Have you ever flown to a foreign place all by yourself?

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If yes;

How old were you in that time?
Was it easy to do that?
Was that your first trip to another country?
Were you alone through the whole process or had any other person helped?
What did you felt when you landed to the other country? (Have you panicked and asked yourself "what am I doing in here"?)
Have you felt lonelier than you were in your hometown?
Were you a native speaker of the counrty that you were visiting (or are you a native speaker of English)?

I'm going to experince a trip just like this soon, so I have many concerns, and if you dont want to answer all these questions, you can share an own story of yours

BTW, this is my 50th post

Last edited by hiddenname on 27 Dec 2010, 4:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hello

I travelled to China when I was 18 on my own and met a friend out there for part of the time. I always freak out when I go on holiday and this was no different, I had to listen to constant music in order to get on the plane and to the hostel. However, once I got into it I found that I picked up the language that I needed pretty quickly and because the culture was so different, there wasn't the social expectations that there were here and so the faux pas that I made were not noticed so much. I have just done a TEFL course so am looking at moving abroad again as there is little in the way of secure work in the UK for me and connecting with other English is hard! Try not to worry too much, you will pick up what you need as you go along. Just make sure that you take and utlilise whatever calming measures you need. I had a few meltdowns due to the culture shock but all in all it was a great experience.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

No. I don't have a pilot's License but I'd love to fly a plane one day.

Yes, I've flown to a foreign country by myself a few times.

I was 17 years old when I did that for the first time. I did it again at ages 18, 20 and 23.

I was kind of nervous the first two times. The part about getting through the airports and flying were easy and never really a concern to me. What I was nervous about was how I'd manage things in the foreign country, like finding my way around and doing things correctly by myself and then meeting up with strangers to spend a few weeks with them.

I had been abroad a couple of times before, but only as a kid and always accompanied by adult family members.

For my first trip that I went alone, my parents drove me to the airport and a friend of my parents' happened to be traveling on the same plane, so we went through the airport together and sat together on the plane. The process was pretty much self-explanatory though and I didn't really need her help, but it was nice to have someone to wait with. At the airport in the foreign country there was a man waiting for me from the organization that I was meeting up with. I didn't know anyone there, so for the duration of the next 3 weeks I was with complete strangers and on the way back home I was alone. This trip was a lot easier than I had expected though. It wasn't that hard at all and I didn't panic or anything, but I did feel a bit nervous and awkward sometimes.

For my second trip my parents drove me to the airport too, but I was completely alone for the rest of the trip and not only to the airport in the foreign country, but I had to use public transport to get from the airport to the main train station of a huge city and then find my way onto the right train to go to another city on the countryside, where I was supposed to meet someone from an organization I was meeting up with, and then spend 3 weeks with strangers again and travel back home on my own. This trip was kind of difficult. I started feeling unwell in the plane and the heat at the destination airport and having to wait long for my luggage only made me feel even more unwell. I then had a lot of trouble finding my way around and got lost and my phone wasn't working and it was hard to communicate with the locals, so I had a few devastating hours and had a meltdown, but eventually everything was alright and I eventually got help finding my way to the right place.

My other trips after that went fine.

I didn't feel lonelier during those trips than I did in my hometown. If anything, I felt less lonely, because although I didn't know anyone, I was participating in programs that involved getting to know new people and doing various planned activities together, so I had a good time.

I was not a native speaker in any of those countries and I'm not a native speaker of English either. In the first country communication was not a big issue. I spoke good enough English and so did most of the locals. Communication was very difficult in the second country though, with me having only basic knowledge in the local language and the locals generally not speaking any foreign language.

I loved those trips and although they were not always easy, they were very fun and taught me a lot and I have a lot of good memories from them. I'm sure you will have a nice trip even if it will be a bit of a challenge too. Just prepare yourself as well as you can and try not to panic.

Enjoy your trip and have fun!

ahh the aspie literal mind makes wonderful jokes

Yes, I have. Thrice to date.

How old were you in that time? 17 the first time, 21 the second, 24 the third
Was it easy to do that? Yes. Other people seemed to think I should find it frightful, but I didn't. I wasn't afraid and it worked out fine.
Was that your first trip to another country? Yes, the first time was.
Were you alone through the whole process or had any other person helped? I was alone through the whole process each time, other than getting a ride to the airport.
What did you felt when you landed to the other country? (Have you panicked and asked yourself "what am I doing in here"?) Jet-lagged, exhausted. I did not panic. This last time, I did question what I was doing, yes, but only briefly and not in a panicked way.
Have you felt lonelier than you were in your hometown? No, I was lonelier back home.
Were you a native speaker of the counrty that you were visiting? No, for all three occasions.

Traveling is exhausting and it is an ordeal. You have to pack, knowing what you will need, what is illegal to bring, what is unavailable where you're going, etc. You have to make sure you have (or don't need) an appropriate visa. If you're going far, you will be tired and experience the joys of jet lag. Et cetera. Then there are or might be language issues. I haven't found them to be terribly problematic, but they can be a bit stressful.

It's not so bad. Just jump in. Traveling, especially alone, can be a wonderful learning and growing experience.

16, 20, 29, 33, 34, 35, 37, 41, 44, 44, 45, 46, 47, and counting

Y, Y, Y, Y, Y, N, N, Y, Y, N, Y, Y, Y

Y, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N.

I don't think I was every entirely alone. I've always traveled for a reason, and that reason inevitably involved other people in one fashion or another.
At first, I usually felt something like: "Wow, cool. This is different." Now it's usually more like, "OK, which set of behaviors applies here?"

Yes, but most of my life has been outside my home town, so that's not surprising. More time == more opportunities to experience things, including loneliness.

N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, Y, N, N, N

Silliness aside, I'm often more comfortable abroad. As a foreigner, you get a pass on a lot of misunderstandings and cultural awkwardness. It can be a very liberating experience.

Enjoy!

How old were you in that time?
I was 26 at the time.

Was it easy to do that?
Yes. But I had already been to NYC once with my mother, so i knew what to expect.

Was that your first trip to another country?
No, I had already been to Denmark, England and USA earlier.

Were you alone through the whole process or had any other person helped?
I was alone there, and had no help there, nor did I need it. I thought about how it had been the first time and walked myself through it.

What did you felt when you landed to the other country? (Have you panicked and asked yourself "what am I doing in here"?)
No, not once did I panic. I felt anxious when I first left, but it quickly gave way for excitement.

Have you felt lonelier than you were in your hometown?
I was only there for a short vacation so I didn’t really have the time to feel lonely.

Were you a native speaker of the counrty that you were visiting (or are you a native speaker of English)?
I’m from a European country where English is taught as a second language, so no I wasn't a native speaker.

Done it multiple times. I love it.

@19 (S. Korea), 25 (Japan), 28 (Japan) and 30 (New Zealand) yrs old.

Easy? Yes. The only hard thing is planning what to do once you're there so you really need to research the locale so you don't waste time.

First trip to another country? No.. but I don't think childhood travel with parents really counts.

Alone the whole process.

Haha yeah my first trip I did get the 'hell Im here now what?' thought as I got off the plane. Otherwise I was really excited (and every time afterwards) because.. WOOT! IM HERE!

A little lonely yes but its not a big factor.. you're too busy absorbing everything in anyways.

No, I didn't speak the language of the countries I was in. I did however make it a point to try and learn some basic phrases before going there. They help LOTS.

I was 21 when I went to France without family. I went with a local choral group for a week. Most of the people were much older than me and few were around my age.
I have lived a military life and have traveled from US to Korea to Hong Kong to other places but never alone. I did come to the US from Korea by myself when I was 16 to visit family in NJ. That was scary to fly alone especially overseas. But back then my dad took me to the gate at the airport. My grandparents took me to the gate at the airport in NJ.
Since I was with a choral group, I was ok with the whole airport. The only issues I had was poor English at this one hotel I stayed at. It was way out of Paris. I don't know how to speak French so it was difficult. But once the group went to Paris, everyone at the hotel spoke English. But I definitely wanted to go back to the US that I still remember kissing the ground at BWI airport. I probably looked strange. I was that happy to be back in the US.

I flew to Chihuahua, Mexico for a short-term work assignment from northern US shortly after 9/11. I don't want to get specific, but I was OLD. I flew to Mexico City and then got on a puddle Jumper to Chihuahua. I'm pretty sure this memory isn't real, but for some reason I remember that people had animals like sheep and goats with them in the cabin on the plane. I was accustomed to traveling and staying in hotels for work so I wasn't really nervous.

But I had no idea how difficult it is to get around when you don't speak the language. I got completely lost and confused in the airport in Mexico City. A couple different people seemed to recognize my situation and helped me by translating and pointing me in the right direction. Being suspicious by nature, I immediately suspected some kind of scam, but no, they seemed to be just decent folks helping out a stranger.

Same thing when I got to Chihuahua, even though there seem to be a lot of dirt poor people there and everything that could possibly be stolen has to be nailed down and surrounded by barbed wire, the people were nothing but friendly and helpful to me and it's a very good memory.

I work for a mission organization helping families in developing nations and had the chance to visit one of our overseas projects. It was one of the best experiences of my life. It was something I knew would make me panic and force me to act on my own without as much of a safety net.

I was 26 at the time when I visited Colombia. I joined the president of my organization (who I don't know and honestly am a little intimidated by) and a bunch of native folks for a pilgrimage. Some parts of the trips I had some assistance (a friend or two that speaks the local language was a god send) others I was basically on my own.
Try getting through Colombian customs without speaking good Spanish.. Not fun

I found that while traveling it was actually easier to integrate into a group than while I'm at home.

As Grandpa said..
Take it slow, take problems in stride.
Keep your eyes wide and enjoy the ride.

I don't have a pilot's license but I am currently in a foreign country (Ireland), all by myself, and took the plane there.

How old were you in that time? 28
Was it easy to do that? I am here for a job and I didn't know until 2 days before, that I'd be hired at all. So it was pretty hectic
Was that your first trip to another country? Well, I'm in Europe and countries are smaller here.
Were you alone through the whole process or had any other person helped? My mother helped packing, my father brought me to the airport, my employer booked the flight and provided a list of hostels.
What did you felt when you landed to the other country? (Have you panicked and asked yourself "what am I doing in here"?) Tired, anxious, and excited.
Have you felt lonelier than you were in your hometown? Only when the internet connection failed at the hostel.
Were you a native speaker of the counrty that you were visiting (or are you a native speaker of English)? I am pretty fluent in English, but German is my native language. I speak no Irish at all and so far, that has not impeded me.

I went to Brazil alone when I was 23. I had met a girl over Skype who wanted to chat and practice her English. I had known her for a month or so and took a chance to go meet her. I flew down from Iowa in the US. I didn't speak a word of Portuguese, but somehow her family and I managed to make it through an endless game of charades and other body language. The airport in Brazil was probably the worst part because they lost my bag and I couldn't ask anyone for help. That was 6 years ago or so and since then, I've brought her up here and married her. She's about to take her citizenship test finally and we have a 1 year old together. Funny how when you take a leap of faith into the unknown, you can gain everything.