Hi folks,

I just discovered this subreddit and am hoping to offer a helpful and entertaining post on my first solo travel experience. Enjoy!

I had a month off work in the late summer of 2017 and decided to go somewhere. I had no idea where to go and decided on Nicaragua within about 10 minutes of googling. Cheap, plenty of things to do, not all that far from home.

I'm 25m from Canada and work in the public service. The only thing I was really hesitant about travelling to Central America was the language barrier. I spent a few weeks with Duolingo beforehand and that was an IMMENSE help. Just knowing the basics is so key. I could ask where the bathroom is, how much something cost (and understand the number), etc. I can't recommend enough that you do this.

I wasn't overly concerned about safety (I know, I know). It turns out, I was right not to be. I walked anywhere and everywhere, at all hours, with zero concerns. (It probably helps that I'm a rather large human and most people in CA are not).

I planned the trip as little as possible. Booked a flight, booked my first night at a hotel, and booked my volcano boarding tour. That was it. I did everything else by walking into a hostel and booking on the spot.

A note on volcano boarding: It's pretty awesome. It's the highlight of many trips to Nicaragua. Essentially, you have a fairly easy hour-long hike up Cerro Negro, which is an extremely active volcano, although it hasn't erupted in about 20 years. You then put on an orange suit and ride a little wooden toboggan down it. I had the third fastest speed of the day at 68km/h. One Aussie girl got up to 78 which wasn't that far from the all-time record of nearly 100. I tumbled - hard - off my board towards the bottom. It isn't an easy craft. I ended up rolling about 70 feet and got somewhat banged up, but the volcano's surface is so soft with volcanic ash that you're really only at risk for scrapes and cuts if your suit rips (as mine did). Amazing experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.

As I said, I didn't have much of a plan before the trip other than doing the volcano boarding. I spent time in Managua, Leon and San Juan Del Sur, as well as an amazing island hostel called the Surfing Donkey. This place looks like my definition of paradise. I also couchsurfed with a local girl for a few days which was an eye-opening experience. The majority of the population is extremely poor, but extremely nice and hospitable.

The local food in Nica is somewhat fatty but I found it delicious. Eating at local restaurants will cost you less than $3 for a full meal. Beer at most hostels? About $1.25. Beer at a non-tourist bar? Under $1. The best irony? I ate local food for two weeks and had zero issues with illness. I then ate McDonalds at 3am (local food places close early) and was horrifically sick for the next 3 days. I do not recommend eating the "comforts of home" while in places like this. It was terrible, 4x the price of local food, and it got me super sick.

I definitely wanted to make some fun friends while down there. It's not hard to do. I stayed at Bigfoot hostel in Leon and in San Juan Del Sur I stayed at Pachamama for a week and Naked Tiger for a few days. I met enough people on the volcano tour in Leon that I had friends for the remainder of my trip. During the days, we would see the sights and walk around, and then come back to whatever hostel to play pool and drink before going out, or just staying in and shooting the shit. It was a continuous cycle of good times. If you want to party, look no further than Sunday Funday in San Juan Del Sur. This is Central America's biggest pub crawl. It's a blast. I made it to 9:30pm before I had to give in and go to sleep. Prepare to be inebriated by noon if you take this on.

For those nervous about meeting people: the absolute easiest ways are to either go on a popular tour/event organized by your hostel, or partake in whatever in-house game (trivia, beer pong, etc) your hostel is putting on that night. This will basically guarantee that you make some great friends with people as long as you or they are staying at this location. You may even travel with them to your next spot, as I did.

This is one reason I'm so happy I didn't prebook everything. I had somewhat of a mental itinerary that I didn't stick to at all. Our new group of friends were all in the same boat, and we picked a new location together and travelled there as a group. The good times continued. My trip was only 3 weeks, which for some may give the inclination that structure and precise planning is required, but I couldn't disagree more. Half the fun is in the journey and the other half is in the people you spend your time with. I missed some of the major sites because I chose to hang out with the awesome people I had just met and I don't regret it at all.

If anyone is interested in Nicaragua, I cannot recommend it enough. It's a country with a steadily developing tourism industry but without the accompanying prices (yet). Feel free to ask me anything on travelling here. I would go back again if there weren't so many other places on my bucket list. That's the effect of one extremely successful trip (despite 3 days of wretched illness and a left leg missing a lot of skin and filled with bits of volcanic rock). It changed my perspective on what I want out of life (while I'm young, anyway). I will be travelling more.