Finally, in my 27 years of existence in this world (I'm going to be 28 tomorrow! edit: this post was written in August but I'm too lazy to post it lol)); I got a chance to be able to travel solo~
But it's not like I never travel alone to somewhere, I did that couple times, but this time I really went there alone without anyone to back me up (when I traveled alone but I mostly stayed the night with my friends). I chose Bangkok as my destination because I went there once (read here) and I haven't really had a chance to explore the city. Bangkok is very safe to travel alone as a female and the transportation is not that difficult too, you can either take bus or BTS to go around the city. I personally prefer taking the bus as it's cheap, but BTS is very convenient too though the fare is quite pricey.
What I like about traveling alone is that I can take my time and the most important thing is I don't have to worry about the others. I would definitely do this again in the future.
Moving on, I want to share something that everyone needs to take note when they want to do solo travel based on my experience as I often get questions from my friend.
1. Prepare Your Itinerary
It is important to prepare your itinerary and do some research about your destination before traveling. Like how far is the place you want to visit from your hostel and from one to others and how to get there. Google is your friend! I mostly use Google Maps and Rome2Rio, so I can plan where to go from one place to another. Additionally, you also need to download apps that can make your life easier such as ride-hailing app like Gojek or Grab (Gojek and Grab are available in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and maps/transportation app such as Naver Map (Google Map is not working in South Korea), Kakao Metro, Trafi, Moovit, and etc (seriously, do your research).
2. Lodging Accommodation
As a female solo traveler, finding the right hostel/hotel is a must. Again, do your research beforehand. I always choose hostel that located near the public transportation such as bus station and subway/train station.
In Bangkok I stayed at two different hostels. First one is Bed One Block Hostel located at 486/125 Petchburi16 Ratchthewi, Bangkok, Thailand, 10400. It's only 100m away from BTS Ratchathewi. The room, bathroom and toilet were very clean and cozy. The hostel offer female only dorm room with 8 beds. What I like about this hostel is they designed the room well. There is only one room, one toilet and one bathroom in each floor (they have 5 floors if I'm not mistaken). So, it feels like you have the floor for yourself lol. I definitely would recommend this.
I booked this room using Traveloka and got a crazy deal. I only paid IDR 350,000 for two nights.
I also stayed at another hostel. I picked this because the hostel was just too cute and well designed. The place was Movylodge Hostel located at 505 Petchaburi road, Phaya Thai, Thailand, 10400. Movylodge also offer female only dorm room with 18 beds. Well, I didn't take picture of the inside of the room in this hostel because it was quite packed with people but the room was clean. The bathroom and toilet were also clean and bigger than Bed One Block Hostel. What I like the most about this hostel is probably their common room. The common room is designed like hip cafe/coffeeshop with white furniture, white wall and plants dominating the room. It suits my aesthetic. Aside from the aesthetic common room, I still like the first hostel better than this because bedroom full of people is not really what I'm looking for. Though, this hostel is cheaper; I paid IDR 116,000 for one night.
The first cafe I visited was Paperplates (click the link for location and details). Out of all the places I visited, this was the farthest. However, the foods and drinks are the cheapest lol. Again, I have obsession with white walls and plants and this cafe contains both of them. You can read books in this cafe and most of them are written in English.
Then the next day I went to Phak Cafe and Crafts. This cafe popped up the most in my explore page. They don't just serve food and beverages, they also sell sustainable stuff like soap, detergent, bags, pouches and etc. Beside the aesthetic looks, the drink was really tasty and it had gold leaf lolol, so fancy.
On the last day, my pick was Unbirthday cafe. This cafe was hidden inside a building, fortunately the security guards of the nearest building was helpful. The aesthetic of this cafe was over the top. I think the owner knows that people nowadays go to places just for their social media contents. If you go to Bangkok, go to this cafe and see it yourself.
Dasa bookstore offers selection of used books. All the books are in English (they have some in other languages too). You can buy the book or read it on the spot. They also have selection of beverages. The smell of old book was the first thing I sensed when I opened the door. Too bad, my nose is very sensitive to dust so I couldn't stay inside for too long.
Last but not least, what I like about Bangkok is that the city reminds me a lot of Seoul like all the cute cafes and concept stores. As a Jakartans, I'm bored with all the malls because there are lot of malls in Jakarta as much as in Bangkok. So, I went to go to somewhere new which was Warehouse 30 located in Charoenkung. Live up to the name, the concept is like a warehouse. The place has several lots with different concepts. If I'm not mistaken one of the lots is a furniture workshop but can be used as gigs place (very edgy~). I bought a cute tote-bag and eating utensils here, quite pricey but it was a happy purchase.
Both stores below are located in Siam Square complex. The places called Daddy and the Muscle Academy and Frank Garcon. I didn't do the stores justice when I captured the pics as both place were too packed with people. You should definitely visit it yourself.
That's all for my 2nd Bangkok trip. I'll see you guys in the next post!
I booked this room using Traveloka and got a crazy deal. I only paid IDR 350,000 for two nights.
Inside the room
Common Room
I also stayed at another hostel. I picked this because the hostel was just too cute and well designed. The place was Movylodge Hostel located at 505 Petchaburi road, Phaya Thai, Thailand, 10400. Movylodge also offer female only dorm room with 18 beds. Well, I didn't take picture of the inside of the room in this hostel because it was quite packed with people but the room was clean. The bathroom and toilet were also clean and bigger than Bed One Block Hostel. What I like the most about this hostel is probably their common room. The common room is designed like hip cafe/coffeeshop with white furniture, white wall and plants dominating the room. It suits my aesthetic. Aside from the aesthetic common room, I still like the first hostel better than this because bedroom full of people is not really what I'm looking for. Though, this hostel is cheaper; I paid IDR 116,000 for one night.
Capsule Bed
Common Room
3. Opt for Public Transportation
Always chose public transportation like bus or subway or train or MRT because it is cheaper. I also think that you can tell that a city is good and developed by their public mass transportation. Get yourself a transportation card rather than using single trip card as this option will help you a lot especially if your schedule is tight.4. Don't be Afraid to Make New Friends
The challenge of traveling alone that you gotta make the most of it and don't be afraid to throw yourself out there and make new friends. It's not easy, even for me. But, it will be fun once you started to talk with other people. Shoutout to my Bangkok friends Fai and Ing.
5. Visit Local's Hot Places
Months before my travel dates, I always do research about the hot places that the local likes. As I have crazy obsession with cute cafes that popped up in my instagram's explore page, visiting them is a must. Bangkok is heaven for cafe hopper. The interior design in each cafes are to die for. During this trip, I visited 3 cafes, 1 bookstore and 3 cute stores.The first cafe I visited was Paperplates (click the link for location and details). Out of all the places I visited, this was the farthest. However, the foods and drinks are the cheapest lol. Again, I have obsession with white walls and plants and this cafe contains both of them. You can read books in this cafe and most of them are written in English.
Then the next day I went to Phak Cafe and Crafts. This cafe popped up the most in my explore page. They don't just serve food and beverages, they also sell sustainable stuff like soap, detergent, bags, pouches and etc. Beside the aesthetic looks, the drink was really tasty and it had gold leaf lolol, so fancy.
On the last day, my pick was Unbirthday cafe. This cafe was hidden inside a building, fortunately the security guards of the nearest building was helpful. The aesthetic of this cafe was over the top. I think the owner knows that people nowadays go to places just for their social media contents. If you go to Bangkok, go to this cafe and see it yourself.
Both stores below are located in Siam Square complex. The places called Daddy and the Muscle Academy and Frank Garcon. I didn't do the stores justice when I captured the pics as both place were too packed with people. You should definitely visit it yourself.
That's all for my 2nd Bangkok trip. I'll see you guys in the next post!
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