On Solo Travel

I recently posted this photo on Facebook with the caption “I’ve been traveling solo since 2007. Who knew I was such a trendsetter.”

That resulted in some comments from friends expressing admiration and asking how I first got interested in solo travel. So I started to reflect back and thought that my story might inspire some of you as well.

It turns out that the above date of 2007 isn’t even accurate. I had gone to Club Med by myself twice before then–once in 1997 and again I think around 2004. Club Med is a great way to test the waters if you are feeling hesitant about going somewhere alone. For me (and probably for many others as well), the hardest times when traveling alone are at mealtimes. Club Med eliminates that anxiety because the resorts have large tables of 8-10 people, so it is very easy to constantly meet new people and you never have to eat alone. Everyone there, even people who are traveling in couples or with friends, expects to meet new people at meals so it is very comfortable and easy. (Just be prepared to have the same conversation over and over: “How many Club Meds have you been to?”). For more information, check out my post “The Cult of Club Med.”(https://jilltravel.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/the-cult-of-club-med/)

In 2002 I went to Costa Rica for 2 months to study Spanish. My friend Michelle was there for part of the time, but we lived in different homestays and were in different classes at the same Spanish schools. This experience provided a significant opportunity to learn how to navigate on my own–it was kind of like going off to college, but as an adult and in a foreign country. To this day I am still friends with both my Spanish teachers from my first time there, as well as the homestay family with whom I lived for 8 weeks in San Jose.

But what I was thinking about when I wrote that Facebook post was the trip I took to Ecuador by myself in November 2007. I kind of decided to go on a whim. I had just seen a movie called “Que Tan Lejos” (How Much Further) about a young Spanish woman who is traveling by bus from Quito to Cuenca, Ecuador. It’s basically the story of her experience as she embarks on this journey. I saw that movie and decided that’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t have enough time to make it all the way to Cuenca, but I did go by bus from Quito to Baños and back. My trip wasn’t quite as dramatic as the one in the movie (among other things, the protagonist has to hitchhike because of a bus strike) but I met so many interesting people and had such a great experience that I became hooked on solo travel. I think that the biggest surprise for me on that trip was how easy it was to meet people. I still remember Antonio, an Ecuadorian-American who I met at my hotel in Quito and who ended up surprising me by showing up at my hotel in Baños. There was also Ray, an Irish guy who stopped me on the street in Quito, asked if I spoke English and then asked if I had a map. We ended up having a day long romance before we each went our separate ways. Then there was an Ecuadorian guy I chatted with on the bus on the way to Baños and went out to lunch with. In Baños, Antonio and I hung out with Manuela from New York, who was also staying in the same hotel. An Ecuadorian friend in New York had put me in contact with Diana, a friend of his who lives in Quito, and she even invited me to a dinner party at her home.

Even with all of those wonderful experiences, it did get lonely sometimes. I remember all these years later, returning to Quito from Baños on Thanksgiving Day. When I got back to the same hotel in Quito where I had been just a few days earlier, I didn’t see anybody I had previously met, and ended up going out for dinner alone on Thanksgiving. That was a bit sad and there have been other moments that I felt alone in other trips but it is all part of the experience. The good times always far outweigh the difficult moments. I have learned to always stay in hotels or hostels with free wifi so I can easily connect to friends back home when I want to. Hostels and B&Bs make it easy to meet people, as do walking tours and day tours, and eating at a restaurant bar instead of at a table. I have met so many wonderful people on my travels around the world, and the internet has made it easy to stay in touch.

In addition to traveling by myself, I also love to travel to places where my friends live. Besides it being one of the few ways to see my far-flung friends, there is nothing like having a local to show you around. Having friends all over the world definitely has made my travel experiences richer. But even when I am visiting friends, I always like to have at least a few days on my own. On my upcoming trip to Brazil, I will be with a few different friends for most of my time there. But I will be alone for 2 days in Ouro Preto, I city that I have never been to before, and I am really looking forward to it. Of course, I am the most excited to see my Brazilian friends, but I am also exhilarated by the thought of flying solo for a few days. It means that I will have to challenge myself to try and speak Portuguese instead of relying on my friends to translate, that I might meet some new people, and will give me the opportunity to discover a new destination through my own eyes. I can’t wait!

 

 

Peru vs. Ecuador

No, I’m not writing about an upcoming soccer match, or any other type of competition between the two countries.  Following my recent trip to Peru, I’ve been thinking a lot about a trip I took to Ecuador exactly two years earlier, and the experiences I had as a woman traveling alone in these two South American countries.  My trip to Ecuador was the first time I had done this type of traveling by myself, so I was nervous about what the experience would be like.  When I went to Peru I was less worried about my ability to handle a trip by myself, but was concerned about other factors, including if I would be affected by altitude and if everything would go smoothly with the tour company that had arranged all my transportation, hotels and tours.

What I learned, first and foremost, is that I am an independent traveler.  I found that when I went to Peru, I missed the planning that goes into such a trip.  Even though it was easy having everything arranged for me, I wish that I had been able to research and book my own hotels, and decide how I was going to spend each day.  I missed the sponteneity of being able to decide what to do as I went along.  I had these hesitations before booking the trip, but it seemed like I was getting such a good deal on the package, that it made the most sense to do it this way.  Overall, I had a good experience with both Southfares.com in the US as well as their local counterpart, Rainbow Trail Tours in Peru.  It’s just not my style to have everything planned out for me.  I’m too much of a control freak for that.

I also learned that I like to move at a more leisurely pace than I imagine most organized tour packages allow.  I love having the time to really get to know a city, sit in a café or park, or stroll around without feeling rushed.  I was able to do this in Quito, and planned my trip to Ecuador with Quito as a base, doing some day trips from there as well as a 2 night excursion to Baños, and then back to Quito.  In Peru I constantly felt that I was rushing from city to city without sufficient time to explore any of them.

Peru is a fascinating country with a very well-developed tourism infrastructure.  Ecuador is a beautiful country with a lot to see and do, but it seems to me that their tourism industry is not yet developed  beyond its earliest stages.  In some ways that is a bonus.  It means that it’s cheaper, less crowded, and the experience of traveling can feel more authentic.  I loved taking local buses around Ecuador, talking to locals and seeing a glimpse of normal, everyday life.  In Peru, to get from place to place, I was either on a plane, a tourist bus or a tourist train.  Of course, this is also partly a function of the size of Peru and the amount of distance that I covered in a fairly short amount of time.  My opportunity to meet and interact with local people was limited.

In terms of the countries themselves and what they have to offer, I loved both of them.  In Peru, the highlight was definitely Machu Picchu, although I loved Lake Titicaca, Cusco and Lima as well.  Ecuador has spectacular natural beauty, a beautiful and well-preserved colonial city in Quito, an amazing market in Otovalo, and the charming small town of Baños.

I also lucked out in Ecuador by meeting wonderful travel companions.  When I first arrived at my hotel in Quito, I met Antonio, an Ecuadorian-American who was traveling around the country visiting family.  He left Quito the day after I arrived, but I had told him about my plans to go to Baños later in my trip, and to my surprise, when I checked in at my hotel in Baños , the owner informed me that “your friend is already here.”  I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, and it took me a few minutes to remember the conversation I had had a few days earlier with Antonio about my travel plans.  Also staying at the same hotel was Manuela, an Italian woman who lives in New York, and the three of us had a lot of fun exploring Baños together for a few days.  There was also an Ecuadorian guy that I met on the bus from Quito to Baños who I went out to lunch with, and an Irish tourist that I spent one evening with.  Meeting interesting people while traveling makes the entire experience a richer one.  It’s also nice to have company for meals, and that was something that I missing in Peru.  I did meet a few people, mostly on tours, but then never saw them again.  I had a great time going out for a drink in Lima with 3 other travelers I had met on an evening tour, but unfortunately they all left the following day.  My hotels in Peru were more upscale than in Ecuador, and ironically enough, I think that made it more difficult to meet people.  I have found that in budget or backpacker-type hotels, it is much easier to meet fellow travelers than in higher priced hotels.

So, to recap, I loved both Ecuador and Peru and both countries are well worth visiting.  But for the reasons I described above, I enjoyed my trip to Ecuador just a little bit more.  Sorry, Peru!