Nobody Panic - Still Panicking: How to Travel Alone

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Still Panicking: The summer holidays are finally here! To help you make the most of it, this week we look back at some of Stevie and Tessa's hottest holiday tips.Always dreamed of throwing a book and some cheese into a spotted handkerchief but always held back from going on your own? Then let Tessa (seasoned solo traveller) and Stevie (confidently building up to it) push you on to the overnight train and set you off on your adventure!Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.Photos by Marco Vittur, jingle by David Dobson.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/nobodypanic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I'm Carriad. I'm Sarah. And we are the Weirdo's Book Club podcast. We are doing a very special live show as part of the London Podcast Festival. The date is Thursday, 11th of September. The time is 7pm and our special guest is the brilliant Alan Davies. Tickets from kingsplace.com. Single ladies, it's coming to London.

True on Saturday, the 13th of September. At the London Podcast Festival. The rumours are true. Saturday the 13th of September. At King's Place. Oh, that sounds like a date to me, Harriet. Welcome to Nobody Panic with me, Stevie. Hello and me, Tessa.

It's Tessa, everybody. Fun, driver. Well, thanks. Boost me up. Guys, can I introduce Stevie? Oh, here I am. Stevie, Stevie, Steve. The confidence is that now. This is a podcast where we help you answer life big, small questions.

How to do things? Sorry, I was just spiraling into the future where I would one day interview you on a late night show. It will happen. And I was thinking how viral it would be because we had such good rapport. And I was just debating. of us would be the chat show post. You know what? May I bob in and say I'm there? What I think it will be is someone like Vogue magazine or that cool magazine interview where they get celebrities to interview other celebrities. They'll do a video because we'll both be of equal

success. That's so wonderful. You know? I'll be 74. Yes. So on that note, we're going to do an episode today which is something that I've wanted to do for a while and then we did a tweet and I got so many messages that my phone did the thing where it like shuts down. Oh wow. So you crashed my phone. So how to travel alone. Oh not just travel. How'd I go a holiday alone? I think there's even... Yeah, how to holiday alone. How to be a solo...

A solo traveller. Mm. And solo icon. I've never done it. You've done it. I've done it. But everybody, yeah, we got so much amazing advice. So firstly, thank you so much for tweeting and DMing me.

And we have strong opinions. On that note, what was your adult thing? Well, mine is, I ran on Sunday the Athens... This is insane. Marathon. Did you trade? No. Did you learn anything from the London Marathon experience?

No. When I had to like To carry you out of a Pratt We went to Pratt because we found out that the debrief had folded And we had to start nobody panic And you could walk But you also couldn't Had I just around the marathon when that happened

And there was a point where you did say I don't want you to do this But it would be more comfortable If you just like Linked your arms in my arms And just dragged me So I didn't have to move my legs Oh God

My legs are much better today So recovery time That's a real You walked in like a normal person I walked in here Yeah Those following the journey, my mum is a passionate runner. Ran county at school.

Boring. Debbie. And she's nice. She ran the floor of London Marathon when she was 40. She was 60 this year. She'd always intended to do it. I know why. She did 4 hours and 30 minutes, which is the qualifying time if you're 60.

Great. So she was like, well, bloody hell, I'll do it again when I'm 60. Okay, great. So cut to she's 60. She enters the floor of London Marathon. She's like, here I go. she has a cruciate ligament surgery on her knee and it's like nah this we're out then she was like well there's a place going do you want to run it so two months in i was like yeah why not and it was bad everyone it was very bad and then this year she got we said let's at christmas we got drunk and we said let's run the original Athens route from marathon to Athens where the guy ran to tell them that the Spartans had won or were coming or had lost or something yeah he ran to tell them something yeah and then legend says he ran back and then he died but Who knows? Who's to say?

And so you're like, buddy hell, let's do it. And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, this time I'll train. Low. Low. Lerator, she did not train. Spoiler, I did not train. And then I... I just want to bobby then say, you trained less.

Because you had run... Tess over for the London Marathon told me she'd run 10 miles. And I was like, that's all right. Turned out with 10K. That was 10K. Yeah. But she didn't know at the time, but she didn't want to say. And...

There it was. Yeah. I thought 345. I thought, I'll do this. Or I also thought, if I may, is that sometimes if you've ever done a run of any kind, a long distance, a fun run, sometimes to make the course interesting or whatever,

they'll loop it back on itself. You know, so say it's psychologically. Yeah, very devastating. To see you're so close to people running in the opposite direction and be like, oh my God, how long is it going to be to have to come back to this exact point? So that happens all the time. And what I thought was in this marathon,

by the hell, I'll just going to jump the barrier when that happens. Right. And I'll just cheat in, cut ahead. Right. I'm only cheating myself,

you know. Of course. Yeah, I know. I just run a bit less. Look, look. You should never cheat yourself. That's the one person you shouldn't cheat. It's the original marathon.

It's the original... He didn't look back on himself. He wasn't looking at myself. He wasn't looking back on himself. He was, She ran the fastest, straightest route from A to B for 26 miles. Okay. So now I'm trapped in the marathon.

And there's, this, people are falling left, right and center. Also, it is not along, like, the coast. I thought it's going to be like, basically, like, Mamma Mia. Beautiful, yeah. Ruins the Acropolis. No, it is the motorway in the hail with not a single spectator, just like one car dealer, like, on the side of the road. Yeah, Tesla sent me a photo, and she's, like, running, which, really,

and there's a guy behind her just checking his, phone, sat on a ballard. Like, that's the average spectator. That was it. There was nobody, nothing to look at, nothing to see. It was so grey. And then this plague bus starts picking people up who are collapsing. Okay.

I'm putting them in the bus. And then, and they kept honking me to be like, do you need to get in the bus? And I was like, no, wait, baby. I'm going to do it. And then they'd come back like an hour and a mile later and be like, should we get in the bus? And I was like, no, I'm going to do it. And luckily, thank God, there was also a walking race.

Oh, great. Thank God. Yes. So therefore, I just looked like I did very well in the wall. So I walked and that was fun. But you did run the whole thing, didn't you jogged? Oh my God, it was so slow, Stevie. I saw of 20 kilometres is the point that I was like, 20 kilometers is a real wall where you're like,

all right, that's enough. And then you think, how many more? Oh, 22 more. And then you think that's too many more. Yeah. And that's when I sort of lost morality to start walking. This walk job affair. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.

And then in the last sort of five kilometres, you really get like summit fever and you become absolutely like tunnel vision. Then you start sprinting. Then you're you saying vault to the end. Then you are running and you're just like, nobody can stop me. Like do not come. I'm, you know, I have to get to the end. I mean, it's amazing that you finished it.

It really is. And well done. Do not ever let me just say, okay. Well, you often tell me when you've already signed up or you're running around it. Or halfway around. I messaged Stevie halfway around the matter of saying, this is shit. It was like, okay.

But then it was a lovely, like, you know, it was a lovely, like, at the end, you and Debbie, with you, yeah, my mum was an hour faster than me, and then she climbed back over the railing so she could, oh, you finish, the whole thing was absolute dog shit until the last hundred metres where you run into the original stadium. Oh, that's incredible. From two and a half thousand years ago.

So that bit is amazing. And, uh, you could just go and visit. I don't have to run. I cannot stress enough how easy it would have been, just to go on a day trip, just look, just look. Just look at it. Have a little look. It's free.

It's free. You can run. Give yourself a run up. Run in. Run in. Done. Have you picture taken? Pretend.

That's exactly how it would feel. And then, so then we got to finish it together at the end. Congratulations. That's very adult. Thank you. Well, the adult thing, I think, is that I promise I'm never doing that again. And if I ever undertake any kind of anything in the future, I will train. And that is a solemn promise to you, to myself.

And to all the listeners. Great. Good on you. Mine's nice and simple. Mine will take like 10 seconds. Mine, my next one, I promise, is like... No, I like it. We've got into this thing where it's like, yours is like this amazing story that you could just pop onto like the stage.

And then mine is like, which is what's happening now, mine is I put some nail varnish on. That is it. No, it's more than that. Well, it's not really because I don't wear nail varnish because it always chips. So you've given yourself a manicure. I hate it. So I gave himself a little manicure. But then I did this new thing where you do the nail varnish and then you put like a gel overcoat over it.

Hasn't chips. So now this is my new thing, because I'm friend of Shalak. They look beautiful. I keep catching them in my eyesight, in my like parish and being like, who's hands there? It's just me alone on the toilet on the bus. Who's hands that? Oh my God, it's all right.

It's me. It's me. That's really lovely. Yeah, so. Do you feel wonderful? I feel wonderful. And I also feel like I've really lent into kind of the patriarchal society that women should be adorned, but also I like that. Well, if you go back a bit further, then men were adorned.

men were adorned, you know. So if anything, it's just a human thing. You've returned to our most ancient rude. Yeah, no. It's really great to be in touch with our forefathers. Okay, travelling alone. Let's begin, Stevie. Why do you not travel alone? Because I'm frightened, because I... Let's unpack that. We'll unpack it. It's quite easy to unpack. It's quite like surface. Okay. There's not a lot there. It's not a hamper. It's just a suitcase. Okay. It's just a suitcase. Okay. It's unpack it. Unzip and what's in there. It's fear of being, not being able to do it. Fear of I'm quite bored of my own

personality. I don't know if I'd be able to sit there but when I've got like time off I can do maybe a day and a night in my own flat this is with all of the amenities everything I like and then the next day I'm like okay now I need to organise some social time because I'm starting to talk to myself and crucially be very bored

and I would be frightened also I think emotionally I'd be very which we're going to get on to in a minute because there's some great tips about it but I'd be very much like, am I doing it right? Like, and I'd constantly be like, I'm doing it wrong. I don't know. Okay. Maybe that's what the unpacking is, but I think it's just not having confidence in yourself,

not being able to back yourself to go, yeah, I'll go to Japan and it'll be fine. Is that where you like to go, Japan? I'm going to go to Japan, but I'm going to go with my boyfriend. Is there a place in the world that you've always wanted to go? Most places in the world, I'd like to do the trans-Siberian thing from Russia to China. Oh, what a lovely choice. Okay, so now you imagine your best self. on there or a woman...

Still quite poor. Okay, imagine... Imagine a woman who's doing it. With these nails. Yeah, there you go. She's halfway there. So when you say, like, I wouldn't be able to do it.

But these hands would. So you're seeing a woman on there and she's doing it. Oh, yeah, she's doing it. What's she doing? She's like reading a book. Oh, wow. Thanks for the support. She's reading a book.

She's also like, she's sorted out a rail card or whatever. She's booked ahead, so she hasn't disaried them. But like, one ticket to China, please. And they've got a don't understand you. And then she's gone, home. Okay. She's also not left her phone in Russia. Okay. And she

also is so, she's like, so aware that she's got like four days on a train and she's not, like, jiggling a leg and being like, I don't know what, there's not enough entertainment. I'm going to have to be with my thoughts. Now we've got to it. Okay, that's really good. So, let's address number one, the book.

So achievable, Stevie. Oh my God, that is, if anything, too achievable. If anything too much, I can see two. I'm actually touching two. Yeah, I brought one today. Exactly. Okay. So the book, fine. She showed up and she had planned ahead.

First of it's something that you can totally do. But also the exciting thing is it's probably possible to just arrive and then get on the train. If you have money, yeah. If you have money, yeah. And if they say, no, sorry, the next train doesn't leave till tomorrow, there's an element to be like, no problem. No problem. I'll go and stay in a very cheap premier inn or something. Yes.

I'll sort it out. No worries. Rather than crying and calling my mum. And then be like, that's it. Abandon ship, I'm coming home. Russia has defeated me. Exactly. it's possible what's quite exciting to be in these places is an obstacle does not mean the end

of the road the obstacle just means like no worries how do we get around it oh do we wait till tomorrow no problem and also sometimes getting into the mindset that in lots of countries they're just like the train leaves when it leaves and you're like but but when it's like when the driver is decide decides yeah son up or down son up or down and it's about being like getting letting go of the like I can't control it and being like no you can't so that's good and so then just having a nice time regardless. Yeah. So you're like, oh well, the train doesn't leave till tomorrow. No problem. I'll go find something to do in this city.

Because I'm quite bad at doing that with other people and also just in life. Yes. So I think that's just a skill that I've been working on going like on holidays and like on little trips away. And when it's like, oh, we can't get that bus or the Airbnb isn't as nice as it could be, not being like, well, that's the trip ruined in my head. Being like, so we'll just have a nice time. We'll get some candles. Let's make it a nice thing. Exactly. Let's use this obstacle.

Number three. She hasn't... She's left all her possessions in the station. Get a bum bag. So lovely, let's get a bung bag. So I would say bum bag is the sort of plaster. You know, it's the cure to it. It's an option for you.

But deeper than that is the source of being like, yes, you will leave things. You will have things stolen. You will forget everything. You will lose it. And you will be able to find the way out of that scenario. Yeah. The one thing that I can't control

is if someone puts drugs in my bag that I don't know about. And then I'm trapped in the country. It's a big media story for like a bit. but then it kind of dies down and I'm still in prison and no one cares. Okay, definitely a very big one. Okay. So this is, the person just slipped them in, did they?

Yeah, it happens. Okay, they just slipped them in. Yeah. And then they were going to pick up your bag at the other end, is that right? Big time, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you are completely unaware. I'm just oblivious. Okay, so you're totally oblivive.

So I will come and get you out. Oh, thanks. I, your human lights lawyer. I don't think you can do that. And I love the confidence you have within yourself. But I, it's not that I do confidence in you. Oh my God, God, I believe you can do anything that you say, your mind too. You just run a marathon, God damn it.

God damn it. But I get you out of that jail. I think human rights law is maybe something that you have to have training. What did we just say? You have to train. Yes, absolutely. Don't just rock up. But, okay, so if that's a genuine concern, yeah.

Then any time when you're crossing over a border in which that would become an issue. Keep your back, shut. Keep your back, totally shut. Or if you do feel nervous about that sort of thing, take yourself off to the toilet or whatever, totally unpack everything. thing, check everywhere, be like, oh look, there's no... Give myself drug checks before Russia does. Exactly.

I've checked this bag. I'm my own bug drug sniffing dog or whatever. And then also to be like, what are the chances that somebody, you know, it's not likely, much more likely is that you've got involved with somebody or somebody's actively given you something. Oh my God, what if I get involved with somebody? So you take a lover, Emeldof's, and he says, because that could be from anywhere, that could be from anywhere.

That could be from anywhere. It's not absolutely clear what country you're in. Absolutely. And Imelos says, please can you take back, this is a gift for you. Then I have to be like, that's not, yeah, check it for drugs. Yeah. Basically, always check it for drugs. Always check it for drugs.

And then or just be like, no, thank you, Imelos. This is, our love is my memory. I have a boyfriend. At the airport, as soon as you're out of sight, you just go up to the nearest check-in person and you say, I can't, I'm nodding and I'm smiling because he is not very far behind me. There is a lot of drugs in my bag. Great. Oh, great.

Okay, I'll do that. We've come out of the bat with some really relatable hot tips. So that's the drug chat, everyone. That's the drug chat, but I'm glad to do that first. So people have a chance just to switch off and be like, that's not relatable to me or to anyone I know. So Bob back in with your general concerns, because I think is, I think a lot of people have the sort of dining alone.

A lot of the tips were all about things with like, so Lucinda Darby said, it's highly recommended to stay in a hostel. Because even then, like, for example, me, be like, no, no, a hostel is probably just one giant bed bug. And it will be, there will be one bedmores to share it. and then a man will, I don't know, assault me. That's not what a hostel is.

Okay. A hostel is literally there to be safe and fun for travellers. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? Yes, and it was... Yes, but I've seen both sides. I've seen a very bad hostel and a fine hostel. But a very bad hostel, just completely overrode anything in the world. On that, no, there's a Neve-Walsh message and said to check reviews religiously

because you should make sure that the hostel that you're staying in, it has glowing reviews regarding things like safety, and it's very easily walkable at night. So it's not like down a dark, alley or like in the middle of nowhere. Unless you're staying in the middle of nowhere, then that's where the place is. Yes. Reviews your friend. You know, the internet is such that you can cross reference a million different reviews and get yourself on Tripaviser, read from cover to cover, but also like just talk to other people, you know. Yes. And that's the thing, once you're in one

hostel, the reason that so many people, so many people said to stay in a hostel is because they, like, it's sort of like fresh as week. Everyone's like, hi! And you just have to make friends. People just like, come over here. So I've traveled extensively by myself. in Southeast Asia and I never had dinner by myself. You just meet other people on buses. You meet people in the hostel. You meet people who are like, oh, hey, do you want to be pals? And then you become great friends for one day.

And then you're like, goodbye. I'm off now. You know, so you do just, and certainly the more, the further afield you are, the more people do that. So it happens less, you know, in Paris. Sure. Nobody, you know, wants to be your friend there. But, you know, in the deepest, darkest, you know, the,

jungle someone all come up and be like oh hey yeah a person who's not from here yeah especially if there's like someone also speaks the language that you speaks and it's like oh great now you know but even if they don't there's like a lot of people said as well to just try and kind of learn basic phrases absolutely where you're going because it's not all it's not just about how to travel alone it's it's it's about going on holiday in china i just learned how to say oh not too spicy thank you and uh how much is that and then no that's too much i'm a teacher we don't i take that girl for a ride because she's a teacher she's a teacher and she can say it and she can say it and she can say it. So a lot of people said as well, so Beth, who's, who should handle us floaty goat? Oh, lovely, Beth.

She said, I did all the things that nobody else would want to do, so stuff that only I like, really obscure places and just imagined how bored my travel partner would be by my days. So lovely. That's very liberating. And that's why lots of, when I was reading all the tips and stuff, it may be really like, that is actually really nice. The trick is to not get yourself into the mindset of like, oh, this, imagine how fun this would be if I had any friends. And to be like, look at all the things I can do because I'm on my own. Yes. And therefore if I meet some cool people, I can do this thing with them. If I want to just, oh, I'm tired, I shall sit down. For as long as I like. I want to go to this museum. I don't want to go to that museum.

I want to go and I'm going to spend as long there as I like. I don't have to say, what do you want to do now? And also, it's a way of, in a way that I understand people are very scared of doing, but is, you know, you should push through that fear of being like, I don't want to get to know myself. Like, what if I'm awful? Yeah, that's true. But also do you think, are you of the opinion that like everyone should travel alone at some point? Or like everyone should go on holiday by themselves? Yes, 100%. Yeah.

I... Just like to try it. Just to try it. But also to like see just what you're capable of and what you like doing and all these, you know, experiences you have. I think it's important to say it's fine if you don't like it. So it's funny if you do it and you're like, you're like, actually I prefer to be with other people. There's always going to be good bits and bad bits. So you will have a good time at some point.

Yeah. But you, maybe the overall experience, you go, Okay, I'm not going to do that again, but maybe I'll try this again. Or like, maybe I'll... Exactly. And I think, like we've talked about before, about the difference being like, oh, I don't and I can't. So someone being like, oh, I couldn't travel alone. To be like, oh, I don't travel alone anymore.

That's actually real power. It's a real power to be like, oh, yes, I've done it lots, but I don't want to. But if it's in any way, you're thinking, oh my God, I wish I could, but I can't. You can. You absolutely can. Yes. Yes, you absolutely can. Also, Josephine Wilson had a funny tip, which was start the holiday that you're planning to go on

your own with a large group of friends, say six plus, and you'll be so annoyed with the constant faffing over food and activities that the solo element will feel like a dream when you get to make your own choices. I love my favorite one. That's, yes. Part of my passion for it is that I was in Cambodia by myself, met different people along the way. My friend Sally was teaching in China and so I was like, I'm getting myself to Sally. You know, that was my goal and then I would meet friends. So a week into it, I was at the bus waiting to go somewhere in Cambodia and these group of boys who I had made friends with the night before in the hostel said, oh, we're going south. do you want to come? And I was going north. They said, oh, we're going south. Do you want to come?

And I said, yes. And the thrill of being like, yes, I can change my plans. I'm going south. That's great. That's great. And these boys from the hostel. And they weren't actually that fun. And then I went north again. But the exciting bit was not the going south. The exciting bit was being able to be like, yes. I'm making that choice. Yes, I do. I'm doing that now. And that was thrilling. And I think, intoxicating. You know, especially if you've never, ever had an experience where you were totally the, basically the master of your own fate. It's really. And that can also be down to. like the smallest decision. So say like you get like an Airbnb and like, I don't know, deal outside of London. And you're like, I want to have a takeaway again tomorrow night. Exactly. I'm going to order the exact same thing.

Yes. Very free. Thrilling. And obviously be a free spirit who can just go south with the boys. Be a safe spirit. Firstly, obviously be safe. You're smart. I believe in all of you that you are very street smart.

And you're much more street smart than you believe yourselves to be. Yes, lots of people said go with your gut. So if you're like, this doesn't feel right. It's not right. Then leave. Yeah. Like just leave. But take precautions. Like someone said, put passport and a debit card in your bra.

Pretty much at all times if you ever going anywhere. Because you can survive. If you get back in the hostel's been like, you know, broken into and everything's gone. Yeah. You can survive with those two things. Yes, exactly. And space out your money thing. So if it's one's in the backpack, one's in your bag.

So everything, all your treasures are not together in one place. So if they go, everything's gone. And also money in like your tampon box. So like famously a place that nobody. checks so emergency funds basically all over the shop. Oh that's excellent. Just be covered in cash from Hentter to...

Right, A, be dripping in cash. Absolutely dripping in cash. Yeah. Sorry, you were saying something else. Sorry, I was talking about your day, but like, keep it open to spontaneity, but do not allow yourself to have days. They're just like, a bit too much spontaneity today, actually. Nothing in the plan. So like, you know, have things to do.

If anything, fill it with too much stuff. So then you're like, fuck it. But don't allow yourself to, and try and do all that prep in advance. so that you don't wake up there in a place be like, oh no, what am I doing? Why am I here? You will often have like a morning kind of realisation. A hundred percent.

And when it happens, be like, oh yes, I was prepared for this. They said it would happen. It happens to everybody. Yeah. Being like, oh my God, why am I here? And that can be, again, to bring it to just like normal little breaks away or weekends away.

That could be like the third day and you wake up being like, I don't know what to do today. Oh no, I'm doing fun wrong. Yeah, I'm rubbish. I'm doing fun wrong, yeah. That's actually something that Sean tweeted about, don't feel like you're doing fun wrong. And I think that's very,

I think that's a very nice, like, little pithy statement that you can say to yourself, when you wake up anywhere, when you're alone and you've decided to do this very, like, powerful, assertive thing of going away. And then you're like, oh, I'm a bit small. Then you can be like, that's fine. That's acceptable to feel like that. You're not doing it wrong.

Just ask yourself, okay, but what would make me feel better? Shall I have a cocktail? It's 10 a.m. You can have a cocktail. A friend of mine would watch friends a lot when you went to Mexico. She was like, I realized, I didn't want to. the first time, but I realized, I'm just still me, I'm just in Mexico, and friends really calms me down. So it's like, great, do that. Exactly.

Why not? Not everything will be this great eat, pray, love, transformative experience. Eat, pre, love has got a lot to answer for. Certainly does. And quite a dull book, I'm saying it. And also, when people come back and they tell their amazing stories, which you will definitely have. And even if they're, like, disaster stories, that, like, some of my favorite stories that people tell were born from, like, absolute chaos. So Amanda, Tweet she does and said that she travels solo a lot of love.

She recently discovered food tours and she's kind of obsessed and I didn't realize that was a thing. You get to see a city a bit and you eat tons of food and you meet really interesting people along the way. And I think if that, if you're thinking, yes, then do a food tour. But also there's a lot, it kind of opens up. There's lots of different types of, like a wine tour somewhere. You can do lots of different sort of activity based holidays that then throw you into with the mix with like other people. One of my favorite tips is Caroline O'Donohue, friend to the podcast. Develop a self-narrative around being a beautiful, mysterious stranger that everyone

is wondering about like madame be you in titanic. Who is that? You'll know exactly what I mean. She's attached to picture. The big lady who says, my son will have something to fit you. Yeah, and it's like, who is she? What's her story?

That's a fish knife, boy. That's her story. The Unthinkable Molly Brown. Yeah, I think that's quite helpful. There was a lot about like, if you feel weird about eating alone, but I think if you are frightened, just like do it in stages.

So if you're really like, I can't even have dinner alone, how am I going to even go on holiday alone? Maybe the first one is a good one is to go and see like a film on your own at the cinema Because that's like the easiest one but some people do feel weird doing that We actually did a podcast and we were like black it And then no one knows the difference and you'll feel like that anyway So I was like I'll just like I'll just like I'll just like I had to eat a line at one point

And I was like I'm just gonna have dinner It was the best man had dinner by myself at like quite a busy restaurant I was like a table for one place It's again I don't I can't it's like I'm on my own and I'm on my own I'm a powerful woman dining around the corner I actually helped me because it was in like a woman that lived around the corner in a very expensive house. I'm just like, probably time to eat at roses' tie tonight.

But also now it's kind of, I don't really think twice about it. And I think that shows the merit in kind of little stages. So maybe don't go for like two weeks in Russia when you can't go to Nando's by yourself. Yes, starred Nando's. Cinema number one. Number two, Nando's. Number three, a fancier restaurant, that's a bit busy.

Yes, and part of you will be like, I shouldn't wait. They shouldn't make them wait for just one. No, they should, because you're giving your top custom. Maybe then next, like a weekend away, somewhere not far from where you live. Just like a place that you've been like, well, I'd quite like to go to it. But I'll go there alone. But so many people that have got in touch being like, yeah, I make sure that I go away at least once a year by myself.

That's so nice. And I think that's really, really cool. Because I think it's, it just shows a level of self-acceptance and calm that they must get from that. That it sort of teaches you to have if you don't have it, I think. Absolutely. And I think genuinely doing this point. has taught me something about myself that I did not know that I in my default setting in a group is to be like, no problem, I'll be the easygoing one wherever we're going. No problems. I never say

like, like, I want to go here. I'm always just like, as long as everyone else is happy, then I shall be silent, which to me was like, what a useful low-maintenance gal I am. But really what it meant was like, I didn't know anything about myself and I don't know where I'd like to eat. And so therefore, being alone forces you to be like, what things do I like? What do I like Thai food? Or do I just say yes? Practical tips, obviously the men on Twitter came in with some good practical tips. Oh, of course, thank you. We're like, laugh yourself.

Imagine that you're mad and bejia on the Titanic. Kieran says, do your research on local transport options, especially in Europe. You can get around really easily and very cheaply and minimize your packing because obviously, like, you're the only one who's going to see you. And I think that's so crucial because so often when you go to a holiday, like, you don't think that you're packing things. You're like, well, there'll be a night in the town and I've got to wear my... You always pack a pair of heels. For what? For what?

They take up so much space and you don't want to... And actually, when you get to the holiday, you will only wear heels if, like, you're with a group of friends and everyone else is wearing heels. And you'd be like, well, I guess I'll wear my heels. If you're... No one wants to wear heels on holiday, really, did they? Sonia said, a friend went on a very sweet Tinder date.

He met a nice girl who showed him around and took him to all of the local hangouts. And then they also got to practice their different languages. Oh, perfect. Really great. And I was going to be like, but be careful on Tinder, but don't... I'd be like, you have to be careful on Tinder anyway.

So just because it's in Croatia. doesn't mean Tinder's any worse. Patrick Healy said a phone and a charger is such an absolute must. And as long as that's the case, you can just wandering and get lost because you know that you have, like... And one of those adaptable...

Plugs! And top tip, you just need to bring your adapter plus an extension cable. So with the British plugs in it. So then you can plug all your stuff into the... Into everything. My answer is to just put out the word that you are going unless this is a secretive abscondion

in which you wish to be alone. with your thoughts if you don't then you know put it on whatever social media you happen to have or just tell people you are going because somebody's weird cousin will also be there weird but like fun weird but fun or indeed weird and you will by this point you will be so thrilled for interaction and for somebody to like show you the ropes that you will take absolutely anything so your bar for level of friend will go down so far that's interesting yeah and also you don't ever have to see them again like if they won't take you for one drink you know.

Then you found a nice bar that you can go to with someone else who's less weird, for example. Exactly. Like if the weird cousin's like, let's go here. You're like, well, the place is good. The conversation was quite poor. I'll come back again. And then you return back to you like, oh, thank God I can be on my own again. I've left this fool.

Yeah, that's true. And I think if you do, it's do sort of try and force yourself to go out and to go and to do the stuff. And they're like, I'll just stay in. And I know, do that if that is what you need to do. But if you can, like, ride through that and be like, I'm going on the walking tour. I'm doing the stuff. I'm going to see them.

tourist guides and be like, what are some fun places? Like, I'll never see. I'm strapping in. Two, three years ago, me and Claire, hello Claire, went to Colombia and had an amazing time. In Medellin, every single person we met told us to go on this walking tour. And we were like, boring. Like, why would that be the number one thing to do?

And people had said it, you know, constantly. So we're like, fine, we'll go on the walking tour. It turned out to be so fun. It's like three hours long, you walk all over the city. It was free. At the end, you gave tips and you stopped. You got food. You saw the stuff.

like it really was an amazing thing to do and I believe that company it's called Free Walking Tours has now become sort of global Oh great! So go to walking tour So just Googling like the talk and they don't have to be the they don't have to be a fortune

So the flip side of that is that at my cousin's wedding in Cancun People were going out on these like day trips And paying $200 to go on the bus To Chichenitsa They're like the ancient Aztec temple or whatever And we were like you can pay one peso and go on the bus Like you don't have to do this

You know but people are like No no no no We want to be protect. We want to go on the safe way. And we were like, we've been, these minibuses drive up and down this drip. You just flag them down at any point on the freeway and they will pick you up. And it costs so little money. And you feel like really part of it.

Yeah. But if you always go with the like, you know, the clinical, like this is the tour with lunch included to this thing. And it costs hundreds of dollars. Like you'll never really feel part of it. You'll only ever be seeing this very like clinical. And it's not flexible. So if you're not flexible. Well, we're leaving at six.

Yeah. Well, I don't want to. And we saw those buses getting off at Chisnitzer. And people were like, okay, you got 40 minutes. and then it's like back on the bus and you're like, what if you want, you can't go to an ancient,

one of the world's great wonders. And they'll be like 40 minutes and then, and then back on. Yeah. Rubbish. Right. The final tip that I had,

which is from Neve, I really like this, is just eat something. If you feel like shit, you're probably hungry. I was in Rome, really overwhelmed by sadness. And I had a bowl of pasta

and was like, oh, there it is. I think that's really clever. Just have a snack. That's exactly. Honestly, you're probably hungry. Yeah.

Or keep hydrated. Yes. If it feels like it's a meltdown, Have a little snack. I know a snack. So that's how to travel alone. I mean, it's not an exhaustive amount of tips, but I feel like I want to travel alone now.

Like, I'm going to... Me too. I'm probably going to, because I maybe book some sort of like Airbnb and like Cornwall and just go and just really like experience the kind of countryside, you know? But I also think you should attempt like... Russia.

Yeah, I think you should do it in stages. Sorry, sorry, sorry. You've done cinema nando's fine dining and now you're at weekend away. Yeah. Great. Though to do attempt the... moving place, you know, so that the travel aspect of it. So you don't have that. I'm just alone

in this house. Oh, that's a good point now. You know, put that in place for yourself to be like, I'm doing this one night here and one night in the next place. When you wake up in the morning, when it's like, and now what? You're like, well, and now going to the next place. And then that's the objective of the day. So I think that's what you're trying to always put in place is like, objective of the day. There's a objective of the day that somebody will be like, well, they didn't show up to their reservation. They didn't show up to their booking, whatever. There's an objective to the day. And you can fuck them off, but at least you don't wake up and think, It's the abyss and then this bed again, you know?

And for four more nights. And four more nights are this. And that's the point where you start to go slightly crackers. Okay, interesting. So different nights. Or maybe I'll try, and maybe I'll be like, I can do four nights in a place. Oh, do it.

And I'm fine. It would be interesting to know. I would like to just sort of like experiment, you know. Thank you so much for listening. It's been pleasure. I really, really hope if you've thought about not doing it, then now you think maybe I could. Yeah, that's the one aim, I'd say,

apart from getting me to go. That's the one aim. That's my main objective is that you go on the Transylberian Express. My second objective is that you, go to Nando's alone. If you think I can do that, then go to the next bit. Go to Nando's alone, guys. We are at Nobody Panic Pod.

Please do tweeters, followers, whatever. I'm at Stovia. M. The S's 5. Tessa Coates, just your classics. Just, you know, her name, essentially. Classic Gregorian alphabet. Okay. And we will see you next week.

And thank you so much for listening. Bye-bye.