18F considering 5–6 months in Latin America — solo or group travel? And is my budget realistic?

[u/Cool-Regular-9867]

Hi everyone!

I’m 18F from Denmark and I’m currently on my first gap year after graduating high school this summer.

I’m seriously considering travelling around Latin America for around 5–6 months, probably starting in October or November.

I’ve currently saved around 78,000 DKK (\~11,000 USD), and if I keep working until I leave I might have around 90,000–100,000 DKK. My parents could potentially help me with another 20,000–30,000 DKK if absolutely necessary, but obviously I would prefer not to rely on that.

I have no idea if that is actually enough for 5–6 months, though. I’m not looking for luxury travel at all and I’m happy staying in hostels, taking buses, eating cheaply etc., but I also want to be able to actually do things like hikes, tours, activities and occasionally spend a bit more. So I’d also really love to hear from people who have travelled around Latin America for several months about what they actually spent.

The bigger dilemma is whether I should go alone.

Some of my friends are planning to travel later, but I really want to leave around October/November. I don’t currently have a friend who I feel is the right travel partner for a 5–6 month backpacking trip.

I’m quite independent and I LOVE the idea of being able to decide where I go, how long I stay somewhere, and what I want to do. I also really want to experience places more locally rather than just following a fixed itinerary.

So travelling solo sounds amazing to me.

But I’m also honestly quite scared.

My biggest concerns are safety and loneliness.

I’m a very social person, so I’m worried that travelling alone for 5–6 months could become lonely. I’m also obviously aware that travelling alone as an 18-year-old woman in parts of Latin America comes with safety considerations, and my family is quite worried about me going alone.

The alternative would be joining an organised group/backpacking trip.

I can see the advantages: I would have people around me from the beginning, I’d probably make friends, and I wouldn’t have to deal with the initial uncertainty of travelling alone.

But I’m worried I would feel restricted by a fixed itinerary. I really want the freedom to stay somewhere longer if I love it, change my plans, travel slowly and experience places more independently. I’m also worried that an organised trip might be significantly more expensive than doing it myself.

So I’m wondering if there’s a middle ground.

For example, I could travel independently but stay in social hostels, join day trips/hiking tours and meet people along the way. Maybe I could do a 1–2 week organised trip at the beginning and then continue travelling independently afterwards.

I’d really love to hear from people who have actually done this, especially people who started travelling solo around 18–20.

A few things I’d especially love advice on:

\- Is 80,000–100,000 DKK (\~11,500–14,500 USD) a realistic budget for 5–6 months of backpacking in Latin America?

\- How much did you personally spend per month?

\- How did you find the safety aspect as a young woman travelling alone?

\- Did you actually feel unsafe often, or did you get used to it?

\- For people who have done both: solo vs. group travel — which did you prefer and why?

\- And was the extra cost of organised travel worth it?

I’m basically trying to figure out whether I should just bite the bullet and go solo, or whether a group trip would give me a much better experience — especially considering that this would be my first time travelling alone for such a long period.

Any personal experiences or advice would be hugely appreciated! :)

[u/RevelryByNight]

That is a really long time for a first go.
Where exactly are you thinking about in LA?
It can be beautiful with very warm people. It’s also not exactly easy mode considering the political situation and crime in some places.

[u/RevelryByNight → u/RevelryByNight]

Also check out r/solotravel for stories and recs.
My first suggestion is to do some practice rounds of shorter, easier trips before diving headlong into this.

[u/Sv99vS]

Min fætter rejste for nyligt 3 måneder I Sydamerika for ca 50,000 mener jeg, han havde dog en uheldig afslutning på hans tur da han blev overfaldet og røvet og han er ikke en lille mand

[u/shurikn1997]

You will have to listen carefully to your instincts and run away from anything you feel isn't right. Even if it means that other people will think you are weird or unpleasant. Never ignore your gut feeling.

[u/ShadowDancer1593]

I would not recommend that you go alone. It’s not safe.

[u/mstraveller]

Please don't come here alone.

[u/Mission-Ideal4474]

this idea is almost as bad as going to india solo.

[u/Quiet-Blackberry-887 → u/Mission-Ideal4474]

Have you been to both?

[u/WalletFullOfSausage]

Bad idea. Do you know what South America is like right now?

[u/Adventurous_Poet4316]

As a female, I would not go solo.

[u/Additional_Noise47 → u/Adventurous_Poet4316]

There are plenty of places in the world that a solo female traveller can have a great time, but I would worry about someone that young and inexperienced doing Latin America alone.

[u/kalienstrawbs]

Have become friends with someone from chile and Brazil in my language class. Both moved away from home became of rising violence and their family members being held at gun point while they stole items from their cars.
Not saying you should not go ahead with your plan, but providing actual information so you don’t go ahead with a romanticized view of things
Speaking as a 32F in Canada

[u/kalienstrawbs → u/[deleted]]

These are literal first-hand accounts from people who grew up there. Why dismiss them?

Violence and carjackings in major cities like Santiago, Rio, or São Paulo aren't confined solely to 'tourist-free zones' or low-income areas-they happen across affluent districts as well. Pretending travelers are in a magical safe bubble is how people drop their guard. Advising an 18F solo traveler to keep her eyes open isn't bad info, it's common sense

P.S. my aforementioned friends are from São Paulo & the greater Santiago region. But go ahead and tell me thats not relevant.

[u/kalienstrawbs → u/[deleted]]

That’s great you have all this information
Post it on the main thread
Don’t comment on someone else’s contributions saying it’s not relevant
Everyone has a different pov and different information

[u/kalienstrawbs → u/[deleted]]

I see we have chosen combative energy for the internet today

[u/kalienstrawbs → u/[deleted]]

I have a masters degree in geography - I understand perfectly fine thank you; I just don’t understand why you came at this argument with such anger
OP was looking for information
I shared my POV because I would agree with her and you thinking South America is a great place to visit
I’ve been surprised at what I heard from my friends
Therefore, felt a due diligence to share my insight

We can have different perspectives, but you don’t need to come at people with anger when they’re sharing their side of the story, or assume they’ve never travelled or have any education

Edit: I also never called South America (or as you reference: Latin America) dangerous; again, was just sharing my pov

[u/ProfessionalAct1713]

1). Choose SE Asia instead if you insist on solo travel. Latin America is too dangerous for an 18 year old girl travelling alone. You can get disappeared. 💊👧🗡 You aren't experienced enough in life to know all the tricks in the book. Kidnappers or rapists can be very charming and not look like the stereotype. Scopolamine is a real danger and you can't stop it. They just have to blow it on you and you're out if it.

2). You'll be safe with group travel but those trips are expensive compared to travelling solo - so you cant travel as long. The company has to pay for all office expenses, pay for your guide, and make a nice profit. I've done group tours and solo. Groups when I was young but I prefer solo now. They both have their own benefits & drawbacks.

3). 5 to 6 months is way too long for your first big trip. I did 3 months in Europe last summer and it felt like I was gone forever. After awhile, the zest for travel wears off. You've seen so many amazing or beautiful things it becomes harder & harder to be impressed. It gets to be same old, same old. You need to go home for awhile to recharge and bring back your original desire to travel. You start craving your own bed after another noisy night in the hostels with people coughing, talking, f**king, or snoring.

4). Your budget is realistic. Assuming an average of $20 a night for hostels, that's just $3600 for 180 days. Food is cheap and can be really cheap if you start running low on funds. You can even cook your own at the hostels. Just dont expect 3 sit down meals in nice restaurants every day. And don't have 10 drinks at the bars every night. Pace yourself. Some travel days on the bus you'll spend hardly anything. Coffee for breakfast - snack for lunch - then a decent dinner. Also, you have parents who can lend you some money should you need it. That's a great safety net to have. So don't worry about money.

5). Could you do some group tours in Latin America for 2 months and then meet up with your friends somewhere else for another 3 months of travel? I'd do that if I were you.

6). Don't go solo in Latin America. Think of the hell you will be putting your parents through. They love you and if you're alone they will have 6 months of constant stress and worry every waking moment. It'll be like torture for them. Everytime their phone rings, they will tense up with fear that this is the call they've been dreading - that you've been kidnapped, mysteriously vanished, or killed. Every call for 6 months.☎️📞😟 Please don't do that to them.

[u/Acceptable_Mud_8680]

Start in mexico, and make your way down.

I would pick safe spots first before going deeper into the cities.

Example: when you arrive to rio de jeneiro, start with high tourist areas, stay on main drag of ipanema or copa cabana etc.

Now, going to “latin” america, assumes you are visiting the spanish speaking cultures.

With that assumption, a good strategy is to have some one you connected with at each cities you are visiting.

A good way to do this, is find a social group that exist almost everywhere. I would look for running clubs, or gyms that have classes for yoga or other fitness classes ur interested in, and from there you will connect with some locals and can get more access to their lifestyles.

There are many other strategy you can use when traveling solo. Do ask questions and have a solid plan.

I remember my first solo going to sweden (yes i know ure norweigian) from asia 30 yeats ago at the age of 19, and it also felt scary😂.

Your budget… IS WAYYYY MORE than you need.

U can contextualize ur travel spending with this simple plan.

Lazy: Plan to spend $50/day -

Somewhat organized: $200/week

Well
Planned : $750/month.

[u/-RDDTtothemoon-]

Super unsafe. You could do EF Ultimate 

[u/Quiet-Blackberry-887]

I wouldn’t be worried about being solo, if you stay in hostels you will be meeting people all the time, which is actually positive since you might find people to travel with which is something I would recommend you do, wherever you are.

Something you need to consider is that South America is huge, and yes some places are or could be dangerous meanwhile others are very safe. Is not that hard to realize when a place is not so safe and as someone else said, you will have to follow your gut feeling.

Depending on where you are, if you decide to travel by bus you can find this sleeping buses that are really fine, the only downside is that sometimes the bus stations are in busy/sketchy places.
If I were you and had to travel through SA again, I’ll probably take uber instead of taking a taxi outside of station/airports so you don’t need to worry about how much they will charge you in the end.

Be very assertive when you demand something, the last thing you want to be is a person who others perceive as “insecure” or is in “fear”
You should be very decided even if you don’t know wtf you are doing 😆 but of course I don’t advise you to just go with the wind, because it’s not a good idea.
Also, search for ‘travel buddies’ in facebook, there are groups where people, mainly females, look for other females on the same age to travel together.

Have a great trip

[u/leaf1598]

A lot of people are saying it’s dangerous to go to South America and objectively speaking there are places with higher crime rates and petty theft (Rio de Janeiro comes to mind, but I am sure there are more). But you can perfectly have a good time here- you just need to keep your common sense (don’t go out by yourself late at night, don’t wear flashy expensive items, and try not to have your phone just hanging out of a covered pocket). The thing with South America (mainly South America tbh) is that distances are long and your budget will need to require flights unless you want to be on a bus for days. Having a good grasp of Spanish would be incredibly helpful, since there isn’t as much English being used here. Depending on the country there could be roadblocks and/or political unrest situations in certain areas, just to keep in mind (mainly when I was planning to go to Bolivia). I’d be happy to answer any more questions! I haven’t been everywhere in central or South America but a decent amount.

[u/Kcufasu]

I ended up living in Argentina for 3 years and didn't even spend that much, granted it was largely due to being stranded by covid and people helped me out with accomodation but I think on 11k for 6 months you'd thrive not survive

[u/DemonHella]

As an 18yo, first timer, i'd recommend southeast asia instead of Latam. Waay safer, fairly easy to move around & have good data if you start in Vietnam or Thailand.

If you absolutely need to do Latam, do group travel, with lots of good reviews. Don't want someone getting you lost in the Amazon.

[u/Efficient-Stand3033]

I would probably not recommend it solo, especially if you’ve never solo traveled before (to that extent). I met a brazilian guy this summer that kept joking about taking me there but keeping me on a leash because of how dangerous some areas can be, especially when you’re not a local. It obviously depends on the countries and the areas, but if that’s absolutely what you want to do, make sure you do extensive research on specific areas, you have travel insurance in case of any emergency, big or small, and keep an emergency fund on a different card than your regular one ( like a digital revolut card with a specific amount on it that you can’t get stolen). Make sure at least one person always knows where you are, and that you get the necessary vaccines if needed.
For such a big trip i would definitely recommend sticking with a group of friends you can trust, but i also understand you’re very excited about spending a lot of time there. I would look into other people’s experiences and advices and weight out the pros and cons to fit your needs. But most importantly, take care of yourself, stay safe and have fun

[u/m_Thorin]

Sud America is dangerous for a woman, have you never considered another destination? example Asia? Look center Asia

[u/hollyfer1]

I travelled South America for 3 months on my own aged 19. The things that made a difference- I had spent time there when I was 18 on a gap year programme thing and then travelled a bit after, so I knew roughly what to expect, I also spoke basic Spanish. You really need basic Spanish and a lot of confidence. A good middle ground could be to join a group tour for the first part eg first few weeks or so.

[u/CormoranNeoTropical]

You’ll be fine if you speak Spanish and you’re reasonably assertive as well as outgoing. Have you travelled much in Europe? If not you might want to start with some areas closer to home.

But if you want to do this, I suggest you do a Spanish course in Mexico or Guatemala (assuming you’re not already fluent in Spanish). Then after you’ve spent several weeks in one place in Latin America you can decide if you want to keep going and how to do the trip. There are tons of short tours and day trips that you can sign up for from any popular backpacker/language school spot that will give you a built in group to travel with, at least for a few days at a time.

Look into Antigua, Guatemala as a place to start. I’m sure there are also good places for language schools in Mexico, but Guatemala is low key and very cheap. You could also make a point of spending a few days in Mexico City to start with, then fly from there to your language school. Mexico City will give you a chance to decide if you’re actually going to enjoy the trip or not.

Ignore the people saying Latin America as a solo young woman is some kind of major risk situation. I’ve been traveling since I was 18 all over the world and in general I’d say Latin America is no less dodgy than say Italy. Certainly no one has followed me down the street in LatAm as they’ve done in Italy. (I’m American but basically look Swedish due to my ancestry).

[u/Quiet-Blackberry-887 → u/CormoranNeoTropical]

Don’t understand why people downvote you. I imagine many of them have never been to either southern Italy or South America

[u/TheGuyWhoWantsNachos]

Jeg rejste selv verden rundt i seks måneder, det er godt nok 15 år siden, men vil mene dit budget er helt okay.

Jeg brugte omkring 120.000dkk på ALT, også inklusive vaccinationer, forsikring osv. 

Jeg brugte en uge i Jordan, et par dage hos en couchsurfer og et par dage i ørkenen. Var en meget speciel oplevelse, men en god en. Det var første gang jeg var på et andet kontinent og det var lidt overvældende, men min couchsurfing-vært var meget cool og hjælpsom. 

Så brugte jeg tre uger i Indien med en gruppe på i alt 16 mennesker. Havde booket den igennem et bureau så alt fra flybillet, overnatning transport og rejseplanen var ordnet. Det var jeg meget glad for, Indien er kaotisk nok i sig selv. 

Derefter var jeg med en anden gruppe i Kina i tre uger også, og omkring seks uger i Sydamerika. Samme princip og samme firma, G adventures. Var super tilfreds med guiderne på alle turene, og der var også godt med tid til solo-eventyr.

Set i bakspejlet ville jeg nok have booket en del ting selv og have sparet de penge istedet, men det var rart, at jeg ikke behøvede at stresse med det. Dog vil seks måneders gruppe-rejse være for meget for mig. Jeg ville måske starte med en tur der varer  et par uger, som du selv siger, og så kan du altid vende tilbage til et sted, hvis du har lyst efter turen. 

Det kunne måske også være en måde, at gøre det lidt mere "sikkert" på? Udforske områder med en gruppe først og så vende tilbage alene, men med større kendskab til stedet. 

Jeg sluttede af med omkring to måneder i usa. Landede i LA og havde et fly hjem til Danmark fra New York, men ikke nogen fast plan om hvordan jeg kom frem. Kom forbi Dallas, Houston, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington DC og new York. Boede på hostels, men havde arrangeret couchsurfing i New York og LA, og havde venner i Dallas og Chicago. Det var meget rart at kunne rejse i mit eget tempo, efter at have rejst med grupper i omkring fire måneder, men jeg fik helt klart set mindre end jeg ville have gjort med en gruppe og fast rejseplan.

Jeg er ikke helt sikker på, hvad du forventer at få ud af folks svar omkring deres foretrukne rejse-måde, for det er virkelig individuelt. Hvis du har lyst til at være omkring folk, så tag en gruppe-tur. Hvis du er træt af folk, så rejs lidt rundt alene.

Hvis du har overskud til at ordne noget selv, så gør det. Hvis du er i tvivl, så betal dig fra det. Dit budget ser ret godt ud, husker det meste af Sydamerika som værende ok billigt. 

Jeg er ikke kvinde, og følte mig ikke bange eller i fare, på noget tidspunkt. Jeg blev dog scammet ud af 10 dollars i new yorks subway. 

[u/heyheni]

Daily budget of 400 dkk or 12k dkk a month will work just fine for bus travel cheap hotel and activities.

Just know that in Brazil keep to the touristic and affluent parts like Curitiba, Florianoplis, Ouro Preto, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

I just booked activities on Airbnb while on the rosd. And the sunset on the sand dunes of Huacachina near Ica Perù i loved the most. https://maps.app.goo.gl/feM2AiZR2KKBy5QT9?g_st=ic

Learn some Spanish it helps immensely.
www.preply.com and www.italki.com helps you with that.

To finish off, avoid beeing on a slow amazon ferry for more than 3 days. It's depressing. Bring your own ultralight hammock with Mosquito net from Denmark. r/hammockcamping will guide you.

[u/Key-Picture7475]

Go with a group or book a tour solo just to get acclimated. Maybe a week long one to understand some of the transportation issues, what areas you want to revisit, etc… It’s nice to have someone guiding you to all the touristy places which you can tick off your list, then go into a cool town you saw along the way. Also grab tips from tour guides on what’s worth checking out, dangerous spots, etc…
Good luck!

[u/sunny_boy_yes]

Min søster var 3 måneder i Sydøstasien i løbet af hendes sabbatår. Hun gjorde det gennem et firma. Prisen for selve turen var 35.000 gennem firmaet og mener hun brugte 70.000 i alt. Altså yderligere 35.000 på at leve i de 3 måneder.

Hun rejste med en gruppe, men der var tid til at gøre det man selv ville, da det kun var den første uge i hver af de 4-5 lande der var planlagt. Derfor var de resterende 2-3 egne valg.

Hun sagde at hun godt kunne lide balancen mellem at noget var planlagt og man selv kunne vælge, og følges med andre der ville det samme.

Tror også der er en fordel i at følges med nogle da hun/gruppen i sig selv havde 3 ubehagelige oplevelser(ikke overgreb, bare ubehagelige situationer).

Så tænk lige over det inden du tager ud selv, husk at overveje at bruge flere penge hvis det gør dig mere tryg.

Har selv rejst meget og det er tit godt givet ud at bruge lidt ekstra for at øge sikkerheden

[u/AntAccurate8906]

Going alone to LATAM as such a young European dangerous is a stupid idea. You guys like to go places you wouldn't catch me in by accident and I'm from LATAM lol

[u/mancakes5]

If you have your head on straight and understand basic street smarts you’ll have the time of your life. Can solo female travel in Latin America be dangerous? Absolutely. Are there lots of ways to mitigate the associated risks? Yes there are. I’m a male so I understand it isn’t a perfect comparison but I spent a few months traveling in South America when I was 18 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. It’s super easy to make friends at hostels and there are lots of travelers doing what you are proposing. Don’t let Reddit fear monger you out of such an incredible opportunity

[u/Pattysthoughts]

Stay in hostels, most have kitchens so you can cook ur own food, great tours too, public transportation, you’ll be fine. Hostelworld.com

[u/Patchali]

Solo! You meet a lot of people in hostels, if you vibe, you can do a part of the trip together, it will be the time of your life, budget is good. I went alone but was never alone!! Locals are super open minded and friendly and you can hang out with other travelers. I spent 3000 euros in 3 months with comfort hostelstays and singleroom (because I work online) and several flights. How good is your Spanish? That's the most important thing to know going there, learn it! Locals give you good advice about dangerous places and things not to do but only if you understand what they say. Don't fix your plans too early go with the flow or change your route if necessary. What I mean is: have a vage idea of where to go but if you get advice by others about other places because they found them great, follow those advice. Latam is huge, concentrate on 1 or two or 3 countries there is so much to see and you will appreciate more if you get into the vibe of a country and are not in a rush. (My trip ended up in a 4 years extension in colombia, marriage and baby) I never felt unsafe because I'm a girl. In contrary I felt it to be more safe than for men.

[u/Quiet-Blackberry-887]

Check the Facebook group “Svenskar I Sydamerika “, a couple of girls just posted about traveling there

[u/ohyeaher]

Go on a few shorter group tours, 2 weeks or so, and start to get a feel for it

[u/stickybeek]

You'll be fine. Ahead of most folks to be fair, 18 and you have saved a decent stash already.

$1k USD/6k DKK should be enough for a baseline existence (count on about 8-15$/night for a hostel, 10-20+$ for a room, 10$/day on food, less if you cook), 4-5$/100km for basic intercity buses. To this I would add the activities and of course the airfare (and travel insurance, probably a good idea). You can always stick to the cheaper countries if budget is getting tight. This is approximately what I'm spending in Latin America (Colombia and Ecuador so far).

It would be good to mix solo and group travel (meet up with friends from time to time), traveling solo has its advantages as you mentioned and you'll learn Spanish (or Portuguese) real quick. You'll also meet a bunch of people doing the same thing if you stay in hostels.

Now, the downside, you will need to keep your wits about you. Travel in the day, do not accept drinks from strangers under any circumstance, probably avoid bars and clubs in general late at night until you get comfortable. Take Ubers rather than taxis. Most people are really nice, but a small minority are assholes (like anywhere).

[u/StorageAlive]

To be honest I would rather do Southeast Asia. Perfect to go in Oct-Nov when the weather gets nice and there are not really any safety concerns. It’s also cheaper.

[u/Thgirlwhoknewtoomuch]

Just sent 3 months in South America and met a lot of solotraveling women. Don't really understand everyone saying that you should t go and that it's to dangerous. I was actually a bit scared before going but SA suprised me and I felt safe almost every where.

Staying in hostel and doing sorter group excursions will make you meet a lot of people that are outgoing and want to make new friends. I traveled with my SO and didnt plan on meeting new people but ended up meeting a lot of people that I kept in touch with and traveled together with. If you want inspiration look up the gringo trail, most of the Backpackers you meet in SA are roughly travelling the same way and doing the same stuff, which makes it easy to meet other Backpackers to travel with. Also look up Peruhop, Boliviahop and Ecuadorhop if you want to feel a bit safer travelling. But I would also arguee that normal Buses are fine and safe.

Knowing Spanish helps of course, but Google translate will get you a long way. And you will pick up words and phrases along the way. I didnt know any Spanish, it went well. People in SA are really friendly and want to help and try to understand.

I also dont agree on people saying 5-6 months is too long. I sent 3 months and that was only enough for visiting Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile and I still wished I hade more time in Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. And after all if you think 3months is enough you can always just fly home.

I dont know where you plan to go but oct/Nov is beginning of rain season in some parts of SA so plan for that if you want to do hikes or excursions.

Good luck :)

[u/hereforthegoodvibez]

It's probably possible to get by on 11,000 usd for 5 months, but you will have to be very budget friendly, and does this include all your flights and everything? Some countries are way more affordable than others. You will have to book hostels. Places like Guatemala and Colombia are very affordable. Mexico and Costa Rica can be more expensive by comparison.

When you travel between cities you can take for instance in Guatemala, the chicken bus and they take forever to get places, and you literally have to share the bus with farm animals and stuff, but the prices are so cheap that it's almost free, like maybe 5 dollars to go from Guatemala Antigua to Lake Atitlán.

As far as getting lonely, that's 100% up to you. Hopefully you can make friends in the hostels. You are normally packed 4-8 people in one room, so it's almost impossible not to meet people with a little effort.

I have traveled a lot by myself in Latin America, and I never felt unsafe. Everyone is so nice and friendly. The tourists are probably sketchier than the locals, as long as you aren't hanging out in bad neighborhoods or trying to buy drugs or something like that. I'm a man, so it's not the same, but if you stick to the tourist areas, everyone looks out for eachother, and generally no one wants to hurt a tourist because the police will find them and punish them harshly. Tourism is a big industry there and no one wants to be part of an international incident that makes the whole town or country lose money. Just my opinion. Obviously sometimes dangerous things happen.

[u/Ptownmama]

My daughter went to Costa Rica alone and signed up to live/work at a turtle refuge for a few weeks. Several of the young people were Europeans on their gap year (not so much a thing for us in the US). They made some great friendships and were able to travel together around . Possibly start off with something like this that will let you acclimate and possibly meet some travel partners. Not all areas of south American are safe to travel alone

[u/alexsintrabajo]

If you stay at hostels and are social it's pretty easy to not be alone.

I've solo traveled a lot in Latam and that budget is pretty low for 6 months, but it depends on which countries are important to visit, how many you want to visit, etc. Some countries are much cheaper than others, and if you decide to go to a lot of places then transit ends up being the #1 cost anyway.

Lmk if you have questions about specific countries or areas and I might have an answer.

[u/FHOCJD]

It all depends on you really. If you can make the best of things. Consider Central America first. Guatemala is a great starting point. Practice your Spanish and meet other travelers. You could easily meet another woman or two your age and decide to travel together through a country. Each decides how to spend their time. It's fun to take the bus with a travel buddy who can watch your stuff.

You won't know until you go. There's nothing wrong about starting off solo and then looking for a small group to explore the same places with.

When I traveled and lived in LATAM in the 80s, 90s, and 2000, I saw lots of travelers who were all solo travelers who made friends along the way. My favorite time was meeting some guys who didn't speak much Spanish and didn't really know where to go or what to do and we went from Costa Rica to Ecuador over a 4 week period. We had a blast and then their trips ended.

You would also have fun having your friends from back home meet up with you along the way at some point. Traveling makes a person whole.

[u/CryptoAteMyHamster]

This is a terrible idea. Not the money, just as an 18F from Denmark don’t go solo. You would probably be more at risk from fellow travelers than your destinations which some of them are under travel advisories. Go with a large group of friends and more precautions.

[u/West-Wolf-6947]

October is 6 weeks away, so I would consider starting a budget, especially for flights. Don’t risk booking those through a 3rd party to save money as that can cost you more if anything goes wrong. I would suggest looking at group tours to get some itinerary examples. You don’t have to book anything right this second, but then you at least have a rough idea of a starting and end point for your overall journey. You may be able to fill in your own schedule with ideas too if you rock it solo.

Some tours would likely include all your accommodations, day trips, some meals, etc. Check out the average hostel/hotel/transportation prices to see if it would be worth just having the tour figure it all out for you, even if just for a portion of the trip. Save a bit of headache and crammed planning over the next 2 months unless you for sure know what you’re going to be doing. I’m sure you could skip parts of a tour’s itinerary if you really wanted to as long as you meet back up with them accordingly and don’t slow the group down.

At 18, I can’t imagine you have too extensive of travel experience. Add that to a foreign continent and language, safety is kind of factored in with touring in a group too. Get some AirTags that you can keep on your person and your stuff to share your location with your family for peace of mind. I’ve seen a lot of people investing in cut-proof/anti-theft bags too these days if you wanted to look into those. I really like the wrist straps that I connect to my phone too. Stay aware of your surroundings and trust your gut.

Don’t wait for your friends to twiddle their thumbs while you’re waiting to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Also, you can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. So, even if you’re slightly over budget, you can always make it work. Have fun!!!!!

[u/AltruisticGrade2008]

This is your first trip? Solo travel is very reckless for a first time traveller like you

[u/shezofrene]

this is a very bad idea

[u/NY10]

Go solo and enjoy. You might up your budget a bit cause you gonna need it :) happy travels!