20 Tips for Traveling Alone
The burnout, Ko Phangan, Thailand
1. Honor your word, guard your reputation; it's all you got besides your wits
2. Act like you know where you're going, and what you want (even if you don't) or it will quickly be decided for you
3. Travel light; counter-intuitively so (refer to shoulder bag above)
4. Minimize hesitations in markets, etc.
5. Be discerning with whom you make eye contact with
6. Be habitual about your possessions (i.e. always have a designated place for valuables and do not deviate from said placement)
7. Don't be a perpetual tourist nincumpoop chump and pay surcharge, but don't draw negative attention with confrontation either; know when and how to be effectively diplomatic.
8. Learn the art of negotiation and the tact of the polite but firm decline to unwanted solicitations (not an easy skill-set to achieve, takes practice and in many different contexts).
9. Be able to read people quickly and accurately, to ascertain ulterior motives and save yourself the time and the difficulties of back-peddling out of obnoxious "I've-known-you-for-10-minutes-but-I'm-your-best-friend" type characters (a.k.a. scammers)
10. Always agree on taxi, jeepney, tuk-tuk, tricycle, scooter or sidecar fare before getting taken for the proverbial ride.
11. Never be caught with your pants down without a wipe; always carry an available roll of toilet paper (especially in Asia).
12. Have a few copies of your passport made for things like scooter rentals, sketchy beach bungalow rentals, etc.
13. Be forecasting and disciplined with charging electronics (don't be caught at the epic vista with a dead battery because you were too drunk the night before to remember to charge).
14. Keep valuables (e.g. passport, airline tickets, identification, etc.) together in a water proof sleeve or ziplock baggy.
15. Keep an approximate log of expenses in a notebook and always know your exit strategy (i.e. worse case fiscal scenario). You never know when you'll be without an ATM for a stretch or overpay on a night of drinking or need an emergency plane/bus/train/boat ticket outta somewhere. Keep tabs on yourself. Don't need to be a Nazi about every last cent but make an effort to do some basic personal financing as you go. Trust me. You'll find yourself in a pickle occasionally. It's inevitable. It happens to the best of us. Be smart: keep a log.
16. Always have an available stock of water (a liter or so, depending)
17. Be cautious and wary in general. Fastidiousness and leisurely are not mutually exclusive modes of being.
18.
