Discovering the Joy of Solo Travel

Have you ever felt the pull of traveling the world on your own terms and in your own way?  Join me as I blend personal anecdotes with practical advice, guiding you through the nuances of solo travel. I share insights into the unique opportunities for self-discovery and growth that come with exploring the world on your own.

Safety and convenience are paramount when traveling solo, and I emphasize the importance of accessible destinations with efficient local transportation and diverse dining options. Tune in to learn about planning a seamless journey and choosing accommodations that align with your comfort needs, whether it’s a luxurious hotel or a cozy hostel. We'll discuss essential tips for selecting your ideal solo travel destination, highlighting Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Iceland as top picks for first-time adventurers.

Get ready to explore vibrant cultures and breathtaking landscapes, from the culinary wonders of Singapore's hawker centers to the tranquility of Thailand’s Chiang Mai. I delve into the practicality of Icelandic travel, including tips on navigating Keflavik Airport and exploring the rugged beauty of its countryside. Embark on this journey with me as we navigate the world of solo travel, inviting you to embrace the independence and perspective that comes with seeing the world on your own terms.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Flight 527, runway 8K. You're cleared for takeoff. This is your captain speaking. If you love travel, and we know you do, buckle your seatbelts and keep your tray tables in the upright position. You should be seeing the illuminated fun signs throughout the aircraft because we're about to take off on a chat of epic proportions. Welcome to Tray Tables and Time Zones, the podcast where travel isn't just about taking vacations, it's about enriching your life. We'll dive into the highs, the lows and the downright absurd moments that come with exploring the world. Whether it's food poisoning on a long-haul flight, trekking to Mount Everest base camp or traveling to Disney parks worldwide, we cover it all Serious at moments, but mostly we're here to laugh and share some brutally honest travel stories. So let's do it one time zone at a time. This is Trey Tables in Time Zones, and this is your host. Josh Bogle Tables and Time Zones, and this is your host, josh Bogle.

Speaker 2 1:11

Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of Trade Tables and Time Zones. I'm your host, josh Bogle. In this episode we dive into the world of solo travel. Now I will say it right now I love solo travel and really got started doing it when I was 18 years old. I had just graduated high school and I headed out on the great American road trip west. So it was just me and I jumped in my car and I headed down I-40 through New Mexico and through Arizona and into California and spent about two weeks running around San Diego and I absolutely loved it. It was a blast and at that point I was bitten by the solo travel bug and I don't know that it's ever let me go. I was bitten by the solo travel bug and I don't know that it's ever let me go.

Speaker 2 2:08

Now there was a lull in my solo travel life as I went to college and finished school and started a career and got married and those things obviously took precedent in my life and so solo travel was kind of put to the back burner for a while. And then, here about seven or eight years ago, my wife and I started really getting into international travel and at the same time, it rekindled my kind of drive to want to go and do some solo travel as well, and so that's what I started doing. Luckily, my wife is amazingly understanding and supportive of me going off and traveling some by myself, and so, because of her, really, it has enabled me to go out and do some of these trips that, frankly, are things that she is not even really interested in being a part of, right? Like some of my solo trips are going to Nepal and climbing mountains Well, she has no interest in that and other ones are going, you know, to places when it's really cold, and she doesn't want to do that either, right? So, while she's incredibly well-traveled and loves to go and experience you know the world there are some things in some places that she's just like you go do it, enjoy yourself, I'll stay home, and from that I've been to Nepal and Japan and Myanmar and Singapore and tons of other places on my own and because of that, have managed to build up a knowledge bank of solo travel, and I wanted to share that knowledge with the podcast, and hopefully the people that hear this podcast can benefit from it, because solo travel is an incredibly fulfilling experience to be able to go and travel on your own and have that confidence and kind of experience the world through your own eyes, right, and not have your view influenced one way or the other, but just taking it in for yourself and being kind of present in that trip is a very, a very cool thing.

Speaker 2 4:30

And so you know, like I mentioned, I am a huge proponent of solo travel and I don't think it has to be the only way you travel right, because I get tons of enjoyment out of traveling with my wife, with my wife and my kids, with just my kids. You know all types of travel I love. I just love travel period, so any of it is great for me. But adding in that solo travel element has really been an enjoyable thing for me. But over time I've really started to get a lot of questions from friends and acquaintances about solo travel, you know, and how to get started in solo travel, how do I prepare myself to do it for the first time? I love getting those questions because you know, look, I love talking travel, no matter what, but to get to try to open up this world of solo travel to somebody new that is interested in it but has never done it before. It's really really cool, and so I try to provide you know, some helpful information that will push them in the right direction of being able to make an informed decision so that that first trip goes really well, because if the first trip goes really well, then they'll want to keep going.

Speaker 2 5:54

So, based off of having those conversations, I thought it would be a really good idea to put together a podcast that gave some general information, guidelines, kind of a direction on how to go about getting into solo travel, and from that I came up with basically a list of elements of what will help you develop and refine your first solo trip, and then I also have some recommendations on a few places to consider for your first solo trip. So that's how we're going to structure the rest of the podcast is we'll go through and talk about those elements that I consider to be hallmarks of a good first solo trip, and then we will talk about the four locations that I think you should highly consider for your first solo trip, and in talking about those four locations we can then bring back in those elements and use them to go over each location, and that way you can see how those locations rank and how the analysis goes, so that you can use them to help you make your decisions more informed and easier. And, frankly, you can use this method for every solo trip. You know, as you gain experience, you'll refine what things are important to you, what things are not, and it will crystallize your own list right, your own way of doing it. But these are good places to start.

Speaker 2 7:31

So, again, for me, the start is picking your location, making a list of potential locations and then balancing those locations against the rest of this list that I'm fixing. To tell you, once you have some locations, you have to make sure that you have interest in those locations, because if you go on the internet and just type in solo travel locations and that's your list of places, I mean it might give you some options. But, at the same time, who gives a shit about the place? If you don't care about going there, if it doesn't do something for you, if it doesn't make you want to go to that place, then why would you go? So, yes, the place is important, but more importantly than that is, is the place somewhere that you actually want to travel to and are willing to spend your money to get there and experience it. So once you bring that into the equation your interest level then it begins to narrow those places down. And then we get to the rest of the list.

Speaker 2 8:33

What's the safety of the location? Remember, you're traveling solo. Your fallback and safety network is going to be greatly reduced because you're going to be in this place on your own. While there may be other travelers that you meet, and while you may be able to reach out via phone, you know text or call friends and family back home, they're not there with you experiencing these things or in the middle of a situation that you might find yourself in. So safety is very, very big on the list, right? So that'll further narrow down your list of places.

Speaker 2 9:10

The next for me is the ability to get to the location. Is it easy to get there, right? Especially with your first solo trip? I mean navigating new airports, different airports, different airlines. Potentially you want it to be as easy as possible to get there. You know, if you pick a location that while it seems really cool and maybe even it's somewhat safe, but it requires you to have four damn flight changes and tons of layover time and it takes you 40 something hours to get there, then you're going to be pretty beaten before you even get there. Then you're going to be pretty beaten before you even get there. You're going to be aggravated, having been stuck on a plane or in an airport for God knows how long and you're already going to be over it. And the more flights you have and the more layovers you have, there's more potential for something to happen. Luggage gets lost, planes break down, delays because of weather. You know anything and everything that can happen will happen. Luggage gets lost, planes break down, delays because of weather, you know anything, and everything that can happen will happen if you give it enough time. So you want to limit that amount of time that it has to go wrong, right? So is it easy to get to and from this location? Next thing for me is the ability to move within the location. Again, just remember, you're by yourself. So is there easy local transportation, whether it be buses, whether it be a rental car, whether it be the subway, trains, even good rideshare services or taxis, whatever it may be? Can you move around the city or the country, or wherever the location is, in relative ease? Or is it a massive hassle because, again, just like flying to the location or flying from the location. You don't want to have to do too much because you're just adding elements where things can go wrong or you can become frustrated or lost or confused or whatever. It may be right. So make it a place that has really good internal public transportation, because that will make a difference.

Speaker 2 11:18

Next thing for me is food.

Speaker 2 11:21

I'm going to get hungry. I like to eat. I really love trying new food, right? So is it a place that's going to have food that I'm going to enjoy, or that I at least think I'm going to enjoy? And then, if I'm not going to enjoy that food, let's say the local cuisine is iffy at best for my palate, right? Is there backups? Is there convenience stores? Is there fast food? Is there somewhere I can go to get something to eat that will be normal to me if all else fails? Right. If the local cuisine, you've read a ton about it and it's supposed to be really good or whatever, and you get there and you fucking hate it, you still have to eat. So make sure that you can get a normal meal, whatever that normal is to you in that location, because that's vital.

Speaker 2 12:13

And then, lastly, hotels Are there hotels? What kind of hotels are they? Are they nice five-star hotels? Are they rooms? Are they dorm-style hostels? Who knows right and what you're comfortable with? I mean, you may be comfortable sleeping in a dorm-style hostel where I may say there's no damn way I'm doing that, I'm too old or I don't like you know, having people having that much access to me while I sleep, or it's just uncomfortable or whatever. So what's your comfort level and what do you enjoy when you travel?

Speaker 2 12:48

As far as accommodations go, and make sure that those places that you're going to go have those types of accommodations and that you can make those reservations ahead of time so that you know for sure where you're going to be staying, I think that list captures really the essence of what you're going to be staying. I think that list captures really the essence of what you're going to be looking for when you're picking a location for solo travel, especially when you're early in the game. It's just those basic things Are you going to like the place? Can you get there easily? Can you get around easily? Is the food good or do I have options for the food? Is the accommodations what I want and am I going to be safe while I'm doing all this? And that's it right. It's really that simple.

Speaker 2 13:35

You figure those things out, you got you a place to go, and if your list of destinations doesn't necessarily line up with your criteria that you've set out, well, then you know, maybe the list that you've made is a little bit ambitious for your first time out in the world by yourself, when you're an 18-hour flight from home, and so you do some more research and you pick some new places and put them up against the criteria again. Now you've got your list to evaluate the places that you want to go, and I'm going to give you a list of five or so countries that match what I think is a good place to start solo travel, based on the elements we just discussed. Right, and we'll talk about each of the countries kind of individually and compare them with those elements so that you can kind of see how I look at it, how you might want to look at it, or you know you can find your own way, but it'll give you an idea of how to review a place, right? Okay, so my list of locations that I think you should consider when you first start solo travel are as follows Japan, singapore, thailand and Iceland, each of these countries being places that I have traveled to personally and therefore have a firsthand knowledge of the country, of a firsthand knowledge of the country, those places are the ones that I would strongly consider as your first foray with being a solo traveler. So the first place, japan.

Speaker 2 15:14

Now, if you listen to this podcast and you really, really should, because it's an amazing podcast but if you listen to this podcast, you know, we just wrapped up a three-part series on traveling in Japan, and so I touched on a lot of things that are applicable to this solo travel podcast, in that I discuss topics like how you move about the country, the cities, and also you know, how to get to Japan, how to fly there and those types of things. So we've covered a lot, but I'm going to briefly hit on them. So I've traveled to Japan multiple times, but I've done it solo twice, and I'm going to say it right out of the gate here the one negative even though I put it number one on my list the one negative about Japan is that if you're going to solo travel, you're likely going to go to Tokyo first, and while I think this should be your first stop, because Tokyo you need the most energy to do, it is also, without question, the most overwhelming place you could go right. So if you're already stressed as a first time solo traveler because you're just, you're getting used to the fact that you're moving around the world by yourself and you're having to do everything by yourself, adding the extra stress of being overwhelmed by the immensity and the lights and the people and the buildings and just everything that comes with Tokyo, because everything there is plus size to the max, it can be overwhelming and it might overwhelm you when coupled with that stress of that first solo trip. So that's something to consider. If you're easily overwhelmed, if you can be overstimulated very quickly, then Japan may not be the best choice for you for your first trip. But for most people, as long as you can be overstimulated very quickly, then Japan may not be the best choice for you for your first trip. But for most people, as long as you can handle it, the stress of being in Japan, and of Tokyo in particular, will go away that first day or so. You'll start to get used to the rhythm and the flow of the city and so if you can weather that first day or so, the trip will definitely be worth it, because Japan and Tokyo in and of itself is an amazing place to travel by yourself. And let's go through a couple of those reasons why. If you're interested in Tokyo, if you have that interest level in seeing the old and the new and the incredibly unique and bizarre and everything that Japan, and particularly Tokyo, has to offer, then you're going to have interest in going.

Speaker 2 17:53

Safety Japan is an incredibly safe country. Tokyo is an incredibly safe city. You know, I have wandered all over that city at all times of day, all times of night. I've never felt threatened, I've never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. It's just a very, very safe place. People tend to stick to themselves. They don't try to hassle you or hustle you for anything. There's very few touts. You know people hollering trying to get you into places. That doesn't really happen. There's a few places it does, but it's very, very rare, right? So you're not going to feel unsafe. Japan and Tokyo are going to pass with flying colors because it's just incredibly safe.

Speaker 2 18:42

Next, the ability to get to and from a location. So how hard is it to travel from your home country, wherever that may be, to Japan? Well, for most of the world it's not going to be hard. I live in a major city in the United States and there are multiple flights a day that are either direct or have one stop to get to Tokyo. It's very easy and for most major airports that is going to be the case. You are either looking at a direct flight or possibly a one-stop layover. So at the most, two flights into Tokyo. That's about as good as you could ask for getting to a place and leaving from a place. And, because it is such a popular location, the options of airline, of time and of cost are all possibilities, right. You have the ability to research and compare which ones are going to work for you and you're not being held hostage by just one airline or one option. You have multitudes of options to go with. So with that again, japan and Tokyo make a ton of sense because it's so easy to get in and out of that country from pretty much anywhere in the world with very little trouble. So the next element moving within the country. Now again, I mean I don't know what to say except that Japan is easily going to meet all of these elements.

Speaker 2 20:19

Japan has some of the best internal public transportation you're ever going to see. It's clean, it's safe. It's incredibly timely in that it's always on time and you have tons of options. You can take the train, a cab, you can take a bus, an airplane. They all are very good options, all are reasonably priced and they've never let me down. You know, whether it's the bullet train or it's a budget airline or a taxi or whatever it may be, pretty much any way that you need to get around, japan has and it's a quality option at every turn, right? So while, yes, like in Tokyo, the train stations are very big and there are tons of trains in and out of them at all times of day, they are easily figured out, right? Especially with today's technology, you can figure it all out. So, while they're big and massive and it looks imposing a little Google Maps and some you know figuring out the signs you're good to go, so it's very easy to get around.

Speaker 2 21:42

Well, holy shit, japan has you covered in spades. I mean fast food got it. Convenience store food fucking. Amazing. Casual restaurants again. Amazing High-end sushi restaurants amazing. Literally every food option in Japan is a good one and it is incredibly solo-centric, and what I mean by that is that almost every restaurant that I have ever gone into in Japan can be handled easily by a solo traveler. They will have places set up for people that are solo to eat. They will have you know, like at a sushi bar or at a soba noodle place. They'll have you know individual seats, ramen places, individual seats, obviously, fast food it's pretty self-explanatory and even like family restaurants and such, it's very easy to go in and eat at one of these places as a solo traveler and there's a ton of other people doing it, including a ton of locals. You will not feel uncomfortable going in and having a meal by yourself. It's just incredibly easy. Right and expect it. I mean, it's nothing out of the ordinary and I'll tell a little story real quick about this.

Speaker 2 23:03

To kind of further my point, one of my last solo trips before we had lockdown was to Japan and Korea, and that was my first time going to South Korea. I had been to Japan before, obviously, but I hadn't been to Korea and I was really excited about it and I loved Korea. It's an amazing place to go and visit. I love Seoul. It's sort of like Tokyo in a way, but very different also. I don't really know how to explain that, but it's an incredible city A lot of culture, a lot of history, a lot of technology and tons of food, right, but one thing I found that differentiated the two places is that in Korea there is a very strong communal culture when it comes to eating.

Speaker 2 23:56

People love to go out and eat in big groups, and a lot of the food that you get in Korean restaurants is set up for multiple people to eat, right, like they have these big communal tables where you do Korean barbecue or the different kimchi stews and things like that. It'll all be in the middle of a table and the tables are set up for lots of people, right, and a lot of times the food menus are set up that way as well A lot of things, a lot of food, in one order, because it's meant to be communal, and so I did find it a little hard to not find places to eat but to feel comfortable while doing so. Now I will say at that time the culture was changing a little bit and it was actually a discussion that was being had within Korea about people feeling comfortable going and eating solo, and that there was more restaurants that were opening up that could more easily accommodate smaller groups or solo travelers, solo eaters, right, even if they were local without feeling the pressure of not wanting to go into a place because it's only for lots of people. So I was really able to see the contrast between Japan and Korea because I went Korea first and then I went back to Japan and it was very evident. The differences right, the communal versus the solo. And so, while it may slow you down from maybe looking at Korea as your first choice of solo travel, it should bolster Japan because it is set up so perfectly for solo travel, or that the food will never be a problem and there's always plenty to find in Tokyo, plenty to find in Tokyo.

Speaker 2 25:56

And then, lastly, hotels. Again, I talked about this in my previous podcast series, but I will say it again the options for hotels in Japan is mind-boggling. There are tons. You can stay wherever you want to. Again, as a solo traveler, I made the same recommendation on my series Stay in a hotel that's close to the Yamanote line, the green line in Tokyo, because that will just make it even easier for you to get around, but the hotels will not be a problem for you to find in Tokyo. There are tons of different options, everything from capsule hotels to business hotels to five-star luxury hotels Anything and everything you could want, they will have, and so you can find accommodations that will suit your needs while you're there very, very easily. And so, if you take all of those things into consideration, it pretty much makes the case for having Japan as a top solo traveler destination, especially for your first time.

Speaker 2 26:59

Location number two still in Asia, and that is Singapore Again, it has to be a place you're interested in, right? Singapore is an incredibly modern, innovative city-state at the base of Malaysia. It's its own country, its own city, and it is incredibly diverse and focused on the cultures that call it home. So it's very, very unique. You have a lot of Chinese culture, a lot of Indian culture, a lot of Malay culture that all kind of come together in this melting pot in Singapore. There's elements of each of those groups there, right, you can see the influences of all of those groups in Singapore. It's very, very cool. At the same time, singapore is very modern and innovative. The sights to see, you know the Marina Bay Sands, the gardens by the bay. There's tons of places to see and things to do in Singapore that are worthwhile and should pique your interest, and I think it would be one of those places that you would really love as a solo traveler, especially for your first experience.

Speaker 2 28:27

Now, when it comes to safety. Now, when it comes to safety, you're probably not going to find a safer place. Singapore and Iceland are always number one and number two in safety, right? I mean, I'm just going to tell you right now I've never felt safer than in Singapore. Unbelievable how safe that city and country is. It's just amazing. I don't even know how to explain how safe it is, right, it's just amazing. They do an incredible job of policing and maintaining a certain standard basically inhibits crime. They just don't tolerate it. They really don't. And there are some rules that you're going to have to be aware of if you go to Singapore. I mean, there's certain things Don't spit on the ground. You can't buy chewing gum and you shouldn't bring it into the country because they don't want it being chewed and thrown on the streets. They don't want that trash on the streets, right, do not throw trash in the streets in Singapore. Just be a good, decent human being, basically, and you'll be fine, but be aware that Singapore does not tend to put up with a lot of people's bullshit. So don't run afoul of that, but as long as you're just handling your business and not being a crazy offensive asshole, you'll be fine. But again, safety is second to none in Singapore. It's just. It's one of the most safe places in the world and you should feel perfectly fine to visit there and not have to be concerned about your well-being Ability to get to the location better than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Speaker 2 30:05

Changi Airport is one of the premier airports in the entire world and there are tons of flights that come in and out of Changi every day, so getting to Singapore will not be a problem. It is very easy to get there and the process of getting out of the airport and getting through like immigration and customs simple, efficient, technologically advanced and the facilities are amazing. So it is very easy to get pretty much from anywhere in the world to Singapore and then back home with very little fuss. All right, the ability to move within location. Again, their subway system, their train system fantastic. It's incredibly clean, incredibly efficient.

Speaker 2 30:55

Just remember don't bring food or drinks on it. Don't bring durian. You'll actually see that sticker telling you not to bring durian onto the train because they don't want to stink the son of a bitch up, right? Because durian I don't care what anybody says, it stinks to high hell. You may like the taste, taste and that's fine. I've tried it. I'm not a convert. It's not great but I can deal with it. But the smell is fucking horrible. So in Singapore, don't bring that shit onto a train because you'll get your ass in trouble. So just be aware of the durian thing. But you can get pretty much anywhere in the city very easily, either on the train, bus, taxi or rideshare. I've never had a problem getting around the city at all. It's also very walkable. But be aware that Singapore is damn near on the equator and it gets fucking hot, like it gets incredibly hot in Singapore. So be aware of that if you go during the summertime. But I will say and this includes the United States I've never been to a country that has better air conditioning than Singapore. Like they don't play with their air conditioning because it is hot there. So just be aware of that.

Speaker 2 32:06

Food. If you like street food, singapore has street food that is as good or better than anywhere else in the entire world. Singapore did something incredibly brilliant a long time ago. They took all the food stalls, the food hawkers, off the street and they built these hawker centers where it's basically these big food halls, right, and each stall typically specializes in one or two dishes. The scope of what you would have to eat just in the food centers, the hawker centers in Singapore, is mind-boggling. And it is world-class food and it is incredibly fun to go in there and watch these people who are masters of these dishes, making them. And then you get your food and you sit down at these tables and you eat and you kind of people watch. It's an amazing thing, right? Amazing. The food is spectacular, like. I've had some of the best meals of my life in these hawker centers. So they have that. But they also have everything else, right Huge buffets, western food, fast food, convenience store food any kind of food you want. So it's very easy to find something that you will enjoy in Singapore.

Speaker 2 33:29

And lastly, hotels For the most part, singapore is very much a big hotel city. There's a lot of big hotels and a lot of the big name brand hotels that you'll know, but there are also smaller boutique hotels that are very, very nice, that are right in the heart of the action and that are very budget-friendly, right, so you don't have to go stay at a five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel in Singapore to be in a good hotel in a good location. You can very easily find smaller boutique hotels that are going to offer you a lot for the price and be in very good locations. So while it's not as broad based as like Tokyo for hotel options, there's still plenty of very good options in Singapore that will fit pretty much any budget.

Speaker 2 34:20

So number three Thailand. My God, I love Thailand. Thailand holds an incredibly special place in my heart. An incredibly special place in my heart. I love the food, I love the culture, I love the people, I love the temples. It's a spectacular place. I mean, chiang Mai in Thailand is pretty much my go-to place in Southeast Asia when I want to end a trip right and just have a couple of days of relaxation. I love going to Chiang Mai and just hanging out and eating some really good food and drinking some really good fruit juice and having some mango sticky rice and wandering the markets, just enjoying myself Again, going back into the elements Thailand if you're into Buddhism, if you're into kind of the holistic retreats, if you're into food especially Thai food, obviously temples, if you're into those things, thailand is really a cool experience, a lot of eco experiences as well. Experience a lot of eco experiences as well, you know, playing with elephants and going out into nature and going on hikes. There's those things that are very available in Thailand. So if you enjoy those types of things, you will enjoy Thailand. And also, though, you can get the very metropolitan Angio, you know like to Bangkok, and it has anything and everything you could ever want there, right? So Thailand is an incredibly good option. It's very popular location for tourists, right? So Bangkok is very easy to get to.

Speaker 2 36:05

Again, it's another one of those very large, very accessible airports in Asia. There's just a ton of these airports that are all extremely good, have a ton of flight options and are kind of kickoff points, right? So if you're coming into Thailand and you're going to the Southern islands, let's say, you land in Bangkok and then you transfer over to one of the smaller regional airlines and fly out to the islands. If you're going up north, like to Chiang Mai, same thing. Right.

Speaker 2 36:39

Now, be aware, there are two airports in Bangkok. One is the major international airport and the other one is more for the budget airlines. Other one is more for the budget airlines, so it could be a situation where you would fly into Bangkok International and then need to switch to the other airport. It's not that hard to do, right? There's several options to get over there to the other airport, so it's not too much of a hassle if you had to do that. If you can try to fly into one and fly out of the same one, unless you're going to be in Bangkok for a couple of days, it doesn't really apply to you. But if you're flying into the city and then transferring to another place in Bangkok and you're doing it via a different airline than what you flew in on, then keep that in mind. But, again, very easy to get to.

Speaker 2 37:29

The ability to move within the location is pretty good in Thailand. It's not as good as Japan or Singapore, but it's still very good. And one of the things you'll do is, if you're traveling to more than one location in Thailand which a lot of people do, right, like you might go down to the islands for a couple of days and maybe you want to go up into the mountains to Chiang Mai, or you're in Bangkok and then you want to go to Chiang Mai or something like that. The budget airlines in Asia. So when I say that, I'm thinking of, like AirAsia or Jetstar or Bangkok Airways. You know those types Vietjet there's a ton of options for budget airlines in Asia that can get you pretty much anywhere very efficiently and very cheaply. So if you're bouncing between cities, it's a great option because the cost is so small. Right, as long as you're not carrying 85 bags with you, it can be a very cheap way to travel around Thailand.

Speaker 2 38:34

Now, for me, my favorite town and place to visit in Thailand is Chiang Mai, so that's where I would recommend you go first as a solo traveler, because it's got a couple of things going for it in that it's a smaller city, it's got a ton of history, it's in the north, so it's not quite as hot Great food, a large expat community so there's going to be a lot of people that speak English or German or French or several other languages that are going to be either there long-term on a trip or living in Chiang Mai. Right, it's very easy to kind of find a light group of people if that's something that you want to do, but the locals there are very used to foreigners. It's not a hassle to interact with the locals. They're very friendly, very sweet, welcoming, warm culture. So I would definitely recommend Chiang Mai as maybe the stop that you'd want to try first in Thailand, but I don't know that you can really go wrong. So the ability to get there, the ability to move within the location, is very good.

Speaker 2 39:48

The food is stupid. It's so good. I mean Thai food, especially if you like noodles, a lot of vegetables and then very rich with spices and different flavors, not just spicy as in pepper spicy, which there's plenty of that. And you know, be careful there because the food in Thailand just normal is very hot. So if you have a low spice tolerance, you're going to need to make sure that you let people know that, because you are not Mark Wien's and because it will light you up. I mean it is hot but it's also extremely tasty. So definitely get into the local food. But even with that there is, especially like in the north right, pork is a very big player, so it's, and chicken as well, so you can get some of the best fried chicken. I've ever had was in Chiang Mai. I mean it's just phenomenal. So there's tons of options right, and there's also fast food and things like that. And the 7-Elevens in Thailand are really, really good. They have these little press sandwiches that you can get, these little ham and cheese sandwiches that are really, really good. Anyway, 7-elevens are very popular, so you can always find something to eat pretty easily, but it's not going to be quite as broad-based as the other places we've talked about, but it's certainly easy to find food, so you're not going to miss out there.

Speaker 2 41:07

And then hotels I'll just tell you any and every kind of accommodation on the planet they have available. I mean you can go five-star, top-end, crazy resort and you can go all the way down to a very, very, very cheap hostel. I mean I've stayed in Chiang Mai multiple times in multiple different hotels. I don't think we've ever paid over like $110 a night. In fact, a buddy of mine and I went several years ago and we stayed in a nice little hotel. I mean it was. It was. It was a nice little place and it was $25 a night and that was split between the two of us. So you know $12 and a half a night for this hotel and it was in the heart of the old city in Chiang Mai, close to everything, and was awesome, but it was $25 a night total. So you can find very good accommodations at every price point that you would want in Thailand. So Thailand's another great option.

Speaker 2 42:09

And lastly, one of my absolute favorite places Iceland. I adore Iceland. Iceland's really going to be for you, if you love that kind of Scandinavian feel, right, the same kind of feel that you get in Norway or Denmark or Sweden or Finland. This is kind of that same feel, but yet it's very much independent. It's its own thing. And also, you know, if you love getting outdoors, if you like rugged landscapes and mountains and getting out and going hiking and seeing waterfalls and camping in remote areas and things like that, man, iceland is like a wonderland.

Speaker 2 42:54

When I first went, I could not believe all of the opportunities for outdoor adventure, especially in Iceland, because it's basically one giant, amazing playground and it's so different than many of the other places that you'll ever visit. As far as that landscape, because it's so volcanic and it's ever changing. Right, there's always something new, something happening. In fact, I think right now there's just a new eruption that started and they've had several here recently and it's this kind of it's part of the normal course of business in Iceland. It's part of the normal course of business in Iceland. I mean, I think if I lived there or if I were to move there, I think the first couple of times would freak me the hell out. But the folks in Iceland just take it in stride, right. As long as it's not impacting homes or people's lives, then it's just part of what makes Iceland Iceland. There's a reason. It's the land of what makes Iceland Iceland. There's a reason. It's, you know, the land of fire and ice. So again, if that's really your gig, if you're really into those types of things, you're going to love Iceland. I certainly did.

Speaker 2 44:00

Now, as far as safety goes, the only country that beats out Singapore in safety pretty much year after year is Iceland. They just don't have a lot of crime period, I mean none. It is extremely safe, almost to the point to where you're kind of confused that it can be that safe, but it is. It's incredibly safe, incredibly kind people. There's places in Iceland where people still don't lock their doors. They don't worry about places you know getting vandalized. It's just crime's just not really a thing. So you can easily go to Iceland and feel very safe because it is safe. Now, as far as getting to Iceland, it is becoming easier and easier every day.

Speaker 2 44:48

Keflavik Airport, which is the major international airport in Iceland and is essentially Reykjavik's airport right, the main international airport, for Reykjavik is about a 40 minute drive outside of the city, so you're going to have to plan to get into the city from the airport, but we can discuss that in just a few minutes. As far as the airport itself and flights into the airport, the availability of flights seems to be constantly growing at some level, especially as demand continues to increase. So I know that there are several daily flights from both Europe and the United States into Iceland. So if you're traveling from the United States, it's pretty easy to find a flight and there's several operators that fly into pretty consistent basis. I know United does, I believe American does, and Iceland Air. Both have pretty extensive networks in the US into Iceland and then, of course, europe. It's a very, very short flight from mainland Europe and, if you're feeling really wild, there's even a ferry that leaves from Denmark, stops in the Faroe Islands and goes on to Iceland. So what I'm getting at here is that you have options right and Iceland is not as isolated as it may seem, being an island sitting out in the North Atlantic. You can get there pretty easily and without too much fuss.

Speaker 2 46:17

Now for the airport itself. I actually really like Keflavik Airport. You might think I wouldn't, because it's such a smaller airport. But that's exactly why I like it. It fits Iceland. It doesn't need to be giant, right Like. It doesn't need to be Singapore, changi or Hong Kong or any of those airports. It is, you know, fit for purpose and the amount of traffic they get. Like I mentioned, they are expanding it, which is great because they're going to have more traffic coming in there, so they're planning for that and building accordingly. But the airport itself, as it stands right now, is just so good Because it's small, it's clean, it's very easy to navigate, getting through customs and immigration very, very easy. They have plenty of options to grab a snack before and after your flights. You know all those things. They have everything you need, and I mentioned this previously in my podcast about Iceland exclusively, but I'll say it again here If you like pizza and you're a child of the 80s and 90s and of mall culture, then you know about Sbarro Pizza.

Speaker 2 47:33

So Sbarro Pizza, if you don't know, was a or is a pizza chain that was found most often in food courts and malls in the US, for sure, and also at a lot of airports in the US I don't know how widely it extended lot of airports in the US. I don't know how widely it extended, but as far as the US goes they were pretty ubiquitous and they were pretty much everywhere, and then they started fading away. Well, since I grew up in the 90s, the mall was part of our fun time, our ways of going out. You know, we spent a lot of time in malls as kids, and Sbarro was always there. Well, I fell in love with the pizza and I love it to this day. It's just impossible to find now.

Speaker 2 48:16

But lo and behold, the first time I flew into Keflavik airport, I got off the plane, I'm walking through the terminal, I look over and I about lose my mind, because there is a goddamn Sbarro in Keflavik Airport of all places, and I was so stoked Now it was 7.30, 8 o'clock in the morning, so I didn't get any then. But I made a plan to get some pizza when I was flying back out, and I most certainly did, and it was amazing, so excited to see that. So go to Iceland. You got to stop at the airport and get you a nice slice of pizza because, if nothing else, it'll be nostalgic, especially for the kids that grew up in the US. All right, so now. You got your pizza, you got your bags, you're officially inside of Iceland.

Speaker 2 49:06

So the next thing you have to worry about is getting into Reykjavik, right, because Reykjavik is pretty much the jumping off point to everywhere else in the country. Well, if you're part of a group or part of a tour, there's likely going to be a bus that has been organized to take you into Reykjavik from the airport. But if you're not, if you're truly solo, you're traveling on your own and you haven't joined up with a tour group or anything like that, then you have three options. Essentially, the first one is taking a bus, and this is probably the best option, frankly, as a solo traveler, except for one situation, which we'll talk about in a second. But the bus is going to be the easiest route. There are several different companies that do it. There are several different companies that do it. You can book those in advance or you can wait until you're at the airport and pay as you, kind of on demand. But the buses are always at the airport and they run into Reykjavik on a pretty regular basis. But, of course, be aware that by taking a bus, you may have to walk a little ways or take a transit bus once you get into Reykjavik to get to your hotel. So that's something to certainly keep in mind, because if you've got a lot of bags, then you're going to be dragging them around a little bit, but the bus is still probably the best option that you can do.

Speaker 2 50:29

The second option would be to take a cab. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that Uber and Lyft do not exist in Iceland, so there's not really any options as far as you know quote budget ride shares. It's going to be a cab and you're going to pay Iceland prices, and Iceland is typically pretty expensive for those types of services, and cabs are going to be no different. It's going to be pretty pricey to get from the airport to Reykjavik. Now, the last option is a really good one, but only if you make plans to do this anyway, and that is to take a rental car.

Speaker 2 51:13

So Iceland is an incredibly drivable country, with good roads that are well-maintained and there's not a ton of different routes for things. Right, being an island and the center of the country being in the highlands and somewhat inaccessible throughout much of the year, the road options are really limited and therefore there's not a lot of opportunity for you to get lost or have to try to figure out really confusing maps. So if you're planning on visiting a lot of the country, or a good chunk of the country, then a rental car might be a really good option, not only to get into the city but to use to get around the country. So that's certainly some things to keep in the back of your mind is that, you know, because Iceland is pretty remote and getting to a lot of the places that you're going to want to see, a lot of those you know really pretty waterfalls or the Black Sand Beach or things like that are going to require you to drive on the road. You to drive on the road, whether that's as a passenger on a bus or in your own rental car. You're going to have to do some level of driving or riding on the road to get to all of the good stuff. Right, because flying inside of Iceland, flying domestically, is pretty limited. I mean, there's a couple of places that you can fly to in the East Fjords and then you can fly up to Ocurary, but that's pretty much it for commercial flight service. So you're going to be on the road and so, if you feel comfortable with it, renting a car might be a really solid option, and the availability of the different kinds of vehicle to rent in Iceland is crazy. I mean, one of the things that I really wanted to do as a solo traveler is I would love to road trip in Iceland and rent a small RV or a four by four with a rooftop tent or another type of you know sleep setup, and I think that would be an amazing trip, you know, just to take out across the road, and then there's tons of campgrounds all over Iceland, and so that's a really cool way to see the country. It would be to go and see the sights and then pull into a campground at night and sleep, and then get up the next morning and do it all over again. So keep that in mind If you really want to do a lot of exploring in Iceland, you're going to need ways to get to those places, and more than likely that's either going to be by bus or by rental car. Ah yes.

Speaker 2 53:48

Now back to one of my absolute favorite parts of analysis the food. Okay, food in Iceland is interesting because it's pretty pricey. Again, that makes sense if you think about Iceland being an island and it's mostly volcanic, so it's hard to grow a lot of stuff locally, right. So Iceland has to ship in or import a lot of foods. So that's added cost of the shipping of those products into Iceland. So therefore that cost is transferred over to the consumer. And the other thing that kind of limits you on food in Iceland is that while the land mass of the country is pretty big I mean it's a pretty big country there's not a ton of population. So the towns once you get out of Reykjavik are fewer and farther between and then even with those there's fewer restaurant options in those towns because there's just not enough people to really warrant a lot of options.

Speaker 2 54:56

Although Iceland does do a great job in trying to combat the issues with restaurant availability by most of its hotels having restaurants in the hotels. I know that's more of a European style of hotel. You know, in America nowadays most hotels don't have restaurants. They may have like a continental breakfast or something, but they don't necessarily have a hotel restaurant. But in Iceland I think every hotel I stayed at had not only a hotel bar but a hotel restaurant and the food was pretty damn good. So while you may not have a ton of options in any one town that you may be staying in as you go around the ring road or wherever you're traveling to.

Speaker 2 55:42

In Iceland, the best place to look for places to eat when you're, you know, off in the wild yonder is the hotels, because they're more than likely going to have a restaurant and it's going to be pretty good. Now, in places like Reykjavik and Akureyri, you've got quite a few options, right. I mean, reykjavik is a pretty big, modern city and it has plenty of restaurant options, fast food options, pizza we actually went to a food hall that we really liked a lot while I was there and you know they had a ton of different food from traditional Icelandic food of you know more on the fish side and the seafood side to pizza. You know wood-fired pizza and other Italian food and sandwiches and gelato and several different options. I think there was even a taco place in there, but there were several options.

Speaker 2 56:33

So in Reykjavik you're going to have plenty of options and Akureyri, in the north, is basically the same way. You know you're going to have plenty of options and you can find a meal pretty much anywhere. But again, when you get out amongst the more wild areas, you know you have to be studious about finding places to eat. One thing I would certainly suggest is to go to one of the grocery store chains in Iceland, especially around Reykjavik grocery store chains in Iceland, especially around Reykjavik and stock up on things like drinks and snacks, maybe some chips and candy and those types of things, so that you can have those, whether you keep them in your car or keep them on your backpack or in your hotel room, and that just makes it easier to have those things accessible for you, and you're going to get a better price at the discount grocery stores than you are in a gas station in Vic or somewhere else along the road in Iceland, right? So if you're just strategic about it and you plan a little bit, you can work out the food issue very easily. Like I said, if you're going to be in Reykjavik, most of the time you don't have to worry about it. You'll find plenty. But if you're going to be out in the countryside, there are going to be, you know, some planning that needs to go into making sure that you have options when you're hungry. But as far as Icelandic food goes in and of itself, right.

Speaker 2 57:59

So what is traditional dishes in Iceland? It is pretty damn spectacular. A couple of things to mention here that if you go, you got to try. One is the seafood stew. It's kind of a tomato-based stew that's got a lot of seafood in it, because of course you're on an island surrounded by the ocean and that stuff is just absolutely spectacular. There's a couple of famous places in Reykjavik that serve it, but you can pretty much get it all over the country and it's phenomenal. Basically, anything seafood in Iceland is going to be good. It's going to be really fresh, really tasty and just very well done.

Speaker 2 58:41

And then on the land side of the food so you know when I would typically think of things like beef or pork or those types of things really, the staple meat in Iceland is lamb. But I will tell you what if you get lamb in the US, there is a certain Tell you what if you get lamb in the US, there is a certain gaminess to it and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I don't go in search of lamb typically, but I do like it and if it's available I'll have some right but it does have a certain gaminess to the flavor. In Iceland, one of the first things I ordered was this big lamb steak and I am here to tell you that was one of the most fantastic pieces of meat I've had anywhere, period. It did not have a gaminess to it, it was a super clean taste. It was incredibly good. So do not be afraid of the meat in Iceland, because, especially if you're getting the lamb, it's going to be amazing. But again, you can get chicken, you can get a hamburger or a cheeseburger. Those things are all available.

Speaker 2 59:57

Like I said, the options for food, of the food itself, is not really limited. You can get pretty much whatever you want in Iceland. It's just a matter of realizing that once you leave the major cities, the options for where to get that food at so the restaurants themselves is what is limited, and so you just have to be strategic about it. But if you do a little bit of planning and then consider that a lot of your meals when you're out on the road or traveling around the country are going to be in the hotel that you stay at, then you're going to be fine and it's not that big of a deal at all.

Speaker 2 1:00:31

And lastly, lodging Now this is a pretty unique topic about Iceland, because every hotel that I've stayed at there has been really good. Most of the aesthetic is going to be a Scandinavian style, so think elevated Ikea. It's going to be that more modern, straight, clean lines, not a bunch of crazy color, not a bunch of really dark wood. For the most part it's going to be that kind of design aesthetic, that very clean Scandinavian aesthetic. But the hotels themselves are really cool and they're usually in really beautiful locations. They're overlooking the mountains or overlooking a lake or the ocean or something pretty. I mean it's hard to turn your head in Iceland and not see something that just kind of grabs your attention as being gorgeous natural occurrences.

Speaker 2 1:01:27

But they place these hotels in really good locations and usually they're one story or maybe two story, except in like Reykjavik or Ocurary, and they have really nice amenities, really nice rooms. And they have really nice amenities, really nice rooms, comfortable beds. They're usually pretty new. I haven't stayed in a lot of places in Iceland that were very old, so they're pretty new and frankly, they're pretty damn spectacular. I mean I really enjoyed the hotels Because of the weather in Iceland. I mean, even if you're there in the summer, man, you can open up the window and you get a lovely breeze coming in, and when it cools down in the evenings it's really pretty great. I mean I had some of the best sleep I've had in a really long time in Iceland.

Speaker 2 1:02:15

But really probably the biggest thing about hotels in Iceland is just be aware that while there's plenty of hotels, they're again like restaurants. They're spread out because the population just doesn't demand a bunch of hotels for the local population. And so you have to kind of plan when you go to Iceland because you know it does involve moving pretty big distances to see different sites and things. So you kind of have to be aware of where you're going to be when you're ready to check into a hotel and then make reservations for those hotels. And also you want to make reservations because flying by the seat of your pants in Iceland really doesn't work. You might be in a town that's got one or two hotels and that's it, and if those are all full, I mean you're either driving to the next town and hoping you can get something there or I mean you're sleeping in your car. So be smart about it and do a little bit of planning. If you do that it will certainly pay off for you Because again, like all of these places I've talked about, they are extremely enjoyable places to visit, especially as a solo traveler.

Speaker 2 1:03:26

They're all unique and enjoyable in their own way. I mean, you're talking from going, you know, from 35 million people in Tokyo to, I think, 380,000 total population in Iceland. So these locations really just run across the spectrum and all have something, you know, worth seeing and doing and experiencing. And really that's what travel is all about. Right Is going out and it's experiencing new things, experiencing these amazing wonders that we're lucky enough to have in this world, and taking those experiences home and it makes you a, you know, a more well-traveled person, a better person. You're exposed to all types of people and walks of life and situations and, and you know, being a solo traveler, you really get to kind of take that all in without any outside you know, interference. Like I said, I love to travel with my wife and with my kids and with our friends. I mean, we do travel that way a lot.

Speaker 2 1:04:42

But there is something to be said for the quiet enjoyment of solo travel and being totally reliant on yourself and finding your own way and working through problems as they arise. It just, I tell you, it will make you a better traveler and a better person. Having solo traveled. It just really is something that I feel very strongly about and would encourage anyone that has that little itch in the back of their brain that makes them think they might want to go out and give this a shot, to go give it a shot. Maybe it's not your thing and that's okay, you know, if you try it and don't like it, hey, no harm, no foul, right, but you might just like it. You might really enjoy the experience. And if that's the case, then welcome to the team, because I love solo travel and I hope to continue to do it for as long as I can. But I would encourage everyone to take this podcast, take this kind of blueprint, adapt to however you like to plan and how you like to do things and use that as a jumping off point to plan that trip, to plan that first solo adventure, and start planning and figure out where you want to go and go. Do it because it will be an incredibly rewarding experience one way or the other.

Speaker 2 1:06:12

Well, looks like we've wrapped up another podcast. I want to go ahead and thank everyone for listening. It's again, as I'll say pretty much every time I put out a podcast, it's an absolute joy doing these. I I really do enjoy, you know, sharing my experiences and my info of travel with you. I hope that you know, in some measure, you get some enjoyment out of the, the stories or, you know, get some use out of the information, and this is certainly one of those episodes that hopefully, that information will help you become a solo traveler or give you the confidence to give it a shot.

Speaker 2 1:06:52

If you have a chance, I would really appreciate you taking a few minutes and giving us a rating and review on wherever you listen to podcasts. That again helps the podcast grow and move its way up search results so that more people are able to find the podcast. Also, if you have questions, if you have any suggestions, any feedback, would love to hear that In the show notes is my email address for the podcast. It's treysandtimes at gmailcom. Please feel free to shoot us an email and share what you're thinking. I'd love to hear from you. And, lastly, if you have any friends or family that are into travel or looking to get into travel, please feel free to share the podcast with them and bring them along on the adventure as well. So again, thanks to everyone for listening and we'll see you on the next as well. So again thanks to everyone for listening and we'll see you on the next one. Thanks, bye.

Speaker 1 1:07:46

This has been Trade Tables and Time Zones. Worldwide travel is one of the funnest things you can do in life and it's our passion to talk about the good, the bad, the funny and the ugly. Nothing is off limits. We hope you've enjoyed the show. If you did, make sure to like, rate and review. We'll be back soon, but in the meantime, find us on Instagram at Trade Tables and Time Zones, and for questions or comments, send your email to tradesandtimes at gmailcom. Take care and see you next time on Trade Tables and Time Zones.