Solo Adventures/Tips and Tricks for Solo Traveling! :)

 Hi everyone! My name is Kayleigh Mosher, and I spent 6 months studying in Alicante, Spain. Between January and June of 2023, I traveled to 6 countries: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Morocco. An important goal of mine was to solo travel in Europe. While I was across the pond, I went on a few solo trips and some of my favorites were Barcelona, Valencia, and Paris! I hope sharing my experiences and tips will help you when you decide to study abroad and/or solo travel! 

Picasso Museum - Barcelona, Spain

Traveling alone can be a scary yet transformative experience. As I am writing this entry, I can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for the time I spent exploring the beauty and uniqueness of each place I traveled. Solo traveling felt special to me because I was completely in control of every decision I was making. Whether it be waking up early for the sunrise, or strolling down a random street aimlessly, or striking up a conversation with someone and deciding to change my plans just so I can keep talking to them, I was happy because I was doing what made me happy in the moment. While I was still in school between taking these trips, being able to make my own schedule was great because I would set my sights on finding a cool library or bookstore that I was able to sit down in and get my homework done. For me, these places that I went to to get work done felt like safe spaces. 

Solo Adventures: Barcelona, Valencia, and Paris!

VALENCIA

One random day after class, I was sitting in the grass on campus at the University of Alicante and I decided to look up train tickets to Valencia. To my surprise, round trip tickets were only 30 euro Thursday to Sunday. I booked the tickets, found a cheap hostel, and within 24 hours I was at the train station. It was incredibly nerve racking, knowing that I was about to be by myself in a foreign city, miles away from anyone I had known, but I soon fell in LOVE with Valencia! After visiting many cities, I have to say that Valencia is by far my favorite place I visited! I quickly found that this place is a very safe and welcoming destination for female solo travelers, and I met so many other women just like me that expressed the same comfortability.

- Where I stayed: Purple Nest Hostel

While In Valencia, I stayed at ‘Purple Nest Hostel Valencia’ in an all girls 10 bunk room. Everyone I met while staying there was incredibly nice, and I even went out with a group of girls I met on the first night there! One of the things I loved about staying in hostels, other than the fact that it was cheaper than any other option, was that almost everyone I met had the same sense of adventure and curiosity that I do. A great piece of advice that I took and ran with was to make friends with others in your hostel. Most hostels I stayed in had events such as pub crawls, board game nights, etc. for the purpose of meeting new people. This is a great way to make connections with people from all over the world.

- What I saw: 

• The City of Arts and Sciences

• Mercado Central

• Torres de Serranos (Ancient Town Gate)

• Plaza de Toros de Valencia (Bullring)

• Catedral de Valencia

BARCELONA

- Where I stayed: Zero Barcelona Hostel - Now known as Jacobs Inn Barcelona

This was the nicest hostel I stayed in during my travels. We had big storage drawers that my travel backpack could fit in while it was completely full, outlets, a light, and a curtain for each bed space, and a shelf above your pillow for your phone/valuables at night. This is a top-tier accommodation compared to some other hostels I've seen that throw up a couple pieces of plywood and call it walls. Breakfast was an extra fee (I don’t exactly remember how much extra but it couldn’t have been that much because I was ballin 'on a budget) and it was delicious! I stayed in a mixed 12 bed dorm (Men and Women). I went into this scared to stay in a mixed dorm because I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in a room with men I have never met before, but people stayed in their own areas and everyone I met was very nice. 

- What I saw:

• La Sagrada Familia

• Picasso Museum

• Mercat de la Boqueria - Famous market in the city center

• Park Güell

• La Rambla

• Ciutadella Park

• Casa Batlló

PARIS

This was an amazing experience I will never forget! I flew from Alicante to Paris, France by myself. I flew into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and when I got off the plane, UBER pieces from the airport to my hostel were $50!!!! I do not have the funds for that! So I took a minute to rethink my options and decided to try and figure out the train from the airport into the city. After about an hour of trying to speak broken French, almost getting on the wrong train, and looking completely lost, I finally got on the right train and only paid $4 for a ticket! I was so proud of myself. 

I met up with two of my friends that were also studying abroad through HPU, one in Seville and the other in Paris. We were all staying in different places, but met up to sightsee, eat dinner, and go out! I still considered it solo traveling, but I had the plus of seeing friends along the way! It was great to be able to have that sense of freedom and independence, while also being connected to home and having safe people to turn to.

- Where I stayed: BVJ Opera Montmartre - Youth Hostel 

This hostel was in a great location with a lot of foot traffic. In the area, there were museums, parks, coffee shops, and super close metro stations. I would recommend staying here if you are traveling to Paris. I stayed in a Basic 10 bed female dorm, but there were only 4 girls in the room the whole time. Breakfast was included in the price and it was gooood too! I paid a total of $80 to stay there for 3 nights. I felt very comfortable, and I even met a girl that I still talk to now.

- What I saw:

• Eiffel Tower

• Arc de Triomphe

• Louvre

• Tuileries Garden

• Montmartre

• Musee D’Orsay

• Luxembourg Gardens

• Sainte-Chappel

• Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

Tips and Tricks for Solo Travelers:

1. Research the destination

1. Be aware of where you are booking accommodations - “Is it in a safe neighborhood?”

2. Keep friends and family updated on your itinerary and/or share your location!

3. Seek advice from locals!

4. Never look lost! 

1. Act like you know where you are going at all times! Of course in the middle of busy tourist areas it is common to stop, look around, and take it all in, but in less populated areas or at night, I always make sure to look like I'm on a mission!

5. Pace yourself!

1. You are the only one you need to worry about now! That means you can do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it! This can be very overwhelming for some people and it is important to remember to pace yourself if you need to. Personally, I get very stressed out when I am traveling because I try to cram every possible thing into two or three days. This is when I try to remember that I can sit down, have a cup of coffee, and just observe.

6. Journal

1. I tried to keep a journal of my travels, but I simply forgot or got too busy and I regret it too often. I recommend you take notes of anything and everything that you think is important. Sometimes I look back on a picture and think about how I felt at the time. If I kept a journal I could whip it out and be transported back to that memory. I highly recommend you journal where you go, what you do, eat, feel. Anything!

7. Homework can be done anywhere!

1. I had a heavy course load when I was abroad and ended up with hours of homework every weekend! Instead of staying cooped up at home sitting at a desk in my room, I decided to take my work wherever I went! I found beautiful old libraries and bookstores, cafes and parks to set up and get some homework done. I thought this was a fun way to go off the beaten path of common tourist attractions by finding places where locals might be working as well. 

I cannot stress enough how important solo traveling is for self discovery, and I hope I can encourage you to take the leap and expand your horizons by participating in HPU Study Abroad!

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”

― Miriam Adeney

Lots of Love, Kayleigh :)

Advice for Studying in Alicante, Spain!

 Hi everyone! My name is Kayleigh Mosher and I studied abroad in Alicante, Spain this past Spring 2023 semester. I was in Alicante for 5 months, and I traveled around Europe for a month before coming home. In this post I will be sharing some advice that would have saved me SO much trouble before going abroad, mostly specific to Alicante, but also some general advice for traveling Europe. Although these are things that I would have been better off knowing before I left for Spain, I would not change any part of my experience. I had the greatest 5 months abroad and I highly recommend considering Alicante for your study abroad. 

THE AREA

Explanada de España 

Alicante, Spain is a beautiful coastal town in the south of Spain. It has the perfect combination of activities for those who love nature, history, gastronomy, and nightlife. It has beautiful beaches, mountains, and castles. I arrived in January when the weather was in the late 50s. It warmed up quickly though, and by April it was hot and sunny, perfect beach weather!  One of Alicante's most popular tourist attractions is the Castillo de Santa Barbara. This is a castle at the very top of a mountain that looks over the whole city and neighboring cities as well. You can see the castle from almost every point in the city and it is a great navigation tool if you get lost in the many small streets. There is also Playa Del Postiguet, the local beach that exchange students would meet up at on weekends and play volleyball, frisbee, or spikeball. Nightlife in Alicante is SO fun! The exchange student organization for the University of Alicante has events at different coffee shops, bars, and clubs throughout the week, and hosts different events for meeting new people. My favorite bar was called Parabarap, and this organization holds events there every wednesday night. If you are planning on studying abroad in Alicante, you should make it a point to go here. It was SO FUN!

Walking through Old Town, Alicante in front of Castillo de Santa Barbara

ERASMUS STUDENT NETWORK ALICANTE (ESN)

Formentera Island, Spain

If you are planning on studying in Alicante, you will want to be connected with ESN. This is an organization all throughout Europe that supports and develops student exchange programs. When I first heard of it, I thought it was only for EU students, but anyone can attend their events. Some of the most notable events/trips I attended through ESN were beach volleyball, board game nights, and trips to Ibiza and other islands/beach towns in Spain. Some advice I would have for future students going on this program would be to sign up for any and all events/trips possible with 'Erasmus Student Network Alicante(ESN)'. I met people from all over the world, and some of my best friends by going to events planned by this organization. It is also a great source of information/help if you are worried, scared, having a hard time, etc. 

HOUSING

University of Alicante

I chose to live in an apartment complex through an organization called MICAMPUS. I applied through the University of Alicante website and it was a great option! The building is right across from the university campus. I didn’t have to walk more than 15 minutes to get to my classes from my front door. I lived with 4 other people: 3 girls from Spain and 1 boy from China. We each had our own bedroom with a twin bed, drawers, a closet, a desk, full body mirror, and shelves. We also each had our own full bathroom. We shared a decent sized living room and kitchen. I would recommend living here because it was a great community of students from all over the world. I met so many people living here that I will be friends with forever. While living at MICAMPUS is great, the only downside is that it is a little ways away from the city center of Alicante. The University of Alicante is in a town right outside of the city called San Vicente Del Raspeig. It has restaurants, bars, grocery stores, a pharmacy, and everything else you might need.

TRANSPORTATION

Public transportation in Europe is amazing! When I arrived in Alicante, one of the first things I did was get a TAM card (TRANSPORTE ALICANTE METROPOLITANO). This is a card that allows you to take the public bus and Tram. Every student is eligible for a free TRAM card that is valid from the time you arrive, until the time you leave. The tram was my main form of transportation. It is a set of railways that run from the University of Alicante, to the city center of Alicante, and to neighboring towns such as Benidorm and Murcia. Other than Alicante, I used public transportation to get everywhere in Europe. On weekends, I commonly took trips to other cities/countries, and navigated my way through trains, buses, metros, etc. As a female solo traveler, I felt safe using the bus and metro at night in most places as well. 

VISA

The process of applying for my visa was LONG, difficult, and tedious. There was a lot of information and paperwork required, which had to be sourced from many different locations. I could not have gotten this done without the help of my study abroad counselor, the financial aid office, and my mother. If you have any questions at all about how to apply, obtain, pick up your visa, etc., please don't hesitate to reach out because I know it can be stressful and confusing!

SPENDING MONEY

Before going abroad, I signed up for a credit card with no international fees. I had a Southwest Chase Visa and this worked everywhere I traveled. I also have a Discover card but alot of places did not accept it. I also brought my debit card, however, this card would have had international fees. I chose to charge almost everything to my Southwest Chase Visa and then immediately go online and pay the credit card bill. BONUS POINTS: I received credit card miles and points for all the money spent and earned enough to pay for a couple trips to/from Hawai’i. I would recommend setting aside about $1000 per month during study abroad. I know this sounds like a lot, but if you want to have extra money to go on weekend trips and planned trips with 'Erasmus Student Network Alicante (ESN)', then this is definitely a good amount!

Paella - A classic Spanish rice dish

SPEAK THE LANGUAGE EVERYWHERE!

The number one thing I tell people is to try speaking the language EVERYWHERE you go! It is common for people to hear you talking and immediately start talking to you in English, but locals appreciate the effort and will teach you more than you could imagine. Talking to waiters and cashiers at the grocery stores is how I practiced the most and learned new words.

WHAT TO BRING

• Nice clothes - People dress nicely when they go out, and I used this as an excuse to dress up everywhere I went
• Comfortable backpack for weekend trips - Most flights in Europe will charge extra for a carry-on suitcase, so I got around using only a backpack (counts as a personal item on flight).
• Comfortable sneakers for walking around cities - In Europe you will be walking everywhere. When I went on trips to new cities I would be averaging 10 miles a day. Having comfortable shoes is a must!
• A good water bottle - Most places will not give you water unless you ask, and even if they do, almost all places will serve room temperature water because ice is not common.
• Advil/Ibuprofen - I read before studying abroad that you cannot find over the counter medicine/vitamins in Spain, so I brought 2 whole bottles of Ibuprofen. I am so happy I listened to that person because I could not find any kind of Advil anywhere!
• SUNSCREEN
• Umbrella
• Portable charger
• Journal
• Travel adaptor 
• Copies of travel documents - I thought my mom was crazy for making me take paper copies of all of my travel documents, but it was actually a genius idea. Pickpocketing and theft is very common in Europe, especially in big cities like Barcelona or Madrid. I have friends that had their wallets, phones, passports, etc, stolen, and while I was never pickpocketed or robbed, I felt an extra sense of security having those extra copies of my documents.

I would definitely recommend this program, and I encourage you to choose Alicante for your study abroad. As someone who is not a big city person, Alicante was perfect because it has many things to do, while not feeling too big or too small. I have met so many people from all around the world, and  connected with people who I never would have had the opportunity with otherwise. This experience broadened my horizons in more ways than I could have ever imagined. Taking the big leap of moving halfway across the world to a foreign country, making a life for myself outside of any person I had ever met, making lifelong friends, and seeing the world made me realize that I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. You are just as capable, and I highly encourage you to study abroad!

Stay tuned for my next post about my experience as a female solo traveler! 

- Kayleigh :)