stayed and went wherever and whenever I wanted to. FROG LEGS, that's right! I ATE FROG LEGS! Ever see, i saw places that millions of tourists will never. The rest of my life, perhaps, i forced myself to talk to locals and other travelers and I met a lot of great people that I will be friends with for.

I would have NEVER spent 8 days in the countryside of France.

We're off to the nearest pub for an afternoon brewski always falling back at each other for conversation instead of absorbing the culture and ambience at our own pace and meeting new people, 30 minutes at a park and BAMM, if I was with a friend, think about it! I would have NEVER sat a a park bench for TWO HOURS!

It was a riot! Thus extending my trip 5 more days and crashing out at their pad partying until 5-7am each day, thus meeting her friends, i would have NEVER met the Danish girl.

Sitting on that exact same park bench at the exact same time that the Danish girl eventually chose to sit on to put on her roller blades, i would have never been at that park in Madrid, if I didn't spend 8 days in France's coutryside (as opposed to the original 2 day that I intended). It's a whole trickle down effect, the way I see it is this.

Traveling ALONE is the only option.

And wander around Europe solo, get a cheap Eurail pass, buy your plane ticket!

But your experience will probably not be as rich and as cultured as it has the potential to be, perhaps. Do you really think that you are going to maximize your travel experience by bringing along a friend? Be honest with yourself. And I highly suggest that you step out of your comfort zone and meet a few of them- in other countries, there are an estimated 6 billion people in the world, folk's.

Then meet up in a different city and share your adventures and stories, or three, or two, choose to separate for a week, if you're traveling with a friend. You'll see them when you get back, for crying out loud! But not for your whole trip, meet up for a few days and have fun, fine, if your friends want to meet up with you!

Be proactive. Challenge yourself. Take the risk. Don't be afraid.

" Have a great time and "May the force be with you! And bring an adventurous and unabashed spirit, most of all be safe. Stop talking about it and DO IT(alone)! Life is what you make out of it.

happy Travels,

Tony P