BootsnAll Travel Community

I am interested to hear opinions on this subject. I am 20 yrs. american female. Is this a bad idea? and if so does anyone have pointers on ways to find travel buddies? I want to do this trip more than anything and I don't want to be held back just because I don't have someone to go with. I am not scared to go and do things alone, how ever I think I should get as much advice as possible.

Its not a bad idea at all. Thailand is a very easy country to travel.

If you are flying in then you will proberbly land in bangkok. This is a great town to meet other travelers who are going the same way you are. and it doesnt matter which way you are going. there will always be someone going that way.

i went to thailand as my first solo trip. i was 19 at the time, was there for 3.5 weeks. you'll be fine! bangkok is just like any other big city, and other places.. well, i was babied a lot of times when people found out i was by myself. feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

I'd agree...Thailand is one of the best places to start solo travel.I call it Travelling for dummies. Its so easy and gives you the confidence to do other countries solo.

Just be careful..keep your wits and use that same precautions you would back home.

Have fun..

Agree strongly with the other people here. Thailand was my first taste of solo travel too. It was very easy and cheap, and I decided for the hell of it to go to Malaysia and Singapore too during that trip.

Traveling in Thailand is a great teacher of the basic skills of independent travel.

Thats good to hear. Thailand is #1 on my list to go for my first solo trip as well. I've heard nothing but positive things so far from others who have been there.

V Safe. But be prepared to bargain for the tuk-tuk rides, else you will be taken for a ride. Have fun.

if you are an American and have never left the country before, Thailand will be a bit of a shock. But once you get used to backpacking you will have the most amazing experience of your life. You will meet tons of people in hostels who you can travel with, get advice from, etc. Just keep an open mind and good luck!

I can't thank everyone for the boost of confidence!!! I am going to get my passport today and will buy the ticket in Oct alone or not this is going to be great. Just alittle story....I am first going to Thailand then OZ, then NZ where I have this great guy waiting for me!!! We meet in California where I live and hit it off!!! So wish me luck on this, you never know what and where your life will take you, its amazing!!!

I don't really recommend it. I traveled solo in 2002; maybe it was too close to 9/11. But it was a bit rough traveling as a single, blonde American chickee.

The hostels are definetly on the rougher side of things, with the prices - you really could stay at a more standard hotel.

Be very careful of the tut-tut rides; there is a lot of gaming of tourists in Bangkok (as in most large cities)... and as a back packer, you stand out more. No matter what the deal, if it sounds too good to be true - it really is.

Thailand was not my first country to travel solo in; the experience I had made an impact on my life and it is very doubtful I will ever go back. I had good days there - but as others suggested - it really is a place where you learn basic travel survival skills.

Much luck!

I went to thailand solo not long ago. I a very shy so I found that in bangkok especially that on the ko san raod I had problems meeting people. The ko san road is all about the guest house (personel accomodation ) I had trouble meetinf people here and did not like that experieince. i then moved to a hostel on sukumvit (spelling???) the place I stayed was called big jhons or somthing like that with shared accomodations and I met tons of people and wound up travelling the country with a japanese girl. To make my story short I would recomend staying somewhere in sukumvit in a hostel with shared facilities rather than a guest house with a private room