Where it all began: Rome, June 2018

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To start the blog off I wanted to take a look back on the trip that really made me fall in love with solo backpacker travel- a long weekend in Rome last June.

This trip was a somewhat spontaneous decision. The stress of just finishing my second year of uni meant I was desperate to get away, and the appeal of cheap Easyjet flights at that time of year were too much to resist. I booked flights and a hostel a month before the trip for a couple of hundred quid.
 I had originally planned to do a big European interrail trip at the end of uni, so Rome was to give myself a little taste of solo backpacking around a European city. But what I learned about myself in Rome gave me much bigger ideas.

Getting on that plane all by myself was the most exciting thing in the world. I was relying on no one else but myself, meaning the trip was completely mine. When I got there, I could go at my own pace, and do exactly what I wanted in exactly the order I wanted to do it in. That freedom has got the be the most appealing part of solo travel.

Even with just 4 days in Rome, I got up to more than I can write about. So here are the highlights, in chronological order of when I visited them:

Spanish Steps





This was the first main tourist site I made it to in the city, and I think it was a wonderful starting point to get a feel of the city. You get a fantastic view and great for people watching.

FOOD







If you have no other reason to go to Rome, go for the food. Pizza, gelato, cannolis, and thousands of different types of pasta are all incredible. You really have to eat your way around the city.


Colosseum and Forum












The guided tour in the colosseum was a really great educational experience. Obviously the colosseum is a must-see in the Italian capital, but in my opinion the forum is the real underrated gem. It’s great for spending hours wandering around soaking in all the history, even if you don’t totally understand what all of it is.


Trevi Fountain



I know this is so cliché but this really was one of my favourite tourist spots in Rome. It is really touristy and busy- during busy times like when I went you can barely get to the bottom of it to get your photo- but it is stunning. It’s massive; it practically filled the whole square that it was sat in.


Vatican




Similarly to the forum, I didn’t completely understand what I was looking at but I just loved soaking up all of the history. Until the packed halls got a bit too much and my feet started to hurt.

General wandering



Rome is very touristy in these main attraction sites, but if you can take the time to wander off into the less busy places you can stumble upon some beautiful spots. With this philosophy in mind, Rome can be as slow-paced or as fast-paced as you want it to be.
Since trying out solo travel and seeing how much I liked it (I’d recommend it to anyone!), I decided to change my plans for a big trip after uni. The experience showed me how easy it was to pop over to a European city for a long weekend, so I thought, why not go to Australia?

Oz here I come!

Shepp x

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