Ana’s mum told me before I left off to travel Spain that I should be really careful because big cities had more bad people then small towns. This is true anywhere I’m sure. I don’t remember exactly what I said but it was along the lines that I’d do my best to stay safe. It made me nervous to have someone voice my inner fears but I brushed it off as best I could. I didn’t want my fear to keep me from having a bad time. And before I left to Milan she told me to watch out for Italian boys. I already knew about the Italian boys, now don’t go thinking it’s negative. It’s not. When I was in Rome and wore shorts (which was my fault and totally touristy) I got a lot of comments from Italian guys. But I knew I wouldn’t have any problems in Milan. I had to be well bundled to fend off the rain.
Arriving in Madrid wasn’t so bad. Damien and I were there together because he had a flight in a few hours so I had a few hours with him to sort of calm down. Then he left to catch his flight and I totally started to freak out. This was really my first time being alone in a country. It wasn’t like Ireland at all where I knew I had a safe place to sleep and a group of Americans that I could talk to if I needed. This was me really being alone and I wasn’t 100% sure that I’d be able to hack it especially while standing in the Madrid airport with 12 days alone stretching out ahead of me.
But I couldn’t chicken out. I had nothing else to do but press on. Everything was booked all I had to do was show up. So I went off to the metro. My hostel gave directions via the metro from the airport. They involved 4 transfers and then finding a street that lead to my hostel’s street. As I got off the metro I wandered around trying to find the street and after ten minutes and no street I was getting frustrated and almost teary (okay so I was on the verge of a mini break down). That’s when I realized there was a second exit from the metro and I should try that. And bam there the street was and I navigated easily from there.
You know how I did in Madrid… Having such an easy and successful time made all my nerves disappear. And it was really easy for me to relax and have a good time in Spain. Mind you relax is used loosely since I was still uptight about a few things.
Like my passport and money. The thing I will always be paranoid about is loosing my passport so I when there wasn’t a locker in my hostel I kept it on me. I had an over the shoulder purse that I kept my money and passport in because I could keep it in front of me. And at night I will admit I slept with it under my pillow along with my cell. And if the locker wasn’t big enough for my backpack I got to snuggle up with my pack at night. Not the comfiest but it gave me a little peace of mind at night. I was quite lucky with my hostel choices because most of them had locks where I could lock my whole backpack during the day. And the ones that didn’t I had no problems. I just locked my bag and stanched it under the bed. Plus I always took my mega important things with me so if someone really wanted into my pack they could have at it. It tended to just house my dirty clothes and a few souvenirs.
Since I got through my Spain and two nights in Milan trip safe and sound I would say I did a fantastic job of traveling smart. Nothing got stolen and the only causality of the trip was a sock I’d lost in Seville. My travels have proven to myself and a few people I know that it’s okay for a girl in her early twenties to travel alone. Many people I met at hostels were stunned that I was traveling alone and Ana said that it’s not very common for a girl to travel alone. But I found traveling alone to be easier then with friends because I had no schedule to stick to and I could see what I wanted and walk and wander and eat when I wanted. It’s fun with friends but sometimes it’s hard to accommodate seeing what everyone wants. Traveling alone was fun but a bit lonely at the end. Plus when you’re alone you really get the chance to chat with other people and meet new friends. Spain and Italy was a fantastic experience and I think everyone should try traveling alone at least once in their life.
Cheers,
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