My first experience with Vienna and solo travel was…not the greatest. In fact, Vienna and I have a bit of a complicated relationship. But, Vienna will always hold a special place in my heart because Vienna was where I learned how to travel solo for the first time. This always surprises people because unbeknownst to me, everyone loves Vienna. It was voted as having the highest quality of life for young people in the world, and there is a lot of stuff to do.
The first day I was there I was entirely sleep deprived. I had no sleep on my transatlantic flight from the US to Serbia, and about one hour of sleep on the overnight bus from Serbia to Vienna. And I tried running into the same people at local markets, eating at the same restaurant a couple of times, going to the same bar, and I saw the same people, but nothing. I tried making conversations with locals, but nada. The hostel that I stayed at was geared towards younger people.
Now, I was 24 when I went to Vienna, but most of the people at the hostel ranged from Those few years make a difference. The hostel itself was a chain, with nothing really special about it. I lost count of how many times I got lost in the city. It took me a good 1. I had no wifi on my phone, and was standing in the rain with a free map, trying to navigate the way to my hostel.
As a result, I spent a lot of time just trying to keep myself occupied. I like to think of Vienna as my trial period for traveling solo. You decide where you want to go, how long you want to stay somewhere, ect. If you get lost in the middle of the city, you have to figure out how to get unlost. Solo traveling in and of itself is an incredible experience.
But the first time is a bit of a learning experience. And I think Vienna was just that, a learning experience. I like to pick accommodation that is quirky, and offers a bit of the culture of the city. Choose an area where you can walk around and see something beautiful or interesting. Or pick and area with a lot of great bars and restaurants. Have a plan before you arrive. And a lot of my time was spent in my hostel, trying to figure out exactly what to do with myself.
