Absolutely. I did it all over the place back in 2001. Just make sure you invest in a waterproof bag so you can take your valuables in with you when you shower. There aren't usually lockers or any other place to safely store things. I actually found travelling alone a lot of fun, partly because you ended up quite naturally hooking up with other lone travellers or small groups. Not "hooking up", just....you know,t he respectable kind. I was actually surprised by how many people WEREN'T 18-22 year old students looking to get stupid drunk. Mind you, I might not have gravitated to those kind of groups, so they might still have existed.
I went to privately-owned hostels in Barcelona and Madrid, and a non-profit one run by a Christian organisation in Amsterdam. Not a whole lot of difference between them, except the Amsterdam one was bigger. Not in the sense that each person had more space (they didn't), just in the sense that they could accomodate more people. I found all three just by browsing the internet. There was a bit of an ant problem at the Barcelona one, but I strongly suspect that was the fault of the guy in the next cubicle, who went against the house rules and had food in his cubicle. Some hostels are all about cramming lots of bunkbeds into a room, sometimes you get a pseudo-room to yourself, depends on the particular hostel's layout and what you want to pay.
Yeah, I was in Prague very briefly and I want to go again with more and better planning, but it was a really great experience spending time with these two clusters of college-age travelers (one U.S.-based, one Australia-based) who were staying at the same hostel I was.
And yeah, the hostels I stayed in in London and Prague I just found on the Internet (the Edinburgh one came recommended from a friend who'd done study abroad in Edinburgh and was I think the only one that provided an actual locker -- though you had to provide your own padlock or buy one from them -- but I didn't feel unsafe leaving my stuff in my room in the other hostels).
Very good idea about using a locker, thanks! I might bring my own padlock, even if it's an extra thing to carry. I didn't realise hostels could be specific to a foreign country -- I figured they'd be run by locals. Will have to do some googling.
I suspect all the hostels I stayed at were run by locals (though there are chains -- the place I stayed in Bangor, Wales, with my friend Gillian might have been), but there are lots of directories online, so you can comparison shop for any given area.
I would note: pay attention to its proximity to public transit and/or places you're going to want to see while you're there ... I wasn't really thinking when I booked my hostel in Prague and it ended up being on the outskirts, away from the major tourist attractions (not to mention the airport), and navigating a public transit system in a foreign language was daunting. It wasn't a huge deal, but when I go again it's definitely something I'll pay attention to when planning.
LOL! Very true. That's what happened when we went to NYC a few years ago. The public transit was useful but it still took forever getting to tourist areas. We should've booked closer to downtown.
I'll force myself to make time for research: comparison shopping for airlines, hostels, and even tourist attractions seems like the key to being prepared for vacation :)
Waterproof bag! Best tip ever. I will definitely have to go shopping for travel gear before I go.
Hmm, I'll also google for reputable hostels. I'm not worried about ants (as long as they're not in bed with me!) but I'm glad to hear so many people saying it's okay for women to travel alone :)
I went to privately-owned hostels in Barcelona and Madrid, and a non-profit one run by a Christian organisation in Amsterdam. Not a whole lot of difference between them, except the Amsterdam one was bigger. Not in the sense that each person had more space (they didn't), just in the sense that they could accomodate more people. I found all three just by browsing the internet. There was a bit of an ant problem at the Barcelona one, but I strongly suspect that was the fault of the guy in the next cubicle, who went against the house rules and had food in his cubicle. Some hostels are all about cramming lots of bunkbeds into a room, sometimes you get a pseudo-room to yourself, depends on the particular hostel's layout and what you want to pay.
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And yeah, the hostels I stayed in in London and Prague I just found on the Internet (the Edinburgh one came recommended from a friend who'd done study abroad in Edinburgh and was I think the only one that provided an actual locker -- though you had to provide your own padlock or buy one from them -- but I didn't feel unsafe leaving my stuff in my room in the other hostels).
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I would note: pay attention to its proximity to public transit and/or places you're going to want to see while you're there ... I wasn't really thinking when I booked my hostel in Prague and it ended up being on the outskirts, away from the major tourist attractions (not to mention the airport), and navigating a public transit system in a foreign language was daunting. It wasn't a huge deal, but when I go again it's definitely something I'll pay attention to when planning.
Reply
I'll force myself to make time for research: comparison shopping for airlines, hostels, and even tourist attractions seems like the key to being prepared for vacation :)
Reply
Hmm, I'll also google for reputable hostels. I'm not worried about ants (as long as they're not in bed with me!) but I'm glad to hear so many people saying it's okay for women to travel alone :)
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