Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Solo Traveller

How does it feel when you travel alone? I didnt knew it till this weekend. I planned a trip to Uncle Ho city with my roomie. I didnt really have any information about the city nor the country that I am going to visit. I was totally dependant on my roomie as he had some friends there. Last before the day we were supposed to travel he postponed the trip. As this was not the first time that this happened, I thought I shouldnt depend on anybody and took a bold plunge into the unknown world of solo travelling. When I planned the trip I assumed that I would be alone and took some tips from my friend who already visited the place. I thought it would be lots of hard work and pain to actually travel lonely. But once I reached there I felt I was wrong on all counts. I found out that traveling solo is very rewarding. There is a treasury of companionship out there.

On my second day in Uncle Ho city, I met a group of people who were from different countries with diversified cultures. They were all hardcore solo travellers. I learned a lot about travelling from them. I was there with no knowledge about the place. They were all so well prepared that I was totally shocked to see their knowledge abou the place and the surroundings. They gave me lot of tips about travelling.

The group was very interesting. There was a guy who quit his job and have been travelling for the past 1 and half year. Another guy was just a kid and was a high school passed out. He was about to go to University next year. One of the girl was a social worker from Holland. Infact she helped me bargaining the lonely planet vietnam book for me. She was in India for 6 months where she learned bargaining. There were over all 5 singaporeans, 2 Malaysians, 1 from USA, 1 from Holland, 1 from London, 1 from Germany and 1 from India and thats me.


We all shared our experiences in the previous tours and discussed about the next tours. Also discussed about the different cultures of their countries. Everybody was interested in India also. Similarly there were some real nice incidents that happened between us in the group. We finally had dinner and parted our ways by sharing the facebook IDs.

Some tips I got from them were:
1. Carry a Lonely planet book
2. Always stay in places where more independent travelers stay.
3. Try to Start Smart and a little organised.
4. Avoid Unwanted Attention by doing a flashy dressing.
5. Do Talk To Strangers, that is how you make friends
6. Wine & Dine Yourself
7. Avoid Romantic Destinations

So finally the statement of the day. It is better to BE alone than to wish you WERE alone.

14 comments:

Pradnya Shetye said...

Stupendous Babbu... really used to liked your spirit at CA... and now all the more... gr8 going... its such a nice thing to do globe trotting and meet so many people... wish i could also do tht though i dont mind being alone!! I mean who cares if you r a loner... wat counts more in life is how much you hav enjoyed yourself and how much justice you hav done to yourself...

Mr. Cool said...

thanks for the appreciation ... haan mujhe abhi bahut sare places dekhna hain ... shall update yhou with my itenary ;)

Mekala said...

Bubbs

Nice to see that you are having a good time in Singapore.

Hail the Business Objects Guroo.

Keep in touch.

Prabhakar Mekala

Mr. Cool said...

Hey Munnu bava .. good to know that you have read my blog .. I just started this to see how I can improve my presentation skills ;)

Yeah I am doing good here and trying to have fun ... I tried loggin in into your blog but I guess you should invite me if I have to see that ..

Mekala said...

http://www.shop-online-4.com/uk/outdoors/solo-traveller-kit-2014/

Mekala said...

Bubbs

Can you please help me with these terms, which I have come across on your blog. I guess there is a problem with the keyboard. Correct ?

1. wat
2. gr8
3. hav

Further, what a heavyweight of a philosophical statement below, and your response suggests that you understood the same, can you explain in brief what it actually means.

"wat counts more in life is how much you hav enjoyed yourself and how much justice you hav done to yourself"

:)

Mr. Cool said...

hmmm I dont think thats a problem with the keyboard. I guess that was intentional.

"wat counts more in life is how much you hav enjoyed yourself and how much justice you hav done to yourself"

Hmmm I just understood that I was being appreciated for enjoying my life in the way I wanted to enjoy. If that means something else pls excuse me as I am not that good in english :)

Mekala said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mekala said...

Your English is very good, and there is a flow to your narration. Cool.

Mr. Cool said...

Thanks ... Hey btw can I see your blog? If yes can you pls gimme access to it ...

Mekala said...

There is nothing on my blog, but I will add you to my blog. Mail your email id ot me.

Mr. Cool said...

my email ID is mail2babbu@gmail.com

Mekala said...

Bubbs

How can we add a calendar to a blog ?

Mr. Cool said...

Here is the link:
http://www.free-blog-content.com/Help-Centre/how-to-add-calender-to-blogger.htm