To give our
readers some insight into the draw of solo travel, we interviewed Bruce and
Wendy’s son Robert Fougner. Rob has been traveling solo for four years, since
he was 20. Having heard numerous stories from independent travelers who had
gone abroad and done their own thing, he had always wanted to travel solo. He
had the chance to do some solo travel when he went to South Africa with a
basketball team, so he took the opportunity to go off on his own at the end of
the trip. The World Cup was coming up in South Africa at the time, so Rob
traveled around Mozambique and Swaziland and then returned to South Africa for
the World Cup.
When asked what he like about solo travel, Rob
said the great thing is that “everyone can accept a party of one.” Whether you
are couch surfing, getting invited to someone’s home or catching a ride to
your next destination, there is almost always room for one. When you travel
solo you are more likely to get invited places than when you travel with a
friend or a group. Solo travel also forces you to be social, to get out there
and do things that might be out of your comfort zone. When you travel with
friends or family, you tend to stay within your own little bubble and don’t
need to branch out and connect with as many people. When you travel solo, you
have to branch out and you end up meeting so many more people. Rob said that
after traveling solo for several months he only ate two meals by himself. When
traveling solo, “you’re by yourself, but never alone.”
Some of Rob’s favourite solo destinations have
been Jordan, Mozambique, Israel, Serbia and Austria. In Jordan, Rob went out
to Petra on his own, an experience he described as “absolutely unreal.” He
visited Jordan during the political unrest in Egypt, which meant that there
were significantly less tourists traveling to the Middle East. Usually
thousands of people swarm the treasury every day, but there were way less tourists
at Petra and Rob was able to cruise around by himself and take everything in.
Another highlight in Jordan was having a beer in the oldest bar in the world.
In Mozambique Rob met a group of American Peace Corps volunteers who were
thrilled to meet a Canadian that they could speak with in English. As he
traveled around the country they helped set him up with a number of places to
stay for free.
A couple of years ago, Rob had the opportunity to stay in
Israel for a week. He described Israel as a really interesting place and found
that people were very friendly and welcoming. Another favourite of Rob’s was
Belgrade, Serbia. He called Belgrade “a cool party city” where “the people are
gorgeous and everyone is dressed to the nines.” It’s a great place to let loose
and have some fun. One of the places that Rob felt most at home was in Austria.
He said that he felt he could live in Innsbruck and would love the opportunity
to work there.
Rob’s
biggest tip for first time solo travelers: “go with an open mind and be open to
anything that happens”. He said that you should always be willing to change
plans because some of the best experiences arise when you change your course.
For instance, when Rob was in Istanbul it was pouring rain, he wasn’t enjoying
himself and he wanted to leave Turkey and go to Greece. He travelled to Bodrum
where he planned to take a ferry to Greece when met a friend who was going on a
boat cruise around Turkey. He convinced Rob to join him on the cruise, sailed
around and had an amazing time. Rob also said to “assume the best in people and
go with your gut.” Throughout all his solo adventures, this has only led him
astray once. Overall, when solo traveling, Rob said that if you’re open and
willing to meet people, most of the time you will enjoy yourself.
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