I have three more weeks of school left and a month of travelling after before returning to Canada. During my exchange I have visited 26 cities. Throughout these travels I have strengthened my relationships with the friends that I have met on exchange and I have really enjoyed meeting new people along the way. However great the memories of travelling with friends are, I will always recommend that a fellow traveller plan an adventure alone. I have always travelled with a minimum of one person; this is not to say I haven’t travelled to a city alone before, but going to a new city with the intention of exploring it alone is truly exhilarating.
As a business student my first thoughts were: “I can manage my time better without having to make any trade offs for attractions I want to visit”. This perspective changes once you go literally twelve hours without speaking to anyone other than border control – that is what happened to me, when I travelled to Pisa, Livorno, and the Cinque Terre in Italy for a long weekend I’ll never forget.
Upon my arrival in Pisa, I rushed through the major attractions, which I thought would take me all afternoon, in only a couple of hours. When this happens, it gets a bit awkward because the next question is “now what?” But there is no one to make a suggestion other than yourself. My first recommendation is to do a lot of research in advance or to quickly connect to WI-FI to look up travel suggestions on Trip Advisor or Lonely Planet. These websites normally have great detailed advice for ‘solo travellers’.
My next piece of advice for a ‘solo traveller’ is that eating at a restaurant alone is not as bad as it seems. In Pisa I purchased groceries from the market, but in Livorno I braved a small Italian restaurant alone. I brought a book, ordered a glass of wine and a pizza while sitting on the ocean front patio. It had to be the most relaxing evening I have ever had. It may seem awkward when requesting a table for one but once you’ve done that it’s all relaxation from there.
My third recommendation is go meet people! You will need to speak to people at some point; it might as well be to make a friend. The next night I met a student from Spain at my hostel, who was also intending to hike the Cinque Terre the next day. The blogs we had both read had recommended that you hike with a buddy because the path can become extremely narrow; which led us to start the conversation of going together. This girl, Tianna, and I really enjoyed our hike through the costal hills of the Cinque Terre and we are still in contact. We are planning to meet again in Madrid in June when my courses are complete. If I had not travelled alone I would probably have not met her. This leads me to my final ‘solo traveller’ recommendation.
Pick a place you have really wanted to go to so you will be motivated to go out and see as much as possible. It will make the whole planning process and necessary research just that much more fun. It will also give you ample energy to get out of your comfort zone to try my recommendations. As a future business professional the skills you will gain are invaluable not to mention fun to practice. You will learn independence, self-assurance, research and time management skills, and, most importantly, networking skills. Hopefully this post will convince you to book your next adventure on exchange alone.
Bio:
Rachel is in her fourth year of study at the Beedie School of Business concentrating in Management Information Systems and Finance. She loves meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and planning outdoor adventures. Rachel is currently on exchange in the Netherlands at Maastricht University School of Business. She is really enjoying her time here and highly recommends it to any student who wants a unique learning experience in a truly international environment.