 |
But to be honest, as my flight to Sydney took off in the dead of night for my month-long travels across Australia last year, I had a bad case of butterflies. You see, the GPS in my head is faulty and I was sure I would get lost.
And I did, repeatedly. In Sydney, in Melbourne, in Adelaide…. But every time I eventually found my way and in the process, I saw a little more of the country than I would have, had I known how to read a map. That is the beauty of going it alone. When travelling with a partner or in a group, every unchartered stop has to be consulted and agreed upon, every wrong turn quickly righted.
Even though I had an itinerary, I was free to tweak it and go wherever my fancy took me. The day I went to see the Sydney Opera House, while most tourists would have opted to watch an actual opera, or at least a musical, I was in the mood for comedy and picked Yes, Prime Minister.
On my second evening in Melbourne, I was sitting at the historic Young and Jackson, sipping a pint of local VB. The name’s Victoria Bitter but Sydneysiders, who dis anything Melbourne, call it “vile beer”. I agree. Anyhow, I got chatting with a young group and they said my trip to Australia would be incomplete without a hop-over to Tasmania. The next day, I was on a wine tour in the Yarra Valley and more people told me about Tasmania. I thought, hey why not? I cancelled my dinner plans in posh Fitzroy, asked my hotel to hold my luggage for the weekend, swung my backpack across my shoulder and took off. Can you imagine the amount of discussions, hemming, hawing and opinions this change in plan would have entailed if I was not alone?!
Also, when I came back to Melbourne from Tasmania, given that I was nearly down to my last $300, I shifted to a cubbyhole room with a grand view of the dumpster. No one to crib, it was my decision and I was living it, happily.
Travelling solo also means you talk more to local people. I remember sitting with a bottle of Cooper’s Light (yeah, okay I drank a lot of beer in Oz) and reading Bill Bryson at a tiny pub in Kangaroo Island. “You’re not allowed to drink and read here,” a young man said and he and his girlfriend joined me at my table. I learnt more about the little island from Frank and his girl than from my tour guide, including about this seafood called abalone. Me the seafoodie had gone through life without even knowing of its existence. I’m sure you can guess what I ordered for lunch the next day!
Then there was Belinda, who I bumped into when we ran into a pub to escape a sudden downpour in Hobart. The evening ended with Belinda making me take off my grandma’s ring “because how will anyone hit on you if you wear that on your ring finger?” I did as told and slipped the ring back on only after we parted ways. She was such a darling. She’s on my Facebook now.
In the same city I met Sue, who fed me lunch because “I have daughters your age and I would hope if they travelled to another country alone, someone would do the same for them.” And how can I forget Charles, my cabbie in Cairns, who blushed a deep red as he asked me out for a drink and looked really forlorn when I declined. “May be I am not handsome enough,” he sighed.
There were some downsides to being completely on my own, like waking up on time (I made my mom call me from India before a particularly early morning flight), having to finish large Aussie portions alone and the worst of all — going to the loo. With no one to hold my stuff and trusting strangers being a rather silly idea, every time I had to go, it was my backpack, my hat, my shades, my camera and me in the cubicle. And of course, one does want to share a beautiful scenery, a good meal or a fine wine with someone one loves.
But there will be plenty of trips for that. I may have spent one month getting lost by myself in a far corner of the world but that trip helped me find my feet like nothing else.
Apps and websites that are a lot of help...
Lonely Planet — guidebooks and web www.lonelyplanet.com
Hostel World (www.hostelworld.com). Has info on youth hostels, self-catering accommodation and budget hotels. It currently lists over 27,000 properties in more than 180 countries.
Duolingo. A language platform where users can learn eight languages –– Spanish, Danish, Irish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Dutch.
Skype. Nothing like Skype video to assure your family you’re in fine form, free of cost.
XE Currency. An app that helps in money conversion.
Where to put up when travelling alone...
Hostels. It’s a great way to meet other people, usually other solo travellers.
WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms): It’s a network of organisations that facilitate placement of volunteers on organic farms. Working a few hours a day every week, backpackers can earn their stay.
Couch Surfing and Air B&B (www.airbnb.co.in) link up travellers with local residents; it’s particularly good for cities where accommodation is usually expensive.
Homestay. A form of tourism where a tourist rents a room from a local family. It helps in getting familiar with the local lifestyle. It’s also popular among students studying abroad.
Apps and websites that are a lot of help...
Lonely Planet — guidebooks and web www.lonelyplanet.com
Hostel World (www.hostelworld.com). Has info on youth hostels, self-catering accommodation and budget hotels. It currently lists over 27,000 properties in more than 180 countries.
Duolingo. A language platform where users can learn eight languages –– Spanish, Danish, Irish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Dutch.
Skype. Nothing like Skype video to assure your family you’re in fine form, free of cost.
XE Currency. An app that helps in money conversion.
Where to put up when travelling alone...
Hostels. It’s a great way to meet other people, usually other solo travellers.
WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms): It’s a network of organisations that facilitate placement of volunteers on organic farms. Working a few hours a day every week, backpackers can earn their stay.
Couch Surfing and Air B&B (www.airbnb.co.in) link up travellers with local residents; it’s particularly good for cities where accommodation is usually expensive.
Homestay. A form of tourism where a tourist rents a room from a local family. It helps in getting familiar with the local lifestyle. It’s also popular among students studying abroad.
The most annoying things about solo travel
Being your own alarm clock — it’s easy to get lazy when there’s no one around to keep you on your toes.
Solo hotel/lodging rates are often way higher than that for groups.
Lugging around heavy bags without a helping hand in sight.
Trying to take a toilet break with baggage in tow.
