My volunteer abroad project in the fall of 2017 was my first solo travel trip. Well, I mean, I have flown on my own before, but it was always to meet other people for at least most of the trip, or to travel alone for work. So those do not really count. This was the big time. I went to a totally new continent, the furthest place I could go on the planet, totally alone. Sure, my volunteer organization had coordinated by airport pick up, my housing, and my job assignment. However, there was not going to be any other volunteers there. One girl was set to show up a couple days before I came home but she was Canadian, very young and there for a Thai massage internship.
Didn’t you fear for your life? You could be killed!
Negative. The literal translation of THAILAND is land of smiles. These are the happiest freaking people I have ever met, even if that response is not appropriate. In addition, here are some things about me I should explain if we do not personally know each other. First of all, I have zero chill when it comes to being quiet, introverted, or minding my own business. I have never been accused of being shy and that helped. I would ask people for help when I needed it ( and they jumped at the opportunity to help) or tell people to leave me alone if they needed it. Thailand is really not a “heckler” kind of culture, like you might see in places like Mexico or Morocco. Another thing you should know is that I am very tall and ….big boned. I am larger than all of the Thai people I came across and that physical leg-up (literally my hips came to their shoulders) gave me a certain level of confidence going into this thing.
Oh, you saw the Hangover 2? Cool, that is not Bangkok.
Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Was your experience there just like the first Hangover movie? Unlikely right. Well, that is about how related the Hangover 2 movie was to my time in Bangkok. Yes, there are lady boys. They are super nice, do not harass you for sex (or at least not me, I am a chick after all). Their makeup is the bomb.com and when I needed clothing in a jam (explained in a video journal entry), they were my heroes because it was all I could fit in. I didn’t see drugs, except for weed and that was with hippy European backpackers that were free as birds. Shout out O, you crazy mofo! In fact, it was damn near impossible to get a beer anytime I really wanted one due to endless holidays, the king’s death, and the lunar calendar. Buddist have a lot of no drinking days. So no, I was not some damsel in distress in this seedy, drug filled, kidnapper ridden city. Everyone was just really cool, way too smiley, and obsessed with taking photos with very tall white girls without shame.
I’m not trying to make it out to be Care-Bear Land either though.
Put your backpack on the front of your body. Avoid bumping into people. Don’t walk down dark, gross looking alleys you might see in a horror film. You know that stupid girl in those movies? Don’t be that dumbass. This is like, regular common sense. I would follow these rules at home in Minnesota. Yes, pick-pocketers are a thing. They are a thing everywhere and it is one of the oldest scams. There are lots of ways of going about stealing from a person, so know those. There are youtube videos and even a documentary series on Netflix called Scam City, which exposes different popular scams in tourist destinations and shows you how they work. I would recommend watching basically all of them, before you do anything, like leave your house ever again. That is not “Travel Rachael” talking…that is “Banker Rachael.” It always amazes me people still fall for this shit. Just have your wits about you and everything will be peachy.
Didn’t you see the movie Hostel? How could you ever stay at one of those?
I didn’t stay at one, I stayed at many and insisted on it. Real talk: I was super nervous my first night. I chose a hostel because younger, cooler, backpackers said it was the best and “like sups cheap bruh.” Yeah, so picture me, with a fanny pack under my clothing, stuffed full of everything I could not possibly lose, cell phone, passport, cash, snacks and a full freaking tablet. I slept (didn’t sleep) like that all night. If you aren’t quite sure what a hostel is, it is basically a huge hotel room with bunk beds for many people to sleep. You get an unlocked locker to put your things in, so bring a lock if that makes you happy. There is usually one bathroom for everyone to share. In most places, you can do a women’s only room, a men’s only, or a co-ed. I stayed in co-eds, because they were available and cheaper. People aren’t walking around with their junk out. It was fine. Okay, quit thinking about swinging dicks now.
Anyways, I woke up after the first morning, getting like no sleep because I was so paranoid about getting robbed to see that all of my roommates had all of their crap strewn about, macbooks, passports, wallets, speedos….you name it. I could see there was just a general understanding that people on the road take care of each other and don’t do that kind of shit. I relaxed, met the most amazing people in hostels, and slept like a champ. Could someone steal from you? Yeah, don’t be an idiot. I just didn’t leave anything laying out if I didn’t want to lose it. You have the same risk with your normal hotel staff so….relax.
Don’t be a jerk, cover your ass up.
Especially to the ladies, I am talking at you right now. You are in a foreign culture with different acceptable values and morals. Yes, your butt looks killer in those cutoffs, that are basically denim underwear. Yes, it is hotter than hell and feels like you are standing inside a sweaty armpit outside. Cover your ass up and get over yourself. You have your whole life to send mostly naked photos to people. This is not your moment. It is offensive to other people in cultures not like yours and you do not want to be mistaken as a lady of the night. It’s not only a respect thing but it’s a safety thing too. Does wearing small shorts mean you are “asking for it.” Let’s not do this right now. I hear you, I get it. Still, cover your ass up so you can fight the good femme fight another day.
What if I am nothing like Rachael, physically or socially? Don’t worry, no one is.
That’s awesome! It is probably easier for you to find shoes than trying to get anything to cover these beast feet of mine. If you aren’t bigger than an ENTIRE COUNTRY, that’s okay. Not super extroverted or outgoing (these are very different things)? Super-duper! It doesn’t mean you can’t be a girl boss that solo travels around the world. I said it “gave me confidence going into this thing.” I never had to take down a small Thai person or put the hurt on them. If someone had a weapon, it would have been toast just like anyone else. I just never came into contact with any kind of situation where I had to flex on someone. People are super peaceful there. I got hussled by some taxi drivers, but what’s new. I have a lost look about me that cabby’s just love.
Solo travel is my new jam.
I am a very social person so this was quite the shock to me. I really, really ended up loving traveling alone. Yeah, I had to carry my own stuff but I could just chill out in whatever restaurant I felt like, go wherever I wanted, and give zero fucks. However, the best part of solo travel was that other solo travelers all have this code. They will invite you to sit with their group, or join them on a beach day. When you travel with someone else, like a significant other, you isolate yourselves to each other. You are less approachable. When you are soloing, you meet SO many more people, can join up if you are headed in the same direction, then part ways guilt free. I met people from all over the world. I stay connected with them and all of their crazy adventures and reminisce about funny things that we shared.
Will I do it again? Ya, sure, you betcha! Go get it Gurl. You got this.
