Balance February 18 - 59

FOR EXPERIENCES
EVERY DAY...

Jordan

WHY? Jordan promises
everything from the ruins of
ancient cities to floating in the
Dead Sea. Locals are hugely
welcoming and the country
is one of the best-selling trips
offered by solo adventure
specialists Flash Pack (flashpack.
com). The week-long itinerary is
full of epic experiences including
canyoning in Wadi Mujib,
visiting the ancient city of Petra
and glamping in the Wadi Rum
desert (visitjordan.com).

FOR BEAUTY ON A
BUDGET...

Costa Rica

T HE RUL ES OF:

S O LO
T RAV E L

CHAT UP STRANGERS
IN BARS

Wadi Rum in Jordan, which
doubled for Mars in Ridley
Scott's movie The Martian

FOR SWEET SWEET
MUSIC (LOVERS)...

FOR MAKING MORE
FRIENDS...

Nashville ,
Tennessee , US

Southern Thailand

WHY? The quickest way to
bond with a stranger? Music.
And Nashville, as everybody
must know, is Music City.
Not only is 'Nashvegas' full of
fellow music lovers to bump
into, but there's masses of
fantastic food too. Book onto
the Local Tastes of Nashville
(localtastesofnashville.com)
walking tour to get your
bearings. The best place to stay
is hipster-friendly Germantown,
crammed with cafés, bars and
boutiques. Oh yes... and British
Airways is scheduled to launch
its first direct flights in May.
(britishairways.com).

WHY? Thailand is nicknamed
'The Land of Smiles' for good
reason. Thais are pretty much
the friendliest people anywhere
and their country remains
extraordinarily good value for
British visitors, from cheap food
and drink to affordable, luxury
accommodation. It's just 15
degrees north of the equator, too,
meaning year-round sunshine.
The country's southern beaches
and islands form the spine of
the traditional backpacking
route, so wherever you head,
you're bound to find people
you can discuss life with while
enjoying a cold Chang beer.
uk.tourismthailand.org/home. B

'When you're on the road,
this is something you
need to do to make friends
and influence people in
a platonic (and possibly
even sober) sense.'

GET PROFESSIONAL ABOUT
PUBLIC TRANSPORT

'Making your way through
Delhi's train station at rush
hour takes stamina, so form
a game plan. Where are your
entrances and exits? Where's
the departures board? How
do you get a ticket?'

TRY ALL THE FOOD AND
DRINK YOU POSSIBLY CAN

'Yes, even the fried insects
and local rice whiskey.
Saying "yes" to all kinds of
local fare opens you up to
new experiences and new
people: it's a swift shortcut
to getting to know the place
you're in and its people.'

WORDS: JONATHAN THOMPSON; IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES

WHY? American solo-travellers
have been heading to Costa
Rica for years and finally the
European market is catching on.
Book into one of the country's
many adventure lodges and
head for day trips into the cloud
forest, or sign up for a surf camp
on the beautifully wild Pacific
coast. Costa Rica also benefits
from an abundance of high
quality hostels, offering not only
affordably-priced luxury private
rooms, but also the opportunity
to meet a wealth of people while
you're there. Tamarindo, Santa
Teresa, Nosara and La Fortuna,
in particular, are all very solo
traveller-friendly destinations
(visitcostarica.com).

FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT

'Cultivate an air of
worldliness, even when
you're secretly bricking it. A
poker face is valuable, too.'

RESERVE ULTIMATE
BRAGGING RIGHTS

'Make a note of everything
brave you do on the road
and let social media know
about it. You've earned this,
your Bear Grylls moment,
and have every right to
feel a smidge smug.'

February 2018 BA LA N CE

59
http://www.visitjordan.com http://www.localtastesofnashville.com http://uk.tourismthailand.org/home http://www.britishairways.com http://www.visitcostarica.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance February 18
