Matador Network's Blog, page 2087
July 9, 2015
23 foods you have to try at this year’s Taste of Chicago
Taste of Chicago, the world’s biggest outdoor festival, is the place to be this week. These instagrams will most certainly convince you to head to the event and try the huge variety of food on offer.
1. Eli’s Cheesecake Birthday cake dippers
A photo posted by Time Out Chicago (@timeoutchicago) on Jul 8, 2015 at 2:45pm PDT
2. Chicago pothole gelato at Mariano’s
A photo posted by Marcus Leshock (@marcusleshock) on Jul 8, 2015 at 4:20am PDT
3. Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza
A photo posted by Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (@loumalnatis) on Jul 8, 2015 at 7:14am PDT
4. Chocolate bourbon caramel ice-cream puff at Puffs of Doom
A photo posted by Mandy Mad (@amaddream) on Jul 8, 2015 at 4:54pm PDT
5. Avocado toast at Farmer’s Fridge
A photo posted by Jeannie Boutelle (@jeannieboutelle) on Jul 8, 2015 at 11:52am PDT
6. Kimcheesy rice ball at Yum Dum
A photo posted by Abby Gettys (@abigaillaurendesign) on Jul 8, 2015 at 2:27pm PDT
7. Chicago style hot dogs at Gold Coast Dogs
Now That's My Kind A Wiener. #Chicago #JustATaste #TasteOfChicago #ChiDog #EvAndJaqCoast2Coast
A photo posted by Jacquelin Reed (@jacquelinweed) on Jul 8, 2015 at 2:28pm PDT
8. Smoked alligator sausage at Chicago’s Dog House
what do cubans think of americans?
Watch this revealing video to hear Cubans’ speak about American tourists, President Barack Obama, and the United States’ terrorist list. Filmmakers Blaze Nowara and Doree Simon talk with Cubans around the country about their perspectives on Americans. 
18 reasons you should never visit Madrid
2. You don’t want to go to Retiro Park, where a statue honors the fallen angel (yeah, the devil) and tourists go on pleasant boat rides… and they can fall as well!
3. Not even the great variety of street artists will make you change your mind.
4. You have to admit churros are delicious — especially with a cup of hot chocolate, — but unfortunately you have to follow a strict low-calorie diet.
5. Surely you won’t be interested in visiting Plaza Mayor, a place with as many arcades as legends and stories.
6. Nor in going to Puerta del Sol… What’s so special about a bear and a madrone tree, New Year’s Eve famous clock or the kilómetro cero, a Spanish site for many rallies and protests? Total tourist traps.
7. Careful with planning to walk by Plaza España: you could be tempted to “lose” a whole day here, in the company of Don Quixote.
8. If you wanted to see Egyptian temples, you would go to Egypt. Why, then, waste your time enjoying sunsets in the Temple of Debod?
9. Art in the subway? You don’t support this kind of “transgression” by which famous painters and graffiti artists fill the underworld with colors.
10. Why would you want to eat out in an old refurbished municipal market? Neither the variety not the superb quality of the options can convince you the experience is worth it.
11. Las Ventas is probably the most famous bullring in the world, but you are not interested in tourist clichés… Not even if amazing concerts take place there.
12. If the Capricho Park remains one of the unknown “gems” of Madrid — even to locals, — it’s probably for a good reason. Why go to a natural paradise inside the city?
13. And speaking about nature, who had the brilliant idea of “hiding” Campo del Moro gardens behind the Royal Palace? You can see only the back of the building from there… and peacocks — lot’s of those colorful chickens.
14. You had enough “royal pomposity” when visiting Buckingham Palace. Four hundred people in traditional costumes and 100 horses performing at the same time are not appealing to you.
This story was produced through the travel journalism programs at MatadorU. Learn More
15. Paseo del Arte is one of the places with more art per square meter in the world. It includes Del Prado Museum, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Reina Sofía Art Centre and Caixa Forum. A bit over the top for you, isn’t it?
Caixa Forum
16. And you are definitely not going to get up early on a Sunday to find ancient treasures in a well-renowned flea market like El Rastro. Swimming through a sea of locals and tourists is not your idea of a good plan.
17. Why bother running or cycling along 30 kilometers of Madrid Rio, a green space by the river? It’s not like you are training for the Olympics, so what is the point of checking it out?
18. Finally, meeting local people and experiencing their traditions won’t be a highlight in your travels. Not even if you are welcomed with hospitality, wines, Cocido Madrileño, and sweets… The danger is you will be too tempted to stay, but the chulapo costumes don’t agree with you.
What people say to female travelers
Photo: Leo the Soundmonster
This article was originally published on Alyssa Writes and is republished here with permission.
WHEN I WAS PLANNING MY TRIP TO MOROCCO, I told people I would be going for at least a month. If they knew I had a boyfriend or I mentioned it these two ideas could not compute in their brains.
I ended up going for six weeks (apparently this is a long time?). It wasn’t a ‘trial break up’ or me running away. I had been dreaming of a long trip for some time and while I would have loved to be able to go with Tom, it wasn’t possible. I’m back in Morocco on the first leg of a 25-day, 4-country trip, and I was still getting similar comments.
Here are some of the stupid things people said to me:
“What does Tom think about it?”
“Yeah, I’m going to Morocco for a month. Since I’m freelancing I can work from anywhere and I’ve always wanted to go so I figured – why not?! I’ll get away from the English winter.”
“That’s cool. What does Tom think about it?”
HELLO! I just told you I’m going to AFRICA for a month and you want to know whether my boyfriend is cool with it? ONE WAY TICKET BACK TO THE 21st CENTURY PLEASE.
I’m glad you’re so concerned with his feelings while also being incredibly nosy about my private relationship. But hey, I write about it on the internet so how private could it be…
What do you think he thinks about it? I’m sure you can imagine he thought something along the lines of “That’s awesome, I’m a bit jealous, I’ll miss you, have a wonderful time!” because if he didn’t we wouldn’t be together anymore.
“Your boyfriend is okay with that?”
I was showing my flat to a potential subletter and she came with her boyfriend. I had mentioned Tom earlier when she asked what brought me to London and she put the ‘month in Morocco’ part of my ad and my relationship status together.
“Oh, your boyfriend is okay with it? I don’t think Sam would let me do that,” she laughed. “How long have you been together?”
“Three years.”
“Well, maybe after three years he would. What do you think, Sam?” He just looked at her and didn’t really say anything.
Again, what kind of backwards ass thinking is this? I’m 26 years old and I don’t need his permission or approval. Of course I respect his opinion, but I’m not doing anything illegal or immoral so it’s a non-issue.
If you wanted to do something you have dreamed about and your partner said “Nope, sorry, you’re not allowed,” would you still want to be with that person? Maybe he says that he would rather you didn’t, but a person who loves you will support you doing something you truly want to.
And if he wasn’t okay with it? One month away would turn into forever — end of.
“Aren’t you worried about cheating?”
Whose cheating? Mine? His? Please. Not to be trite but a relationship is built on trust and I never even thought about him cheating on me. I’m not saying that he’s not capable or that it would never happen, I’m just saying that it didn’t cross my mind until you mentioned it. So thanks for that.
As far as me getting with someone else… Well, you seem awfully judgmental — it seems like you’re insinuating I can’t control myself. And on that note, do you think Tom can’t? I’m not a 17 year-old with raging hormones and an underdeveloped pre-frontal cortex. I am fully aware that actions have consequences and the consequences of cheating are not something I am willing to put up with — from either party in this relationship.
My friend Katka wrote this article explaining that Yes, it is possible to be in a relationship, travel solo, and — gasp! — not cheat. I think she says most of what needs to be said, so I’ll leave it to her.
If you think that your partner will cheat because you’ve gone away for a month, get yourself a new partner or a new shrink.
“My boyfriend would never let me do that.”
This one often comes from strangers and I just want to say, what do you mean let you?!?! Maybe she was using ‘let me’ as shorthand for “My boyfriend would be sad,” or “My boyfriend would give me a hard time about it,” but he would never let you? He’s your boyfriend, not your parent and besides, you’re an adult.
Sure, I joke around with Tom and say that he’s never allowed to get a donorcycle motorcycle but when it comes down to it, he can do what he wants. Absolutely I would prefer that he never did but if he were to buy one… Well, it’s his money and his organs. To truly say “I’m not letting you do this” to someone who isn’t harming anyone is something you should never stand for in a relationship.
“I couldn’t do that without my partner!”
Outwardly, this seems like a compliment. But somewhere in there is a veiled insult: your relationship isn’t strong enough to withstand travelling together or you don’t care enough about him to wait for him to come with you.
I spent a lot of time NOT doing things because of a relationship. When we were in Martinique for the second time I wanted to see other islands and every time I said that I was planning a trip Tom would whine “Well, what about me?” I would get angry and think “Well, what about you?!” with the bitchiest attitude I could muster.
Eventually out of guilt, I always stopped planning and it’s one of the things I regret most about my time in Martinique. We were making the same amount of money, paying the same bills, and sharing the same expenses. If he wanted to come with me, he could have. After that year I said I would never not go somewhere because he couldn’t or didn’t want to — an attitude that will carry me through my life and relationships.
On all of the trips I’ve done over the last couple years, Tom was always welcome to join me if he could (though I would love to see him instigate a trip one day…). Be leery if someone asks you to wait to do something until they can too, especially if they don’t seem to be making any moves towards getting it done.
In closing…
If Tom said to me “You can’t go” (actually, imagining him saying it makes me laugh which tells you how ridiculous an idea it is) my response would have been “Goodbye”. If he gave me an ultimatum, he would lose. I love Tom and I’m sure you love your partner, but it’s a serious red flag when someone tries to stop you from going for your dreams, following your heart, or doing something you love provided that it’s not hurting you or anyone else.
A good partner supports you, tells you how amazing it is, Skype’s you when possible, and makes a plan to come visit if they can. A partner who does that is a keeper. 
Outrageous luxury guide to Nevada
Photo: Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas
Here are 11 ideas for going all out in a state renowned for its celebrations of excess.
1. Get inside the Mansion at MGM Grand.
How do you recognize the most lavish locales? Simply put: You don’t. The Mansion at MGM Grand is so exclusive you have to be invited to stay in one of the villas at this 290,000-square-foot hidden hotel inspired by an 18th-century Tuscan villa.
Should you get the invite, you’ll enjoy full-time butler service, a menu-less restaurant where chefs create meals on-demand, a fleet of Rolls Royce Phantoms for your transportation needs, and in-room amenities like baby grand pianos, indoor pools, home theaters, and original art by the likes of Picasso and Frank Stella. Instagram everything.
2. Commune with wild horses at Mustang Monument.
Created by Madeleine Pickens, this northeast Nevada eco-resort covers 900 square miles and is home to 650 rescued mustangs that range across the property and serve as its main attraction. Activities like horseback riding excursions, roping lessons, and guided hikes are included with your stay inside one of the rustic-chic cottages ($1,600/night) or luxury tipis ($1,200/night). Designed with Southwestern motifs and custom furnishings, the latter pack so much boho charm you may never want to leave. This is glamping at its most glam.
3. Feast on the 18-course tasting menu at Joël Robuchon.
[image error]
Photo: MGM Grand Joël Robuchon
Pass through the ornate vestibule of this fine-dining destination and you’ll understand why they call it the Mansion. The interior is decked in rich tones and opulent fabrics, giving it the air of some royal’s Las Vegas vacation home despite its location just steps from the MGM Grand casino floor.
But you don’t just come to this three-Michelin-star restaurant, the only one in Vegas, for the atmosphere — you come for the food, specifically the 18-course $445 menu degustation with wine pairings available upon request. Indulge in dishes of expertly crafted French cuisine like foie gras carpaccio, black truffle tart, and spiny lobster with green curry jus. Just be sure to pace yourself. If you eat everything on the epic bread cart, you won’t have room for that third dessert.
4. Break the speed limit at Dream Racing.
Its top speed is 217 miles per hour. It goes from zero to 60 in 2.9 seconds. It packs a V12 engine, 700 horsepower, and a transmission that shifts in less than 50 milliseconds. And unless you have $397,500 sitting around, you’ll never ever drive the Lamborghini Aventador.
Unless, that is, you get behind the wheel at Dream Racing, an exotic driving experience at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There, after some coaching and a simulator session, you can take a spin in a Ferrari F430 GT, a McLaren MP4-12C, or that sexy-fast Lambo. Depending on your ride of choice and number of laps around the track, experiences range from $199 to $4,899. Adoring fans not included.
5. Go heli-skiing in the Ruby Mountains.
Last winter marked the 38th season in the Ruby Mountains for Joe Royer of Ruby Mountains Heli-Experience, a heli-ski outfit based in northeastern Nevada. Less than an hour south of Elko, the little-known Rubies are a backcountry playground with 10 peaks above 10,000 feet, a smattering of alpine lakes, consistent powder, and zero traffic.
Book a three-day package with Ruby Mountains Heli-Experience and you get not only a lift to the top, but guide service, lodging, meals, and a guaranteed 20 runs. Even at $4,650 that feels like a deal.
6. Float in a Forever Resorts Houseboat.
Think outside the hotel for your next luxury Nevada vacation. Forever Resorts’ houseboats pack in the amenities, and you’ll never have to worry about the screaming infant in the next room. Instead, you get a private retreat on the shores of Lake Mead or Lake Mohave with killer views and not a slot machine or poker table in sight. If you’re bringing a crowd, book the $1,995/night, top-of-the-line 75ft XTreme, an epic vessel with six staterooms, two and a half baths, a full kitchen, and a seven-person hot tub on the upper deck.
7. Spend a night at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.
Photo: Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas
If the sound of dinging slots isn’t really your thing, consider this gleaming tower within the CityCenter complex an escape from Las Vegas right inside its beating heart. In keeping with the brand’s aesthetic, understated elegance is the signature here — it’s evident everywhere from the 23rd-floor sky bar with postcard-worthy views, to Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire’s only US restaurant, Twist, to the guest rooms that feature details like plunge tubs, 480-thread-count sheets, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Any stay here feels luxurious, but if you truly want to splurge, book the Mandarin Suite — a 3,100-square-foot retreat complete with butler service, a formal dining room, personal fitness center, and an oversized sunken bath with a 22nd-floor Strip view. It’ll only run you $15,000/night.
8. Pick out a bottle of red at the Rio Wine Cellar & Tasting Room.
There are plenty of places to grab a great bottle of wine in Nevada, but few provide access to anything close to the veritable wine library of this little-known oenophile haunt inside the Rio Casino. Created by former Rio owner Tony Marnell, the $10 million collection spans 10,000 bottles, including rare, prestige finds like an 1800 Madeira that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson (which, no, you can’t drink) and vertical collections that cover more than a century of vintages.
With more than 100 wines available by the glass, you can sip and sample or ante up for a big-ticket bottle like Penfolds Grange. Have your credit card ready.
9. Indulge in the Nagomi Ritual at Qua Baths and Spa.
Photo: Qua Baths and Spa at Caesars Palace
Relaxation, thy name is Nagomi. This $400 treatment at the expansive Qua Baths and Spa at Caesars Palace is part of the special Nobu menu, a selection of services inspired by chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s iconic brand. That translates to 100 minutes of pampering, starting with a floral foot bath and exfoliation and followed by an aromatherapy massage and luxurious facial that includes reflexology, exfoliation, and a mask. If you don’t leave feeling revitalized and rejuvenated, you should probably go take a nap.
10. Have a midlife crisis at Encore Beach Club.
Bottle service in Las Vegas is the stuff of legend — scantily clad servers wielding sparklers and bottles of Champagne the size of a grade schooler — but at Strip-side party pool Encore Beach Club, the VIP experience gets a creative twist.
Guests feeling the ennui of adulthood can order up the Mid-Life Crisis Package — a $125,000 extravagance that comes with lots of Champagne delivered by servers riding a brand-new Harley Davidson. When the party’s over, that hog is yours to keep, and EBC will ship it anywhere in the country. Or you could take a page from the first guy to order the over-the-top menu item and leave the bike for your waitress as a tip.
11. Go lux year-round at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe.
Photo: TravelNevada
After a day carving powder at one of the Tahoe-area ski hills, you deserve the comfort of this swanky lakeside escape, where the pool is heated all winter, the fireplaces are massive, and the spa has plenty of treatments to help your quads prepare for another session on the slopes. In summer, join your spendthrift compatriots and book a private beachside cottage — these two-bedroom, 1,225-square-foot retreats come with wet bars and access to a private beach.
When it’s time for dinner, hit the Lone Eagle Grill and take in the Lake Tahoe views as you’re served elk strip loin with cocoa demi-glace and cassis gastrique, or bison tenderloin with smoked paprika and bleu cheese fondue. Calories don’t count at elevation, right?
This post was produced in partnership with our friends at TravelNevada.
July 8, 2015
An NSFW guided Meditation
Follow Matador on Vimeo
Follow Matador on YouTube
HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE WITH MEDITATION? Has the language of meditation always seemed a little bit hokey, a little bit everything-is-wonderful for you? Those days are over. YouTuber Jason Headley has created a guided meditation for the people who have a little too high of a bullshit meter to take other guided meditations seriously. It’s called “F*ck That: A Guided Meditation,” and it is the zen you need to keep your head.
Just remember: “Breathe in strength. Breathe out bullshit.”
Featured Photo: Nikolai Kashirin
5 pics to show to a climate denier
WE ALL HAVE AN UNCLE OR A PARENT OR A GRANDPARENT who is absolutely convinced that climate change is lie that liberals and, you know, climate scientists are making up to scare people into supporting a left-wing agenda. This point of view is not really valid, but it is still held by an absurdly large portion of the American population. So how do you combat this attitude, or at least put up a fight when you’re sitting at family dinners and listening to endless conspiracy theories? Using logic against the illogical is a pretty useless endeavor — you’re just going to exhaust yourself.
So why not try photographic evidence? There’s plenty of it: the worst effects of climate change are likely yet to come, but here and now.
1. The Muir Glacier
Photo: NASA
These pictures are of the same glacier: Muir Glacier in Alaska. The first was taken August 13, 1941, while the second was taken August 31, 2004. Over the course of those 63 years, the glacier retreated a full seven miles, while thinning about 2625 feet. And it’s not just at Muir Glacier: it’s everywhere. Check out this line-up by Business Insider for more pictures.
2. Chongqing, China
A photo posted by Everyday Climate Change (@everydayclimatechange) on Jun 25, 2015 at 5:32am PDT
It is fairly easy to believe that carbon emissions aren’t harming anyone if you don’t live in a crowded, smoggy city. It’s impossible to believe that in many Chinese cities, including Chongqing. While the United States is no angel when it comes to carbon emissions, the worst polluter is China. The good news is that a recent climate deal between the U.S. and China may make a huge difference — the bad news is that Chinese and American cities can still conceivably look like this. On a side note, follow the Instagram account Everyday Climate Change to get regular updates of pictures of climate change from around the world.
3. Hurricane Sandy
Part of the reason Hurricane (or “Superstorm”) Sandy was so devastating was because of it’s extreme violence. While storms like this have happened in the past (and would happen in the future no matter what), they are likely going to happen more frequently as a result of climate change, and climate researchers believe that at the very least, climate change intensified the effects of Sandy.
4. A year in the life of Carbon Dioxide
Okay, so this is a video and not a picture, but it is truly incredible: What it shows is the carbon dioxide and monoxide emissions over the course of a year. The video, made by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, shows how the emissions get particularly bad over the winter months, as there is less vegetation to absorb the carbon dioxide we’re emitting into the atmosphere, and how the gasses do not stay in one place, but are moved around by global weather patterns. It also shows the negative consequences of forest fires, which release carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. It’s a great reminder that lowering emissions is only one (pretty huge) part of the solution: we need more plants and trees, too.
5. The Karachi heat wave
Yes — that’s an overcrowded morgue and those are all bodies. A recent heat wave in Karachi, where temperatures have reached 111 degrees, has killed over 1,150 people, making it one of the top ten deadliest ever. The fifth deadliest was earlier this year in India, where over 2000 people died. These events, much like Hurricane Sandy, can not be directly or exclusively attributed to climate change, but similar heat waves are much more likely to occur in the midst of climate change.
h/t: Mic.
9 Things That Only Happen When You Travel Solo
BELOW ARE 9 INCREDIBLE THINGS THAT ONLY HAPPEN WHEN YOU TRAVEL SOLO. Well, they happened to me anyway.
9. You’ll meet the kindest strangers
The amount of times I have encountered the most generous and helpful strangers while traveling solo is unbelievable. In fact, from the minute I leave home on a solo trip, good things seem to happen all thanks to the kindness of strangers. I once had a millionaire (250 million, that is) buy me drinks and dinner at Heathrow airport. The same man once famously said, “The departures lounge at international airports has been the best education!” and it’s hard not to agree with him.
Another kind man also shared his table with me at an airport and when I left to pay, it turned out he kindly paid for both his meal and mine. Also, when coming home from my travels last year, my ATM card stopped working and a guy in the queue saw my panic-stricken face and offered to buy my ticket for me. I asked for his contact details and he simply said, “I know you will pay it forward to another traveler in need someday.” More wise advice from an airport departure lounge!
Over the years I have had kind strangers go totally out of their way to help me when I was lost. One woman in Warsaw went 30 minutes in the wrong direction just to direct me to my hostel. When hitchhiking, both in Ireland and abroad, I have encountered the most generous souls who offered me so much when they found out I was alone. I have encountered kind Canadians in Kenya, who invited me to stay in their place for free. I have been offered free rides, free food and once even found myself on a free flight!
The kindness of strangers is, often times, only something you encounter when you open yourself up to others, and solo travel is the key to that openness.
8. You will become fearless
I would say there is nothing scarier than packing up your life into a bag, hugging your friends and family goodbye and setting off on a solo trip. You are saying farewell to a comfortable lifestyle, security, great friendships and a sense of belonging. Solo travel is an absolute roller-coaster of an adventure and will force you to face up to any fears you may have.
I’ve had to use squat toilets that had snakes both in the toilet and hanging over the toilet. I’ve had to check my shoes for poisonous spiders in Australia. I’ve gone to bars alone, found hostels alone, got dodgy taxis alone. I have had to sit on squeaky buses for hours on end as they trundle along roads that are seemingly perched on cliff tops. I’ve had to sit in buses that have men with AK-47s in rural Kenya and have fed wild hyenas meat from my mouth in Ethiopia.
I’ve experienced crazy turbulence on long-distance flights with no ones hand to hold, no one to say my last thoughts to. I’ve been picked up by a murderer in Detroit (or so he said), and I’ve been locked in a car by a man high on drugs. I have had men expose themselves to me and try to attack me in Dublin city. I’ve been held at knife point in South Africa. One thing can be concluded from all these crazy experiences while traveling alone; solo travel will turn you into one seriously fearless human, something that will most certainly help you as you go through life.
7. You will become more tolerant
I took my first solo trip when I was only 16 and I was probably a total brat. I was totally unaware of other people’s cultures, had no real understanding of how things work differently in other countries, and wasn’t always that keen on learning. The more I traveled, and the more interesting people I met from all over the world, the more tolerant I became.
I strongly believe people who travel, especially those who travel alone, become some of the most tolerant people you will ever meet. Travel teaches you that everyone is different. You realise that there isn’t always a right and a wrong no matter how strongly you may feel about it, or what you may have been taught in school. Some people will look down on you for wearing short shorts, while you will look down on others for wearing a burka. You will find it strange to eat with your hands, while others think you are strange for using a fork.
The more of the world you see, the more you realise that it’s not as black and white as you previously thought.
Not all countries use toilet paper. Not all people hug or kiss or shake hands when they meet new people. Religion and language and hand gestures and etiquette can all be confusing and frustrating, but learning from others makes us better people and will teach us to love and cherish and welcome everyone we meet, regardless of however different they may be from ourselves.
6. You’ll totally lose track of time
I have to admit, this is one of my favourite things about setting off on a solo trip. Working life and life back home can be so controlled. You work Monday — Friday, you eat your meals at the same time, you do roughly the same things each weekend and go to bed at roughly the same time each night. You always know the time, the day, the date and you can never just get lost in the city, miss your train and decide to sit in the park and read your book for 5 hours. Something that I absolutely love doing when travelling solo.
When you are alone, there is no one waiting for you, no one relying on you. A huge weight is suddenly lifted off your shoulders as you realise you have a new-found freedom. You can eat at whatever time you like. You can sleep all day and party all night, if that’s what you want. There’s no one there to judge how lazy you been. The fact that you spent 6 weeks in Sydney but never bothered to see the Opera House. The fact that you spent 1 week in Bangkok and pretty much never left your hostel.
You can wake up on a deserted beach off the coast of Cambodia, like I did last summer, and have no clue what day it is. You ask strangers what time it is and they always reply with the same answer, “Who cares?” And they’re right, who does care? If you’re hungry eat. If you’re thirsty, have a beer. Solo travel is the freedom to do whatever you like, whenever you like.
5. You’ll master sign language
Even with a travel buddy, communication can be the toughest part of traveling. When left alone, you really have to get creative and find yourself doing the oddest of things to get people’s attention or to get your point across.
I remember actually ‘mooing’ like a cow to a woman in Vietnam, trying to figure out what type of meat she was trying to get me to eat. I may have looked stupid, but I really wasn’t in the mood for more snake meat or maybe even my first taste of dog meat. She laughed at my odd noises, but knew exactly what I meant!
In Korea, sign language also helped me get out of some weird situations and I know that it managed to get my friend a massive discount when doing her grocery shopping!
4. You’ll meet that guy. Or that girl.
It doesn’t always happen, and it certainly doesn’t always last, but your chances of meeting some amazing members of the opposite sex (or same-sex depending on your preference) are a whole lot higher when you travel solo.
Whether it’s a romantic kiss on a beach in Bali, an impromptu travel buddy to entertain you for a few weeks in Thailand or someone who you fall head over heels for while backpacking through Africa, holiday romances are serious fun.
When you travel solo, you push your boundaries a lot more than usual. You meet new and interesting people who you would probably never met at home.
You share cramped dormitories, squeeze next to guys on buses or boats or rickshaws. You dance the night away at full-moon beach parties and have self-pity pizza parties together when you’re too hungover to leave the hostel common area. You laugh together, you cry together and you get lost together. And, as cheesy as it sounds, sometimes you get lucky enough to find each other.
3. You’ll question your life decisions
First things first, solo travel inevitably leads to questioning your sanity at some stage. You will scream at yourself wondering why on earth you decided to backpack through Ethiopia by yourself (I did, anyway!) and you might even break down a cry for a few hours wondering why you saved for months to stay in a rat-infested hostel in the middle of nowhere!
You will then get over the ‘questioning your sanity’ phase and start questioning poor life decisions that you have made. You will look at your career choices (or lack there of in my case!) and wonder if you made the wrong decision. You’ll also question why people on the road keep questioning you, wondering if perhaps you are ‘running away from something.’ Are you? Should you be?
It’s funny because these things might seem bad, and sometimes they can be overwhelming, but in a way solo travel gives you that perfect chance to question your life choices, to look at things with some perspective, to think about life without any distractions as you lie on that overnight train that will take 17 hours to cross Vietnam. Without influence, without prying eyes or bossy voices, you can figure out in your head what you want from life, what you really want from life, and then you can start making a plan about how to set the wheels in motion.
2. You’ll learn to budget
When you have 3 months to survive on whatever meagre savings you have accumulated, you will quickly become a master of budgeting. You’ll learn shortcuts. You’ll buy in bulk. You will probably never take taxis, unless you’ve found some other travelers to split the fare with. You will plan your meals and share with others. You will have to make decisions… big decisions such as whether you should buy yourself a nice dinner or a giant bag of goon (cheap, Australian wine.)
You will have to be prepared, plan your route and try to stick to it to some degree. How much will your visas cost? How much are hostels? Is the train cheaper than the bus or maybe it is cheaper to just fly? Once you run out of money, that’s it. You friend, your boyfriend, your parents or no one else will be around to help you and good luck getting money sent via Western Union to a tiny village in Tanzania or a lakeside lodge in Laos!
1. You’ll smile at the little things
While traveling solo can be really challenging when faced with difficult situations and it can be hard to just laugh off the little things such as a missed bus or a stolen wallet, the opposite is also true. I often find myself smiling like a mad woman at the smallest things when on the road, things I probably would not take the time to appreciate if surrounded by others. You learn to take notice of the smallest things in life and learn to really appreciate how beautiful this world really is. Sitting on a beach, watching the sunset over the Gili Islands in Indonesia as I sipped on a cheap Bintang is a memory etched into my mind. I was alone, I was happy, I was thankful.
Seeing street kids happily play with rope and rocks in the slums of Manila, watching a group of Kenyan boys play soccer with a ball made from plastic bags, being offered a free taster of some pad thai from an old lady on a street corner in Thailand. It’s these small, insignificant moments that make the difficult situations worthwhile.
I smiled then, and I am smiling now.
This article was originally posted on Journalist On The Run, and has been re-published here with permission. To keep up to date with more posts from Janet, you can follow her on Twitter here.
Matador Network's Blog
- Matador Network's profile
- 6 followers
![[image error]](http://cdn1.matadornetwork.com/blogs/1/2015/07/01-La-Puerta-de-Alcal%C3%A1.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](http://cdn1.matadornetwork.com/blogs/1/2015/07/07-Plaza-Espa%C3%B1a.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](http://cdn1.matadornetwork.com/blogs/1/2015/07/09-Metro-Paco-de-Luc%C3%ADa.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](http://cdn1.matadornetwork.com/blogs/1/2015/07/10-Mercado-de-San-Ant%C3%B3n.jpg){kind=link}
