As a first-time solo traveler, I have zero regrets that my first-ever experience is Japan. What a beautiful and safe place to travel alone as a female! It was such a breath of fresh air that I did not need to mind my bag too much--no offense to my beloved country—and constantly worry about pickpockets. Being the type of traveller to prefer DIY travels, Japan is no different. In comparison though, to my previous out-of-the-country travels, this one is definitely for the books, since Japan is the first country that I’ll visit requiring a visa. The preparation time was the most stressful I’ve ever done--mental, financial, and emotional. Thinking that I was only planning for two this time, not the usual four, coz I travel abroad with family every time. My best friend and I were supposed to be striking out our BFF Travel Goals on our list by visiting Japan together. Being both Filipinos, we applied for our visas to enter Japan, both for the 15-day tourist visa. I applied here in the Philippines through Attic Tours, and my best friend, through Japan’s Consulate in Dubai. Sadly, due to some circumstances, the “BFF Travel Goals” ended up to be my first solo travel experience. All that three months of prepping and emotional investment for the two of us, goes poof! What an emotional roller coaster! But since Japan travel and seeing the cherry blossoms is at the top of my bucket list on travel and must-see places, I decided to push through and make it a reality. I think it was one week before my scheduled flight before I finally decided to push through with the plan. I was so terrified of the thought to be honest. I even made a Reddit account to consult on our friendly interweb friends all about solo travel to Japan. They helped a lot. They boosted my confidence and put me at ease because of their stories. I’ve read a lot—I mean a lot—of blog posts regarding female solo backpackers for suggestions and ideas that I could use for my then-upcoming trip. Here’s what I learned during these experiences:
When people say that you will learn a lot about yourself on this trip, believe them. You definitely will. The number one thing I’ve learned about myself is that my instincts are almost always right. During this trip, whenever ideas from other people/friends are brought up--say suggestions on the shortest ways to travel from point A to point B—I start doubting my judgment. But once I decide on my own and trust my own decisions, I start to relax and get to where I intend to, hassle-free! Mobile WiFi, smartphone, and maps are your lifeline. Without those three, I don’t think I will be capable to explore such a big city as Tokyo. Such a millennial, I know. I also have a booklet with a detailed map of the Tokyo metro. The Japanese are fond of giving out free copies of maps and reading materials about the certain city you are in. You can find them in most subway stations. Have a physical copy of a map—it will help you a lot. I downloaded from the internet and printed mine prior to my trip. Next, I recommend taking it slow. My motto then is that I just needed to get from point A to point B. I’ll worry about going home later. What I did was visit the farthest (from my hostel) tourist spot first, then go backwards from there so it’ll be easier to go home at night. It was very effective, mind you. Print a copy of your itinerary for your family. Your family will worry about you, that’s their job anyways—to worry. Solo travel is not really main-stream here in the Philippines, especially female solo travel. When I went back home, I received a lot of “you are so brave!” comments. I find it funny actually, I don’t know why. Apart from social media and messaging services online, I used Globe roaming service to keep my mom up-to-date, with or without internet. Keeping my family updated on me lessened their worry. Carefully plan the route you will take. I memorized stations most relevant to me during my whole stay. Memorizing the nearest station from your hotel/hostels will make your research and travel easier; you know what are your point A and your point B. However poor you are with directions, you can count on yourself no matter what. I always believe myself to be poor at navigation. I’m a bad driver that way. I most of the time find it hard to remember the points where I entered and the exits I should take. When you travel solo though, all you have is yourself--of course, there’s God to always guide you—to make the decisions for you. You must and have to remember all the paths you took for you to not get lost. You’ll get lost once in a while; expect that in traveling solo. I actually got lost twice in Tokyo. But if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have seen this beautiful line of cherry blossoms on this one street; and wouldn’t have reached the Takeshita Street (not on the itinerary) where I bought quite plenty of my pasalubong and had this wonderful lunch! At the end of the day, I still got to my hotel safe and sound. Just enjoy your exploration. Getting lost is part of the adventure. No matter how impatient you are, you’ll learn to be patient, especially with yourself. Time management will be your key skill. If you rode the wrong train, because you weren’t paying attention, just get off the next station and ride the next train. All you have is time anyways. When you can’t find what you’re looking for, decide if you’ll risk losing the time getting lost; or just skip to the next destination on your list. I believe this is how I accomplished seeing six must-sees (from different perfectures) in one day. Prioritizing and time management. You’ll learn to engage. I’m an introvert and I don’t socialize much. I think this helped me during this solo travel experience. I barely felt alone—except when sharing a table during meals. The down side of traveling solo though, is that no one will take your picture and no one to share your table with during meals. On the bright side, there will always be a vacant table and chair somewhere for you, just ask the occupant if they'll let you share! To do this, you’ll have to approach people. Engage. Mingle as needed. Ask a stranger to take your picture! Or rather, offer to take their pictures for them. It will open up conversations for you! Befriend your seatmates over lunch (that’s if they speak English, that is). That’s how I survived solo travel. As they say, kindness goes a long way. Use it often. You’ll learn to be a chameleon. Be adaptable! Since hostels are your best option for cheap, but comfy place to crash, always expect that you need to adjust. Keep your valuables always within your reach, these are strangers after all. Can’t sleep with noise because of your dorm mates? Plug-in a headset with your favorite music on and go to sleep. When given a chance, start a conversation with your neighboring bed and ask them about their trip. You can learn from each other. That's what I did. Upon checking my forgotten journal, I found out that traveling solo is on my bucket list. I actually already have forgotten about this dream. Someday, when I look back at all these, I'll be so proud to say that during my 20s, I have accomplished this life-goal of mine. So yay for me! For your first solo travel, they say start with a province or somewhere nearby. But go big or go home right? So I grabbed the opportunity to travel Japan solo. And it was very fulfilling. I’ve learned a lot, and learned a lot about myself as well. I hope this blog post will inspire all those ladies dreaming to travel solo at least once in their lives. Do you have any solo travel advice you could share with us female travelers? All the best, G
6 Comments
EvionAngel
5/31/2016 08:29:19 pm
I enjoyed reading your blog. 😁 More posts to come. 😜
Reply
G
6/1/2016 02:41:31 am
Haha! thanks mister!
Reply
Sandra
7/24/2016 05:09:58 am
I am doing my first solo trip in Japan this September. Happened to chance upon your blog, and it's truly inspiring for me. (:
Reply
G
9/3/2016 02:28:59 am
Oh thanks! I'm really glad this post helped (in any ways)! (and here's to hoping that I'll finish blogging about this series. haha!) :) Hope you have a great trip! Japan is great!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
About GAn RN-turned-copy-editor, dreamer and lover of all life, taking on the world, G-style. Archives
April 2018
Categories
All
|