My Solo Backpacking Trip Through Italy

With Valentine's happening this week, it made me realize how nice it is to have an awesome fiancé  who is willing to go on adventures with me. It also made me think about how much fun you can have traveling on your own. One of my all-time favorite trips was my solo backpacking trip through Italy a few years ago. I was completely by myself, took trains and stayed in hostels - the whole nine yards.

I started in Venice. Coming off the plane and making my way to the hostel was a little nerve-wracking, but I did it! One thing I will say is, Italy is COLD in January. Way colder than Spain and other parts of Europe! I was definitely glad to sit outside and enjoy the boat ride, but I could have really used another layer or two.

I'll go more into the cities another time (or else this post would be ridiculously long), but Venice was beautiful, and my hostel was even on an island! The only downside of that being, I had to take a boat taxi to get anywhere which was quite pricey. But the hostel itself was pretty great. I had so much fun chatting with people from all over the world! Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, Japan, Korea even some from somewhere in Africa (couldn't quite fully understand their accents, but they were nice!). I had done quite a bit of research ahead of time, so I felt safe in this hostel. I'm not much of a partier, but the atmosphere of the hostel was so fun I actually wound up staying down in the bar for quite some time. It was in the bar that I actually got tips on my FAVORITE book store in the entire world, Aqua Alta. Hostels are wonderful places.

Aqua Alta - Venice, Italy

Next up was Florence. Florence was a very special experience. The train ride down was easy, finding my hostel went fine and I was excited to be out exploring! My hostel was not what I expected - I was greeted by name with homemade cookies. The owner of Hostel David Inn Florence is quite the person. Her name is Nadia and it was like your mom was there, but in a cool way. She really helped bring us together and I found myself enthralled with her story. I bonded with my fellow hostel-goers and actually wound up going out for pizza and even attending museums and shopping with a few! It was amazing to meet new people and have adventures together. To this day, I'm still friends with several of them on Facebook. This hostel also had a kitchen which was nice. I opted to cook dinner at the hostel several nights to save some money.

My new friend Carmen and the host Nadia!

My hostel-cooked dinner of Italian pasta and sauce!

While in Florence, I opted to take a day trip out to see the leaning tower of Pisa - it was worth it! While I ended up having to wait around a bit to catch my train back, I shamelessly asked other tourists to take my picture (classic holding up the tower pose etc.) and then relaxed at a nearby cafe who served me what I'm convinced was just a bowl of melted chocolate. DELICIOUS.

Being touristy in Pisa

"Hot Chocolate" - Pisa, Italy

Finally, I ventured onwards to Rome. Once again, spectacular. I liked that the hostel had a kitchen so I could cook my own meals. I also tended to pack my lunch, so I could save some money while in touristy areas. Yet again, I wound up venturing out with fellow travelers whom I met in the hostel. They showed me where the best gelato was and how to avoid paying extra fees at attractions. I even befriended the hostel worker (named "Blue" for her blue hair) who wound up walking me back to the airport when I left. Once again, I made friends.

The BEST gelato!

My favorite reading spot in Rome - on the Spanish Steps!

Even if you aren't the most sociable person, the beauty of a hostel is there is a built in conversation starter - Where are you from? How long are you here? Where are you going next?

Don't be scared to take a leap and venture out on your own. Just be smart and careful when you do. I avoided going out at night (I'm not big on the night scene anyway) and I always locked up my belongings when I left the hostel. I did plenty of research ahead of time to make sure where I was staying was safe - hostelworld.com is great for that! The world is huge, so get out and explore - with or without a travel buddy.

Oh and it's a good idea to work on your selfie game, or else you'll end up with pictures like this one:

CHEESE! #Fail

If you'd like help planning, I own a travel company called MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com and I'd love to help you out!