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She is Lost Around the World

A solo travel blog

You are here: Home / Europe / Two weeks solo backpacking Italy

Europe, Italy, Vatican City · February 17, 2015

Two weeks solo backpacking Italy

I still cannot believe this is really happening and I’ve now been solo backpacking Italy for two weeks.

first photo I took from my backpacking trip at lisbon airport

After months of planning and dreaming of making a big trip, I am now on the road, happy to have made the best decision of my life.

While I was planning my backpacking journey around Europe, I didn’t know what to expect. I would dream that I would have this moment when everything would make sense, and I did.

Two weeks solo backpacking Italy

flying over spain

As I sat on my balcony in Siena, drinking a really nice cappuccino, I suddenly got a smile on my face. I had to stop a tear from rolling onto my face. This is it! This is what I want to do. And the smile on my face remained there for a very, very long time.

I’ve always been the kid who couldn’t figure out what to do with her life. I played so many sports I even lost count.

exploring assisi

I’ve changed my mind about what I want for my future like a million times. THis always made me feel lost.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

 The question of my nightmares for as long as I can remember. It sucks when you’re the only person you know who can’t decide on a career.

florence

It’s now been two weeks since I said goodbye to my mum at the airport as I cried like a baby.

thinking “what the hell am I doing?” 

I can tell you with no doubt that yes, goodbye is hard. It really is true that stepping out the door of the comfort of your home is the hardest part.

Face it, going alone to the unknown world is scary. You do the same thing everyday for as long as you can remember. Now you’re on a plane to a place you’ve never been to, and there’s nobody waiting for you on your arrival.

It’s the scariest things I’ve done in my life

So, two weeks after leaving home, one flight, nine trains, six buses and eleven new places visited, here I am, in a country where everything fits into perfection. Where food, language and culture mix into a country in a shape of a boot, and with places that make me smile and cry all at once everytime I arrive somewhere new.

beautifully decorated house in assisi

In two weeks backpacking Italy, I’ve stayed at the worst hostel in the world where I had to turn into a ninja to jump to my bed since there were no stairs. I have freezed to death with my 20kg backpacks on. And I may have beaten a guiness record by getting sick in less than 24h after leaving home.

I had the strongest believe I was going to die in the craziest city I’ve ever been to. I’ve gotten in the worst train in the world that was so old it rained inside.

I got lost and frustrated and thought I was the worst traveler.

I’ve discovered plans fall apart. No matter how much you plan, sometimes it’s just not meant to be. Things won’t turn out the way you want, and sometimes you’ll fall on your ass in the middle of historical ruins – it happened, yes! – and you’ll have to get up and laugh about it.

I’ve yelled at a begger in Naples and was so scared of this city I even forgot to buy postcards.

views of the cliffs of sorrento

Walking streets I had only seen in pictures before, I can tell you photos are not fair to many places.

I climbed a tree to steal oranges. And I’ve been kicked out of my seat on the train because I was travelling first class and I didn’t know.

view of umbria's countryside from perugia

I’ve been told “miss, no pictures” as I thought “yes sir, pictures!“. Even after being caught I keep taking them. I was in the Sistine Chapel of course I was going to take pictures!

I’ve talked to strangers and every single time they were kind and helped me even if they didn’t understand much of what I said.

There are good people everywhere in the world.

Don’t be scared or  fooled by what you see in the news. The world is full of good and kind people. They will help you on your way, just have a little faith!

I almost lost the only bus of the day because Italians fooled me into thinking I could buy my ticket inside the bus. Lies!

exploring sorrento

When the bus came I had no ticket and had to trust my backpack to an Indian girl I had never met before to run to the travel agency and buy the ticket.

Have a little faith in people.

In two weks backpacking Italy, I’ve felt like a superwoman carrying my backpacks. Try walking lost for 2 hours and then climbing the stairs to the 4th floor with 20kg in two backpacks. I dare you. I’m sure by the end of this trip I’ll have legs like a dude.

san gimignano italy

I’ve discovered that asian people are everywhere and they walk the streets in packs of dozens with their selfie sticks all over the place.

I found out that most Italians only know one phrase in English and it’s their favorite: “I don’t know”. When you work at the train station ticket office and you don’t know what train goes to the next town, I believe there’s a problem there gentleman!

And I had this brilliant idea of hopping on the first bus I saw in San Gimignano. I ended up in a place called Poggibonsi with no idea how to get back to Siena.

view of the vesuvius from sorrento

I’ve got tricked, TWICE, by buying very expensive pizza that ended up being microwave pizza.

And I think I might be having a relationship with pizza.  Happy Valentine’s Day? I eat it all the time! I’ve eaten pizza at 10am three times! To be fair, I am in pizza heaven so give me a break. 

You cannot say no to pizza when you see a pizzeria every four steps of your way, it’s impossible.

To sum it up, these past two weeks backpacking Italy have been a rollercoaster. I’ve been having fun playing Elizabeth Gilbert on the eat part of her journey.

Rome

drinking water from a fountain in rome

The start of the trip was specially harsh on me. 

Horrible hostel, rain and cold, getting sick. Having my favorite place in Rome under construction, feeling at home but overwelmed with the experience of being alone in a big city with no one to fall back on and paying a very expensive taxi ride on my arrival.

standing in front of the colosseum in rome italy

Rome had been my love for over a year, right after my first visit to the city. This time I feel I didn’t give it the time it deserves.

I went back to Rome again, this time to meet family for three days and it was a pretty cool thing. I did a very diferente life than my alone days.

We’ve eaten well, tasted the best cappuccino and the best gelato in Rome and ate fresh AMAZING pasta on the Spanish Steps, and I stole oranges after climbing a tree of some garden on our way. Life’s pretty awesome right now!

RELATED POSTS

Solo Travel in Rome

Campania: Naples, Pompeii & Sorrento

building in naples

This city did not treat me right. I got so scared I just wanted to cry, since people’s warnings got me believing I would get my backpacks stolen or possibly get killed. It all turned out just fine, but Naples has a weird vibe and it’s too messy for me.

  • street of naples italy
  • waiting for my bus in naples

Pompeii was good in the way I made a friend at the hostel to go with, but the weather was horrible, and we ended up lost in the ruins for 2h and only got to see two bodies, which kinda sucked.

pompeii italy

Still, I also have to go back to Naples in a near future because I really, really, want to visit the Amalfi Coast and climb up Mount Vesuvius!

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Day trip from Naples to Pompeii | Italy

Day trip from Naples to Sorrento | Italy

Umbria: Perugia, Assisi & Spello

colorful street in medieval perugia

I want to go back, NOW! 

Umbria’s small towns were pure perfection. I don’t think I was ever as happy wandering narrow streets as I was here.

at the train station of assisi italy

It was like time travelling into a Ken Follett novel but with much nicer flowers in the picture. I cannot even explain to you the colors of this places, so much better than gold! I’m telling you I lived a short fairytale right here, and these places are in my heart.

exploring the town of spello in umbria italy

I could have stayed there much, much longer and still be blowned away by Umbria over and over again. I know I am coming back, I just know, because I have to.

RELATED POSTS

Perugia | The fairytale land of Umbria

Tuscany: Siena, San Gimignano & Florence

view of siena from my hotel's balcony

Is it possible to fall in love everyday for a new place?

Siena was a surprise, but one I was already expecting and I’m happy it was just like I imagined it.

happy in san gimignano

Even after eating the worst bread in this town – I keep getting tricked because of my tourist looks, I need to do something about this -, it is in my top places, maybe because I had my own balcony with a top view over Siena.

I could do this for the rest of my life and be a very happy person. 

San Gimignano was the place that took me forever to get there, but it was worth it, still the 8€ microwave pizza and the 2€ coffee was totally unnecessary, but you live and you learn, and I am never asking for a coffee again without asking the price first!

in florence with ponte ecchio in the background

And then there’s Florence, THE PLACE! I wasn’t expecting such a big city and so many people everywhere, but this place is incredible and I cannot even start talking about The Duomo, because there’re no words or pictures than can make justice to it.

It is the most amazing monument I’ve ever seen, I can’t even understand how can someone build something like that, honestly it’s impossible, it’s like they built the impossible to the human hand!

And Ponte Vecchio of course is amazing as well, but it’s kinda hard to enjoy with all the selfie sticks all over the place (seriously, people are nuts with their selfie sticks!

RELATED POSTS

Two days in Siena | Italy

Day trip from Siena to San Gimignano | Italy

Solo in Florence, Italy

Backpacking Italy | What’s next?

exploring florence solo

I cannot wait to experience what next weeks have to offer me. Backpacking Italy has been a dream come true.

The next few days include going back to Rome and up to Florence again, Lucca (maybe Pisa if I feel like it), Venice, Verona and Bologna – and some smaller towns along the way, because apparently I’ve also discovered on this trip that I am a bigger fan of smaller places than packed cities.

Posted In: Europe, Italy, Vatican City · Tagged: backpacking europe, europe, italy, solo travel

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Hello!

Hi! I’m Rita, a 28 year-old Portuguese girl who has fallen in love with the world. At 21 I moved to Switzerland to study abroad and I came home with hitchy feet. I then got a job, saved money and in 2015 embarked on the biggest adventure of my life and traveled solo to 13 countries in Europe. This trip changed my life! I suddenly found a new side of me I loved and traveling solo became my passion. After 26 countries visited solo, all I want is to inspire other women to leave their comfort zone and find their inner strenght to conquer this world on their own. With my stories and travel tips I hope I can help you find your way as a solo traveler and make your dreams come true.

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sheislostaroundtheworld

🙆🏻‍♀️Solo Female Travel | Budget travel
🌍 30/197 countries
📍Germany 🇩🇪

RITA 🇵🇹 BUDGET SOLO TRAVEL
This 💛 _______ #dubai #bestofdubai #visitdubai This 💛
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HOW MUCH I SPENT ON MY DAY TRIP FROM DUBAI TO ABU HOW MUCH I SPENT ON MY DAY TRIP FROM DUBAI TO ABU DHABI ⬇️

🚌 13€
TRANSPORT - From Dubai to Abu Dhabi I took a local bus that cost 50AED round trip. The bus was very full and it wasn’t the most comfortable ride, but for the price it was totally worth it & it’s the cheapest way to get to Abu Dhabi! 

🚕 13€
TRANSPORT BETWEEN ATTRACTIONS - because we didn’t have much time in Abu Dhabi and wanted to see as much as possible, we decided to take Uber between the attractions (everything is REALLY far away) In total we took 3 Uber rides, which divided by the four of us was 13€ each. 

🍕10€ 
FOOD - we had lunch at the corniche of Abu Dhabi, by the beach. I had a hamburguer with cheese french fries and a cola for 10€. 

🎡
ATTRACTIONS - everything we visited in Abu Dhabi had a FREE entrance, so we didn’t spend anything. We visited:
📍 Emirates Palace 
📍 Corniche 
📍 The Mosque 

🕌 10€
EXTRAS - Because there’s a strict policy on what to wear to enter the Mosque, I bought an Abaya for 10€ at one of the stores of the visitors center. There’s several options at various prices, but I bought the ones that were simple and cheapest. 

➡️ TOTAL 46€ 

What do you think of the budget? Would you spend less or more to do this day trip? 

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THIS IS THE BEST HIDDEN GEM IN THE UAE If you ar THIS IS THE BEST HIDDEN GEM IN THE UAE 

If you are traveling to the UAE and have a few days in Dubai, you can’t miss visiting Hatta !! 

This place is located about 130km from Dubai, very close to the Oman boarder, and it’s an absolute gem. Still undiscovered by tourists, Hatta is quickly developing to become one of the top spots in the nearest future. So, before the tourists find it and ruin the experience, make this day trip happen & enjoy the quiet of the mountains of Hatta. 

HOW TO GET THERE - There are two bus lines going from Dubai to Hatta. Buses depart every two hours (give or take). The bus departing from Dubai Mall is a more direct (bit more touristy) and comfortable ride. It takes 2h from Dubai Mall to Hatta Heritage Village and it costs 25 AED (6€). If you want a cheaper option, the E16 bus departs from Deira city centre and it costs 10 AED (2,5€). Journey takes a bit longer as the bus is used by locals so it makes plenty of stops on the way. 

WHAT TO DO IN HATTA 
There are plenty of activities to do here. Here are some of them with the prices for each 
- Kayak rental at Hatta Dam 60 AED 
- Net walking FREE 
- Archery 25 AED 
- Wall Climbing 25 AED 
- Axe throwing 45 AED 
- Mountain Cart 80 AED 
- Zip Line 95 AED 
- Canoon 150 AED 
- Small/Big Plunge 10 AED 
- Hiking 

HOW TO MOVE AROUND IN HATTA 
As there are a few sites and places to explore in Hatta & they are a bit far away from each other, there’s a special bus that operates every 30 minutes and it stops at the main attractions. The bus costs 4 AED per journey and it’s really easy to use and convenient for those that take the day trip to Hatta without a car. 
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PLACES YOU MUST VISIT IN OLD DUBAI ⬇️ Dubai i PLACES YOU MUST VISIT IN OLD DUBAI ⬇️

Dubai is known for its bling and expensive lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find places away from that and where you will get a real taste of the Middle East besides giant buildings and expensive attractions 💁‍♀️

➡️ BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN OLD DUBAI 

📍Al Seef 
📍Al Fahidi 
📍The souks 
📍Ride an abra boat in the Dubai Creek for 0,25€ 
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FOLLOW @sheislostaroundtheworld for all the travel inspiration and tips for your next adventures <3
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#dubai #bestofdubai #visitdubai #dubaitourism #exploredubai #mydubai #portuguesespelomundo #solofemaletravel  #girlswhotravel #dametraveler #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #femmetravel #girlsborntotravel #girlaroundtheworld #travelgirlsgo #ladiesgoneglobal #girlslovvetravel  #clublifedesign #olddubai
✈️ 1 MONTH IN DUBAI ⬇️ While I was makin ✈️ 1 MONTH IN DUBAI ⬇️ 

While I was making this video I kept asking myself ‘did this really happen??’ 🥹 

I still can’t believe that I got to spend an entire month in Dubai and to start the new year in such an epic way!! 

Dubai was a rollercoaster of emotions. When I first got the news I would be going to Dubai for a full month I immediately started my research on everything I wanted to do. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO 😳 I may have been too excited because at some point I had riding an helicopter 🚁 on my list 🤣 

In the end there was obviously no 200€ helicopter ride 😅 and no I didn’t go up the tallest building in the world! In fact, I didn’t do any of the paid tourist attractions (except for the Miracle Garden - worth it 🤍), my budget was way too small and I was constantly trying to find things to do for free or on a budget. Not an easy task in Dubai you might think? In fact I found out that if you want to do Dubai on a budget it is possible to have an amazing time! Sure the Dubai bling will be there to haunt you 😅 

All I know is sure I with I had been able to do more, but I really think that I made the absolute most of my one month in Dubai & I wouldn’t change much 🥰 

Have you been to Dubai? Did it break your bank account 💰 or did you manage to do it in a cheap/affordable way? 🙈

#dubai #bestofdubai #visitdubai #dubaitourism #exploredubai #mydubai #portuguesespelomundo #solofemaletravel  #girlswhotravel #dametraveler #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #femmetravel #girlsborntotravel #girlaroundtheworld #travelgirlsgo #ladiesgoneglobal #girlslovvetravel  #clublifedesign
SAVE THIS FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP TO DUBAI ‼️ Hatt SAVE THIS FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP TO DUBAI ‼️

Hatta is located about 130 km from Dubai, close to the Oman border. After we found this place we knew we had to make it there and see this beauty with our own eyes. This was my last trip in the UAE and I can say I feel I finished in the best way possible 🥰

SO, HOW MUCH DID IT COST ME? 
🚌 TRANSPORT: 13€ ▶️ Local public bus to bus stations 1€x2= 2€ + E16 bus from Dubai to Hatta Heritage Village 2,5€ + bus Hatta Village to Hatta Dam 1€x2= 2€) + bus Hatta to Dubai Mall 6,5€
🍜 FOOD: 4€ ▶️ 1 vegetarian noodles + 1 cola + 1 water (at the top of the Hatta Dam) 
🚣‍♂️ ACTIVITIES: 19€ ▶️ Kayak rental from @hattakayak 

🔹🔹 TOTAL 36€ 🔹🔹 

_______

FOLLOW @sheislostaroundtheworld for all the travel inspiration and tips for your next adventures <3

_______

#dubai #bestofdubai #visitdubai #dubaitourism #exploredubai #mydubai #portuguesespelomundo #solofemaletravel  #girlswhotravel #dametraveler #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #femmetravel #girlsborntotravel #girlaroundtheworld #travelgirlsgo #ladiesgoneglobal #girlslovvetravel  #clublifedesign #hatta #hattakayak #visithatta #budgettravel
YOU CAN’T MISS THIS PLACE IN DUBAI ⬇️ 📍 YOU CAN’T MISS THIS PLACE IN DUBAI ⬇️

📍 The Creek Harbour is one of the most popular places in Dubai & it has by far some of the best sunsets you can get in the city 😍

It took us a long time to make it there because our plans kept falling apart in order to make it there on time for sunset. But it was so worth it and it’s such a beautiful place!!! 

🚤 HOW TO GET THERE ⬇️

🔸 Take the Green metro line all the way to the Creek station | Get the 2AED boat to creek harbour 
🔹Take the 2AED boat from Dubai Festival City 

‼️ Boats to the creek Harbour only start at 16h! It’s first come first serve, so if you want to make it early to Creek Harbour you need to be there early because there’s always a big line of people. The boats run every 30 minutes to 45 minutes. 

_______

FOLLOW @sheislostaroundtheworld for all the travel inspiration and tips for your next adventures <3

_______

#dubai #bestofdubai #visitdubai #dubaitourism #exploredubai #mydubai #portuguesespelomundo #solofemaletravel  #girlswhotravel #dametraveler #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #femmetravel #girlsborntotravel #girlaroundtheworld #travelgirlsgo #ladiesgoneglobal #girlslovvetravel  #clublifedesign
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