Honestly? That headline got me pumped. Solo travel plus festivals? Sign me up! But dude, planning sucked. I wanted carnivals, crowds, pure chaos – but alone. Simple, right? Ha!
The Big Idea & First Steps
First, I grabbed my laptop feeling all inspired. Google became my best frenemy. Typed “best festivals world solo travelers” and bam! Thousands of links. Got overwhelmed immediately. Spent like an hour just scrolling, clicking, getting distracted by pretty pictures. Felt messy.
Needed a better attack plan. Dumped everything I found into this giant, ugly spreadsheet. Columns for country, dates, vibe (party? tradition?), cost, safety stuff for solo folks. Took forever.
Picking My Poison (The Festivals)
Okay, time to choose. Wanted variety. Stared at that spreadsheet until my eyes crossed. Filtered out crazy expensive ones and places with tricky visas. Settled on three:
- La Tomatina, Spain: Everyone kept saying it’s wild and easy to join groups. Smashing tomatoes? Yes please.
- Holi, India: Colors looked epic. Worried about safety, but blogs said it’s super welcoming if you pick the right spot.
- Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland: Figured comedy shows are perfect for solos – less awkward to laugh alone!
Booked flights super impulsive one night. Felt scary spending that cash! Accommodation? I kinda winged it… mostly cheap hostels with decent ratings.
The Reality Check (Doing It)
Spain first. Landed, sweaty and lost. Found my hostel, dumped my bag. Next day, bus to Bunol. Pure madness! Got shoved, covered head-to-toe in tomato mush, laughing my ass off with random strangers. Proved the point: big, messy crowd events? Awesome icebreakers. Didn’t feel alone for a second.
India was… intense. Holi in Vrindavan was beautiful chaos, colors flying everywhere. Got invited into families’ celebrations, shared food. Super warm. BUT the crowds were MASSIVE. Gotta be super aware of your stuff and personal space. Almost lost my cheap sneaks!
Edinburgh felt totally different. Cold! But cozy. Wandered between comedy shows all day. Easy to chat in queues or tiny venues. Saw brilliant stuff and awful stuff. Grabbing a pint alone between shows? Perfectly normal there. No pressure.
The Solo Traveler Scars… Er, Lessons
So after all that chaos, the ‘tips’ kinda wrote themselves based on my epic fails:
- Location, Location, Location: That hostel near the festival action? Gold. Saved me so much hassle.
- Hostels Aren’t Just Beds: Seriously, just hanging in the common room scored me instant festival buddies.
- Travel Light, You Idiot: Dragging a huge bag in the tomato fight? Worst decision ever. Shoulder bag only next time.
- Embrace Being Lost: Seriously, my best moments were wandering down weird streets finding tiny music stages.
- Know Your ‘Nope’: Had to bail on one crowded street party in India – felt sketchy. Always listen to that gut feeling.
- Cash Burns Fast: Set a daily budget! Festival food/drinks add up crazy quick. Oops.
- Pack Your Chill: Flights delayed? Show sold out? Just go with it. Finding an alternate plan can be the fun part.
Bottom line? It’s not just about the giant events. Sometimes the best stuff happens accidentally because you’re free and flying solo. Met people I never would’ve otherwise. Definitely doing it again – maybe Thailand’s Lantern Festival next? Bring it on.
