Hello lovelies.... A new update is here... I planned to write this back on April, yet I forgot and ended up writing about it now. A lot things happened, my focus was rather on other things. X__X but it's okay, thanks to my friend I remembered I have blogs to update. I'm still going to write about solo travel, since it's still on my list. As I said in my previous post, I'm going to write about the practical items to prepare on your solo trip. For the preparation stage, please check my previous post HERE..

Here some tips and trick I usually do on my solo travel. Let me remind you again, this will be based on my own experiences, so maybe it might not work on you.

TIPS

First thing first, please make sure your bag is comfortable and practical enough to put all your necessities inside, like passport, wallet, camera, tripod, and water bottle. For girls, maybe tissue and some lip balm will also a necessities. I don't like to bring big bag with all the time, so i usually bring a small backpack that has enough space for all that.

I'm not the professional photographer type of traveller so I usually just bring my SONY a5000 and basic lens for taking pictures. I don't like to bring a lot of stuff, because I tend to forget things, so this work for me just fine. If you're the pro photographer type, then you need bigger bag. :)

Second, seperate your money into several places.

I'm not the type to use credit card, so I can only depend on cash or debit card. Back then before there's JENIUS, I have to rely solely on cash, haha so I have to be really careful.

I usually seperate my money into several portion. Why? Remember that even if you're cautious enough, bad things can always happen. That and it's to prevent you from spending too much on something like shopping on the first or second day.

Here how I usually seperate my money. when I travel.. First portion is put in my wallet. Usually enough for 2-3 days worth (around 1/4 or 1/5 of my money). The second portion I put in my bag, inside the deepest pocket. Just in case your wallet got robbed, you still have your money inside your bag. I usually put 1/4 portion in there. The third portion is put in my luggages, lol.... Sometimes I also put like 10-20 dollars in my phone case, just in case.... :P

Third, put your shopping spree plan on your last two days. It's easier to see how much space your luggages have. It minimize your spending, and avoiding overweight luggages.

Fourth, things that I usually forget...... Check the charger shape in your destination country. Bring one that has complete set of international charger, and some places for USB charge. One for all kind. Easy on your luggage space too.

Fifth, rather than wifi pocket, better buy local simcard. No need for extra charging devices, so you can save space for your camera, phone, and powerbank instead. Simcard nowdays has better package deal and the price is considerably cheaper than wifi pocket. Remember that you use it alone. If you go in groups, then better use wifi pocket (if you don't have any seperate plan).

Sixth, the tripod. Don't need to bring big heavy tripod anymore, you can always buy the compact one. ;) one that fit in you small bag.

Seventh, bring tote bag for plastic bag replacement. ;)

TRICK

Yes, you might have plan your itinerary well. But the condition can be different from what you expected, count the weather too. So maybe you need to be more flexible when you travel, and sometimes, you need to depend on other people too.... So here's what I usually do to make my trip more enjoyable.....

1. Learn some basic language.

Like Excuse me, Hello, Thank you. And also important questions like where is the toilet, what is it, and how much is it. For me, I like to know some question to help me with shopping. So the first thing I learn is how to ask the price, how to count, and how to haggle. :) It worked so well when I was in Korea. :D

2. Smile and be friendly.

You're alone in foreign country. Some might not be able to speak english. So when you're in a pinch, it's always helpful to smile and ask a stranger. Sometimes this work when you're shopping too... I usually try to talk nicely to the seller, not necessarily haggle... just talk a-b-c-d then when you try to ask for cheaper price, usually they give cheaper price... This only work on places where they don't have other costumer yeah so you can talk more at ease. Busy store won't give you much attention and time... Maybe this also work better because I'm a girl. Have you ever tried this trick? Please let me know if it works for you too...

I have a lot of good experiences when I travel alone; like getting help from strangers, sometimes getting some freebies too... 

3. Meet new friends.

Travelling alone is a good chance to meet new people. You don't have anyone else to focus on, so you can try talking to strangers who share your room or hostel. I met several people from my last trip to Korea and Thailand. We went to the festival, talk and eat together.

Some might be your real friends. :) You can always as for contact exchange when you feel comfortable with them. If you're clicked, maybe you can keep in contact and travel together in the future.. :)

4. Ask your friends for guides.

If you have friend(s) in your destination country, it'll be great to contact them and meet up. If they don't live there, you can always ask for pointer. The key is be nice when you asking and do your research first, it will be easier for your friends to answer your questions too. :) Don't expect them to make the itinerary for you. Do your research, if you still have questions, then ask them.

Those are my tips and trick for solo traveller. If you share same opinion or have different experiences, please let me know. I'd love to know more point of view and your experiences! :)

See you again lovelies~!

xoxo

Anastasia

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