Hello! I have been working with someone through fairtravel4u.org in which he created an itinerary for me to travel from Quito to Guayaquil in 37 days starting this June. I am a 26 year old female and will be traveling by myself. The entire trip has me taking public transportation (at my request to make it affordable) and I have never traveled alone internationally. My family is very concerned for my safety, which in turn is making me question whether or not I am being ignorant to the dangers of traveling alone. I was hoping to get some insight from people who may have been to these places. I would love to have a companion, but I don't know anyone who is willing to make the trip and I'm not sure how to find someone who would want to! Also, has anyone used that site before? My family is also concerned with the fact they don't take credit card and wonders about their credibility. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Nikki,
I live in Quito and am 28 years old and a white girl. Being a white girl and walking around alone does attract attention but I've personally never had any problems (in total I've spent about 9 months in Ecuador). Guys will make noises at you and say things as you walk past but just ignore them and keep walking (this does happen more when I am alone and not with my friends).
As for travelling on public transport, again, I've never had any trouble. I think part of this is luck but mostly I think it comes down to common sense and the precautions you take. For example, just as travel books say, don't put your luggage overhead, always keep your arms wrapped around your bag. Public transport can be a lot of fun in Ecuador as there is always lots happening on buses and it's the main form of transport here. I can understand that your family is concerned but if you use your common sense and follow tips in Lonely Planet then it will reduce the risk of you being a target.
Hope this helps a bit and that you enjoy your travels.
As #1 says, with common sense and sensible travel precautions, you should be fine. Traveling alone you will tend to be a little more risk averse anyway, and less likely to be tempted to take silly chances.
However, I would question whether arriving with a fixed, pre-booked, itinerary is helpful, especially if you are using public transport. What can this agency actually offer you? (Other than to book accommodation which you can do yourself online). It sounds like you will have all the disadvantages of a tour without any of the advantages.
If you aren't financially committed to it I would suggest instead that when you arrive in Quito you have your first few nights booked in one of the bigger hostels. Then leave everything else open for now. You will easily meet people to travel with, but if your itinerary is totally fixed, you are unlikely to find people planning to travel at exactly the same time to exactly the same place.The route from Quito to Guayaquil is fairly well traveled, so finding people heading in the same direction shouldn't be difficult. Have a rough idea of where you want to go, but keep it flexible. That's the joy of independent travel.
Doing it yourself might seem more daunting/scary initially, but once you get started you will probably find it is easier, more enjoyable and less stressful than trying to stick to an itinerary.
The agency has set up an itinerary that includes a 5-day paddle tour and 2 weeks volunteering in wildlife animal refuge. The rest of the time is mostly spent going city to city and spending a couple days here and there. They also set up all of my hotel stays and provide busing times and locations. Not knowing anything about the country I think I'd be more comfortable having a plan. Unless it's just exhausting. Then maybe I should just go to Belize and hang out on the beach. :)
It's not that it's particularly exhausting, just that having everything pre-booked like that is actually less convenient and makes it really hard to find people to travel with. It feels like a safety net now, but it will be a ball and chain once you arrive. If you are comfortable traveling alone, that's not a problem, but you say in your first post that you prefer to find someone to travel with. Also on buses, etc it is safer to travel with other people as you can all help to keep an eye on each other's stuff. If you are alone you have to be really careful not to fall asleep on the bus, as that will make you a target. Again, it's not a big problem if you are comfortable with solo travel, but it can be an issue when you are just starting out.
Also, travel in Ecuador is not always predictable. What happens if the buses are delayed? For example if roads are closed because of a landslide or volcanic activity? Will you still have to pay for the hotels you have booked? Will the agency be responsible for finding you somewhere new to stay? Who pays for that? Will you have to contact the agency while you are en-route to change arrangements?
You say you have your hotels booked. Do you actually mean hotels or hostels? If you are staying in hotels it will be a lot more difficult to meet other travelers. It's also a very expensive way to travel.
The volunteering and paddle tour are fine to arrange in advance, but honestly, you'll find it easier and a lot more enjoyable if you leave some wiggle room in the rest of your trip. And Ecuador has some good beaches too you know ;-)
Go on, be brave and do at least some of it on your own!
Hi Nikki if you're in Quito at the end of June /early July get in touch, I'm also going on my own
What are the dates of your travel in Ecuador? I'll be there starting mid July for about 5 weeks and have a pretty open/flexible plan, and would love to have some company for at least part of it. I'm a 30 year old female and have spent a decent amount of time traveling many parts of Central/South America.
I agree with what most people have said about safety/itinerary. My family/friends share the same concerns as yours, but really most things that could happen to you while traveling could also happen here in the States. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and as informed as you can be about where you are. I also think that having a basic itinerary is a good idea, but I generally don't book everything ahead of time. I'll usually reserve my first night or two and make decisions from there. I've found that you can miss out on some things you really want to do if you already have many fixed plans/dates. It can work the other way as well in that some times you may not particularly like an area/city or want to leave early and if you can't get out of that reservation, you're stuck.
If you've already committed, go with it! Don't not go because you're afraid of traveling alone....you will regret it.
Best of luck!
Thanks for all the advice/tips everyone! I'm leaving this Friday for 40 days! I decided to stick with the itinerary- the great thing about it is I don't have to follow it at all. I won't be losing too much money if I don't since I'm taking public transportation everywhere anyways so I could always skip over destinations/etc. I also decided to get travel insurance just in case there are problems with transportation, and my travel agency helps with that as well. I think I'm more worried that I won't find travelers that I want to travel with and then I'll end up with no plan or idea what to do. I know that's unlikely but that's the kind of thing I worry about! I'd rather lose money by skipping out on some pre-booked hostels. You've all given me great insight and advice though! :)
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