Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I started traveling alone at 17,
I worked full time during high school and saved up and bought my ticket to los angeles...for the summer.
My mom had a friend out there, so I stayed with her...
At 18- I took greyhound cross country alone...
The rest is history, I decided never to wait or depend on friends or having enough money...or it would never happen..
I have had the best times of my life with frugal travel, and alone...
But yeah, you have to be careful!! I have met all kinds of people.
You have to watch your back and be safe.
Happy travels!!
It is simple and easy to travel alone, I agree. But, it is not any less risky either. As a foreigner, you never get to know when and how you're going to be cheated by any stranger. You simply cannot rely on others in the foreign country (unless you are lucky, of course!)
I currently live in Atlanta. I, for some reason, want to visit Portland and San Fransisco very badly. I make $15 an hour. I am trying to cut back to save money for travel and other reasons. I am just wanting to hear from those of you who weren't making alot of money but were still able to do a fair amount of traveling far away from home. Also, I want to know if you traveled with someone or alone and what are some good tips for traveling alone.
I'll give you some ideas for a low budget traveler.
1. Amtrak has some good fares. Although there can be some inconvenience because the trains don't always run on time. I always call Amtrak about two hours before a train is supposed to arrive and ask if it is on time. I have never ridden on Greyhound, but I know the fares are cheap. Without a car at your destination, you have to plan what you are doing carefully. My advice is travel light. No more than one suitcase or backpack.
2. Youth hostels offer affordable accommodations in many cities. There are no age restrictions either. Adults can stay as well. You can also try this (I never have). There is website called www.couchsurfing.com for people who willing to sleep on someone's living room couch. The concept is that you offer to put up a traveler in your home or apartment for free and they offer to do the same thing. I'm not sure I am up for it, but it does offer a no-cost way to obtain accommodations on a trip.
3. The cheapest food is probably in a supermarket somewhere. I'd carry around apples, oranges, and bananas and try to make a breakfast or lunch out of that. Its embarrassing for me to say so, but to save money I occasionally eat off the value menu at Wendy's, McDonald's, or Arby's.
4. San Francisco is an expensive city to visit. More expense means more planning. However, you can walk the Golden Gate Bridge, see Coit Tower (from the outside), and walk along Fisherman's Wharf at no charge. It will cost you money to ride the cable car, tour Alcatraz Island, take a bay cruise, or have tea in the Japanese tea garden in Golden Gate Park. A seafood dinner will be expensive, but I can't imagine going there without having one. Chinese food in Chinatown is less expensive. Italian food in North Beach is more expensive than Chinese food, but less expensive than seafood is. It might be cheaper to stay in Oakland and commute across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco in the morning.
I don't want to offend anyone who lives in Portland, but I've never felt there was much there to see. Although, Portland is a great place to start a trip down the Oregon Coast.
The basic dilemma you run into with cost on a vacation is that there really is no point in going to some cities or places unless you do certain things while you are there. This will cost money. I'd map our the "high points" of each city and decide what I really had to do when I visited. Than find out from the internet what the cheapest way to do all those things is.
Traveling has never been cheap for my wife and I, but we have made it a big priority in our lives.
Actually, I think some of the best things to see in cities are not the tourist attractions but the everyday stuff. Think about where you live. Do you go to a museum or tourist attraction every day off"? Likely, no. You go to shopping centers, you go to parks, you hang out. That is the real key to enjoying places, especially on your own. Instead of going to the tourist guide places, jump on Yelp or one of the other review sites, and find the great hole in the wall restaurants and diners, the cool shops you can window shop in, the best smaller parks where you can watch life as people live it in this city. Just wander the streets finding cool neighborhoods. One of my favorite places to visit when I travel (especially when traveling to a foreign country) are the markets and supermarkets (and some of the department and hardware stores, too). This is daily life as they live. Not the picture pretty tourist stuff, but every day people. What does a oven or refrigerator look like in this country?
Huh? I travel alone all over the world, in places where they don't speak English. No bravery required.
I think it's far easier for males to travel solo than women. When I travel solo, I'm always asked, are you here alone? --Why are you traveling alone and an assortment of other questions. It's kind of like people are trying to figure out why. I guess they look at me and wonder, I don't understand why she's not married (she's pretty, in great shape and seems so nice), there must be more to the story.
Hi, I have a very good idea to travel more often without breaking the bank balance. You just need to plan in advance and visit Dealalands for exciting Travelodge Discount for cheap hotel booking. You can also avail various flight booking deals at Dealslands. Hope this will helps you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
