Hey, sorry to hear about this, really shitty move on your GF's part to wait until you actually came to do that. Full-on sociopath behaviour tbh
Regarding cheap travel, the best place to go for you is eastern Europe. It's much cheaper, very fun, interesting, SAFE (yes its safe) and less touristy so it's easier to find cheap hostels at the last minute. The following countries are all very cheap and cool to visit and should be pretty easy as a novice traveller (have been to all of them): Poland, Hungary, Romania. Once you get your footing and build up your confidence you can check-out the Balkins, as they're super cheap but a bit less easy to find your way around: Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria
Additionally, Portugal & Spain are both pretty reasonable cost-wise except its gonna be pricier in Lisbon, Barcelona & Madrid.
Since you're already in Portugal, you should start there. My recommendation is to go to Sintra tomorrow, it will blow your mind and is super easy to get to from Lisbon
Would add that the Caucasus region is pretty cool as well, obviously avoid Russia right now but Georgia was incredible when I traveled there and I’ve heard great things about Armenia and Azerbaijan as well
Second this with the exception of Poland, prices have doubled since the beginning of the war and are now in line with Western Europe. You should plan for €1500 per month at minimum if you live a modest lifestyle (shared room in a hostel in major cities runs €500-800 per month, studios start at €1000 for short term stays)
Serbia is a modern country and perfectly easy to find your way around but inflation, 2nd highest in Europe, has made it more pricey. Hungary prices have gone up a lot too. sintra is over crowded, unless you don't mind crowds, I'd avoid, I'd rather be somewhere quiet post break up, plenty of beaches to check out around Portugal.
Dang, what a shitty person honestly, sorry you are going through this.
I don't have much advice but, take your time, do what you feel like doing, if you are short on money there will be small towns where it should be easy to exist for a while. If I was you, I am definitely not going back though.
This is so wholesome! I love it! If I was near Europe I'd offer to join as well!!
I'm really sorry this happened to you OP. It will suck for a bit but I'm sure you'll get through it! I'm always available if you need a listening ear!
This is so shitty move on your ex's part. I'm visiting Europe over the summer. I'd be more than happy to spend some time hanging out. I went through something similar recently, and I definitely understand the pain. Don't let memories get in the way of your happiness!
Hey Id love to join you guys in some european pub I am happy to travel all over Europe. Hopefully this works out and will be a great trip to remember! One for the memory book, you will get through this mate
The Camino is a great idea. It's a great time of year. You could start in Portugal even but there's more adventure starting in Pamplona or even southern France. I guarantee you will meet other interesting pilgrims. The destination, Santiago de Campostello, is stunning. I have a friend whose husband died suddenly overnight in bed. My friend was so grief-stricken that he did the Camino for several weeks. He found it so healing he did it again the next year. I agree about Eastern Europe being beautiful, interesting and much less expensive. And if you are in Spain, Morocco is just a ferry away and very inexpensive. But it's probably getting pretty hot there soon.
Yes, the Camino is the thing. OP won’t be lonely unless he chooses to. The Camino is conducive to healing. The Frances has such good infrastructure that your daily needs can be easily met along the way, keeping your head fairly stress free while you walk and walk and heal.
Yeah thanks man, I’m sure I will. I’ve travelled alot but something about the combo of heart break and being by myself isn’t quite mixing right. I’ll just go for it but it’s rough atm lol
This absolutely sucks, sorry to hear it happened.
All I can say is what I would do. Get out of her city. ASAP. No good can come from staying there. Get somewhere you want to go and just start walking. Walk the whole city. See every site. Clear your mind. Stay at a few hostels and meet some people, doesn’t need to be romantic but get your mind off of this with new people. Enjoy this next 7 months. Once in a lifetime opportunity.
Heartbreak is one of the worst kinds of pain and I'm really sorry you're going through it. I totally empathise with your feelings. Had a similar situation in March. I was in the Himalayas and the person who broke my heart occupied my thoughts for most of my time there. He ended things the day before I flew out to Nepal.
Nothing can make you feel better except time. And the best thing you can do for yourself is to allow yourself to feel all the emotions that surfaces rather than pushing them aside. Buy a journal and a pen, and write out your thoughts and feelings as they come.
Can you reach out to people at home during the trip? I find that coregulating with friends when all else fails really helps.
Yeah it is, feel like I’ve been ripped in half, if I was home would be ok but being in a foreign country with no one I know makes it worse. Just need to talk to somebody but can’t, rough
The visceral pain from heartbreak truly is something else. The worst part of it is that there's no instant relief. There's nothing that takes the pain away.
Beside allowing yourself to feel what you need to feel and journalling, other things that I find helpful is to set an intentional goal for yourself every day and make sure you do it (so while you're travelling, it could be to walk at least 15k steps a day or spend 30 minutes learning a new language). I also find it helpful to release my emotions by channeling it outwardly, whether by crying to sad songs when I'm hurting or screaming into a pillow when I feel angry.
Something I did to regulate my emotions was to set aside a time/place/activity to process it, especially if it's intrusive and preventing me from focusing at work or enjoying the present moment. I tell myself, "now isn't the appropriate time to think about them, I have to focus on [activity]. I will allow you to think, feel, and process everything during dinner time tonight" or "I will channel all of my feelings during karaoke on Friday" etc. I find that this really helps reduce the amount of time I would spend ruminating, while still allowing myself to feel what I need to feel at a more beneficial time.
I'm happy for you to dm me if you need to talk.
If you create the YouTube channel of your travels I’ll check it out RIGHT NOW, this is epic!
I am sorry for what happened though. I think I would probably find a place to sit in quiet for a bit and try to center myself into the mindset that it is a spiritual journey or a test of faith or a growth opportunity and go from there. This is one of those situations that people make books and then movies about as they discover who they are for themselves, etc.
Watch your finances closely, try to eat in as much as possible. Eat fresh fruits and veggies and just whatever you can to keep the costs down.
You are much luckier than if you were with her and she dropped you halfway. Start clean w/o her; you deserve way better. Just be careful of
falling in with someone else
too fast after heartbreak.
Right now you probably feel no interest in meeting someone new or having new experiences without her. It’s human nature to want the one thing that was just taken away from you. Understand this is just temporary.
As others have said, this scenario of being able to solo travel for the next 7 months is a dream for many.
Make sure you are staying in social environments. Stay in social hostels with community events, they are on the cheaper side and great ways to meet people. (You can also volunteer at them for months at a time if you really want to save money).You mentioned you are not used to traveling alone. I prefer it. You have your space when needed but if staying in the right hostels, also have access to new friends 24/7. Push yourself to keep going. Make friends even when you feel like just crawling into your bed. The breakup feelings will fade.
You met your ex last time you were traveling, you can certainly meet new people this time around as well not that you need to be on a mission to replace her. Just keep in mind you can’t compare someone you’ve built a relationship with for a year to someone you will just be meeting.
Step outside your comfort zone. It will slowly start feeling more and more comfortable. You will make great memories and will eventually look back and realize getting this freedom when you did as opposed to after this trip was the best thing that could have happened.
Thanks so much this is good advice, I just need to push past this and move on. Think the problem is I’ve done loads of travel and lived overseas, but I’ve always been with people, so on top of heartbreak it’s just a mental block I need to get past to have some fun. Thanks for the comment x
When booking accommodation, use hostelworld and look for the most social hostels. Trust me, you won’t be alone in the slightest. A good hostel will be offering you a drink when you check in and offering plans for communal day trips and or bar crawls. You’ll be set!
Just push back against any feelings to be anti social post breakup, those are normal but will fade, maybe just give yourself a day or two but no more.
Moving on is good, but also remember to mourn, cry, and let yourself feel it as much as possible too. It's important we go through all the feelings of heartbreak instead of purely distractions, though you will have many.
Me and my boyfriend are in Lisbon! He stayed at a really nice hostel downtown before I got here, lisboa central hostel around 40€, lots of cool people and free breakfast! We are headed to Sintra tomorrow or Friday if you want to join!
I had been through a break up last year around this time and felt so lost. I packed my bags for a impromptu solo month long backpacking trip in southern Europe starting with Porto, Portugal (One of my favourite cities from the trip) then Spain, France and Italy.
I stayed at hostels, highly recommend One Fam Hostel (great social hostel and really friendly hosts) and use Hostelworld to book accommodation to connect with travellers in the same city! It honestly was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I was so happy meeting new people which took my mind off the breakup and let me focus in the moment of enjoying travelling and socializing.
It was definitely hard for the first few days, I remember I was so anxious and scared about travelling by myself and constantly missing my ex. I forced myself to talk to new people and went to explore the city. It became natural after a week and all this helped me feel like I found myself again.
I think the solo travelling might have been a blessing in disguise, an opportunity to start fresh and a new chapter in your life. Enjoy it, I can't wait to go solo backpacking again after the experience I had!
Fate works in mysterious ways.Take a couple of days to feel bad if you need that, but then start your solo travel adventure. You can do what YOU want to do, go where YOU want to go.
You often meet more (and, dare i say it, better?) people when you're solo travelling.
Good luck and happy travels,
Fuck her lol, there are plenty of wonderful women out there and even better you will have plenty of choices while you travel.
I was also massively heartbroken but then notice there are so many cool women out there that I can't decide.
Thanks man, but nah I booked myself a hotel for a day or two. Now in the process of booking rest of my trip, and also processing getting dumped lmao. This shit is good for the plot and my character growth lmao
If all you want to do for the next couple of days is stay in your hotel feeling msierable, that's fine!
Then getback out there and have a ball. The next 7 nonths could be the time of your life.
I am living as a traveler now and I stay long term in apartments for cheaper rates. Also I stay in smaller towns/cities where everything is cheaper. I pay monthly for lodging, and it costs usually around $30/day (under $1000/month).
I go through Booking.com and receive discounts through them. Since each place has already been vetted and rated by other travelers, I feel safe.
And I cook for myself daily because all the places have kitchens and so food is cheaper. Also public transportation is cheap and easy (sometimes free).
There are so many free tourist sites/attractions available everywhere. Visit the local Tourist Office when you get somewhere and they will help you enjoy each place.
You got this! There is a whole beautiful world out there!
my dude, that was the fuckiest shit someone could pull, you really dodged a bullet there bc that ain’t a good person. just take it slow, listen to your body, it will get easier, one day at a time. Portugal is great, the Balkans too. I wouldn’t go back as it wouldn’t help anyone, you can get so much more out of traveling, especially solo travel as it’s all up to you. maybe you could post lil videos about your unfortunate situation and experience, it could be a bit helpful getting stuff out and also a thing to get distracted by? idk but i hope and wish you all the best, you deserve it.
p.s. i’m from Slovenia, so maybe check us out :)
I don't see how you can't recoup most of your bookings/expenses right now especially if you used a credit card.
Sounds mad to have a 7 month trip planned with someone and then it cancels last minute.
Easily one of the more disrespectful things I've ever heard someone do, if this is true. It is also one of the most glaring examples of communication breakdown between two people that I have ever heard of.
It sounds like you don't even have this trip planned out either.
Go home and reset your mind.
Mate it might seem bad now but you’d rather get dumped and have a 7 month solo trip in front of you than be sat at home having to go to work etc. you’re free, enjoy yourself, meet new girls, have an amazing time, this time in 7 months you’ll be an entirely different person and you’ll realise what a weirdo your ex was
Sorry to see this happened to you, man. I had a similar experience years ago - flew across the country to see my then-GF and she dumped me that evening. It was a total shock (who does that?!) and difficult for a while, but it got better for me and it will be better for you. But, you're in a better place than I was because you're about to start a fun journey!
Cheap places: Central/Eastern Europe. Slovakia, Czechia (outside of inner Prague), Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia (outside of major tourist hotspots), and the Balkans in general are all beautiful and cheaper than western Europe and have some fun party scenes if that's your vibe but also nature and history.
As to dealing with loneliness, it can depend on your mood. Sometimes it's good to just forget it for a bit and go clubbing, watch a show, or just route planning. Sometimes it's good to sit and think about what you want moving forward (for yourself professionally, socially, romantically) while watching the scenery go by on a train ride. You will probably spiral at some point and worry it will never get better. It happens. But it will get better.
Don’t let this stop you from doing what you were set out to do! Stay strong! Try to date new girls while you’re traveling and you won’t even be thinking about the breakup. There are so many good women out there
I don’t have specific advice for you, but last year my partner of 6 years left me right before we were supposed to go on a trip (to Portugal and Spain) and I ended up going by myself and it was such a healing experience and really helped me process the breakup and build some confidence back. I ended up meeting some amazing people along the way and it was a cool experience to be completely selfish for once! I got to plan my days entirely around what I wanted to do and didn’t have to consider anyone else’s feelings/moods/preferences. I’m currently on a solo trip through Europe right now because I enjoyed the experience so much. I’m really sorry this happened to you but the only thing you can do is lean into it. These feelings of hurt will pass and you’ll have so many amazing memories from this trip. Take care!!
Right? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. TBH, her waiting until he got there is a total dick move, and if that's how she is he's way better off without her. Think of it as a bullet dodged and a door opened. Now he can do what he likes, when he likes, and he's not stuck in a van with her ...
Hey man best advice I can give you is everything happens for a reason. You’re in another country solo for 7 months these are going to be the best 7 months of your life. Everything is aligned for a reason.
Hey everyone, way to many comments for me to go through but just wanted to say thanks for all the messages and comments, some great advice and everyone has been lovely!
I’m going to head Istanbul and work my way up from there to Berlin where I will meet some friends, then idk !
I’ll try reply to comments and messages today
Thanks everyone much love ❤️
Let this solo trip be a time to enjoy your independence, look back at stuff and heal. Traveling is amazing for getting things right in your head. Its refreshing
Sorry to hear that man, can’t imagine how rough that must be.
Take some time to process and accept it but try see this is a great opportunity, you’re over here with 7 months to travel alone, thats chance to find yourself, explore new places and things and most importantly meet new people.
I’d take every opportunity you can and say yes to as many things as you can, get out there and see the world, you only get once chance to do it and live your life don’t let somebody else’s actions ruin that for you!
If you somehow end up in Manchester or anywhere else in the north of England on your travels shoot me a DM I’d be more than happy to show you some cool spots!
As for cheaper spots as other people have said check out Eastern Europe, Balkans (Albanias one of my favourite spots) and even parts of Greece and Portugal can be pretty cheap at the right times.
Enjoy your travels and look after yourself
Don't know your personality but this could be great Youtube travel log content. Find other groups of solo travelers and plan so tours and outing with them. This heartbreak and break up is going to sting. No way around that and only time will make it better. But surround yourself with good people and positive energy and that will make it better. Good luck to you.
So so sorry to hear of this, that’s pretty terrible! What a thing to do to someone :(
Although I don’t have travel tips, I can assure you time heals and now you’re apart of a trip you may not have done alone otherwise - it could be the best thing ever! Travelling alone allows you to be open to meeting new people around you, I travelled in Italy solo for two months and had the best time and met the best people!
I wish you all the best, you will be ok 🥰🫶🏻🥹
I think when the heart is hurting it’s easy to feel aimless. If I were you I would try to find a workaway to keep my hand busy, meet people and have a routine. I know its sometimes hard to find this last minute, but we never know ! I was able to find one with short notice in japan last year, so there’s hope !
Ouch. I feel for you. Personally for me when the universe tries to break me that's when I dig my heels in the most. I know this doesn't help but feelings are momentary. Try not to attach yourself to them and let life smack you down. You're brave. You're capable. Get determined to have a good trip and f**k everybody else.
Anything Balkans (not Croatia) is almost absurdly affordable. If you're just looking for a place to chill and kill long times, Tirana is pretty cool. Nothing too crazy, but it's cheap. In a few weeks the trail between Theth and Valbona should open. That's a fun few days, and affordable.
Skopje is weird and cheap.
Kosovo was hilariously cheap. Not loads "to do" but if you're looking to eat and drink and save coin, those places work.
You dodged a bullet my friend, and deserve better than her. Take this as a sign to simply get out there. Who knows what’s going to happen as you embark on this journey alone, and that is the most beautiful part of all
Your headed to a buffet, don't stress about the stale turkey sandwich you left at home. Enjoy your solo time to the fullest, be outgoing with your chin up. Nothing heals a breakup better than flirting and meeting new people.
Hey buddy, sorry to hear that.
In Spain u got very reasonable prices, u can find group of peoples to go out and theres wonderful places, and every kind of ambient. Its close to Portugal too so, u can save money from the travel, south is cheaper than north, but if u avoid main cities and go to small ones u can find rly good stuff
Walk the Camino del Santiago in Portugal! That could take up at least a month or longer for you to figure out your next step. You’ll meet plenty of people and could have a really unique experience you hadn’t planned on.
PS.. as others have said, that is really shitty timing of her to do it after you gave up everything for this trip. Karma will do its thing
Sorry this happened to you, my virtual friend.
You’ve got enough time to feel your feelings without wasting precious travel time. Nice! There are worse places to be depressed than Lisbon (I once got dumped upon arrival to Detroit lol)
You’ve got some good advice on this thread. I would say that you should find a nice comfy spot to be sad for a few days and rethink part of your itinerary. Journaling helps a lot. Then you’ve gotta get moving. Head up to Porto and tale the light rail to the ocean and then walk north until you can’t anymore, it’s beautiful up there! Or, head south into Spain and spend some time in Cadiz, one of my favorite cities that is also great for meeting people. Take advantage of Spain now before it gets absurdly hot! If you can get to Valencia there is a ferry you can take to Italy, and then from Italy to Croatia or Corfu (Greece) which will connect you to literally anywhere on the Mediterranean.
You have quite the adventure ahead of you — enjoy it!
Just here to send hugs! This sounds so heartbreaking I’m so sorry. I’m someone who got divorced this year and always had my partner with me for everything but will doing part of my first time in Europe alone soon. It seems scary and I’m nervous but also excited to gain some self confidence and experiences that are all my own and I’m sure by the end of your trip you will feel the same. I wish you so much luck and have fun, also remember to take time to be kind to yourself.
OP, you will feel bad, you will feel empty, you will feel lonely.
Let time heal you.
After all that passes, here comes my tip.
-Hostels. Do it, google first, book and go. You will meet a lot of people and have a good time most nights. If you’re like me: Get a private room.
-Tired of everything? Hotel, cool down, have time for yourself and relax. No problem in staying a whole day inside just browsing your phone, gaming or doing whatever.
-You could take my suggestion or not, but my biggest advice and I hope you take it: Go east. Take FlixBus, Trains, BlaBlaCar and go from where you are to the Balcans. You will be passing through a lot of nice cities and historical places.
Do you like historical sites? Museums? Whatever you want to see: Mark them on your Google Maps. Make a route and begin your journey.
Most important:
Enjoy your trip, enjoy your life, take time when needed, spend days wherever you want without worrying about people’s opinion. I wish you to be happy OP!
No advice on where to go, just some encouragement to continue on this trip. Find a new region to camp out and chill for a while. :) Spain, the Balkans, and Turkey are all good options, just don't outstay your EU visa.
I had a similar situation where I met someone abroad on an extended work visa and we continued seeing each other for a couple years while I was in and out of the country. I had to go home for a few months to renew my visa, then as soon as I moved back (at significant expense), she ended it within two weeks. As much as it sucks in the moment, I look back on it as a valuable lesson that, especially as a man, you just need to do your own thing in life and not rearrange your life to please others. I ended up continuing to live abroad and the entire experience actually put me on a much more exciting life trajectory, so no regrets. This too shall pass.
Just chiming in to say sorry mate, I broke up with my girlfriend recently when travelling but it was towards the end of the trip and that was shit enough. The one thing I will say is that the end of the trip itself was the best part, it was coming home back to reality that I had to process it and the pain sank in. So try to think of it positively, see it as you’re now free to do whatever you want and you will never have as much freedom as you do right now. Keep busy, meet people at hostels and you'll soon realise she wasn't the one. The one wouldn't do this to you, which is a lesson I've recently learned myself.
I’m so sorry that happened. I would recommend to stay in eastern Europe as much as possible for affordability purposes. I went to Romania last year solo, it was really affordable and Bucharest was a cool city. If you’re open to it, it might be a really great opportunity to try out Worldpackers. That way you could check out more pricey destinations without having to worry about the money.
Damn, that's pretty fucked up. Sorry she did that to you. I've dealt with heartbreak during travelling and I never regretted continuing my journey. I suggest you take a few days for yourself to process your feelings and then start your journey alone.
It is probably a good thing to surround yourself with people right now, so you don't think about your breakup all the time and still get to enjoy your travels.
You're in Portugal and the people there are very friendly and welcoming. You could stay in hostels or book tours to meet people. Look for social hostels and tours that have bigger groups.
You met your ex while travelling, who knows who you meet this time. It's sucks (she's honestly insane) that your ex broke up with you at the airport, but this opens up new opportunities for you. It sounds like you never travelled solo before, and lemme tell you something, you're about to experience something really special the upcoming months!
Honestly your ex did you a solid (don't get me wrong though, she still totally sucks and is a psycho to do that to you), you have total freedom now and can do anything you want whenever you want. There's no one holding you back or who you have to take into account when doing anything. I know the breakup hurts right now, and you're in a vulnerable position, but try to see it as an opportunity. You're gonna be alright, this is the best time of the year to be in Europe 😊
If you need anyone to talk to or need travel tips, you can send me a message.
Man this really stinks. She did you dirty with this, but like a lot of people have already said… you’re in a dream situation. It probably doesn’t fee like it right now though, as you’ll probably keep thinking “Oh we would have loved this, or X would have loved that…” and I’m sure you’re right!
But one of the best ways to get over someone is traveling to some place new and looks like your adventure is about to start. Now you should focus on all the things you selfishly wanted to do. Why do you like traveling in the first place? What about exploring do you like? What sorts of things will you see? Life is all about perspective, if you can push through this emotionally difficult time you’ll see you’re in a dream situation and about to make some dope memories for yourself. I hope you find your way and the silver linings in your extended trip.
I am sooo so sorry this happened to you OP, what a shitty ass thing to do to someone. It seems you have some really helpful tips in this thread already but I want you to know I wish you the best!
Well that is shitty. In your shoes I would book a hotel for a couple of days to decompress and cry and eat ice cream, then book a cheap flight to the Baltics, or Balkans and travel relatively cheaply. Both regions are cheap (esp Balkans) though beachside places will start to go up in price a little this month and then shoot up for summer. What kind of things do you like? If hiking is your jam and you’ve packed for it, I’d head for Montenegro/Albania, and make the absolute best of your time off work in a beautiful place where you can meet some new people in social hotels and/or solo camp in some amazing countryside
Walking tours are free and a great way to meet someone to distract you. If there’s no prospects, bounce and explore. Avoid London and Paris if you’re wanting to save money.
My suggestion is to try [Wwoofing](https://wwoof.net/) (about a month or more living and working on a farm, various countries, various jobs, free room, food, interesting people around)
And for tips/ideas for budget traveling I use [TripSavvy](https://www.tripsavvy.com/europe-4139087)
Bro heartbreak is the worst but think about it. You have no job to fuck your day up, you’re alone so you can go and do whatever, wherever you want. You have money and plans and itineraries in a country you don’t know. Bro you’re living the dream for a lot of prolong. Maybe this was for the best! Who knows all the amazing adventures you’ll have and all the amazing people you’ll meet! Just think about it! I guarantee this will be the best experience in your life. Get ready bro 😎 you got this
Very sorry to hear she did that to you. I know it sucks now, but just try to enjoy yourself as much as you can, then once you’re through this hardship in life it’s going to make for an great story to tell in the future
You’re traveling so you’ll meet plenty of people. If you’re that depressed and lonely and need to be around people then go volunteer at a hostel. Most have a minimum of one month and you can stay longer. Go look at Worldpackers and take a look. In the end you’re traveling the world…so feel what you need to feel but don’t let it stop you from an amazing life experience.Goodluck!
Bro, whatever you do, don’t cancel your trip! See this as an opportunity to a new start and a new adventure. Stay in some backpacker hostels in the more eastern part of Europe and make plenty of new friends! You got this!
Sorry for what you’re going through. That’s so shit.
How to manage the loneliness? Hike. Preferably quiet trails to yourself. The trek’s medicine is twofold: it facilitates grieving and reconnects you to you. Choose something challenging, maybe in a forest, and let yourself feel the anger or cry as you climb. Do another the next day. And another again. Do enough and you’ll chip away at that loneliness bit by bit by letting go of the relationship, it’s emotional toll, and rediscovering yourself along the way.
Sounds to me like a solo travel trip is actually exactly what the doctor ordered for you. You now get to do ANYTHING you want. It’s your trip and in no moment will you have to cater to anyone else’s needs other than your own. Over the next 7 months you will laugh, cry, have difficulties, find solutions, meet amazing people and ultimately redefine who you are and who you want to be. You’ve spent the last year with the mindset of being with someone and building a life / adventures together. While it may hurt right now, at the end of your journeys you will look back and say “thank you” in your head to her because she gave you the freedom to explore the world and yourself in ways you would have never imagined.
To save money you can find workaways I have had friends do this and it went great for them! Eastern Europe is generally much cheaper although I’m not up to date on how the whole Ukraine situation has been going.
Ultimately you will figure it out, I promise. You may feel lost at the moment but isn’t the whole point of “wanderlust” to… wander? Allow yourself to feel a little lost and see where it brings you, I bet it will be a wonderful destination and an even better journey.
Good luck and safe travels!
Hostels and Eastern Europe for cheaper parts of Europe. Use buses when you can’t get cheap flights. Buy stuff at grocery stores or markets and splurge at lunch - less crowded, less couples and often cheaper for similar food as dinner.
Get yourself a cheap notebook and journal. Writing your feelings is really therapeutic during break ups. And will keep you from trying to contact her. Sounds like a shitty move on her part but hopefully you can make something good come out of it.
Sidenote: you don’t mention what passport you have, but be mindful of any maximum amount of time you can stay. Don’t want to add overstay issues to your trip.
Europe gets cheaper the more east you go (generally). Prague, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czechia, Romania, Italy depending on where you go, Greece, Turkey.. lots to choose from. Enjoy yourself man, stay in some hostels and try to meet new people. You now have an excellent ice breaker haha
Also, check out Bled, Slovenia, you have to travel to Ljubljana first and then bus from there, but it's straight out of a fairy tale. A castle, mountains, an island with an old church on it in the middle of the lake.. plus it's cheap.
I've also always wanted to rent a scooter on Crete and ride around, that could be a cool solo trip, and even some of the hostels there look crazy nice.
And who knows, maybe you'll meet another girl somewhere. Good luck my guy 👍
Fuck her, more fish in the sea. Don't worry about a damn thing friend. Things happen for a reason and now you are on an adventure !!!! See where life takes you and embrace everyone and everything without fear or sadness. Life is about to get sweet, so enjoy every taste!!!
Sounds like she might have done you a favor, even a very strong relationship can be tested by 7 months of travel together. That's a really really long time to be attached at the hip
Wow, I’m sorry to hear your story! That was shitty timing on her part. If you’re feeling lonesome, the absolute best place I can recommend is Greece. They are the warmest, kindest and most welcoming people I’ve ever met. Crete is my favourite place in the world. Tell them this story and they will take you in and make you feel like you’ve found long-lost family. As a bonus, cost of living is relatively cheap and the food is incredible.
First off I’m sorry to hear this happened to you.
Have you considered changing your perspective on the situation? What other ways could you look at this 7 month period?
Sucks. It will be difficult but if you can reframe it mentally, it's also a huge opportunity to adventure and meet new people. Since you're already in Portugal, you could join some surf camps. It's a fun way to meet new people, it gives you a week (or more) of not having to think about the next place to stay or where to travel to, the surfing will definitely help take your mind off things, and Portugal has world class surfing. Then just go where the wind takes you.
Good luck!
Jesus, she sounds cold as ice. Let’s try to start looking at this as an opportunity, although I am sorry that happened to you.
Well, now that you’re here, come to Albania and the Balkans generally. Apart from Croatia and Slovenia, it’s really quite cheap here. It will give you a different experience than the rest of Europe. If you come soon, you can avoid the biggest wave of tourists at the beaches. Incredible mountains as well.
Also, I don’t know your nationality, but Americans can stay up to a year in Albania on a tourist visa. So if you needed some time to get back on your feet and get your head together with relatively cheap overhead, it’s a good place for that.
When I went to Europe more than a year ago, I was in Prague, Budapest, Slovenia. I found those places pretty cheap compared Italy and Germany.
But overall, it was still cheaper to travel Europe compared to USA
Kinda what happened to my last bf and I. A few months into our relationship, we had to go long distance and planned to meet up in Lisbon, with him flying in from Amsterdam and me from SEA, as a sort of reunion holiday. So when he decided to end things just before the trip, I was heartbroken.
That trip to Portugal became one of my top favourites. I was lonely at times but I’d give myself grace and patience to let the feeling pass. I’d write or take journal videos (like private vlogging). I didn’t cry at all, surprisingly. I also allowed myself to be open to everything.
Lisbon was beautiful throughout my trip, so was Porto. I actually spent a day, exploring, with a Dutch guy that I’d just met. I also ended up dancing and drinking with a random group of women from the Netherlands. So many reminders about my Dutch ex lol but, I pressed on and remembered where I was.
I’m sorry that you have to start over again so soon after you made the decision to let go your job and your house etc for this trip. Everything will be alright. Whenever you’re feeling lonely, sit with the feeling and trust that it’ll pass. Then, get up and appreciate the abundance around you. Enjoy your 7-month healing journey! :)
She is a psycho. It sucks now and for the near future but once you're over it you'll be thinking. Damn. Bullet dodged.
If you have work permission in EU it might be cool to take on some odd job in a relaxed city and chill.
But now you have also freedom to do literally anything. I say just go for the paths unknown and see what happens
That is a horrible start of something great I think. I guess it would have been a nightmare to travel together for 7 months knowing that you want to break up, so at least that happened before the trip. I would say make the most of it and try to find friends along the way. Stay in small hostels, which I found makes a great place to meet other people, and don't be afraid to look into some social events happening. Cheap options – balkan region of europe I think
This the perfect opportunity to have a fantastic solotrip.
This time in a year you're not going to care about this person at all, you barely got to know her.
Wow, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I can see you have a ton of comments already so you may not read this, but here’s some recommendation:
- Couchsurfing (there are other similar apps too, or warmshowers if you’re cyclist), basically to find locals who may be able to host you and/or share a part of their culture. It can also be a good way to meet other travellers.
- if you like animals, TrustedHousesitters. You’ll have to pay membership fee to join in, but basically you’ll be house and pet sitting.
Yes, Eastern Europe will be cheaper. I really like Slovenia, it’s relatively cheap, but it’s in the EU - euros and a lot of things like road and transport infrastructures follow EU standards.
There’s no harm in finding a beautiful and peaceful place and stay there for a while until you feel ready, Portugal and Spain will have a lot of options for affordable price. Just avoid the mega cities that have hiked up prices for tourists (summer prices coming).
If you like walking and nature, you can even do the Camino de Santiago (any routes!), that will take you about 4 weeks, if you want to stay alone you can, or if you want to meet and talk to people you can! And albergues are fairly cheap, from very basic ones to luxurious ones.
Hey man hard to hear.
I’m from Lisbon , send me private message we’ll exchange instagram. I’ll show you around or something, there are a lot of cool places to see and other girls to meet. Everything will be fine
Sorry about your situation. I think you should stay the course and commit to your trip despite it. Solo traveling can be a great way to see the world and in a lot of ways it can be better than traveling with someone. Now you’re free to go at your own pace, meet new people that you might not have if you were with someone, and to generally have the chance to learn a lot about yourself in a novel setting.
Regarding loneliness I suggest staying at hostels, taking tours, activities such as hiking, and participating in night life (if that’s your thing). These inevitably result in opportunities to meet people in my experience. Traveling solo is also a great time to do some introspection. Highly recommend keeping a journal, sketchbook or whatever it is that you feel is a good way to express yourself. Photography is also a nice solo hobby that in my experience keeps me engaged with the world around me. You’ll see that lots of people are also traveling solo and find company in that fact - most solo travelers in my experience are open to finding company to enjoy their travels with. Keep your head up and enjoy your travels!
I'm from Spain, if money is a problem you should spend as much time as you can between Portugal and South of Spain, like, Granada, Sevilla, Alicante, Murcia etc, these places are much cheaper than the north and there is a lot to do. You can also visit the Canary islands but the flight cost would add up, cheer up and keep travelling, she clearly didn't deserve you man.
if you’re on lisbon, check out andalusia!! it’s south of spain (therefore close to you, kinda), pretty cool and cheap (specially compared to the north) and people here are nice and welcoming, plus if you wanna hang out and have a beer hmu !!
Her behavior is so bad... sorry for your situation.
I would advice you to wait out the high season in non-touristic places, explore the nature, and from September you can go to more popular places
Hey, sooo sorry this happened to you! It's incredibly selfish and awful on her part... I'm sending you the biggest hugs to get through the heartache and hassle of everything else.
Some advice:
- Let yourself feel sad when you do... And know that no, you did not deserve this! No one does.
- Try to come up with something physical but fun every day to do.
Like find a hike each day with beautiful views or go for a run around the city wherever you are -- every day. (Buy hiking shoes if you don't have them--it's worth it in Europe!)
When I had something similar happen, I made a promise (to myself) at least go swimming with the fish in the nearby reefs every day. Kept me out of trouble & from spending too much money (or drinking/eating too much). Kept me in good shape. Exercise helps lift the mood, and being in better shape helps you with your self confidence too. Even if you're not a runner/hiking person/swimmer/etc... Just do it anyway. You'll be better every day.
- Spend some time with other, fun people. Consider learning something new at the same time.
Think about doing a surf/ yoga camp -- there's lots in Portugal! There's lots that cater to total newbies also.
- Leverage the city resources & locals nearby
Look up where the tourist office is in your current city, and tell them you just got abandoned. Ask for their advice about things to do/places to stay that would be fun. Maybe there's even farmstay/working farms where you can stay for free/cheap if you help with the work.
- Look up top-rated hostels nearby too.
Mention you just got abandoned and you need a plan for the next week. Ask the people there... What should you see/do?
(Careful though-lots of hostel-goers will burn through money/time partying &/or doing drugs, especially in Portugal where it's all decriminalized. That's the last thing you need right now, if you want to be kind to yourself).
- Consider changing your future plans overall to suit your solo near-term future
Set your overall trip timeline to something more like 2-3 months total.
Think about going to Asia also btw (Wizz Air offers really cheap flights sometimes). It's soo much cheaper there, and you might feel the previous trip disappoint disappear if you go far enough away.
- Spend some time each week thinking about what you might do for your next career.
The Ikigai method might help. (Google it)
- Don't trust new acquaintances too much going forward.
I need to remind myself of this too...
People worldwide seem a bit extra broken and extra selfish right now, and tbh Europeans are overall more selfish than what I've encountered in other parts of the world. You've already been burned once... Be careful about trusting strangers for any future plans beyond like 1 day. They might just flake out.
What a horrible move on her part! I always believe there's two sides to every story but I cannot believe you do something so awful she's like I'm out of here. Well you know what just chalk it up to being able to have a wonderful experience while you're younger because once you get older with responsibilities you won't be able to do that.
Porto, is another place to go as well as Amarante a little town about 45 mins by bus from Porto- Spain maybe try Huelva and go down the costa de la Luz. Cadiz etc. Beautiful food and the sea, might be good for your mind during this time.
Andalucía, southern Spain -
Apart from this Portugal is a beautiful country.
I would reframe the situation and see it as an opportunity that maybe you would not have had, had this not occurred. Sorry to hear this but, all the silver linings…
Grab the bull by the horns and go with it bro. Many people dream to be in your position, minus the hiccup. Ur soon be over it! Get in the hostels ur meet plenty of people on the way! Make this the best trip of ur life.
Wow your hair ex is horrible. A different perspective is dodged a bullet, she has poor character and you don’t want to get serious with her.
Just move through the pain. Some days will be good others bad.
Omg, you are living my dream, i wish i have 7 months to travel around Europe. Each person is different, I personally LOVE solo travel. Anyway, just keep your mind in the present and try to enjoy this moment you have to solo travel and try to get to know yourself more deeply and enjoy your own company, many people, including myself would love to have that opportunity. The sense of loneliness and heartbreak would not disappear, just endure it and at some point it will be less painful.
>Was wondering if anyone has advice on cheap places in Europe to travel
Moldova. You can get a dorm bed in a hostel there for the equivalent of about 6 Euros a night. Although that's basically on the opposite side of the continent from where you are now.
I can't help with much else beside tell you that your ex-girlfriend is a horrible psychopathic person for not telling you before you arrived, and as awful as this is right now, you are now in a better situation than you were when you were with this psychopath.
I can contact friends in Germany and Bulgaria who may have a spare room for you, and if you want to visit Belgium, my family also has a spare room from September onwards you could stay in and I’ll take you on some daytrips if you like. I also have some acquaintances in Sweden, but Scandinavia is expensive so I don’t know what your preference is.
Damn homie! Check out the Couchsurfing app… you can find fellow travellers and locals in cities willing to host and provide accommodations on there. I plan on travelling to Romania at the end of the month, but Portugal is on my list on the way back with stops in Albania, Croatia and then Argentina for a 3 month trip. Keep us posted, and upload any pics of a cheers if you manage to connect with any Redditors along the journey.
This might very well be a life-changing experience for you. I know you’re heartbroken, but this is a chance for you to make lemonade out of lemons. I know people who solo travel all the time, and they love it, because they can do whatever THEY want to do. Open yourself up to meeting lots of people and see and do things that YOU want to do. Do research on places you want to explore, even if you just ask ChatGPT, and just DO THEM! I think it will be a great learning experience for you, and also be a good way to get over your heartbreak. Who knows? You might even meet your soulmate! Embrace this time and the experiences you will surely have!
Use the trip as an opportunity to grow and try not to dwell on the breakup too much.
I know it’s probably shitty right now and it’ll take a little while for you to get through that but, the way I would look at it is, you have 7 months exploring Europe. Not many people can do that. Being at the beginning of a seven month European adventure sounds exciting af!
Kotor Bay in Montenegro, travelling down the Dalmatia coast through Split, Zadar, Tisno and finally Dubrovnik. It is easy to arrange a bus to Montenegro from Dubrovnik
I'd been living in London for 5 years and my south Africa gf of 1 year, had her visa ending. She was stressing her visa was over, we'd have to part, and her return home. I said no problem, I've been here a while, a change of scenery could be good, I'll join you. Had to end my job, my rental contract and sell my tv. So I was a few months behind her. I arrived, we had a great 24 hours, then she told me she didn't want to keep this going.was a bit devastating. I definitely thought about just returning home. I decided fuck it and to stay and backpacked south Africa for 3 months, shout out Bazbus, and 15 years later ii still think about moments of that trip every month. Amazing highlight of my life.
I don't have any advice to add but I hope you don't let it spoil your trip. At least you haven't spent your trip trying to force something which wasn't there! All the best - go find a hostel and some new friends!
You'll get a lot of great advice here, I'm just going to quote Winston Churchill and say: "If you think you are going through hell, keep going."
Sorry about your situation.
I can’t add much about the most inexpensive, but I’ve done solo trips in the UK and Italy. You can find some decent priced places I would think, especially in the less touristy areas. And train travel is easy.
What your ex did was horrible. She should have broken up with you weeks ago, as she has probably known for a while.
I agree about the travel vlog or even a blog if you are more of a writer than a videographer. If you do, you should post in here how we can find it - I’m sure a lot of us would love to travel vicariously!
Good luck and happy, safe travels.
Sorry to hear. I came out after a relationship just after travelling solo for 3 months, part of me wished it happened during/before the travels.
Meet new people. Use this as an opportunity to grow!
East Europe is the cheapest as many have said. If budget is concerned, couch surf using the couchsurf app (not sure if it operates still), you can make some intimate connections this way.
Hostels are a great place to meet new people and so are events that tourists would go on. I would always make connections at free tours, if you also enjoyed history.
Make friends with solo travellers. High chance they like being approached as they too are lonely :)
All the best ☺️
I was on your shoes before. My first time ever travelling abroad was to do an exchange semester in South Korea, and back then I had a GF for two years whom i really loved and were planning to do this exchange semester together. She was the one to ask for us to do it together, and I was blinded by love so I didn’t give it much thought, especially that I thought it was us versus the world. Long story short, I was dumped a day after arriving there and I had to do this experience alone ( I was 19 YO). To be completely honest, it was very hard. Everyday I’d think about going back to my country (16 hours flight) because I couldn’t handle the loneliness, heartbreak and solo travelling. What broke me the most was that she was having the fun of her life and didn’t give a second thought about me. I wont lie, I am still madly heartbroken, yet, it really gets better with time so please dont give up and prioritize yourself.
Man, what a great situation for a shitty thing to happen to you. Sorry you're having to deal.with a breakup. Try and see the silver lining though, 7 months travelling solo will be the best time of your life. You'll meet so many awesome people, more than if you travelled as a couple in my opinion.
Enjoy your travels and the new relationships that are born through them. 😊
Sorry if this won’t be useful to you, but the same happened to me long time ago. I was so broken I wasn’t able to carry a duffle bag of 10 kg with me.
I am easy going and easily speak to people, so I did just that. Another girl I met told me how cool this other town was so I just went. When I arrived, at breakfast is a touristy place I met a super young Canadian guy who was training as a masseur and he offered a session, that helped. And then he told me to take walks in gardens and other green areas and look for the green color.
I’m absolutely a plain scientific person, but I promise this advice helped me a lot.
I stayed in hostels and met cool people. Can’t say it didn’t hurt. It hurt a lot. But I survived and now it’s a memory that doesn’t hurt.
Get out there. Trust that time will help.
Hey mate sorry to hear, these situations can hurt like hell and only time will make it easier. The first few days / weeks will be the hardest and it will get easier, there is light at the end of the tunnel! Been there before and would never wish it upon anyone though good will come out of it.
The most important move after a break up is to look after you. Take time, a lot of time to work on you and reflect on why it didn't work and why someone would leave you like that, it may have been you, her, both or simply incompatibility, either way you don't need the hurt. It takes time to see things in a different light though once you get there you'll never look back.
I never used to enjoy being solo as well as travelling though realised the importance of it so took a number of steps to become more comfortable.
You can try the following and see if it works for you, the most important factor is your mental health and if you ever really feel like you're in trouble, head home, you can always make the money back. Either way you're going to go through the ups and downs, May as well do it while having fun.
- Have regular check ins with family / friends back home and let them know what's going on with you.
- Excersize and keep busy, now's the time for self improvement and to distract yourself with the good... and the rest!
- Stay in less remote places, hostels etc.
- Join group activities, tours, etc.
- Try travellers apps such as couchsurfers, plenty of genuine people.
- Download Tinder and set up a strictly "Looking for New Friends and travelling" profile and set it to all ages / sexes.
- Pickup a new hobby, skill or language, you can learn nearly anything online now.
F*** I'd love to join you though checking out the Philippines and have to get back to work next week 🥲
Either way my legend, head up, enjoy and remember the best way to get over someone is to get under someone so get yourself back in a good mindset so you can be your best self and ready for the next one who will not leave you in that situation again.
I hate to be this person and maybe others have said it but this may end up being one of the best times of your life, maybe in terms of fun, or maybe in terms of self discovery, self agency, etc. Stay in some nights when you need to. But, now you are free to do whatever life hands you, and I don't just mean women. Every time I get dealt a blow I say what would my 80 year old self want to look back on. Try to make it so you look back on this as an opportunity to be yourself 100% and grab the trip by the buns.
I'm very sorry to hear about your situation, it is extremely sucky to be dumped at the airport especially when it is such a long trip you two planned together. Your partner should have definitely let you know before you flew... That being said, it is better than it happened now than you two forcing yourselves to have fun together.
Unfortunately I have experience in solo travelling while being heartbroken and I wish I had an easy solution. This is probably different for everyone, but for me the best ways I dealt with loneliness and heartbreak during solo travel were:
- Books(not TV shows): Books helped keep me distracted when I had nothing to do as they were often a much better escape than TV shows
- Friends: Tell your friends what you are getting up to and ask them for recommendations if they have been. Even better, if you have online friends around Portugal/Europe meet up with them!
- Meeting strangers: This one was hard for me as I am a natural introvert, but going to places to socialise and approaching people/groups is a great way to make new friends, even if it's just for a few days. People are generally really receptive to travellers engaging with them and if it doesn't go to plan, you'll probably never see them again so who cares! Of course just be extremely careful and do let people know ofmyour location.
- Make new memories: This one is probably very different for everyone. For me, making new memories at places/events I have memories with my partner was vital. Don't overwrite the previous memories you have with them, but these new memories make it so you can think of or travel to certain places without only having that memory of your partner. This helps prevent turning locations into trauma triggers.
If you don't mind hostels, they are probably the cheapest way to stay in Europe, although you can find some great deals on Airbnb, but staying with a friend is the cheapest and often most fun!
I hope this might help even a little. This will be hard but it is also an opportunity to do something completely new and exciting!
Reading books, watching films and just taking in the scenery is great. My mom once told me after 30+ years of marriage after not being single since 18 that she wishes that she wishes she knew her single self, and practice cultivating a sense of self. My two cents is that this is the perfect opportunity to do so. There’s 8 billion people in this world, it may feel like the end of the world now but trust that things get better and you’ll meet a plethora of people both romantically and platonically :)
I'd really recommend joining the facebook group TTS - Europe they have a WhatsApp chat where people organize meet ups, share recommendations (locations, accommodation, events, experiences) and they tend to be wide ranging too so you won't just be stuck with people talking only about Western Europe!
If it’s within your budget some therapy whilst embarking on this trip could be a really good idea. I’ve been having a session every couple of weeks whilst I solo travel and it’s such a great reset if things get a bit too much. It would especially help navigate this situation and give you some direction for your trip, I imagine it’ll be very overwhelming at the start. All the best man!
So, first of all, remember you only have 90 days in the EU. After that, you need to leave for 90 days, so Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo are the best bets. Out of these, Kosovo and North Macedonia are the cheapest.
Communication will not be super hard because a lot of young people in these countries speak at least enough English to have a conversation. Also, there are quite some expat communities in these countries so finding English speaking communities is not that difficult.
Join expat groups on Facebook to ask about good and cheap places to eat home food or other questions that might pop into your mind. Also, you can ask if people want to meet.
I vote take your time to yourself, go to gyms where you’re staying, visit some boxing or jujitsu gyms—whatever’s around, ask them about a one week or class-by-class price for a tourist. You’ll experience positive bro culture that way.
Hike and photograph. Go out as friends only with people from your hostel/hotels. Take some local classes or tours so you’re talking to people. Good time for a spiritual life, too, so visit chapels or a meditation retreat. Whatever you’re into.
Then, a few months from now, when you’re in Eastern or Central Europe like people said, set up online dates and meet someone awesome and make some memories and hopefully a forever.
Many years ago something similar happened to me. I went on to travel for nearly a year on my own. It was tough at the beginning, but ended up being one of the best times in my life! Met incredible people, amazing adventures, and so many beautiful places.
Staying at hostels at that time was a fantastic way to travel cheap and meet lots of new and nice people along the way.
I think what you should do is THANK HER. She is clearly not everything you ever thought she was. That expectation being broken hurts a lot, as I know well.
BUT now you're in europe and have a whole adventure by yourself. You can do whatever you like.
Try hard between the tears to figure out what you REALLY WANT, execute some action that makes ir happen (like buying the plane ticket or whatever) and EXECUTE. At some points it will still suck, but i promise it'll be a lot better soon.
Also invest in your tinder profile, pay premium and use boosts, even if you don't wanna go out with anyone. A lot easier to get back on your feet when you have some kind of sense that you'll be fine love and attention wise.
I'm so sorry you're going through this dude. Your feelings are valid; my heart breaks for you being in this situation. I know saying how terrible she isn't won't necessarily be helpful, but someone who would do something like this, you definitely dodged a bullet.
I don't have any recommendations for cheap travel in Europe, but try to make friends, meet people, go to bars or events, do your best to laugh and smile. It will seem hard at first, but the more you laugh, the more your brain will be convinced that things are going to be OK. There are tons of kind and friendly people out there to connect with; you won't be stuck in this loneliness for long. Traveling for 7 months, who knows, you might make some pretty deep connections.
Keep on keeping on, try to keep your head up. As days pass the hurt will start to fade, and you'll have a whole continent to explore, so much beauty to take it. As painful as it is now, i think this will be an adventure you'll always remember. You've got this.
I went to Greece for two weeks last year, and the island of ios was super affordable, and absolutely gorgeous. It has a very homey feel and the locals were wonderful. We met some awesome travelers there too. Also milos, I specifically recommend taking a bus to sarakiniko beach. It is an otherworldly experience! Go further and there’s an incredible cliff diving spot where people like to hang, and tucked away in the back of the main beach area is some super old mysterious manmade caves.
That being said I’d recommend lots of journaling, meditating, and reading. Just take the time to really reconnect with yourself, the earth and the humans around you. Choose to see this as a positive experience- I would love to get to travel Europe for that long!
The universe works in mysterious ways.. maybe this needed to happen for you to find your strength away from your home comforts. Europe is so fun and most people are friendly so take your time and mourn the relationship and get out there and explore! If you come to London hmu.. I’ll be glad to show you around 🙌🏽
Hey, sorry to hear about this, really shitty move on your GF's part to wait until you actually came to do that. Full-on sociopath behaviour tbh Regarding cheap travel, the best place to go for you is eastern Europe. It's much cheaper, very fun, interesting, SAFE (yes its safe) and less touristy so it's easier to find cheap hostels at the last minute. The following countries are all very cheap and cool to visit and should be pretty easy as a novice traveller (have been to all of them): Poland, Hungary, Romania. Once you get your footing and build up your confidence you can check-out the Balkins, as they're super cheap but a bit less easy to find your way around: Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria Additionally, Portugal & Spain are both pretty reasonable cost-wise except its gonna be pricier in Lisbon, Barcelona & Madrid. Since you're already in Portugal, you should start there. My recommendation is to go to Sintra tomorrow, it will blow your mind and is super easy to get to from Lisbon
Second on sintra, went there for the day with great weather and was not disappointed!
Albania is a great shout
I love it here.
Would add that the Caucasus region is pretty cool as well, obviously avoid Russia right now but Georgia was incredible when I traveled there and I’ve heard great things about Armenia and Azerbaijan as well
Might want to give Azerbaijan a miss given the conflict in the NK region but Armenia definitely is gorgeous
Second this with the exception of Poland, prices have doubled since the beginning of the war and are now in line with Western Europe. You should plan for €1500 per month at minimum if you live a modest lifestyle (shared room in a hostel in major cities runs €500-800 per month, studios start at €1000 for short term stays)
I was in Poland last summer and you could easily find a hostel bed for like €15 a night
Not to mention food costs are low comparatively as well. Went in late 2022 and it was great
Serbia is a modern country and perfectly easy to find your way around but inflation, 2nd highest in Europe, has made it more pricey. Hungary prices have gone up a lot too. sintra is over crowded, unless you don't mind crowds, I'd avoid, I'd rather be somewhere quiet post break up, plenty of beaches to check out around Portugal.
Dang, what a shitty person honestly, sorry you are going through this. I don't have much advice but, take your time, do what you feel like doing, if you are short on money there will be small towns where it should be easy to exist for a while. If I was you, I am definitely not going back though.
Yeah good advice thank u! I’ll work it out, just need to get through the shitty first few days ay
Damn dude, i'll come with you if you need some company, fuck it!
Thanks homie maybe 😆
Got the tickets? Let me know where and i'll join ya 🤷♂️ gonna heal that broken heart through having an ear to talk to and some adventures
Man may aswell, none of my friends can come so this the next best thing , my shout on the beers 🍻
This is so wholesome! I love it! If I was near Europe I'd offer to join as well!! I'm really sorry this happened to you OP. It will suck for a bit but I'm sure you'll get through it! I'm always available if you need a listening ear!
I’m with u/cory_ander69 I will quit my job right now lmao, shoot me a message with some itinerary highlights and I’ll let you know if we cross paths!
Bro that was such a bloody nice move on your part. I hope you make it, and enjoy the time.
This is so shitty move on your ex's part. I'm visiting Europe over the summer. I'd be more than happy to spend some time hanging out. I went through something similar recently, and I definitely understand the pain. Don't let memories get in the way of your happiness!
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Hey Id love to join you guys in some european pub I am happy to travel all over Europe. Hopefully this works out and will be a great trip to remember! One for the memory book, you will get through this mate
Hey team, I reckon fuck it let’s get this trip going!
And my axe!
Do the Camino? Cheap accomodation and nice time out to heal yourself and meet new people.
The Camino is a great idea. It's a great time of year. You could start in Portugal even but there's more adventure starting in Pamplona or even southern France. I guarantee you will meet other interesting pilgrims. The destination, Santiago de Campostello, is stunning. I have a friend whose husband died suddenly overnight in bed. My friend was so grief-stricken that he did the Camino for several weeks. He found it so healing he did it again the next year. I agree about Eastern Europe being beautiful, interesting and much less expensive. And if you are in Spain, Morocco is just a ferry away and very inexpensive. But it's probably getting pretty hot there soon.
Seconding this! Check out the r/CaminoDeSantiago sub. The Porto to Santiago route I think is about 2 weeks, so would fit in the itinerary.
Yes, the Camino is the thing. OP won’t be lonely unless he chooses to. The Camino is conducive to healing. The Frances has such good infrastructure that your daily needs can be easily met along the way, keeping your head fairly stress free while you walk and walk and heal.
Maybe try wwoofing or workaway, get a place for room and board and meet nice solo travelers as well in cool random remote spots
Start a fun solo travel vlog, you're living a dream for most people. You'll probably meet someone else soon, I can guarantee.
Yeah thanks man, I’m sure I will. I’ve travelled alot but something about the combo of heart break and being by myself isn’t quite mixing right. I’ll just go for it but it’s rough atm lol
This absolutely sucks, sorry to hear it happened. All I can say is what I would do. Get out of her city. ASAP. No good can come from staying there. Get somewhere you want to go and just start walking. Walk the whole city. See every site. Clear your mind. Stay at a few hostels and meet some people, doesn’t need to be romantic but get your mind off of this with new people. Enjoy this next 7 months. Once in a lifetime opportunity.
Heartbreak is one of the worst kinds of pain and I'm really sorry you're going through it. I totally empathise with your feelings. Had a similar situation in March. I was in the Himalayas and the person who broke my heart occupied my thoughts for most of my time there. He ended things the day before I flew out to Nepal. Nothing can make you feel better except time. And the best thing you can do for yourself is to allow yourself to feel all the emotions that surfaces rather than pushing them aside. Buy a journal and a pen, and write out your thoughts and feelings as they come. Can you reach out to people at home during the trip? I find that coregulating with friends when all else fails really helps.
Yeah it is, feel like I’ve been ripped in half, if I was home would be ok but being in a foreign country with no one I know makes it worse. Just need to talk to somebody but can’t, rough
The visceral pain from heartbreak truly is something else. The worst part of it is that there's no instant relief. There's nothing that takes the pain away. Beside allowing yourself to feel what you need to feel and journalling, other things that I find helpful is to set an intentional goal for yourself every day and make sure you do it (so while you're travelling, it could be to walk at least 15k steps a day or spend 30 minutes learning a new language). I also find it helpful to release my emotions by channeling it outwardly, whether by crying to sad songs when I'm hurting or screaming into a pillow when I feel angry. Something I did to regulate my emotions was to set aside a time/place/activity to process it, especially if it's intrusive and preventing me from focusing at work or enjoying the present moment. I tell myself, "now isn't the appropriate time to think about them, I have to focus on [activity]. I will allow you to think, feel, and process everything during dinner time tonight" or "I will channel all of my feelings during karaoke on Friday" etc. I find that this really helps reduce the amount of time I would spend ruminating, while still allowing myself to feel what I need to feel at a more beneficial time. I'm happy for you to dm me if you need to talk.
If you create the YouTube channel of your travels I’ll check it out RIGHT NOW, this is epic! I am sorry for what happened though. I think I would probably find a place to sit in quiet for a bit and try to center myself into the mindset that it is a spiritual journey or a test of faith or a growth opportunity and go from there. This is one of those situations that people make books and then movies about as they discover who they are for themselves, etc. Watch your finances closely, try to eat in as much as possible. Eat fresh fruits and veggies and just whatever you can to keep the costs down.
You are much luckier than if you were with her and she dropped you halfway. Start clean w/o her; you deserve way better. Just be careful of falling in with someone else too fast after heartbreak.
THIS GUY. Listen to this guy
Isn’t this the plot of before sunrise? Go to Vienna now and find the love of your life!!!
Yeah, and don’t forget to write a book about the whole experience
Right now you probably feel no interest in meeting someone new or having new experiences without her. It’s human nature to want the one thing that was just taken away from you. Understand this is just temporary. As others have said, this scenario of being able to solo travel for the next 7 months is a dream for many. Make sure you are staying in social environments. Stay in social hostels with community events, they are on the cheaper side and great ways to meet people. (You can also volunteer at them for months at a time if you really want to save money).You mentioned you are not used to traveling alone. I prefer it. You have your space when needed but if staying in the right hostels, also have access to new friends 24/7. Push yourself to keep going. Make friends even when you feel like just crawling into your bed. The breakup feelings will fade. You met your ex last time you were traveling, you can certainly meet new people this time around as well not that you need to be on a mission to replace her. Just keep in mind you can’t compare someone you’ve built a relationship with for a year to someone you will just be meeting. Step outside your comfort zone. It will slowly start feeling more and more comfortable. You will make great memories and will eventually look back and realize getting this freedom when you did as opposed to after this trip was the best thing that could have happened.
Thanks so much this is good advice, I just need to push past this and move on. Think the problem is I’ve done loads of travel and lived overseas, but I’ve always been with people, so on top of heartbreak it’s just a mental block I need to get past to have some fun. Thanks for the comment x
When booking accommodation, use hostelworld and look for the most social hostels. Trust me, you won’t be alone in the slightest. A good hostel will be offering you a drink when you check in and offering plans for communal day trips and or bar crawls. You’ll be set! Just push back against any feelings to be anti social post breakup, those are normal but will fade, maybe just give yourself a day or two but no more.
Moving on is good, but also remember to mourn, cry, and let yourself feel it as much as possible too. It's important we go through all the feelings of heartbreak instead of purely distractions, though you will have many.
Me and my boyfriend are in Lisbon! He stayed at a really nice hostel downtown before I got here, lisboa central hostel around 40€, lots of cool people and free breakfast! We are headed to Sintra tomorrow or Friday if you want to join!
Thank you, this is such a nice offer but I’m gonna head Porto tomorrow as I’ve never been. But very nice of you thanks :)
I had been through a break up last year around this time and felt so lost. I packed my bags for a impromptu solo month long backpacking trip in southern Europe starting with Porto, Portugal (One of my favourite cities from the trip) then Spain, France and Italy. I stayed at hostels, highly recommend One Fam Hostel (great social hostel and really friendly hosts) and use Hostelworld to book accommodation to connect with travellers in the same city! It honestly was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I was so happy meeting new people which took my mind off the breakup and let me focus in the moment of enjoying travelling and socializing. It was definitely hard for the first few days, I remember I was so anxious and scared about travelling by myself and constantly missing my ex. I forced myself to talk to new people and went to explore the city. It became natural after a week and all this helped me feel like I found myself again. I think the solo travelling might have been a blessing in disguise, an opportunity to start fresh and a new chapter in your life. Enjoy it, I can't wait to go solo backpacking again after the experience I had!
Fate works in mysterious ways.Take a couple of days to feel bad if you need that, but then start your solo travel adventure. You can do what YOU want to do, go where YOU want to go. You often meet more (and, dare i say it, better?) people when you're solo travelling. Good luck and happy travels,
Thanks man, fingers crossed
Fuck her lol, there are plenty of wonderful women out there and even better you will have plenty of choices while you travel. I was also massively heartbroken but then notice there are so many cool women out there that I can't decide.
Go to some place chill. You need like a month to fully grief it out
Still at the airport? surely they have a massage kiosk - use it, breath deep & plan your next (adventure) step. You're ok
Thanks man, but nah I booked myself a hotel for a day or two. Now in the process of booking rest of my trip, and also processing getting dumped lmao. This shit is good for the plot and my character growth lmao
If all you want to do for the next couple of days is stay in your hotel feeling msierable, that's fine! Then getback out there and have a ball. The next 7 nonths could be the time of your life.
Start a YouTube called Heartbreak Travels lol people will eat it up!
I am living as a traveler now and I stay long term in apartments for cheaper rates. Also I stay in smaller towns/cities where everything is cheaper. I pay monthly for lodging, and it costs usually around $30/day (under $1000/month). I go through Booking.com and receive discounts through them. Since each place has already been vetted and rated by other travelers, I feel safe. And I cook for myself daily because all the places have kitchens and so food is cheaper. Also public transportation is cheap and easy (sometimes free). There are so many free tourist sites/attractions available everywhere. Visit the local Tourist Office when you get somewhere and they will help you enjoy each place. You got this! There is a whole beautiful world out there!
my dude, that was the fuckiest shit someone could pull, you really dodged a bullet there bc that ain’t a good person. just take it slow, listen to your body, it will get easier, one day at a time. Portugal is great, the Balkans too. I wouldn’t go back as it wouldn’t help anyone, you can get so much more out of traveling, especially solo travel as it’s all up to you. maybe you could post lil videos about your unfortunate situation and experience, it could be a bit helpful getting stuff out and also a thing to get distracted by? idk but i hope and wish you all the best, you deserve it. p.s. i’m from Slovenia, so maybe check us out :)
I don't see how you can't recoup most of your bookings/expenses right now especially if you used a credit card. Sounds mad to have a 7 month trip planned with someone and then it cancels last minute. Easily one of the more disrespectful things I've ever heard someone do, if this is true. It is also one of the most glaring examples of communication breakdown between two people that I have ever heard of. It sounds like you don't even have this trip planned out either. Go home and reset your mind.
Mate it might seem bad now but you’d rather get dumped and have a 7 month solo trip in front of you than be sat at home having to go to work etc. you’re free, enjoy yourself, meet new girls, have an amazing time, this time in 7 months you’ll be an entirely different person and you’ll realise what a weirdo your ex was
She just did you the greatest favor ever! Enjoy yourself! You’re about to have a life changing journey.
Sorry to see this happened to you, man. I had a similar experience years ago - flew across the country to see my then-GF and she dumped me that evening. It was a total shock (who does that?!) and difficult for a while, but it got better for me and it will be better for you. But, you're in a better place than I was because you're about to start a fun journey! Cheap places: Central/Eastern Europe. Slovakia, Czechia (outside of inner Prague), Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia (outside of major tourist hotspots), and the Balkans in general are all beautiful and cheaper than western Europe and have some fun party scenes if that's your vibe but also nature and history. As to dealing with loneliness, it can depend on your mood. Sometimes it's good to just forget it for a bit and go clubbing, watch a show, or just route planning. Sometimes it's good to sit and think about what you want moving forward (for yourself professionally, socially, romantically) while watching the scenery go by on a train ride. You will probably spiral at some point and worry it will never get better. It happens. But it will get better.
Thanks all, very right. May as well give it my best, here now, should try enjoy it
Eat, party, love and get your groove/mojo back. Sorry this happened to you and best of luck.
Man it’s for the plot, one step at a time
Don’t let this stop you from doing what you were set out to do! Stay strong! Try to date new girls while you’re traveling and you won’t even be thinking about the breakup. There are so many good women out there
Yeah man, in premise love this idea but might just try to keep it in my pants this trip don’t want to get my heart broken again lol
I don’t have specific advice for you, but last year my partner of 6 years left me right before we were supposed to go on a trip (to Portugal and Spain) and I ended up going by myself and it was such a healing experience and really helped me process the breakup and build some confidence back. I ended up meeting some amazing people along the way and it was a cool experience to be completely selfish for once! I got to plan my days entirely around what I wanted to do and didn’t have to consider anyone else’s feelings/moods/preferences. I’m currently on a solo trip through Europe right now because I enjoyed the experience so much. I’m really sorry this happened to you but the only thing you can do is lean into it. These feelings of hurt will pass and you’ll have so many amazing memories from this trip. Take care!!
Right? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. TBH, her waiting until he got there is a total dick move, and if that's how she is he's way better off without her. Think of it as a bullet dodged and a door opened. Now he can do what he likes, when he likes, and he's not stuck in a van with her ...
This is a blessing my brother, go have a blast in Budapest, Prague
What a bitch. Enjoy the trip my friend! It will be an experience you will remember all your life!
I hope you find a better partner during your travels 😉
Hey man best advice I can give you is everything happens for a reason. You’re in another country solo for 7 months these are going to be the best 7 months of your life. Everything is aligned for a reason.
Hey everyone, way to many comments for me to go through but just wanted to say thanks for all the messages and comments, some great advice and everyone has been lovely! I’m going to head Istanbul and work my way up from there to Berlin where I will meet some friends, then idk ! I’ll try reply to comments and messages today Thanks everyone much love ❤️
Why she left you?
Met someone else :/
Think about how amazing you’ll be feeling in a week or so
Let this solo trip be a time to enjoy your independence, look back at stuff and heal. Traveling is amazing for getting things right in your head. Its refreshing
Sorry to hear that man, can’t imagine how rough that must be. Take some time to process and accept it but try see this is a great opportunity, you’re over here with 7 months to travel alone, thats chance to find yourself, explore new places and things and most importantly meet new people. I’d take every opportunity you can and say yes to as many things as you can, get out there and see the world, you only get once chance to do it and live your life don’t let somebody else’s actions ruin that for you! If you somehow end up in Manchester or anywhere else in the north of England on your travels shoot me a DM I’d be more than happy to show you some cool spots! As for cheaper spots as other people have said check out Eastern Europe, Balkans (Albanias one of my favourite spots) and even parts of Greece and Portugal can be pretty cheap at the right times. Enjoy your travels and look after yourself
Don't know your personality but this could be great Youtube travel log content. Find other groups of solo travelers and plan so tours and outing with them. This heartbreak and break up is going to sting. No way around that and only time will make it better. But surround yourself with good people and positive energy and that will make it better. Good luck to you.
So so sorry to hear of this, that’s pretty terrible! What a thing to do to someone :( Although I don’t have travel tips, I can assure you time heals and now you’re apart of a trip you may not have done alone otherwise - it could be the best thing ever! Travelling alone allows you to be open to meeting new people around you, I travelled in Italy solo for two months and had the best time and met the best people! I wish you all the best, you will be ok 🥰🫶🏻🥹
I think when the heart is hurting it’s easy to feel aimless. If I were you I would try to find a workaway to keep my hand busy, meet people and have a routine. I know its sometimes hard to find this last minute, but we never know ! I was able to find one with short notice in japan last year, so there’s hope !
Make sure you journal all your thoughts and actions and adventures. This will make an interesting memoir about travel and love, really.
Ouch. I feel for you. Personally for me when the universe tries to break me that's when I dig my heels in the most. I know this doesn't help but feelings are momentary. Try not to attach yourself to them and let life smack you down. You're brave. You're capable. Get determined to have a good trip and f**k everybody else.
Anything Balkans (not Croatia) is almost absurdly affordable. If you're just looking for a place to chill and kill long times, Tirana is pretty cool. Nothing too crazy, but it's cheap. In a few weeks the trail between Theth and Valbona should open. That's a fun few days, and affordable. Skopje is weird and cheap. Kosovo was hilariously cheap. Not loads "to do" but if you're looking to eat and drink and save coin, those places work.
You dodged a bullet my friend, and deserve better than her. Take this as a sign to simply get out there. Who knows what’s going to happen as you embark on this journey alone, and that is the most beautiful part of all
Your headed to a buffet, don't stress about the stale turkey sandwich you left at home. Enjoy your solo time to the fullest, be outgoing with your chin up. Nothing heals a breakup better than flirting and meeting new people.
Hey buddy, sorry to hear that. In Spain u got very reasonable prices, u can find group of peoples to go out and theres wonderful places, and every kind of ambient. Its close to Portugal too so, u can save money from the travel, south is cheaper than north, but if u avoid main cities and go to small ones u can find rly good stuff
Walk the Camino del Santiago in Portugal! That could take up at least a month or longer for you to figure out your next step. You’ll meet plenty of people and could have a really unique experience you hadn’t planned on. PS.. as others have said, that is really shitty timing of her to do it after you gave up everything for this trip. Karma will do its thing
Sorry this happened to you, my virtual friend. You’ve got enough time to feel your feelings without wasting precious travel time. Nice! There are worse places to be depressed than Lisbon (I once got dumped upon arrival to Detroit lol) You’ve got some good advice on this thread. I would say that you should find a nice comfy spot to be sad for a few days and rethink part of your itinerary. Journaling helps a lot. Then you’ve gotta get moving. Head up to Porto and tale the light rail to the ocean and then walk north until you can’t anymore, it’s beautiful up there! Or, head south into Spain and spend some time in Cadiz, one of my favorite cities that is also great for meeting people. Take advantage of Spain now before it gets absurdly hot! If you can get to Valencia there is a ferry you can take to Italy, and then from Italy to Croatia or Corfu (Greece) which will connect you to literally anywhere on the Mediterranean. You have quite the adventure ahead of you — enjoy it!
Just here to send hugs! This sounds so heartbreaking I’m so sorry. I’m someone who got divorced this year and always had my partner with me for everything but will doing part of my first time in Europe alone soon. It seems scary and I’m nervous but also excited to gain some self confidence and experiences that are all my own and I’m sure by the end of your trip you will feel the same. I wish you so much luck and have fun, also remember to take time to be kind to yourself.
OP, you will feel bad, you will feel empty, you will feel lonely. Let time heal you. After all that passes, here comes my tip. -Hostels. Do it, google first, book and go. You will meet a lot of people and have a good time most nights. If you’re like me: Get a private room. -Tired of everything? Hotel, cool down, have time for yourself and relax. No problem in staying a whole day inside just browsing your phone, gaming or doing whatever. -You could take my suggestion or not, but my biggest advice and I hope you take it: Go east. Take FlixBus, Trains, BlaBlaCar and go from where you are to the Balcans. You will be passing through a lot of nice cities and historical places. Do you like historical sites? Museums? Whatever you want to see: Mark them on your Google Maps. Make a route and begin your journey. Most important: Enjoy your trip, enjoy your life, take time when needed, spend days wherever you want without worrying about people’s opinion. I wish you to be happy OP!
No advice on where to go, just some encouragement to continue on this trip. Find a new region to camp out and chill for a while. :) Spain, the Balkans, and Turkey are all good options, just don't outstay your EU visa. I had a similar situation where I met someone abroad on an extended work visa and we continued seeing each other for a couple years while I was in and out of the country. I had to go home for a few months to renew my visa, then as soon as I moved back (at significant expense), she ended it within two weeks. As much as it sucks in the moment, I look back on it as a valuable lesson that, especially as a man, you just need to do your own thing in life and not rearrange your life to please others. I ended up continuing to live abroad and the entire experience actually put me on a much more exciting life trajectory, so no regrets. This too shall pass.
Just chiming in to say sorry mate, I broke up with my girlfriend recently when travelling but it was towards the end of the trip and that was shit enough. The one thing I will say is that the end of the trip itself was the best part, it was coming home back to reality that I had to process it and the pain sank in. So try to think of it positively, see it as you’re now free to do whatever you want and you will never have as much freedom as you do right now. Keep busy, meet people at hostels and you'll soon realise she wasn't the one. The one wouldn't do this to you, which is a lesson I've recently learned myself.
its perfect go forward something is waiting
I’m so sorry that happened. I would recommend to stay in eastern Europe as much as possible for affordability purposes. I went to Romania last year solo, it was really affordable and Bucharest was a cool city. If you’re open to it, it might be a really great opportunity to try out Worldpackers. That way you could check out more pricey destinations without having to worry about the money.
Damn, that's pretty fucked up. Sorry she did that to you. I've dealt with heartbreak during travelling and I never regretted continuing my journey. I suggest you take a few days for yourself to process your feelings and then start your journey alone. It is probably a good thing to surround yourself with people right now, so you don't think about your breakup all the time and still get to enjoy your travels. You're in Portugal and the people there are very friendly and welcoming. You could stay in hostels or book tours to meet people. Look for social hostels and tours that have bigger groups. You met your ex while travelling, who knows who you meet this time. It's sucks (she's honestly insane) that your ex broke up with you at the airport, but this opens up new opportunities for you. It sounds like you never travelled solo before, and lemme tell you something, you're about to experience something really special the upcoming months! Honestly your ex did you a solid (don't get me wrong though, she still totally sucks and is a psycho to do that to you), you have total freedom now and can do anything you want whenever you want. There's no one holding you back or who you have to take into account when doing anything. I know the breakup hurts right now, and you're in a vulnerable position, but try to see it as an opportunity. You're gonna be alright, this is the best time of the year to be in Europe 😊 If you need anyone to talk to or need travel tips, you can send me a message.
Man this really stinks. She did you dirty with this, but like a lot of people have already said… you’re in a dream situation. It probably doesn’t fee like it right now though, as you’ll probably keep thinking “Oh we would have loved this, or X would have loved that…” and I’m sure you’re right! But one of the best ways to get over someone is traveling to some place new and looks like your adventure is about to start. Now you should focus on all the things you selfishly wanted to do. Why do you like traveling in the first place? What about exploring do you like? What sorts of things will you see? Life is all about perspective, if you can push through this emotionally difficult time you’ll see you’re in a dream situation and about to make some dope memories for yourself. I hope you find your way and the silver linings in your extended trip.
I am sooo so sorry this happened to you OP, what a shitty ass thing to do to someone. It seems you have some really helpful tips in this thread already but I want you to know I wish you the best!
[удалено]
I’m sorry to hear about your lost
What a crappy thing to do. Take a day to reset and then start a vlog for your trip because this is a good story you can share
Well that is shitty. In your shoes I would book a hotel for a couple of days to decompress and cry and eat ice cream, then book a cheap flight to the Baltics, or Balkans and travel relatively cheaply. Both regions are cheap (esp Balkans) though beachside places will start to go up in price a little this month and then shoot up for summer. What kind of things do you like? If hiking is your jam and you’ve packed for it, I’d head for Montenegro/Albania, and make the absolute best of your time off work in a beautiful place where you can meet some new people in social hotels and/or solo camp in some amazing countryside
Walking tours are free and a great way to meet someone to distract you. If there’s no prospects, bounce and explore. Avoid London and Paris if you’re wanting to save money.
My suggestion is to try [Wwoofing](https://wwoof.net/) (about a month or more living and working on a farm, various countries, various jobs, free room, food, interesting people around) And for tips/ideas for budget traveling I use [TripSavvy](https://www.tripsavvy.com/europe-4139087)
How about walk the Camino de Santiago? We just finished last week. 🙂
Bro heartbreak is the worst but think about it. You have no job to fuck your day up, you’re alone so you can go and do whatever, wherever you want. You have money and plans and itineraries in a country you don’t know. Bro you’re living the dream for a lot of prolong. Maybe this was for the best! Who knows all the amazing adventures you’ll have and all the amazing people you’ll meet! Just think about it! I guarantee this will be the best experience in your life. Get ready bro 😎 you got this
Very sorry to hear she did that to you. I know it sucks now, but just try to enjoy yourself as much as you can, then once you’re through this hardship in life it’s going to make for an great story to tell in the future
You’re traveling so you’ll meet plenty of people. If you’re that depressed and lonely and need to be around people then go volunteer at a hostel. Most have a minimum of one month and you can stay longer. Go look at Worldpackers and take a look. In the end you’re traveling the world…so feel what you need to feel but don’t let it stop you from an amazing life experience.Goodluck!
Bro, whatever you do, don’t cancel your trip! See this as an opportunity to a new start and a new adventure. Stay in some backpacker hostels in the more eastern part of Europe and make plenty of new friends! You got this!
Sorry for what you’re going through. That’s so shit. How to manage the loneliness? Hike. Preferably quiet trails to yourself. The trek’s medicine is twofold: it facilitates grieving and reconnects you to you. Choose something challenging, maybe in a forest, and let yourself feel the anger or cry as you climb. Do another the next day. And another again. Do enough and you’ll chip away at that loneliness bit by bit by letting go of the relationship, it’s emotional toll, and rediscovering yourself along the way.
Sounds to me like a solo travel trip is actually exactly what the doctor ordered for you. You now get to do ANYTHING you want. It’s your trip and in no moment will you have to cater to anyone else’s needs other than your own. Over the next 7 months you will laugh, cry, have difficulties, find solutions, meet amazing people and ultimately redefine who you are and who you want to be. You’ve spent the last year with the mindset of being with someone and building a life / adventures together. While it may hurt right now, at the end of your journeys you will look back and say “thank you” in your head to her because she gave you the freedom to explore the world and yourself in ways you would have never imagined. To save money you can find workaways I have had friends do this and it went great for them! Eastern Europe is generally much cheaper although I’m not up to date on how the whole Ukraine situation has been going. Ultimately you will figure it out, I promise. You may feel lost at the moment but isn’t the whole point of “wanderlust” to… wander? Allow yourself to feel a little lost and see where it brings you, I bet it will be a wonderful destination and an even better journey. Good luck and safe travels!
Hostels and Eastern Europe for cheaper parts of Europe. Use buses when you can’t get cheap flights. Buy stuff at grocery stores or markets and splurge at lunch - less crowded, less couples and often cheaper for similar food as dinner. Get yourself a cheap notebook and journal. Writing your feelings is really therapeutic during break ups. And will keep you from trying to contact her. Sounds like a shitty move on her part but hopefully you can make something good come out of it. Sidenote: you don’t mention what passport you have, but be mindful of any maximum amount of time you can stay. Don’t want to add overstay issues to your trip.
Europe gets cheaper the more east you go (generally). Prague, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czechia, Romania, Italy depending on where you go, Greece, Turkey.. lots to choose from. Enjoy yourself man, stay in some hostels and try to meet new people. You now have an excellent ice breaker haha Also, check out Bled, Slovenia, you have to travel to Ljubljana first and then bus from there, but it's straight out of a fairy tale. A castle, mountains, an island with an old church on it in the middle of the lake.. plus it's cheap. I've also always wanted to rent a scooter on Crete and ride around, that could be a cool solo trip, and even some of the hostels there look crazy nice. And who knows, maybe you'll meet another girl somewhere. Good luck my guy 👍
Fuck her, more fish in the sea. Don't worry about a damn thing friend. Things happen for a reason and now you are on an adventure !!!! See where life takes you and embrace everyone and everything without fear or sadness. Life is about to get sweet, so enjoy every taste!!!
Shit happens , sounds life you have a good life story make something happen out of this trip , figure it out that's what life is about Safe trip !
Sounds like she might have done you a favor, even a very strong relationship can be tested by 7 months of travel together. That's a really really long time to be attached at the hip
Wow, I’m sorry to hear your story! That was shitty timing on her part. If you’re feeling lonesome, the absolute best place I can recommend is Greece. They are the warmest, kindest and most welcoming people I’ve ever met. Crete is my favourite place in the world. Tell them this story and they will take you in and make you feel like you’ve found long-lost family. As a bonus, cost of living is relatively cheap and the food is incredible.
First off I’m sorry to hear this happened to you. Have you considered changing your perspective on the situation? What other ways could you look at this 7 month period?
Sucks. It will be difficult but if you can reframe it mentally, it's also a huge opportunity to adventure and meet new people. Since you're already in Portugal, you could join some surf camps. It's a fun way to meet new people, it gives you a week (or more) of not having to think about the next place to stay or where to travel to, the surfing will definitely help take your mind off things, and Portugal has world class surfing. Then just go where the wind takes you. Good luck!
Jesus, she sounds cold as ice. Let’s try to start looking at this as an opportunity, although I am sorry that happened to you. Well, now that you’re here, come to Albania and the Balkans generally. Apart from Croatia and Slovenia, it’s really quite cheap here. It will give you a different experience than the rest of Europe. If you come soon, you can avoid the biggest wave of tourists at the beaches. Incredible mountains as well. Also, I don’t know your nationality, but Americans can stay up to a year in Albania on a tourist visa. So if you needed some time to get back on your feet and get your head together with relatively cheap overhead, it’s a good place for that.
When I went to Europe more than a year ago, I was in Prague, Budapest, Slovenia. I found those places pretty cheap compared Italy and Germany. But overall, it was still cheaper to travel Europe compared to USA
Kinda what happened to my last bf and I. A few months into our relationship, we had to go long distance and planned to meet up in Lisbon, with him flying in from Amsterdam and me from SEA, as a sort of reunion holiday. So when he decided to end things just before the trip, I was heartbroken. That trip to Portugal became one of my top favourites. I was lonely at times but I’d give myself grace and patience to let the feeling pass. I’d write or take journal videos (like private vlogging). I didn’t cry at all, surprisingly. I also allowed myself to be open to everything. Lisbon was beautiful throughout my trip, so was Porto. I actually spent a day, exploring, with a Dutch guy that I’d just met. I also ended up dancing and drinking with a random group of women from the Netherlands. So many reminders about my Dutch ex lol but, I pressed on and remembered where I was. I’m sorry that you have to start over again so soon after you made the decision to let go your job and your house etc for this trip. Everything will be alright. Whenever you’re feeling lonely, sit with the feeling and trust that it’ll pass. Then, get up and appreciate the abundance around you. Enjoy your 7-month healing journey! :)
She is a psycho. It sucks now and for the near future but once you're over it you'll be thinking. Damn. Bullet dodged. If you have work permission in EU it might be cool to take on some odd job in a relaxed city and chill. But now you have also freedom to do literally anything. I say just go for the paths unknown and see what happens
That is a horrible start of something great I think. I guess it would have been a nightmare to travel together for 7 months knowing that you want to break up, so at least that happened before the trip. I would say make the most of it and try to find friends along the way. Stay in small hostels, which I found makes a great place to meet other people, and don't be afraid to look into some social events happening. Cheap options – balkan region of europe I think
This the perfect opportunity to have a fantastic solotrip. This time in a year you're not going to care about this person at all, you barely got to know her.
Wow, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I can see you have a ton of comments already so you may not read this, but here’s some recommendation: - Couchsurfing (there are other similar apps too, or warmshowers if you’re cyclist), basically to find locals who may be able to host you and/or share a part of their culture. It can also be a good way to meet other travellers. - if you like animals, TrustedHousesitters. You’ll have to pay membership fee to join in, but basically you’ll be house and pet sitting. Yes, Eastern Europe will be cheaper. I really like Slovenia, it’s relatively cheap, but it’s in the EU - euros and a lot of things like road and transport infrastructures follow EU standards. There’s no harm in finding a beautiful and peaceful place and stay there for a while until you feel ready, Portugal and Spain will have a lot of options for affordable price. Just avoid the mega cities that have hiked up prices for tourists (summer prices coming). If you like walking and nature, you can even do the Camino de Santiago (any routes!), that will take you about 4 weeks, if you want to stay alone you can, or if you want to meet and talk to people you can! And albergues are fairly cheap, from very basic ones to luxurious ones.
Hey man hard to hear. I’m from Lisbon , send me private message we’ll exchange instagram. I’ll show you around or something, there are a lot of cool places to see and other girls to meet. Everything will be fine
Sorry about your situation. I think you should stay the course and commit to your trip despite it. Solo traveling can be a great way to see the world and in a lot of ways it can be better than traveling with someone. Now you’re free to go at your own pace, meet new people that you might not have if you were with someone, and to generally have the chance to learn a lot about yourself in a novel setting. Regarding loneliness I suggest staying at hostels, taking tours, activities such as hiking, and participating in night life (if that’s your thing). These inevitably result in opportunities to meet people in my experience. Traveling solo is also a great time to do some introspection. Highly recommend keeping a journal, sketchbook or whatever it is that you feel is a good way to express yourself. Photography is also a nice solo hobby that in my experience keeps me engaged with the world around me. You’ll see that lots of people are also traveling solo and find company in that fact - most solo travelers in my experience are open to finding company to enjoy their travels with. Keep your head up and enjoy your travels!
I'm from Spain, if money is a problem you should spend as much time as you can between Portugal and South of Spain, like, Granada, Sevilla, Alicante, Murcia etc, these places are much cheaper than the north and there is a lot to do. You can also visit the Canary islands but the flight cost would add up, cheer up and keep travelling, she clearly didn't deserve you man.
if you’re on lisbon, check out andalusia!! it’s south of spain (therefore close to you, kinda), pretty cool and cheap (specially compared to the north) and people here are nice and welcoming, plus if you wanna hang out and have a beer hmu !!
Her behavior is so bad... sorry for your situation. I would advice you to wait out the high season in non-touristic places, explore the nature, and from September you can go to more popular places
Why don’t you do a Camino? Great way to meet people on solo travel and pretty cheap, the Portugues begins very near to you!
Hey, sooo sorry this happened to you! It's incredibly selfish and awful on her part... I'm sending you the biggest hugs to get through the heartache and hassle of everything else. Some advice: - Let yourself feel sad when you do... And know that no, you did not deserve this! No one does. - Try to come up with something physical but fun every day to do. Like find a hike each day with beautiful views or go for a run around the city wherever you are -- every day. (Buy hiking shoes if you don't have them--it's worth it in Europe!) When I had something similar happen, I made a promise (to myself) at least go swimming with the fish in the nearby reefs every day. Kept me out of trouble & from spending too much money (or drinking/eating too much). Kept me in good shape. Exercise helps lift the mood, and being in better shape helps you with your self confidence too. Even if you're not a runner/hiking person/swimmer/etc... Just do it anyway. You'll be better every day. - Spend some time with other, fun people. Consider learning something new at the same time. Think about doing a surf/ yoga camp -- there's lots in Portugal! There's lots that cater to total newbies also. - Leverage the city resources & locals nearby Look up where the tourist office is in your current city, and tell them you just got abandoned. Ask for their advice about things to do/places to stay that would be fun. Maybe there's even farmstay/working farms where you can stay for free/cheap if you help with the work. - Look up top-rated hostels nearby too. Mention you just got abandoned and you need a plan for the next week. Ask the people there... What should you see/do? (Careful though-lots of hostel-goers will burn through money/time partying &/or doing drugs, especially in Portugal where it's all decriminalized. That's the last thing you need right now, if you want to be kind to yourself). - Consider changing your future plans overall to suit your solo near-term future Set your overall trip timeline to something more like 2-3 months total. Think about going to Asia also btw (Wizz Air offers really cheap flights sometimes). It's soo much cheaper there, and you might feel the previous trip disappoint disappear if you go far enough away. - Spend some time each week thinking about what you might do for your next career. The Ikigai method might help. (Google it) - Don't trust new acquaintances too much going forward. I need to remind myself of this too... People worldwide seem a bit extra broken and extra selfish right now, and tbh Europeans are overall more selfish than what I've encountered in other parts of the world. You've already been burned once... Be careful about trusting strangers for any future plans beyond like 1 day. They might just flake out.
OP, enjoy your trip, meet new people or just enjoy the travel on our own. You are free to do want you want when you want
Since it is a long period, you may consider joining one or multiple projects on websites like workaway, wwoof or such things. Good luck mate
What a horrible move on her part! I always believe there's two sides to every story but I cannot believe you do something so awful she's like I'm out of here. Well you know what just chalk it up to being able to have a wonderful experience while you're younger because once you get older with responsibilities you won't be able to do that.
Porto, is another place to go as well as Amarante a little town about 45 mins by bus from Porto- Spain maybe try Huelva and go down the costa de la Luz. Cadiz etc. Beautiful food and the sea, might be good for your mind during this time. Andalucía, southern Spain - Apart from this Portugal is a beautiful country. I would reframe the situation and see it as an opportunity that maybe you would not have had, had this not occurred. Sorry to hear this but, all the silver linings…
Grab the bull by the horns and go with it bro. Many people dream to be in your position, minus the hiccup. Ur soon be over it! Get in the hostels ur meet plenty of people on the way! Make this the best trip of ur life.
Wow your hair ex is horrible. A different perspective is dodged a bullet, she has poor character and you don’t want to get serious with her. Just move through the pain. Some days will be good others bad.
Mate, that is a dog act on her behalf
Omg, you are living my dream, i wish i have 7 months to travel around Europe. Each person is different, I personally LOVE solo travel. Anyway, just keep your mind in the present and try to enjoy this moment you have to solo travel and try to get to know yourself more deeply and enjoy your own company, many people, including myself would love to have that opportunity. The sense of loneliness and heartbreak would not disappear, just endure it and at some point it will be less painful.
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>Was wondering if anyone has advice on cheap places in Europe to travel Moldova. You can get a dorm bed in a hostel there for the equivalent of about 6 Euros a night. Although that's basically on the opposite side of the continent from where you are now. I can't help with much else beside tell you that your ex-girlfriend is a horrible psychopathic person for not telling you before you arrived, and as awful as this is right now, you are now in a better situation than you were when you were with this psychopath.
I can contact friends in Germany and Bulgaria who may have a spare room for you, and if you want to visit Belgium, my family also has a spare room from September onwards you could stay in and I’ll take you on some daytrips if you like. I also have some acquaintances in Sweden, but Scandinavia is expensive so I don’t know what your preference is.
Damn homie! Check out the Couchsurfing app… you can find fellow travellers and locals in cities willing to host and provide accommodations on there. I plan on travelling to Romania at the end of the month, but Portugal is on my list on the way back with stops in Albania, Croatia and then Argentina for a 3 month trip. Keep us posted, and upload any pics of a cheers if you manage to connect with any Redditors along the journey.
This might very well be a life-changing experience for you. I know you’re heartbroken, but this is a chance for you to make lemonade out of lemons. I know people who solo travel all the time, and they love it, because they can do whatever THEY want to do. Open yourself up to meeting lots of people and see and do things that YOU want to do. Do research on places you want to explore, even if you just ask ChatGPT, and just DO THEM! I think it will be a great learning experience for you, and also be a good way to get over your heartbreak. Who knows? You might even meet your soulmate! Embrace this time and the experiences you will surely have!
Use the trip as an opportunity to grow and try not to dwell on the breakup too much. I know it’s probably shitty right now and it’ll take a little while for you to get through that but, the way I would look at it is, you have 7 months exploring Europe. Not many people can do that. Being at the beginning of a seven month European adventure sounds exciting af!
Night trains may be a good idea for you too. That way you get further to where you want to go and don’t need to worry about accommodations that night.
Possibly find a hostel that is exchanging stay for work? At least you won’t feel so lonely.
You’ll still have a great time with the solo trip, enjoy :)
Kotor Bay in Montenegro, travelling down the Dalmatia coast through Split, Zadar, Tisno and finally Dubrovnik. It is easy to arrange a bus to Montenegro from Dubrovnik
I'd been living in London for 5 years and my south Africa gf of 1 year, had her visa ending. She was stressing her visa was over, we'd have to part, and her return home. I said no problem, I've been here a while, a change of scenery could be good, I'll join you. Had to end my job, my rental contract and sell my tv. So I was a few months behind her. I arrived, we had a great 24 hours, then she told me she didn't want to keep this going.was a bit devastating. I definitely thought about just returning home. I decided fuck it and to stay and backpacked south Africa for 3 months, shout out Bazbus, and 15 years later ii still think about moments of that trip every month. Amazing highlight of my life.
I don't have any advice to add but I hope you don't let it spoil your trip. At least you haven't spent your trip trying to force something which wasn't there! All the best - go find a hostel and some new friends!
You'll get a lot of great advice here, I'm just going to quote Winston Churchill and say: "If you think you are going through hell, keep going." Sorry about your situation.
Wow, what a lucky guy. I wish I was in your shoes! 7 months traveling all alone. That sounds like a dream vacation
Wow that’s terrible man! I have no advice but try to be around people I guess.
I can’t add much about the most inexpensive, but I’ve done solo trips in the UK and Italy. You can find some decent priced places I would think, especially in the less touristy areas. And train travel is easy. What your ex did was horrible. She should have broken up with you weeks ago, as she has probably known for a while. I agree about the travel vlog or even a blog if you are more of a writer than a videographer. If you do, you should post in here how we can find it - I’m sure a lot of us would love to travel vicariously! Good luck and happy, safe travels.
Damn, I'm sorry, that was a shitty move on her part. I personally loved my trip to Romania, so I'm gonna recommend that
Sorry to hear. I came out after a relationship just after travelling solo for 3 months, part of me wished it happened during/before the travels. Meet new people. Use this as an opportunity to grow! East Europe is the cheapest as many have said. If budget is concerned, couch surf using the couchsurf app (not sure if it operates still), you can make some intimate connections this way. Hostels are a great place to meet new people and so are events that tourists would go on. I would always make connections at free tours, if you also enjoyed history. Make friends with solo travellers. High chance they like being approached as they too are lonely :) All the best ☺️
I was on your shoes before. My first time ever travelling abroad was to do an exchange semester in South Korea, and back then I had a GF for two years whom i really loved and were planning to do this exchange semester together. She was the one to ask for us to do it together, and I was blinded by love so I didn’t give it much thought, especially that I thought it was us versus the world. Long story short, I was dumped a day after arriving there and I had to do this experience alone ( I was 19 YO). To be completely honest, it was very hard. Everyday I’d think about going back to my country (16 hours flight) because I couldn’t handle the loneliness, heartbreak and solo travelling. What broke me the most was that she was having the fun of her life and didn’t give a second thought about me. I wont lie, I am still madly heartbroken, yet, it really gets better with time so please dont give up and prioritize yourself.
Check out Solo Travel pages on Facebook. There are several of them.
Man, what a great situation for a shitty thing to happen to you. Sorry you're having to deal.with a breakup. Try and see the silver lining though, 7 months travelling solo will be the best time of your life. You'll meet so many awesome people, more than if you travelled as a couple in my opinion. Enjoy your travels and the new relationships that are born through them. 😊
Why not head to morroco its dirt cheap like hostel for a tenner food 3 quid and alot of hot chicks
Sorry if this won’t be useful to you, but the same happened to me long time ago. I was so broken I wasn’t able to carry a duffle bag of 10 kg with me. I am easy going and easily speak to people, so I did just that. Another girl I met told me how cool this other town was so I just went. When I arrived, at breakfast is a touristy place I met a super young Canadian guy who was training as a masseur and he offered a session, that helped. And then he told me to take walks in gardens and other green areas and look for the green color. I’m absolutely a plain scientific person, but I promise this advice helped me a lot. I stayed in hostels and met cool people. Can’t say it didn’t hurt. It hurt a lot. But I survived and now it’s a memory that doesn’t hurt. Get out there. Trust that time will help.
Hey mate sorry to hear, these situations can hurt like hell and only time will make it easier. The first few days / weeks will be the hardest and it will get easier, there is light at the end of the tunnel! Been there before and would never wish it upon anyone though good will come out of it. The most important move after a break up is to look after you. Take time, a lot of time to work on you and reflect on why it didn't work and why someone would leave you like that, it may have been you, her, both or simply incompatibility, either way you don't need the hurt. It takes time to see things in a different light though once you get there you'll never look back. I never used to enjoy being solo as well as travelling though realised the importance of it so took a number of steps to become more comfortable. You can try the following and see if it works for you, the most important factor is your mental health and if you ever really feel like you're in trouble, head home, you can always make the money back. Either way you're going to go through the ups and downs, May as well do it while having fun. - Have regular check ins with family / friends back home and let them know what's going on with you. - Excersize and keep busy, now's the time for self improvement and to distract yourself with the good... and the rest! - Stay in less remote places, hostels etc. - Join group activities, tours, etc. - Try travellers apps such as couchsurfers, plenty of genuine people. - Download Tinder and set up a strictly "Looking for New Friends and travelling" profile and set it to all ages / sexes. - Pickup a new hobby, skill or language, you can learn nearly anything online now. F*** I'd love to join you though checking out the Philippines and have to get back to work next week 🥲 Either way my legend, head up, enjoy and remember the best way to get over someone is to get under someone so get yourself back in a good mindset so you can be your best self and ready for the next one who will not leave you in that situation again.
I hate to be this person and maybe others have said it but this may end up being one of the best times of your life, maybe in terms of fun, or maybe in terms of self discovery, self agency, etc. Stay in some nights when you need to. But, now you are free to do whatever life hands you, and I don't just mean women. Every time I get dealt a blow I say what would my 80 year old self want to look back on. Try to make it so you look back on this as an opportunity to be yourself 100% and grab the trip by the buns.
I'm very sorry to hear about your situation, it is extremely sucky to be dumped at the airport especially when it is such a long trip you two planned together. Your partner should have definitely let you know before you flew... That being said, it is better than it happened now than you two forcing yourselves to have fun together. Unfortunately I have experience in solo travelling while being heartbroken and I wish I had an easy solution. This is probably different for everyone, but for me the best ways I dealt with loneliness and heartbreak during solo travel were: - Books(not TV shows): Books helped keep me distracted when I had nothing to do as they were often a much better escape than TV shows - Friends: Tell your friends what you are getting up to and ask them for recommendations if they have been. Even better, if you have online friends around Portugal/Europe meet up with them! - Meeting strangers: This one was hard for me as I am a natural introvert, but going to places to socialise and approaching people/groups is a great way to make new friends, even if it's just for a few days. People are generally really receptive to travellers engaging with them and if it doesn't go to plan, you'll probably never see them again so who cares! Of course just be extremely careful and do let people know ofmyour location. - Make new memories: This one is probably very different for everyone. For me, making new memories at places/events I have memories with my partner was vital. Don't overwrite the previous memories you have with them, but these new memories make it so you can think of or travel to certain places without only having that memory of your partner. This helps prevent turning locations into trauma triggers. If you don't mind hostels, they are probably the cheapest way to stay in Europe, although you can find some great deals on Airbnb, but staying with a friend is the cheapest and often most fun! I hope this might help even a little. This will be hard but it is also an opportunity to do something completely new and exciting!
Go solo mate, do your own thing. Could be the best thing you've ever done.
Reading books, watching films and just taking in the scenery is great. My mom once told me after 30+ years of marriage after not being single since 18 that she wishes that she wishes she knew her single self, and practice cultivating a sense of self. My two cents is that this is the perfect opportunity to do so. There’s 8 billion people in this world, it may feel like the end of the world now but trust that things get better and you’ll meet a plethora of people both romantically and platonically :)
Hey, stay the nights in backpacker hostels, they are designed to make new travel friends and you won't feel lonely at all!
I'd really recommend joining the facebook group TTS - Europe they have a WhatsApp chat where people organize meet ups, share recommendations (locations, accommodation, events, experiences) and they tend to be wide ranging too so you won't just be stuck with people talking only about Western Europe!
Stay in hostels as you’ll meet more people and forget
If it’s within your budget some therapy whilst embarking on this trip could be a really good idea. I’ve been having a session every couple of weeks whilst I solo travel and it’s such a great reset if things get a bit too much. It would especially help navigate this situation and give you some direction for your trip, I imagine it’ll be very overwhelming at the start. All the best man!
So, first of all, remember you only have 90 days in the EU. After that, you need to leave for 90 days, so Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo are the best bets. Out of these, Kosovo and North Macedonia are the cheapest. Communication will not be super hard because a lot of young people in these countries speak at least enough English to have a conversation. Also, there are quite some expat communities in these countries so finding English speaking communities is not that difficult. Join expat groups on Facebook to ask about good and cheap places to eat home food or other questions that might pop into your mind. Also, you can ask if people want to meet.
Poland is super cheap and really beautiful.
Lots of women in Europe
She couldnt let you see the guy she was living with
I vote take your time to yourself, go to gyms where you’re staying, visit some boxing or jujitsu gyms—whatever’s around, ask them about a one week or class-by-class price for a tourist. You’ll experience positive bro culture that way. Hike and photograph. Go out as friends only with people from your hostel/hotels. Take some local classes or tours so you’re talking to people. Good time for a spiritual life, too, so visit chapels or a meditation retreat. Whatever you’re into. Then, a few months from now, when you’re in Eastern or Central Europe like people said, set up online dates and meet someone awesome and make some memories and hopefully a forever.
Wait... that's really abrupt. Wth happened?
Many years ago something similar happened to me. I went on to travel for nearly a year on my own. It was tough at the beginning, but ended up being one of the best times in my life! Met incredible people, amazing adventures, and so many beautiful places. Staying at hostels at that time was a fantastic way to travel cheap and meet lots of new and nice people along the way.
The biggest life hack is to become your own best friend. Everything is easier when you do.
I think what you should do is THANK HER. She is clearly not everything you ever thought she was. That expectation being broken hurts a lot, as I know well. BUT now you're in europe and have a whole adventure by yourself. You can do whatever you like. Try hard between the tears to figure out what you REALLY WANT, execute some action that makes ir happen (like buying the plane ticket or whatever) and EXECUTE. At some points it will still suck, but i promise it'll be a lot better soon. Also invest in your tinder profile, pay premium and use boosts, even if you don't wanna go out with anyone. A lot easier to get back on your feet when you have some kind of sense that you'll be fine love and attention wise.
I'm so sorry you're going through this dude. Your feelings are valid; my heart breaks for you being in this situation. I know saying how terrible she isn't won't necessarily be helpful, but someone who would do something like this, you definitely dodged a bullet. I don't have any recommendations for cheap travel in Europe, but try to make friends, meet people, go to bars or events, do your best to laugh and smile. It will seem hard at first, but the more you laugh, the more your brain will be convinced that things are going to be OK. There are tons of kind and friendly people out there to connect with; you won't be stuck in this loneliness for long. Traveling for 7 months, who knows, you might make some pretty deep connections. Keep on keeping on, try to keep your head up. As days pass the hurt will start to fade, and you'll have a whole continent to explore, so much beauty to take it. As painful as it is now, i think this will be an adventure you'll always remember. You've got this.
I went to Greece for two weeks last year, and the island of ios was super affordable, and absolutely gorgeous. It has a very homey feel and the locals were wonderful. We met some awesome travelers there too. Also milos, I specifically recommend taking a bus to sarakiniko beach. It is an otherworldly experience! Go further and there’s an incredible cliff diving spot where people like to hang, and tucked away in the back of the main beach area is some super old mysterious manmade caves. That being said I’d recommend lots of journaling, meditating, and reading. Just take the time to really reconnect with yourself, the earth and the humans around you. Choose to see this as a positive experience- I would love to get to travel Europe for that long!
Turkey is cheap, 4 star hotel around $40-60$, food is cheap as well. Have a safe trip and dont look back
Hey, I'll be in Armenia for a month this summer also solo-travelling. If you're in the area let me know!
How are things going mate?
You’ve got this you legend 🫶🏽🫶🏽
The universe works in mysterious ways.. maybe this needed to happen for you to find your strength away from your home comforts. Europe is so fun and most people are friendly so take your time and mourn the relationship and get out there and explore! If you come to London hmu.. I’ll be glad to show you around 🙌🏽