First time backpacking, staying in hostels, and doing it solo.

I'm backpacking for the first time, well I think it's backpacking. I live out of a single backpack and I'm staying in the cheapest hostels I can find. Let me tell you, it's really really fun.


So how does one begin backpacking alone?

I've always wanted to do it, but I was scared. Eventually you get tired of being scared and you just do it. My adventure just sort of... happened. I came to Hawaii about 2 weeks ago with my family. About two days ago they flew back home and I decided to stay in Hawaii. The morning they left, I woke alone in the hotel room, and I had nowhere to stay for the night. I started to panic a bit. I was so used to knowing exactly where I was going to sleep and what I was going to do for the day. I always had a plan. I meditated for a bit to calm my nerves, but looking back on it, I really had nothing to be nervous about. I booked a hostel and wandered around the city, and my path to pathlessness began.

Oh, and I'll be backpacking in Seoul starting tomorrow.



What are hostels like?

Before this, I had never stayed in a hostel. So I was nervous as I approached the hostel.  I chose to stay in a eight girl dorm room because it was the cheapest option ($28 a night in Honolulu). I was so afraid the girls would be rude and I would hate it. Which was dumb because the girls ended up being fantastic. I specifically made friends with a very interesting girl from Beijing and sweet girl from Portland.

I've also heard horror stories about people at hostels. There was a fight outside my hostel yesterday. Before I arrived, I heard there was a fat lady in the dorm who would sleep naked. On a darker note, they were investigating a murder at my hostel as well. But so far, I'm meeting fascinating people and that's all that matters, right?

The hostel itself is pretty dirty. My bed showed signs of bed bugs, which are common in hostels. So I laid down some beach mats, extra blankets, and wore clothes to cover most of my skin. I also put on coconut oil, I'm not sure if it helped, but I didn't get bit! Bathrooms are naturally gross if you share it with seven other girls. House keeping comes everyday, but they don't really do a deep cleaning. Every hostel is different though, you can probably get a more expensive hostel and it will probably be cleaner. 

What's it like backpacking alone?

It's magical. You wake up in the morning, with no specific plan and you do what pleases you. For example, I woke up, walked down to the beach, did yoga and swam in the ocean. You find yourself living in the moment. You don't have to plan, things just sort of happen. If you're afraid of going alone, just know travelers also attract other travelers. It's so true that it should be rule. In the past two days I've met so many people from around the world from just hanging around the city/hostel. 

I'll be writing about my trip to Seoul eventually so stay connected :) It's going to be my first time backpacking alone in another country where they have a completely different language from us - which I know nothing about besides how to say "Hello" and "Do you speak english?" It should be a fantastic adventure and I would love to share it with you!

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments, or tweet at me @tarabolical and I'll get back to you right away.

xoxoxo

Tarabolical