Solo Travelling in the Balkans:

By Louis Hazeldine-Cosgrove (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.)

The Balkans is an infamous area of Eastern Europe, where there is not universal definition on what it consists of. But it is widely known as the belt of post-Yugoslavian and newly established countries: like Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and so on. Many of which who belong to the ‘balkans’ hold negative connotations. Where war, ethnic instability and political turmoil overshadow the beauty of many of these countries.

During my winter break of around two months before my second semester started, I set out planning my solo trip. I would highly recommend to anyone studying abroad in Europe to visit some of these countries. Where the transport links are relatively cheap and frequently take place overnight. The places you can visit in these areas are truly not like the rest of Europe; and distinct from the rest of the world.

Going Solo:

Travelling solo can have many downsides. It can quite be lonely at times and often coaches and trains can become quite repetitive without a social aspect. In addition to the increased vigilance, one must have, when travelling around big cities like Belgrade or Sarajevo.

However, it is by far one of the most liberating experiences out there. Being able to socialise and meet random people and deciding what you want to do every. It comes with some interesting experiences like asking for a ‘table for one’ and attempting to find a hostel with no mobile data! Crossing time zones, languages and border controls too, become strangely quite normalised.

There can be a lot of time on your hands. Whether that is waiting for the next train, having to check out in the early morning or all the time spent travelling between countries. Surprisingly, spending many hours on public transport is even more tiring than imagined! Rather than downloading films I find it helps to keep your eyes off screens. The best way I passed time were keeping a journal; listening to albums in full; fictional books and even card games like solitaire. Essentially, trying to stay ‘productive,’ which is an impossible task when travelling on a uncomfortable coach. 

The Balkans:

The languages spoken are quite unique to this area. Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, and so are basically the same language but all have the slightest variations. Romanian is the most fascinating as it has strong ties to Italian yet has the harsh pronunciations of the other Balkan countries.

It is probably the only part of the world where you can see wounds from war, that are fresh from past conflict. It is very common to see amputees walking the street and buildings that are still completely desolated. Mostar in Bosnia this was very common, where exploring an abandoned former Yugoslavian sniper tower – there were still sniper shells from thirty years ago.

It is also worth taking great consideration when you want to go travelling. I have had the pleasure of seeing the sites of Europe in both the summer and the winter. Usually, it is a no-brainer travelling during summer – lots of people, lovely weather and plenty of festivals and events going on. Yet it can be very expensive, and the popular places are crawling with tourists. Therefore, I would recommend considering seeing the sites during the winter. Cheaper prices, cooler weather and it allows you to see parts of the city which you would never even see during the summer.