Tag: Solo Travel

Safe Travels! My Top 5 Safe Destinations For Women to Travel Alone

Bet some of you REALLY sick of waiting on others to get their shit together so you can travel right? I know those ones still. So now you’re in this situation like, ‘can I go there alone? am I going to be safe? is my self-imposed curfew going to be when the street light turn on?’ 

Relax. I got you. I’ve been traveling alone for almost 12 years now and I’ve managed to make it out in one piece. 

The first thing I will mention before going into this list is, if you are sick of your friends trying to get their funds together, get time off work etc. etc. etc. I made a blog post with a manifesto on how to go about traveling alone that you can read here. Also, I made a whole post about your biggest tool when traveling alone (and it can definitely apply to groups as well) – trusting your gut while traveling. 

Now let’s get into this list! 

All five weren’t necessarily somewhere I did travel to alone, however, I would definitely return to them alone at any given time.

#5: Somewhere super close, CHICAGO!

Before you start with the nonsensical media-only-fueled notions of Chicago – zip it. The amount of times I have endured the ‘omg you’re going to Chiraq?’ questioning is ridiculous at this point. I love Chicago. I have traveled there with a friend, I have traveled there alone twice and I love the place so much I even brought my boyfriend there last year for his 30th birthday. Not a single person I know that has actually stepped a foot in Chicago had anything negative to say about it. (Minus my friend Martha, who didn’t like Harold’s chicken. Disgrace.)

I found the mid-westerners to be incredibly nice and cordial. There was a couple of occasions where I was staring down at my Google-maps directions and a stranger would come up to me on the street and ask me if I’m lost and then offer their own directions. In the bars and restaurants I found locals to be really welcoming and nice to talk to. When I was at some breakfast place near my AirBnB two years ago for the NFL Draft, one of the servers sparked a conversation about NFL with me. I ended up sitting there for an extra hour with three other patrons AND that servers just talking NFL. 

Do not let the media dictate your opinions of Chicago. Go there, eat some pizza, go to the million sports events they have, go walk down the Magnificent Mile, make some friends at the bars (or on Tinder?) and yes, go to the South Side to get some Harold’s Chicken with mild sauce. Heck, lay down on a glass floor and have other tourists take pictures of you on it like I did in the header for this piece. 

#4: Somewhere super friendly, ST. MAARTEN!

This is the only place on this list that I didn’t travel to alone. I mean, the second I find a cheap flight back there I would gladly go there alone ASAP. This island was warm, fun and you just felt really good being there.

Between the really nice staff at every establishment we went to eat or drink at, to the amazing drivers and just overall friendly locals – I can’t imagine a friendlier place. When I saw ‘The Friendly Island‘ as a licence place I was like OKAAAAAAAAAAAY this is the place for me. As soon as my friend Lorren and I landed in St. Maarten one of the first cab drivers we had was so friendly and hospitable that when he found out if was my birthday the next day, he offered us a free ride to and from the nightclub we were going to. NO charge. When we went out the following day, he was there to pick us up and also to drop us off. Just as a kind gesture to some tourists.

Also, we made a friend on the beach in Philipsburg who was so cool he actually gave us a tour of the entire island (French + Dutch), got us into a nightclub for free, oh, and did I mention? Randomly let me drive his car because ‘you said you didn’t know how, so figured it’s a good time to learn.’  

Would be back on that island as soon as I can. The generosity and hospitality there is nothing like I have ever seen before. Well, except for my #1 place if you keep reading :). 

#3: Somewhere super touristy, CROATIA!

I guess for this country I would be a little biased, having spent a lot of time during my childhood there and having family that still lives there. But how could you not love and feel completely safe in a place like Croatia? It’s incredible there.

For any woman trying to enjoy beaches (ALL BILLIONS OF THEM IN CROATIA it feels like), get good food and just mingle with nice locals and tourists alike – Croatia is your spot. I’ve been to Croatia alone and although I’m fluent in the native language there, English would have been perfectly fine as well. The place has become a tourist haven so everyone speaks English, along with, German, French, Italian…. it is totally normal to meet people in the service industry in Croatia who speak 5+ languages. 

Croatia is so safe that they have nude beaches. Yes, you could go full buck nekkid and no one will even blink an eye at it. As someone coming from the suffocating censorship and body issues of the North American continent ESPECIALLY, you will feel liberated in Croatia. All body types and ages prance around on some of the nude beaches. Living the good life, no tan lines.

#2: Somewhere hella far, SINGAPORE!

I went to Singapore alone and was out wandering the streets at 2am on Christmas, drunk and eating tacos. What else do you need to know? Can a place possibly feel ANY safer than that? 

Singapore is the cleanest city I have ever seen. From their airport, to the transit system and to their incredible downtown waterfront. Doesn’t matter what time of day it is, there is young people everywhere walking around and enjoying life. Not bothering anyone and in fact, asking you to join in THEIR shenanigans instead. There was just so much to do as a lone traveler in Singapore that it almost felt like they were catering to my Snapchat feed. Everything was impressive. Everything was beautiful. Everywhere felt safe.

I wouldn’t suggest chewing gum or spitting on their streets if you’d like to keep your sense of safety, but otherwise it is a great place to roam alone. Just remember when you go to bring lots of money as the cleanliness and luxury you feel in that city definitely will cost you more.

#1: Somewhere exceptionally hospitable, CUBA!

My favourite place.

I have been to Cuba on numerous occasions with family, a boyfriend and alone. This is by far the country I feel safest in when visiting. From the people I made friends with there, to the staff at various resorts and casa particulars, to even the customs agents at the airport. For an overall sense of being welcome and safe – Cuba tops all the countries I’ve been to.

When I would travel to Santiago de Cuba alone, I would be out at all hours of the night. On several occasions I would ask the motorcycle taxi drivers to give me a ride into the center way past midnight. I would sit in a bar alone and just people watch from 1am to 3-4am in the center. I loved those moments. 

I realize some women complain about Cuba not feeling safe for them because of the men giving them too much attention. For me personally, I don’t mind the attention. I’ve learned to block it out. It just never bothered me as much as it does other people and I am not here to tell them how to feel. I just know that not one man that ever whistled or yelled ‘que linda!’ at me ever took it past that point. Whether I was out in the market, at a baseball game, at a nightclub or on a beach. I always feel safe when I am in Cuba.  If you are a woman trying to embark on your first solo trip – this would be an awesome place to start. 

Tell me readers, what country did you feel safest in? Leave a comment.

– Mirna

Stop Telling People to ‘Quit Their Job and Travel’!

I’ve been travel blogging for about a month now. (yay me!)

I love blogging, I love sharing my travel experiences and posting itineraries so that others may find cheap travel options as well. People deserve to know that it can be affordable and accessible at whichever income you earn. However, is MANY people’s reality that even with the cheapest travel options they still may not be able to afford even a weekend trip somewhere close? Definitely.

I realize my privilege at being able to travel as much as I do, have a Canadian passport to do it with and a steady job. I don’t believe in being ‘lucky’ to travel because when I was working 50-70 hours every week to travel that was not luck, it was a lot of work. ‘Luck’ is when you win a trip for free, not work your ass off for it.

With this privilege that I acknowledge, I am VERY sick of how irresponsible some travel bloggers are with their suggestions. How dare you tell people to ‘quit your job and just travel’?? Where do you even come off with the audacity to tell those who are fortunate enough to have found work in these shitty economies to ‘just quit’? 

Although I am happy that some people were able to quit their jobs to go travel and are able to survive doing it – I don’t think it should be pushed so feverishly on readers. 

A day doesn’t go by without me seeing a fellow travel blogger telling people how they quit their job, sold their items, traveled, found odd jobs bla bla bla. Whole thing screams privilege. 

You good looking? You’re middle-upper class? Live at home with your mom? Live in a city that ISN’T expensive as Toronto/NY/LA? Are white? Oh — funny how it seems people who fit into these categories can’t wait to tell people to QUIT a job. Get the hell out of here.

I find this irresponsible and just reeking of social privilege. 

How can you tell a millenial living in a place like Toronto who may have a job to afford living in this expensive place to quit their job for travel? I love travel just as much as the next person, but seriously? I see the breadth that travel can bring to your life and contribute to your personal growth, but can I really put ‘was in 10 countries in 10 months’ on a resume? Will all those passport stamps mean a damn thing when I come home to Toronto at ANOTHER rent increase I can’t afford to pay?

Those of you who were able to quit your job and do odd jobs while traveling, I do salute you. This is a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourselves. You can definitely talk about how YOU got there, but you have to recognize you may also be an anomaly. 

I recently read this piece on the webpage ‘The Observers’ that had a headline saying ‘BEG-PACKERS: WHITE TOURISTS WHO BEG IN SOUTHEAST ASIA‘ – pardon my Toronto vernacular but, ARE YOU DUMB? 

The gall to be a white person traveling to a foreign country and begging on the street so people can fund your travel? TRAVEL IS A PRIVILEGE. The people who are begging on the road alongside you need it for their families, for food, for medicine. It made me sick reading this. 

That story ties in with this whole ‘quit your job and travel’ B.S. because if these people were employed and accordingly planned their travel and budgets, this would NOT be a thing. (I realize medical and family emergencies happen while traveling – literally not one of these stories was about someone needing to beg to get home in case of those, just for furthering their travels.)

Share your experience if you were fortunate enough to quit your job and enjoy the pleasure of traveling. That is the whole point of blogging. Sharing. Giving people extended imaginations. Do not encourage actions that may be detrimental to peoples incomes and livelihood. 

 

– Mirna 

 

Traveling Alone

So you’re going to travel alone for the first time ha?

You think you’re built for that life ha?

You’re sick of waiting on your friends to get their shit together so you’re gonna go do it alone ha?

Okay, that’s enough Juvenile. Sorry.

I must get asked about what it is like to travel alone the most. The planning of it, execution and the fears in doing so. Taking that leap into seeing the world alone is simple for some and very scary for others. I use to tell people to ‘just grow up and stop being a scaredy cat‘ for travel, until I realized other people are not as accustomed to being alone as the rest of us. For example, I’m an only child – we just function differently. We can eat alone, go to the movies alone and yes, travel alone. Other people may be more comfortable in group settings because those are the only ones they’ve ever had. This is where I come in to help you out and get you past that hurdle. 

Before I start the list I will say this to all of those scared to travel alone; think of ALL the things you are missing out on because you’re always waiting for others. Do you want a life full of waiting or a life full of experiencing? Ok.

THE LIST

Pack light and smart because you will have to navigate through some unknown territory all alone and want to keep your belongings safe.

BE SOCIAL. Yes, leave that introvert-socially-awkward-don’t-make-eye-contact stuff at home. I promise you, some of the most interesting people you will meet is when you travel alone. There is this worldwide community of people who travel alone and you will be submersed into it and love every minute when you get to meet them. 

Bring a selfie stick. I personally do not travel with one because my arms are super long, but if you like taking lots of pictures and will no longer have folks accompanying you – take one. 

Learn that it is totally OK not to have something to do or have something planned on some of the days you’re on the trip. Many of the coolest and most authentic experiences you will have while traveling are from talking to hotel staff, AirBnB hosts, restaurant staff etc. about what to do in the area you’re in. Locals know best.

Further to the point of #4, if you like to plan exceptionally early (like I do) then go hit up sites like Viator and book your tours/excursions/passes before you even arrive to your destination. For those locations that are very busy or touristy (i.e. the Vatican) you will be very happy you booked ahead and didn’t need to stand in a line of thousands to purchase a ticket and then wait in another line of thousands to enter it. 

Trust your gut. This applies to men and women when traveling alone, if it doesn’t feel right just don’t go to that place or hang with that person. I have definitely done some questionable things during all my solo travels but nothing bad happened because I know what kind of people and situations to avoid. Remember, you are in a foreign country and are more than entitled to a certain amount of paranoia. 

Further to the point of #6, do NOT let that paranoia keep you from exploring. Last thing you want is to be on a trip you planned a year for and you’re too scared to leave your room. Before traveling to your destination make sure you read up on how tourist-friendly the area you’re staying in is. Can you walk around there at night alone? Can you club alone? If you plan accordingly and stick to safe areas, your room will only be seen for the 5 hours of sleep you may get per night. 

It is totally OK to feel homesick. Skype your boyfriend or girlfriend. Call your mom. Whatsapp your friends. Whenever I’d feel that loneliness creeping in on a trip, I’d call my best friend in a Wi-Fi spot. During Christmas I was alone in Singapore and it hit me HOW alone I actually was on a date that is pretty meaningful in my life so I Whatsapp video called my boyfriend in the middle of a park in downtown Singapore and was there for a good hour talking to him. Remember you are physically alone for a temporary time, live in the moment of how awesome being wherever you are is – your family and friends will still be there when you get back.

Self reflection will happen and sometimes it will be emotionally overwhelming. The thing about traveling alone is there is a lot of time spent in your own head. You are experiencing everything alone and you will grow as a person while doing it and will also learn a lot about yourself. It can be very scary but it can also provide such incredible clarity that would not have been possible if surrounded by the noise of other travelers. Embrace it all. 

Go do it. Stop waiting on your friends or family to pick a date or a location bla bla bla. You know exactly where YOU want to go, so get to going! Start your planning (or heck, e-mail me and I’ll plan it for you) and go live your life without the constant waiting on others. 

I hope these 10 things helped some of you in your plans/considerations of traveling alone. I spent seven years in post-secondary schooling and I can tell you that some of the biggest life lessons were learned while traveling alone and not while at school. 

– Mirna 

How To Travel In A Group And Still Remain Friends After

Not everyone is a fan of loner travel like I am. I personally love the freedom of doing what I want, when I want and planning it however the hell I want. I realize, other people are afraid of traveling alone and just overall may prefer to travel in groups. But what do you do when your friends are waste or shitty at planning?

This is where I can tell you, you are not alone. Many people have friends who are good humans in this country, but god awful in others/while planning to go to others.

I have come up with a ‘how to’ properly travel in a group trip without losing your mind or friendships.

  1. Don’t travel with broke people; not everyone is in the financial situation to travel but for some reason SO MANY feel that it is still a brilliant idea to travel anyways. Tell them politely to wait for the next opportunity, trust me, they’ll weigh you down and piss you off once you get to your destination. You know the ‘oh I’ll just have ice water and a sugar cube at dinner’ people? Or heaven forbid there is an emergency on the trip or you miss your flight and they now stuck in Lebanon selling milk on side of road to get home. Don’t do it. Tell them to save up and maybe next time.
  2.  Someone MUST be the designated asshole; so there’s five of you planning a trip to Ireland, one of you has to put the other four on a schedule and on notice. This person is in charge of making sure that deposits are paid on the proper dates and telling the other four that if they fail to do so, NO trip for them. Simple. No hurt feelings, it’s just business and one person being flawed/late on their payment could cost the rest of you more money or even an awesome spot that had a deadline to book.
  3. Schedule. Schedule. Schedule; you have to set payment dates, and I mean HARD payment dates. If the payment for your villa for Cropover is due December 15th, then all of those coming should have money ready December 1st. This gives you all until next pay week to make the money back JUST IN CASE one or two people suddenly can’t go. This is where the designated asshole has to lie and give an earlier payment date to everyone, because stuff like this can and will happen. You need to have time to adjust. Best case scenario? Everyone actually gives you the money on December 1st to pay – now it’s paid. The end.
  4. Don’t plan trips with closed-minded people; so your friends are fun, some are eccentric, but are they the type to just stay on the resort? Are they the type that want to do super-touristy things while you enjoy a more real experience? Will they only want to eat McDonald’s in Greece but you traveled there to eat, I don’t know, Greek food? Consider these things before you even put forth the idea of a group trip. You don’t want to be in Italy with someone who is fun to party with but doesn’t know what the Sistine Chapel is.
  5. Start small, then go big; do try smaller trips with your friends before you go all out and have 15 of you going to Phuket. Small trips to Montreal or Niagara etc. will show you how reliable your friends are with minimal planning and saving needed. If they are seamless at a road trip weekend to Montreal, then those are the people you would like to plan a much bigger trip with. Look for how reliable they are, how timely and how responsible. You don’t need to find out that someone is completely unreliable as you arrive to your hotel in Tokyo with no reservation because they forgot to do it/did it wrong.

Luckily, I have been blessed in never having any issues in the group travel I did partake in. Probably, because I strongly believe in these five things and because I’m usually the designated asshole. I really do hope these tips help keep your travels happy and your friendships solid. 

Extras: If you plan on using AirBnB for the first time, click here for a free credit towards your booking! Also, if you plan on using Uber for the first time,click here for a free credit towards the ride.

– Mirna 

Myself + my friends Sherry and Jummy in Athens. (Yep, we are still friends after the trip) 
Myself + my friends Sherry and Jummy in Athens. (Yep, we are still friends after the trip)