There are two dreams every college student has when arriving on campus; finding the love of their life and traveling abroad. For some students, one of those dreams may seem more out of reach than the other. The millennial cliche “catch flights, not feelings” is the mantra many college students have been hashtagging this summer; one of those students being the University of Montevallo junior, Cameron Trower.
Trower and his family planned a vacation abroad nine months in advance; however, it wasn’t until the last minute that he decided to venture solo through Greece. As for the first leg of his European tour, Trower visited the U.K., Germany, and Spain. Traveling solo for most college students feels like a world away…both figuratively and literally. Trower shares his advice on exploring abroad solo and Instagramming his journey along the way.
How did you convince your family to let you travel solo?
“Traveling solo is something that my stepmom did for years and years before meeting my dad, so of course she and my dad supported it. My dad’s side of the family was supportive considering almost everyone older than me has traveled solo at one point in time. At first, my mom and stepdad were a little nervous about it, but I showed them that I was knowledgeable and smart about the whole thing.”
What should solo travelers be wary of?
“Things that solo travelers should keep in mind is that you need to be safe because there is no one else there that has your back the whole trip. Keep locks on your bag and stay in a nice Airbnb or hostel. Don’t let street vendors put bracelets or jewelry on you because they will ask for money afterward. Be careful who you give your phone/camera to when asking for a photo. With all that being said, these things are all precautionary just to make sure your trip is safe and fun!”
How did you take photos for Instagram by yourself?
“As far as photography goes, I brought my camera and my phone with me; however, I often found it easier to use my phone, simply because my camera became a hassle and it was harder to upload and edit pictures from my camera while traveling out of a backpack. I used an iPhone XS Max. I normally would ask other people to take my photo by asking, ‘Hey! Would you mind taking a picture of me?’ and then I would offer to take any for them if they wanted any after! The people I got to take my pictures the most are people that also seemed like tourists. I also asked people that are taking pictures in the same spots so that they have a better chance of being good. Sometimes it takes a few people to get a good photo since it is hard to ask someone multiple times to take one of you.”
Did you make any friends by taking photos?
“I met many interesting people along the way, from people in my Airbnbs, people sitting next to me at dinner and workers everywhere I went. There are perks to traveling solo because it makes you a little more approachable.”
How did you edit your Instagram photos?
“I use Adobe Lightroom (mobile) to edit my pictures!”
How did you get from place to place while exploring Greece?
“When I was in Santorini, I rented an ATV to drive around the island. When I was in Athens, I used public transit.”
Is traveling as a college student as eye-opening as everyone makes it out to be?
“Learning about different cultures was one of my favorite parts! I fell in love with London and want to live there someday because of all of the rich culture. Barcelona was also full of culture, and the mindset there was so easygoing and care-free. It was eye-opening. Santorini, Greece was very touristy due to how beautiful the island is and that, of course, creates a really interesting culture. However, Athens might take the cake with all the city’s graffiti due to the riots back in 2008 when Greece went bankrupt and the city received a very artistic and progressive blanket of graffiti. Unfortunately, I will not get to study abroad before I graduate in May 2020, but I have thought about doing an internship abroad right after I graduate before entering the workforce and to gain experience.”