2 ms·

I've never travelled before (other than the usual British holidays to france and spain, in which you make an immediate detour to the first red lion you see and

I've never travelled before (other than the usual British holidays to france and spain, in which you make an immediate detour to the first red lion you see and kind of just sit around that for a week), but have recently been feeling like I should at least try it. The problem is, I have no idea where to start, where to go or what to do. I don't really have any opinions on where I'd want to go because its never been something I've considered doing. Ideally, it'd be really nice to find a group of people who also want to go travelling and who are also more into it that I can join along with. Not like a tour guide, I'm not a huge fan of strict activites and basically just want to go foreign pubs, but a few people who I can socialise with and who know what they're doing, that'd be great, but so far Google hasn't turned up a lot. Anyone have any advice for somone like me? For some reason I know the more granular advice like "travel light", but don't really have a clue about the much broader stuff like "go to x"

edent 4y ago
The trick, I find, is to start small and see what you like doing. My advice would be - go to Rotterdam. Take the Eurostar there, pick literally any hotel. Open up Google maps, find some bars. Pick a couple of museums or parks. Built a rough itinerary for, say, a long weekend. If there's a Pride event on, that's fun. If not, just go wandering. Everyone there speaks decent English. Food and beer is great. Good culture. Adequate weather. If you're gregarious, chat to people in bars, clubs, concerts. If not, look at Greeters - https://internationalgreeter.org/ https://internationalgreeter.org/ They're locals who will show you around the city. Have fun!
- bodge5000 4y ago
  Never heard of Greeters before, that sounds fantastic! Also nice to finally have an idea of somewhere to go, that helps tremendously Cheers for the help!
virgildotcodes 4y ago
If you're looking to meet a group of people to go to foreign pubs with, especially (but not strictly) if you happen to be in your 20s and 30s, just stay in social hostels. You can occasionally find sites that highlight the most social "party" hostels in each town, or you can get a feel for it based on if their pictures feature extensive communal areas, an on-premises bar, pool tables, etc. Basically go to any destination that seems appealing, stay at one of those hostels in the dorms, and you'll make friends quickly. It's not all about just getting trashed together, oftentimes the people around you will tip you off to what's worth seeing and doing in the area, and will even want to join you or have you join their group and go do these things together. It can be a lot of fun, not to mention typically the cheapest option for housing while traveling. Edit: More to the point of "go to x" - I'd highly recommend Southeast Asia as a great entry point to travel. It's beautiful, very different from Europe/North America so it really feels like you're traveling, it's got the gorgeous tropical beaches, rainforests, beautiful architecture, unique street food scene, etc that all feel very foreign to anyone who's lived in the West for most of their lives, it's overwhelmingly safe, probably the cheapest place in the world to travel ($3-$10/night for a hostel, $1-2 for a meal from a street vendor), and it's a very popular destination with plenty of hostels and fellow travelers to meet at those hostels and befriend. In terms of a couple specific destinations to start out with, take a look at Thailand, especially Koh Phangan and Koh Phi Phi, and Bali (Canggu and Ubud areas).

edent 4y ago

The trick, I find, is to start small and see what you like doing. My advice would be - go to Rotterdam. Take the Eurostar there, pick literally any hotel. Open up Google maps, find some bars. Pick a couple of museums or parks. Built a rough itinerary for, say, a long weekend. If there's a Pride event on, that's fun. If not, just go wandering. Everyone there speaks decent English. Food and beer is great. Good culture. Adequate weather. If you're gregarious, chat to people in bars, clubs, concerts. If not, look at Greeters - https://internationalgreeter.org/ https://internationalgreeter.org/ They're locals who will show you around the city. Have fun!

bodge5000 4y ago
Never heard of Greeters before, that sounds fantastic! Also nice to finally have an idea of somewhere to go, that helps tremendously Cheers for the help!

virgildotcodes 4y ago

If you're looking to meet a group of people to go to foreign pubs with, especially (but not strictly) if you happen to be in your 20s and 30s, just stay in social hostels. You can occasionally find sites that highlight the most social "party" hostels in each town, or you can get a feel for it based on if their pictures feature extensive communal areas, an on-premises bar, pool tables, etc. Basically go to any destination that seems appealing, stay at one of those hostels in the dorms, and you'll make friends quickly. It's not all about just getting trashed together, oftentimes the people around you will tip you off to what's worth seeing and doing in the area, and will even want to join you or have you join their group and go do these things together. It can be a lot of fun, not to mention typically the cheapest option for housing while traveling. Edit: More to the point of "go to x" - I'd highly recommend Southeast Asia as a great entry point to travel. It's beautiful, very different from Europe/North America so it really feels like you're traveling, it's got the gorgeous tropical beaches, rainforests, beautiful architecture, unique street food scene, etc that all feel very foreign to anyone who's lived in the West for most of their lives, it's overwhelmingly safe, probably the cheapest place in the world to travel ($3-$10/night for a hostel, $1-2 for a meal from a street vendor), and it's a very popular destination with plenty of hostels and fellow travelers to meet at those hostels and befriend. In terms of a couple specific destinations to start out with, take a look at Thailand, especially Koh Phangan and Koh Phi Phi, and Bali (Canggu and Ubud areas).