First of all, I have been called Miss Independent many times in my life and I’d just like to clear something up. Yes, I did enjoy my trip but I also struggled every single day with being by myself. In many ways I am extremely independent but when it comes to solo travelling I am quite simply not cut out for it.
In that same vein, there are many things that I found very difficult and they all revolved around being alone. Before I left someone told me not to worry much about being alone because I would meet so many people along the way and make great friends, even if it was just for the short term. I am not good at meeting new people and there has never been a point in my life where I was. If someone talks to me first I will happily talk to them, but if they don’t introduce themselves or ask for my name then we will have a conversation without ever properly meeting one another. And to be clear, this actually happened. I chatted off-and-on with a girl in my dorm for 2 days and eventually spent a full evening with her having dinner in a pub. I never found out her name..
My other issue was eating alone. I knew that would be a problem for me before I ever left though. Thus far in my life I have eaten in a restaurant alone exactly 2 times. Both were on this trip and both were very challenging for me. It took me nearly two hours to choose and walk into the first restaurant.
Next point is about a few things I learned. Let me just say that I love airports and always have, I think they are magical doorways to the rest of the world. However, they are not half as enjoyable when you are alone with carry-on only luggage. I hadn’t considered it before leaving but because I chose not to check any bags that meant I had to have them with me constantly no matter where I was going, including the bathroom. I may have had a few small backpack-in-bathroom related tantrums along the way.. If any of my readers are airport bathroom stall designers please consider giving us a little more space and several more hooks!
The other very obvious thing that I discovered was this: No matter how early my departure is, transit days are pretty much always a write-off. In future I will be allowing myself to sleep in, get to the airport/train station/etc. in my own time and arrive when I arrive. Having to get airport transfers at 2:30 and 4am wasn’t enjoyable, missing my early train in Paris was terrible and being exhausted at the end of a transit day is inevitable. Lesson learned.
Having talked so much about both my budget and packing plans before leaving I thought I would give a little after the travel update.
I absolutely loved my backpack. It was really comfortable to carry, perfectly sized for me and accommodated everything I needed plus a little wiggle room for shopping. I wasn’t 100% sure if I could use it as a carry-on for all the airlines I flew with but it wasn’t ever a problem. I will for sure be using it again in the future.
As for the budget, it also worked out perfectly. Of course I would have loved to spend less, who wouldn’t, but I’m really pleased to have stayed within the numbers I created.
A lot of people ask me what it’s like to stay in hostels and almost everyone then says that they could never do it. So, for anyone else who is curious this is what it was like.
I stayed in 7 hostels along the way and they were all really different. A few were just average, some were really shitty and a few were really great.
London – 24 beds, mixed, only 3 bathrooms in the hostel, didn’t have time to check out the common space ($25/night)
Paris – 6 bed, mixed, bathroom inside the room, didn’t have time to check out the common space ($29/night)
Barcelona – 8 bed, mixed, mixed bathrooms, bad showers, no AC, WiFi only in common space, outdoor patio, bad location ($122/3 nights)
Lisbon – 12 beds, female only, 3 bathrooms/floor, amazing hostel, lots of entertainment and common space ($70/3 nights)
Sorrento – 10 bed, female only, big bathroom, bad showers, open air sitting/eating area, I got kicked out during the day for cleaning, not ideal location, great AC, good free breakfast ($120/3 nights)
Rome – 8 bed, mixed, 1 bathroom in room, no AC, shitty even for price, 1 awkward common room ($31/night)
Dublin – 24 bed, mixed, huge hostel, great free breakfast, great location, bad showers, got lost inside ($85/4 nights)
Hostels will always be hit-and-miss. It's hard to predict what a dorm will be like even if you read every review out there. If you go in with the knowledge that your are sleeping with a bunch of strangers, the showers almost always suck and you're saving a bunch of money it'll go much smoother.
If you read my other posts then you will likely have figured out on your own what my favourite places were, but I’m going to break it down again.
London was nice but didn’t blow me away this time. It just felt like any other big city and somehow not as exciting. In all fairness, I was exhausted and sore from the long travel day.
Paris was underwhelming, unfortunately. I had high hopes but in the end it was also just a big city with cool buildings and too much cigarette smoke. I'm pretty convinced that Paris is not a solo city though, so not hard feelings.
Obviously I hated Barcelona. It was too hot, humid, dirty, polluted and crowded. I have no doubt that I put up a wall because of the difficulty I had getting there and it influenced my stay, but it is what it is. Maybe I'd like it better in the winter?
I didn’t mind Rome other than the hostel and jam-packed metro but I didn’t really have time to get much of a feeling for it this time. I'll just hold onto the love I had for it the first time I went.
Sorrento was also neither here nor there. I didn’t find it to be a very exciting place but it was very beautiful. I think I'd be singing a different tune if there had been a beach.
Lisbon was perfect in pretty much every way. I loved my time there and could definitely see myself going back in the future, everything was just so lovely.
Positano was an awesome day out even though I didn’t do very much at all. It was well worth the visit just for the views and swimming in the sea, not to mention the gelato..
And finally, Dublin. I absolutely loved Ireland in general and Dublin was great. The people were friendly and helpful, the city is vibrant, the country is beautiful and there are donut shops absolutely everywhere. If you know one thing about me it should be that I love donuts and therefore have no choice but to love Dublin.
We can’t change the past so it doesn’t much matter, but there are a few things I would change if I could and I’m going to leave them here for future me to consider before my next big trip. I complained along the way and it was almost always for 1 reason; the heat. Unless I have very good reason I don’t think I will be going back to Europe in the summer. Having seen European autumn, winter and summer now I feel confident saying that summer isn’t the time for me. I also cannot picture myself doing another solo trip. I still like the idea of it and I don’t regret doing it but I know that I would have enjoyed myself so much more if I wasn’t alone.
And now we return back to real life and a small travel break before planning my next adventure.
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