Google search: “S-o-l-o T-r-a-v-e-l”
Google:” Oh-My-Gawd it is SO GREAT. You should totally F***ing do it.”
Feel free to try it yourself at home. You’ll get thousands of hits.
Google: The 10 Benefits of Solo Travel, 6 Advantages to Solo Travel, 8 things you learn about yourself while Solo Traveling, yadda-yadda-yadda.
There is one unexpected thing you might learn about solo travel; it is often defined by its relationships.
Traveling Dude: “I met this crazy dude from the Czech republic with a totally awesome perspective on life!”
Swedish Girl: “This local Peruvian guy and I really connected and talked for hours…”
non-descript Scandinavian: “OMG, I met crazy life-loving people. I want to be with them always.”
Solo traveler relationships are like bright stars that burn brightly and disappear just as quickly. It may be called solo traveling, but in reality a skilled soloist will ride a sinuous balance; a shifting weave in and out of different groups of travelers, often trading solitude for complicated group dynamics and a chance to socialize, bond, and share in experiences. These social interactions with locals or other travelers will likely be the beating heart of your solo traveling experience.
Me: “Oh my god Daisy, I met this crazy Australian guy in Italy.”
They are also a chance for you to blossom like the social butterfly that you are. Haven’t you heard your friends story about that crazy hot Australian guy she met in Italy?
Well. That could be YOU. That’s why I have written this brief guide to conversation for solo travelers. If you learn these tips well, than you will certainly be one of those crazy guys (or gals) that people tell stories about, not only is that super cool, but it’s your first step on the road to becoming legendary.
1. Start deep, and refer to shallower topics only if absolutely necessary
You: “Hello amigo, please tell me your life story in 5 minutes, 42 seconds. Ready. Set. Go.”
This is how you really make an impact on someone, and blow minds. Theirs and yours, but mostly theirs. It’s extremely important to remember that other travelers are out of their usual routine, this leaves their brain open to absorb new things, and think about old things in new ways. Who knows what cool ideas this person might have while talking to you! You could be witnessing life changing realizations!
When all is said and done, any epiphanies will likely be attributed to you, and will be remembered for years to come. Nice work!
National Geographic Interviewer: “Tiffany, when did you first realize you wanted to start a non-profit for homeless Bangladeshi children?”
Tiffany: “Well….. I think it all happened while I was in India. I was talking to this really eccentric, crazy Canadian backpacker guy who was solo trekking across the country …”
If you run out of deep and ponderous subject material, you can always revert to the shallow and ordinary, but do so only if you have too. Like, if you’re three or four drinks deep and just can’t hold the conversation with this Andalusian girl you met, or maybe you’re a little out of practice after solo hiking the Gobi desert for the past 37 days.
You: “Wait, where are you from again?
That should be sufficient fuel to keep the conversation burning for a few more hours.
2. Shorten names to as conversational as possible. (Nicknames advised)
Elizabeth: Liz, Beth, Lizzy, Lizard, Liz, Zah
Robert: Bobby, Bob, Rob, Robski, Bobmeister, Dick
Reinhold: Reiny, Reino, the Rhino.
I mean, why not? Travelers are open to new things and this is totally going to make it way more fun for everyone; it’ll lighten the mood, and that positive vibe that you feel surging around the whole group is certainly coming from you.
If you really want to bring home the humor and positivity, then feel free to get creative. Nicknames are welcome, and are most effective when paired with a persons countenance, demeanor and/or physical characteristics. If you really offend anyone… well, you probably won’t ever see them again anyway!
3. Be weird.
You: “If you were a worm, how long would you be?”
Remember, these interactions will be extremely short-lived, so throw out any hindrances to your inner strangeness.
As I mentioned before, every traveler you meet will be more open to strange experiences than your ordinary Joe-shmo, this includes (but is not limited too) out-of-the-ordinary conversations. As a solo traveler, you’ve also been out of routine lately and your brain has certainly been kicking out some weird sh*t. Have you ever had weird dreams while sleeping somewhere new? Maybe when you’re camping, or sleeping on your friends couch?
Well, imagine that, except; every night for 3 months. Solo travel can be extremely stimulating to your creative juices. This is your chance to bounce some of those crazy thoughts off other people, and reap the fruits, or the awkwardness.
You: “Hey Lizzy, do you think that the Moons gravity is what affects women’s menstrual cycles?….If so, do you think that means that gravity could affect our brains in other ways too? Like what if the Bermuda Triangle is just a place with weird brain-bending gravity???”
Maybe she’s into that kind of stuff… who knows.
4. You can be anybody.
Who have you always wanted to be? Or, maybe you’ve been wanting to put that terrible Australian accent of yours to the test? Well, this is your perfect opportunity.
You: “I was actually raised in Iceland by Inuits, then forced to move to the Alaskan wilderness when my parents were murdered by elephant seals.”
Other: “Wow. You’re so interesting. Can we talk more?”
This certainly won’t win you any points for honesty, but hell, what’s the worst that could happen.
You: “Well….. bye.”
5. Endearing Pronouns, Splurge them.
“Hey, my American Friends!”
“Alright, Bromeisters“
“Yee! Yee! Gauchos! Nos Vamos!”
“Well, Amigos, where you wanna go?”
It’s true, you’ll come off as much more charismatic if you use pronouns, and thats great if you want to be a stellar traveling conversationalist who can start a conversation with anybody!
Of course, this is more of reminder since we do this all the time, but since you’ve probably been solo-trekking through Patagonia,I thought you might need a quick reminder.
6. Bring a duck, stuffed animal, or some other form of eye catching accessory or mascot.
You: “This guy? Oh, that’s my duck.”
This is undoubted the most valuable component of your entire trip. Not only will you get all kinds of strange looks from the locals, but absolutely everyone will say something to you about it, they might even want to take a photo with you.
The German girl on the bunk beneath you in the hostel: “Oh Wow. I love your duck.“
Boom. Instant conversation.
If you’re one of those people who is a little bit unsteady trying to start conversations, then make sure you bring your duck, or other eye catching mascot with you and hang it off the outside of your backpack. People will be going out of their way to start conversations with you.
Other traveler: “Hey, we should go talk to that guy with a painted duck dangling off his pack.”
Other traveler’s friend: “Yea, let’s go talk to him.”
This is your key to instant conversation with total strangers, and you shouldn’t go on any solo trips without it.
When all is said and done. Your solo travel experience is yours and yours alone. So ask yourself a few questions before you embark on tour solo odyssey.
You: “How do I want to be remembered? What kind of interactions do I want to have? In what ways do I want to affect other travelers?”
Ultimately, these questions fall to you; it is your solo travel experience after all. It’s your decision whether or not you wish to push the limits of your experience, and in what ways. But every trip will only be enhanced by the people that you meet along the way, by the social interactions you have with people on the road, and by that first conversation you relish after days, or weeks spent alone.
You obviously want these interactions to be awesome. So before you embark on your epic, life changing soloist experience, make sure that you know the in-and-outs of the previously mentioned tips, so you can shine like a polished ferrari in all your eccentric travel conversations, even if your bearded, smelly and blasting a dirt-faced smile.
-Oolin-
Hey thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the post feel free to leave comments about your totally rad solo traveling experience!