Travelling to Europe was a dream of mine since I was little. I had been to America, New Zealand, Australia... but nowhere near the European continent. The closest I had ever been to was probably the United Kingdom (UK) when it was still under the European Union in 2012.
But travelling solo? That had never been my intention when I first went on my Student Exchange Programme (SEP) to the United Kingdom. I heard so many stories from my seniors who went on their SEPs, and they kept telling me how fun it was to travel with their friends. I was looking forward to that -- I had made plans with some of my fellow exchange friends before departing from Singapore and we were all stoked to go to places like Italy and Paris Disneyland.
And then, reality struck. Planning trips with friends are fun, but the more people you want to travel with, the more troublesome it is to schedule -- especially when you are not taking the same classes or have different goals in mind. While I managed to travel to several places with my friends, some did not turn out as smoothly as we expected, and we ended up going our separate ways (to different countries).
I will never forget how I ended up deciding to head to Naples, Italy, alone. My friends and I had been travelling around Italy for about two weeks, from Rome to Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, and then finally, Milan. One of those friends and I were supposed to fly to Amsterdam two days right after Milan. However, she began to feel homesick so she decided to return to the UK first, postponing her flight to a week later. I could have chosen to follow her back to Coventry and then fly to Amsterdam, but it was not very economical for me. I was left wondering what to do for my remaining days before Amsterdam until I remembered about a place I had always wanted to go, ever since I read about volcanoes in a graphic novel as a kid. So I whipped out my phone, secured a cheap bed & breakfast and booked a train leaving for Naples the next morning.
And that was the start of my solo travelling adventures. Honestly, I was really scared to be by myself. I didn’t know a word of Italian aside from ciao. Thankfully, with today’s technology (thank goodness for Google Maps), I was able to get around the city without a hitch and I managed to find my accommodation. I was in luck -- my room had a great view of Mount Vesuvius (an active volcano, by the way) and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Almost every moment I spent in my room was me trying to take pictures of Mount Vesuvius at different points throughout the day.... That was how much I was obsessed with it. I also wandered around Naples for a bit, visited the Palace and tried Naples’ signature tagliatelle ragu.
Speaking of the ragu, let me just say that was the first time I ever felt that solo travelling had its perks. I had researched about dishes to try in Naples and the first thing that came up was this famous place called Tandem, popular among locals for its ragu. I went there, and nearly got turned away because the place was packed. Many people queuing before and after me were quickly turned away. There was this group of American tourists who got turned away as well. They, like me, were really eager to try the ragu so the waiter apologised and suggested that they try their second branch...which was about ten minutes away (I know right, that’s how insanely popular this restaurant is). But the Americans said that was the first place they tried and dejectedly walked away. Even I thought I was going to get turned away. I was ready to leave, until the waiter came up to me, and asked if I was alone.
ME: Uhh, yes. Just one person.
I lift a finger up to confirm that I’m really alone.
WAITER: That’s fine, you can take my seat.
ME: O_O
To clarify things, the waiter was taking orders and checking reservations on this tall white table and an equally tall chair. So the moment he said that, he just hopped off. I was so stunned and I kept asking if it was okay and he just ushered me there. The patrons sitting at the table next to mine kept gushing to me in English, “You’re so lucky!” In my mind, I was going “Yes, I am, what the heck…”.
As a solo traveller, research is extremely important. I cannot stress this enough. Even if you are travelling in a group, do yourselves all a favour and research. Trust me, every second and drop of sweat you spend on research is worth it. Let me explain.
So, Naples’ main tourist attraction, and the only reason why I was there, was the ancient ruins of Pompeii and the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. I was mulling over which to head to first. My goal was to finish both in the same day since I was bound for Amsterdam the day after. Reading about Pompeii and its popularity among tourists, I was concerned about the time I would spend queueing. Having stood in the rain and wind for two hours just to get into Vatican City, I purchased a Skip-the-Line ticket for Pompeii. It was an extra 5 euros, but hey, anything that saved me time was totally worth it. The entire city of Pompeii spanned across 163 acres so it needed like a full day (at least six hours) to complete. Then, I read that scaling Mount Vesuvius would not be possible if it rains so I quickly checked the weather and I realised it was going to rain in the afternoon. I decided to head to Pompeii to catch the bus to Mount Vesuvius early in the morning, spend about two hours there and then head back on the same bus to Pompeii. It was easily the best decision I have ever made and my proudest moment. Because, one hour after I reached the peak of Mount Vesuvius, it rained. I’m not kidding. The skies dramatically turned grey, the clouds were creeping over the crater and I knew it was time to get out of there. Well, it rained in Pompeii, that was inevitable, but at least I had great pictures of Mount Vesuvius and its surroundings before then. Priceless. The volcano was shut to tourists while it rained as well, so well done me.
I think most of you must be wondering, solo travelling as a girl...did you get harassed? Hah, brilliant question. Actually, I did, well, kind of… The first time it happened, I was in Amsterdam. Don’t let that taint your perspective of Amsterdam though, because it’s a beautiful country and actually one of the safest places to travel to if you are a female solo traveller. It’s definitely somewhere I’ll return to, once Covid-19 is under control and I have enough savings to travel. To be absolutely honest, even if you’re alone or in a group, you’ll be harassed by strangers. The most important part is how you handle it.
Back to Amsterdam. So I was on the street, minding my own business and eating the famous Vleminckx fries, and this Amsterdam guy came up to me, “Hey, you’re beautiful.” I got defensive instantly because 1) I knew I wasn’t pretty, 2) this guy was extremely random. I didn’t respond so he tried again in English, “I think you’re really pretty.” I still didn’t react so he repeated that phrase in Chinese. I blinked then I replied to him...in Japanese. He blinked at me, and then ran off.
Yep, I used this foreign language method in Italy too (full disclaimer: I do learn Japanese), when some scammers approached my friends and I to donate money for some shady organisation. They spoke to us in English and Chinese as well, so seeing that there was no other alternative (they kept stalking us), I just spoke to them in Japanese and they left us alone. Try other foreign languages -- avoid English and Chinese because most tourists know only how to speak those languages. Insanely useful.
There are times when the above option doesn’t work. This weird man kept following me in Athens when I was exploring the National Gardens. He didn’t say anything, and just kept trailing close behind me as I walked. As he started to unnerve me, I moved into a crowded area and managed to shake him off. Rule of thumb: if you’re alone and someone strange is approaching, head to somewhere with lots of people. Just be careful of your valuables though, you don’t want to get pickpocketed.
Oh, solo travel also makes it hard to take pictures if you want yourself in them. I had to ask people to help me take photographs but I’ve been really comforted by how nice people are! Sometimes I didn’t have to ask; a fellow solo traveller came up to me and asked me if I would like a picture! We basically exchanged cameras. Or sometimes, if there isn’t anyone around, I’d just use my phone to take a selfie -- thank you S Pen for the remote control LOL.
Solo travel does have its perks. I think it made me a little more bold and adventurous, and it helped me understand myself better, especially when I faced difficulties. It provided me those precious introspective moments which I wouldn’t have if I were with other people (I’d tend to rely on them too much!). However, when embarking on solo travel, always be mindful of your surroundings and make sure to do research about the destination beforehand.
That’s all! If you have any questions, you can always comment below!
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This article was written by Paean Yeo, an English Literature and Film Studies major from the National University of Singapore. She had an exciting exchange adventure to the UK last year. When she's not writing, she's probably sleeping.
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