SOLO TRAVEL

SOLO TRAVEL HISTORY:

countries & cities I have traveled to alone

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*some clickable to photos*

TRAVEL GUIDES

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ILHA GRANDE, BRAZIL

Only reachable by boat, this car-free island is where I spent my 23rd birthday solo dolo

HOSTEL: Balaio, ~$38 USD a night [hostelworld link]

TO DO: Drink, hike, chill, surf

GETTING THERE:

  1. ~95 mile bus ride from Rio de Janeiro → the port at Conceição de Jacareí

  2. Boat ride → Vila do Abraão

LOPES MENDES BEACH:

The whitest and bounciest sand ever. On the morning of my bday, I took a 20min boat ride from Ilha Grande here and there was only one other person on the beach. Gorgeous

VILA DO ABRAAO: I was on a nightly beach walk and outside a bar, I saw my German lover from my Rio de Janiero hostel. Good vibes in the vila - restaurants, bars…its popping

PICO DO PAPAGAIO: Hike through the jungle!

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND

A hiker’s dreamland, also great place for the beer enthusiasts

HOSTEL: Balmers [hostelworld link]

TO DO: Ski or hike, depending on the season. I went during hiking season

TO EAT: Toblerone chocolate

TO EAT 2: Cheese Fondue. It's Traditional Swiss

VILLAGES TO VISIT: Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen

TO HIKE

ROTHORN-BRIENZ RIDGE TRAIL: The hike that made me fall in love with ridges and rock scramble 

AUGSTMATTORN TRAIL: Saw someone get engaged at the top

HARDER KULM TRAIL: Got lost with an arguing sibling duo. Hitch hiked at the end 

BACHALPSEE: Pretty blue lake! Went with some boys from Montana

TO VISIT

SCHLITHORN- PIZ GLORIA: Take the cablecar up. One of the James Bond movies was filmed here

ST.BEATUS-HOHLEN CAVES: Go behind a waterfall and go cave exploring. A natural wonder by Lake Thun

THE BEAUTUS SPA: Lake view.

FIRENZE, ITALIA

Academically proficient in Italian, studied Italian for 4 years

HOSTEL: Ostello Bello Firenze [hostelworld link]

BOBOLI GARDENS: At breakfast, I asked a girl what book she was reading. And so, my new friend @brend_uhhh and I ventured to the Boboli Gardens armed with 4 bottles of wine. Throughout the day, we each read a book in beautiful silence. We walked through archways and quiet pockets of sun-drenched and tree-lined clearings with benches. We admired the Greek and Roman marble statues decorated along the grassy greens 

PIZZA: La Divina Pizza in Firenze. Husband makes the pizza and the wife charms the clientele. The sweetest couple & they've won tons of awards for best pizza 

TO DO: Hang out at the hostel. I loved meeting new people at breakfast as we moseyed over the buffet. There's a guitar, books, and late-night snack. You can read and chill there. There's also a balcony for the gardeners. This hostel does a good job of hosting events like: family dinner, karaoke, wine walking tours 

TO DRINK: Fiddler's Elbow 

EL TUNCO, EL SALVADOR

Surf City, home to surfers from everywhere

HOSTEL: Sunset Surf Villa  [hostelworld link]

HOTEL: Boca Olas Resorts & Villa

YOGA: Balance Surf & Yoga @balancesurfyoga

SURF SCHOOL: El Tunco Surf School @eltunco_surfschool

BAR: Michela's!  @michelabarcosv 

HIKES: Volcan de Santa Ana, Las Sietes Cascadas (7 Waterfalls)

TO DO: Coffee farm tour at Conception de Ataco. Fun fact: El Salvador is the coffee capital of the world!

PAROS, GREECE

I asked an Aussie in Santorini where I can go next to be “super chilled out”

He said “you'd really love Paros”. So I went. (Saw him later on a ferry from Mykonos → Athens)

HOSTEL: Paros Backpackers [hostelworld link]

TO DO: Ride ATVs around the island

TO EAT: Pepe's Souvlaki 

VILLAGES TO VISIT: Lefkes for the culture, Naousa for the drinks

BEACH: Kalogeros. Black sand beach. Want black sand to put on your face and body? Bring a water bottle + climb to the top of the big rock OR brave the currents at the bottom, under the ledge. Use your water to moisten the dry clay to make it wet enough to pull off

TO DO: Ride ATVS through the Ancient Marble Quarries. See where the pretty, white ultra-smooth Parian marble hails from. It's also wicked fun to ride through since there's not a super clear marked path, very rocky. You don't have to pay to go - there's clear descriptions marked around the marble sculptures and digging quarry sites. It's go-on-your-own  

Paros was my favorite Greek island, during my 3 week solo trip. How did I get there? In Santorini, I asked an Aussie where I can go next to be “super chilled out” and he said “you'd really love Paros”. So I went 

The food was super cheap, there were barely any tourists. Every night, I sat on the beach and watched the sun dip below the horizon. Still, the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen.

NAXOS, GREECE

Both of us traveled alone to Naxos and ended up being roommates