When Solo Adventure traveling do not overextend and look forward to meeting fellow travelers

June 22, 10:56 AMChicago Adventure Travel ExaminerTed Nelson

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Do not be afraid to adventure travel solo. I have written a couple of articles giving adventure travelers some ideas on how to get started. The best way to go about this is by joining a club in the activity that you want to pursue. However, many people prefer to travel solo. I just completed an article on Smitty who is leaving today on a 2,400 mile bike trip by himself. Many people maybe concerned about traveling alone, but many experienced travelers prefer it.

Some of the reasons people may not want to travel alone concern safety, loneliness, and lack of experience. The first two can be answered together. If you are concerned about safety and lack of experience then you are wise. Every traveler, even experienced ones, should be concerned about safety. It is like a famous actor or musician still having stage fright after performing for decades.  Many say that this fear makes them perform better.   If you are traveling and do not have a little bit of a fear of the unknown then you are probably not doing something very adventurous or you are reckless.

The best way to deal with safety and lack of experience concerns is to properly research the trip you are doing and make sure you are not overextending yourself. Guidebooks, websites, travel blogs exist for just about every adventure under the sun. Read up and make sure you know what the dangers are and prepare yourself with the proper equipment and knowledge. If you are going to a national park you can always call the park and talk to a ranger to learn about other warnings.

Others may be hesitant to travel solo because they do not like being alone, although other travelers like Smitty prefer the solitude. I have found that it is easy to regulate this. I like traveling by myself, but there are other times I do enjoy company. I have found that it is easy to be alone when you want to be alone and to find company when you are looking for it. I have two stories to share about times when I was alone and found other travelers to hang out with.

Great Smokey Mountains National Park – I was doing a four day solo hike in the Smokey Mountains and the first day I was hiking up from Cades Cove to the Appalachian Trail (AT). At the trail junction of the AT were two other hikers. I was wearing my Chicago White Sox hat. One guy at the junction said in disgust when he looked at me, “I come nine hours from Chicago to go hiking in the wilderness and I run into a White Sox fan.” He was a Cub fan. It turned out they were staying at the same shelter that night. Also staying in the shelter were two hikers completing the whole AT (thru hikers they are called). We had a great party that night, and I really enjoyed everyone's company. The next day I hiked into the interior and camped by myself the next two nights, so I had a good mix of being alone and camping with others.

Kho Yai National Park, Thailand- My guide book gave perfect instructions on how to get to the entrance of this park, however, it failed to inform me that the campsite and park office was 13km from the entrance and there was no transport there. It was 3:30pm and I had to hike 13km to get to my destination through wild tiger country.  I began hiking.  The ranger at the entrance suggested I hitchhike. I stuck my thumb out and the first truck blew past me without breaking. I figured after this that I had a long walk ahead. 

The next truck stopped and a bunch of young smiling Thai men beckoned me to come aboard.  Not only did they drive me to the gait, but they let me camp with them, fed me, shared their beer and whiskey with me, and allowed me to go on their night tour of the park on their jeep where we saw five wild elephants. They would not accept a penny from me in return no matter how hard I tried to share in the cost.  It was touching how hard they tried to take care of me.  It was like they packed extra provisions in case they ran into a solitary foreign traveler hitchhiking.

When adventure traveling by yourself, make sure you do not overextend your trip by doing plenty of research. However, do not let the loneliness aspect stop you. There is a good chance you will meet fellow travelers and these random meetings are sometimes the best part of the trip.