#airbnbexperience

Giving thanks for the day.

Solo traveller " is the term that has been in vogue for quite some time now. For me it is the adrenaline surge that helps me to rediscover myself while being reduced to a nobody amidst strangers.

Me and my sister have had successfully debunked the concept of travelling at a very youthful age. Maybe it is from my parents influence that we came out as an avid travellers later in life.

In my case, the film, " Queen " and the unknown pull towards Korea were two factors that had led me to set out on my first ever solo travel. I even remember being mocked by my friends and co-workers for the selection of the country. But with encouragement from my folk and my own hell bend determination, I took that trip. Yet that was just the beginning. Thus far I have been to South Korea 🇰🇷, Japan 🇯🇵, USA 🇺🇸, Europe 🇪🇺. Have stopped in Thailand 🇹🇭, Abu Dhabi, 🇦🇪, Singapore 🇸🇬.

My solo travel list comprises of only four things. That is to say:

- To and fro airway tickets

- Airbnb reservations

-Intra/Inter city/state travel tickets

-Detailed research

I will attempt to give a vague idea as many of you had expressed your interest and curiosity about the same. They go as follows:

The golden principle that every solo traveller has to follow is undying and innumerable amount of research. In my case, once I have decided my destination to explore, I execute research on the following:

A) Base state/City: This is one place where you are functioning to stay the most. It bears to be centrally located so that you can easily take those one day trips from there. For me these were the base: Seoul in South Korea, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in Japan, New York in USA, Amsterdam in Netherlands.

B) Exploring the city:

Depending upon how many days you and your wallet agrees upon, you can scout the places that you would desire to visit as per your interest. For this you can either read reliable blogs such as @lonelyplanet @tripadvisors @travelersguardian or watch highly viewed Vlogs. I execute both of them as well as use applications like @viatortravel @Visitacity or @tripadvisorquotes . These applications draw out a draft of the best sights to be seen per day from your point of interest. You will be also able to acquire additional information about the best routes, modes of commute and nearby places to visit or things to do. Go for them to have a systematized local sightseeing without getting lost.

3) Day trips:

I invariably try to take advantage of day trips. Depending upon where I desire to travel or what is the easiest mode, I either travel on my own using local transportation mode or go for pre booked tours. I had taken shinkashen (Bullet train) from Kyoto on my own to travel to Arashiyama, Furishiminari and Nara during my travels in Japan. On the other hand, I had pre-booked my trip to Busan from Seoul mainly to avoid language barrier issues. Likewise, I had pre-booked trips to Philadelphia & Washington from New York and to Githoorn & Zans and Volendam from Amsterdam.

For pre-booked tours you can use platforms like @tripadvisors , visit a city or @viatortravel . I invariably go for them to enjoy a hassle-free and safe tour.

4) Accommodation:

I always book my accommodations on the basis of budget, safety, cleanliness, sightseeing programs, ease of local transportation and ratings. Like I had shared before, I mostly prefer to stay in airbnbs @airbnblogos-blog or tourist hostels. The advantages of sticking around at these places are

- Safe and cheap

- Lot many options are available

- Running into new people

I constantly rely on platforms like @airbnblogos-blog ,@booking.com @goibiboblog @makemytrip-blog

Thus far I have enjoyed all my bookings and have never been troubled with any theft or harassment. On the opposite, I have now friends across the globe.

5) Commute:

I believe in being a traveller and not a tourist. I always run for local modes of transportation-cycles/ bus/Subways/trains/ bullet trains. Merely doing so again needs a bit of preparation.

Here are a few tips to do so:

-Avoid Uber unless you are willing to spend a lump amount of money on travelling locally

-Gain a thorough study of the various modes of transportation that your place of interest has to offer.

-Utilize the above mentioned apps / read blogs to gain knowledge about the best mode of commute. You can use Gmap too

-Download local train or metro apps

-Identify the correct type of train/subway to take. For instance Japan and Seoul come with a complex system of trains and subways run by three different troupes. Whereas Amsterdam has Trams too.

-Understand the suitable way of payment to use (train pass/ metro card or smart card to avoid unnecessary expense)

I in order to keep a tab on my wallet had opted to purchase a pass (Japan and Europe Railway Pass) and a subway card. I had also purchased tickets for hop on hop off bus /ferry in the USA.

6)Food:

I am a person who loves to explore and experience local delicacies. Throughout my various journeys I have had the chance to devour some of the most mouth watering dishes and at the same time unfortunately some weird ones too. Having stated that, if you are not a risk taker, you can always check out the food blogs @foodandwine @foodtrotter-blog @foodexpert or a Google map to find food outlets that matches your budget. If you desire to go out with cheaper options, you can always carry your own ready to eat foods or buy them from local convenient shops

7) Bar and Clubbing

To be very frank as a soul who rarely hangs out at the bar and go to clubs in general, I have never experienced that in a foreign land.

Besides, I don't want to take the risk of getting drunk or being drugged in a place where am all alone.

Instead I have experienced the occasional house parties/ outings conducted by the bnb owners @airbnbexperiences . Hence if you want to have fun while being safe and sound, I would suggest you to go for them.

I consider these points pretty much sums up the preparation that I usually engage myself with whenever I plan my solo trips. For more details, kindly reach out to me. I will be more than happy to record your travel related tips and experiences.

ALLIANÇE FRANÇAISE CUBA presents ARROZ CON MANGO, a series of dance, music, food, workshops and other cultural activities presented June 13-16, 2019 as part of the Month of French Culture in Cuba. The term ‘Arroz con Mango’ (Rice with Mango) is a Spanish expression that roughly translates as a ‘sticky situation’ or a ‘complicated mess’. The Alliançe Française venues on Prado & Presidente, as well as Bar Paparazzi in Miramar will host the events.