The solo traveller recommends

Do you worry how safe it would be to travel alone Or that you might die of boredom Or are your concerns more practical like having to pay full price for a double room Our suggestion Give solo travel a shot Think of the pros like having full rights to your itinerary including the decision to alter your day without having to check with fellow travellers and allowing yourself some muchdeserved RampR We spoke to a few free spirits who are off to explore places on their own this summer Time to sever those invisible chains that bind you to your desk and get packingu00a0 Going to Ladakh When April Why To spot a snow leopard Duration 10 days Budget Rs 20000 approx WHO Supriya Kantak 29 writerphotographer Based in Mumbai ldquoWinters are the best time to spot the elusive snow leopard I was hoping to do this trip in February but ended up going to Bangkok instead A girl who works at the Snow Leopard Conservancy in Ladakh got me interested in this We will be going on tiger sightings I hate to do conventional touristy things when Irsquom travelling Doing the regular sights mdash Pangong Nubra and the like mdash was out of question The best part about travelling solo is that you are forced to meet new people and make friends Plus the barrenness of the mountains in Ladakh has always fascinated merdquo Going to Assam When MidApril and May Why To better understand her roots from a socialpoliticalcultural point of view Duration 40 days Budget Rs 6000 to Rs 10000 WHO Priyanka Borpujari 27 independent journalist Based in Mumbai ldquoMy parents are from Assam I was born there and visited Assam every year during the summer I also did my junior college there Though Irsquove been to Guwahati and Jorhat I have never seen Assam through the eyes of a traveller and a journalist This time around I am travelling with the intention of understanding the diversity of Assam better Though I donrsquot have a fixed agenda I am hoping to meet and stay with people who are working at the grassroots level in villages as well as meeting people who reflect a LeftofCentre point of view I am able to travel alone because I look at the world positively You also have to be confident follow your instincts know some basic words in the local language and just genuinely smile a lot And no you do not need a passport to visit Assam people there do not eat anything that crawls it is not filled with Maoists and it is definitely not a dangerous place where you will get killed the moment you land Irsquove been travelling alone to new places for the past five years So much lsquobadrsquo could have happened but I have only had beautiful experiences You need to trust the world and desperately love travellingrdquo Going to Goa When April to July Why Because itrsquos Goa Duration 4 months Budget Rs 60000 approx WHO Sonali Shah 24 freelance writer Based in Mumbai ldquoI went on a solo trip to Goa last year with friends joining in only during the latter half That is when I realised that I can do solo trips and that I wanted to do an extended one The whole vibe of Goa spells freedom making you feel liberated from the constraints of city life Itrsquos also a good place to travel solo since you are not quite alone all the time you are constantly meeting fun people I intend to continue with my freelance writing for the most part though I also hope to catch up on my reading and meet interesting people from around the worldrdquo Going to Hulivana Karnataka When May Why To live inside a rainforest Duration 4 to 5 days Budget Rs 8000 approx Who Rahul Divay 24 digital media planner Based in Mumbai ldquoHulivana is a nature resort inside a dense rainforest about 253 km from Bangalore I read about it in a travel magazine and found myself thinking about how it was right up my alley I love travelling to such places alone because I can totally enjoy doing what I want to do mdash itrsquos just me and the great outdoors Plus I like travelling to places where there is no network on your mobile phone and where you can go trekking My todo list includes going mountain biking and trekking to Jenkal Betta the thirdhighest peak in the staterdquo Going to Nusa Lembongan island southeast of Bali When May Why To do an Advanced Open Water Diver course Duration 9 days Budget Rs 100000 approx WHO Aravind Murali 37 music composer Based in Chennai ldquoI prefer travelling to places off the beaten track I read something on travel everyday and happened to chance upon Nusa Lembongan on the Wikitravel website It happens to be this spectacular island located to the southeast of Bali in Indonesia I have dived before in the Andamans and in Malaysia and have signed up for a threeday course as wellrdquo Going to Singapore and Malaysia When May Why To see a new country Duration 6 to 8 days Budget Rs 50000 approx Who Arjun Rajagopal 28 consultant with an IT firm Based in Bangalore ldquoSingapore seems like an ideal choice for summer travel since itrsquos not too far away and fits my budget as well Travelling alone means that I have the freedom to do everything at my convenience and have space for introspection as well I plan to sign up for some walking tours ride the metro perhaps even stay at hostels to meet people from different countries Since Malaysia and Bali are close I am planning to go there as wellrdquou00a0