Have you been itching to have a beach vacation in Boracay, but your friends are just never free? Or are you the type who loves to travel on your own? It is time to stop hesitating and just give travelling solo in Boracay a try. While it has its risks, especially in terms of safety, it also has benefits that you would not want to miss. One of the advantages of going this route is the chance to experience traveling with strangers. Here’s a travel guide to help you learn about the ways you can make the experience both a meaningful and safe one.

Be friendly with everyone

Travel with Strangers Be Friendly with Everyone

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The great thing about travelling with strangers is that you get to be around people whom you are only starting to get to know. This can be fun and exciting. And people are more likely to be in their best behavior. It is much unlike travelling with a spouse or a sibling where you just let your guard down, increasing the tendency to get to each other’s nerves over little things.

Make friends with everyone, and avoid being too dependent on just one person for companionship. If you spend too much time with one or two people, you miss out on the chance to get to know a lot more people in the group. One of the perks of travelling is being able to open your mind to many different kinds of personality and culture. Make sure you make the most out of it.

Explore people

Travel with Strangers Explore People

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More than just exploring places, make sure you make an adventure out of getting to know people on a deeper level. One of the best ways you can do this is by listening, truly listening. Practically everybody has a powerful story to tell, and this offers invaluable opportunities for vicarious learning. Moreover, being truly listened to is a gift people love to receive. Much like flattery, listening is a form of seduction. And who knows what rewards you might get from this!

Effective listening starts with asking the right question. And you can do this by closely observing people. If you have noticed a person carrying around a book about entrepreneurship, you can ask him if he has dipped his fingers in any type of business. You can then proceed to dig deeper into the person’s passions, and get to know him on a deeper level.

Ditch your phone

Travel with Strangers Ditch your Phone

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One of the ways you can make real connections while travelling is by being truly present in the moment, and you simply cannot do this if your face is constantly on your phone. For effective communication, make proactive efforts to be an open person. Use open eyes and an open body language, one that does not fidget or hide behind the shield of a phone. Use your phone only when you absolutely have to, like when you need to update people back home of your whereabouts.

Be ready to pitch in

Travel with Stranger Be Ready to Pitch In

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One of the pleasant surprises you will get when travelling with strangers is that it would not feel like being with people travelling on their own. It becomes a group of people pooling their resources together. If you end up having a headache, a cold, a blister, or even a lost luggage, you will get numerous offers of help. Make sure you do your part. Always be ready to offer assistance. Help create a dynamic where everyone is pitching in for the good of the group.

Watch your words

Travel with Strangers Watch your Words

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Unsurprisingly, being with a new group has its complications. Do not be surprised to find people committing faux pas. Some inadvertently make racist comments or say things that unwittingly attack a certain age group. Always remember to not take things personally, and just try to make every situation as light-hearted as possible. Try to find humor even when there is hardly any. You want your travels to be as pleasant as possible. And of course, try your best to not make the mistakes yourself. Remember that looks can be deceiving, and you don’t want to make a joke to the wrong person. Just try to be tactful, and avoid jokes related to race, age, religion, and other such things.

Avoid drama

Travel with Strangers Avoid Drama

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As mentioned above, do not take things personally. This is the best way to avoid drama. As much as you’d like to paint a picture where everyone gets along and the group is functioning like one big happy family, this is simply not how reality plays out. When you put many different kinds of people in one place, disharmony is bound to happen. This is especially true in travels where things can get strenuous and emotions heightened. To shield yourself from the drama, always remind yourself that this is your trip and it is what you make of it. You invested money and efforts in the experience. You had better make it all worth it. Shrug the petty drama off and have all the fun you can get.

Splurge on safety

Travel with Strangers Splurge on Safety

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One of your primary concerns when travelling alone is your safety. This is an area you would not want to skimp on. While saving money while travelling is a wise thing to do, you should not hesitate to spend a little extra on things that matter, like safer accommodations and more secure transportation options. If you have friends who have guaranteed the security of, say, Alta Vista de Boracay, then go for that accommodation. If you feel significantly safer exploring the islands with a professional guide, then hire one. You simply cannot put a price tag to your well-being and safety.

Make sure people back home are aware of your plans

Travel with Strangers Make Sure People Bach Home are Aware of your Plans

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Although interacting with complete strangers can be an exciting idea, make sure you stay connected with people back home. Keep them abreast of your plans. This entails more than just posting on Instagram. Talk to them constantly, so they can check on you if something is amiss and you suddenly go off radar. To make it even more effective, assign a point person to check on you constantly. Also, you can take this beyond just your family members. For instance, you can inform the hotel concierge if you plan to go out to take a walk at night. Provide them with your estimated time of return. Travelling in Boracay will only be as safe as you make it.

Go ahead and travel solo in Boracay! Spend a lot of time with strangers. It will be unlike most people’s experience of the place. It will be unique and authentic, and will leave you with a lot of good stories to tell.

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