'One of the toughest yet proudest things I've done': Woman shares tips after solo travelling in Canada

Solo travelling can be fun. You can have the complete freedom to make your own decisions and as the saying goes, solitude is bliss. 

But on the flip side, there are a lot of other things to consider like doing your own research and keeping an eye out for danger. 

For Lemon8 user Megan, her time abroad on her own was an eye-opening experience. In a post, she shared her solo travel experience in British Columbia and provided valuable tips for those looking to embark on their own overseas trip alone. 

After staying in the Canadian province for a month, from July to August 2022, Megan described it as "one of the toughest yet proudest things that I've done so far". 

On her Instagram account, she elaborated on her solo travel experience. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Megan (@meganwkn)

She was a "workawayer" on a ranch in McBride, British Columbia. 

If you're wondering what a "workawayer" is, they are part of a cultural exchange programme called Workaway.

Travellers can join the Workaway online platform and volunteer their time and skills to help their hosts, and in return, they get lodging and food. 

Megan devoted her time by helping out on the ranch, picking up hay stacks, milking cows, feeding dogs and interacting with horses.

During her free time, she travelled within British Columbia exploring places like Jasper and Victoria. 

Tips for solo travellers

One of the most important things she highlighted is researching on sunset timings.

Since we live in Singapore, which sits on the equator, we have the privilege of having consistent sunset timings, give or take a few minutes. 

But in continents like North America and Europe, depending on the seasons, the sun sets and rises at different times during the year.

"I highly recommend doing research on that to plan your schedule well," Megan explained in the post, so solo travellers would be able to head home safely before it gets dark. 

Budgeting is another tip Megan shared. "Checking and planning for my finances became a huge pain and took me ages to check on my budget while in the midst of travelling [sic]."

Personally for her, after using a plethora of payment options such as credit cards and Apple Pay, she recommended sticking to just one payment method.  

Speaking to AsiaOne, Megan shares an incident where she was double-charged: "There was once where the hotel charged me at the counter even when I already prepaid on a travel app, but I only realised a few days later because I used a different card on said travel app." 

Now, she uses YouTrip when she is travelling. 

One perk of travelling with friends and family is that you will always have someone to help you snap pictures. 

But when you're alone, you've got to be creative. 

"I had to rely on a lot of self-timer shots on my phone whenever I wanted a shot of myself," she shared in the post. 

She also suggested practising before your trip, as it took her a while to master the art of self-timer photography. 

In an Instagram Q&A story, she shared a couple of handy pointers as well. 

On the topic of safety, she mentioned that she was willing to pay more for transport as opposed to hitchhiking with strangers. 

Responding to a question about budget, Megan shared that she spent $9,500 on accommodations during the trip, noting that she's "quite picky" when it comes to her sleeping and housing arrangements. 

Plus, as a photographer, she had been saving money from her photography gigs since her university days. 

She also suggested that with proper planning and picking cheaper accommodations, you can save more on your travel budget.

So what are some key takeaways from her solo trip? 

"I’m an introvert who enjoys personal time and space, so it helped me a lot in terms of self-discovery. I did not want to rely on others to take me to places that I wanted to go.

"Solo travelling to Canada proved that I was enough for myself and made me so much more independent and empowered as a young woman," she shares.

While British Columbia is "blessed with large fields and amazing mountain views", she realised people there too have similar concerns like "money, employment, or even finding a partner to settle down with."

It also made her realise that there's no real escape from life.

"It’s what you make of it wherever you are in this world. It is an eye opening experience I would recommend everyone to have," Megan adds. 

Solo travel experiences are not for everyone

While some travellers like Megan may have had a positive experience during their time abroad, others are not as fortunate. 

In a post on Lemon8, user Kaede shared her experiences while on a student exchange programme in Toronto. 

For Kaede, her time there wasn't that great. 

"Everything was crazy expensive", Kaede mentioned in her post. With high taxes and a tipping culture, she highlighted that eating out can cost a bomb. 

In addition to that, housing and even air tickets for domestic flights are expensive. 

It also didn't help that she couldn't click with her housemates.

All in all, she found her student exchange traumatising, and advised people to make sure they do their research before travelling overseas.

READ ALSO: 7 out of 10 Singaporeans want to travel alone, but worry about loneliness and safety

venkat.gunasellan@asiaone.com

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