Kiwi Experience, New Zealand’s original hop-on, hop-off adventure bus, is an ideal option for solo travellers as it allows them to meet fellow travellers, guarantees the availability of accommodation and enables them to see, book and experience the very best of the destination.
Liz Lindsay from Kiwi Experience, an expert in New Zealand adventure travel for 25 years, shares the top advice the company gives to its solo passengers…
Save money, book early
Even for budget backpackers, travelling alone can impact your spending as there’s no one to share the cost of essentials like laundry visits, suntan lotion or food. With Kiwi Experience, however, you can make significant savings on your travel passes by booking them well in advance. You’ve got a year to start travelling on your pass after the date of purchase, so this gives plenty of time to watch for the best deals and book when prices are at their best. The special offers page on the Kiwi Experience website regularly has 40% to 50% discounts on passes which leaves more money for fun on the ground! See www.kiwiexperience.com/specials.
Allow for flexibility
Booking a travel pass in advance will lay out the basic structure of a journey through New Zealand, but don’t be tempted to plan every step or stop before you arrive. The beauty of Kiwi Experience is the flexibility of the hop-on, hop-off pass. Solo travellers have the advantage here – there’s no need to miss out on a hiking a mountain or swimming in a lake because your best friend from home isn’t keen on the great outdoors. You have the freedom to jump off when you want for as long as you want, since passes are valid for a year from first use. Those starting out alone rarely end up that way and giving yourself a strict time-frame within which to complete your journey could mean forgoing spontaneous adventures with new friends which is always a shame!
Back up your photos
Losing or damaging a camera can be one of the most upsetting things for a solo traveller as you don’t have a consistent companion capturing the same shots and memories. On the Kiwi Experience bus, you’re bound to find fellow passengers who can share their New Zealand trip photos with you, but we recommend backing up your photos regularly just as a precaution. The landscapes and experiences offered in New Zealand are certainly ones you’ll want to remember for a long time.”
Become your own best penpal
Passports, wallets and phones are other items that can get lost or left behind on travels, so before you leave home, email yourself a list of key details that might be useful in the event of such a loss. Include your passport number, bank or currency card numbers, travel insurance details, mobile phone account details plus all the contact phone numbers you’d need to report losses. It never hurts to copy a trusted friend or family member into the email, and to keep a bit of spare cash in a separate place so you’re not totally penniless. Our Kiwi Experience guides do more than just drive the bus though – we’re always there to lend a helpful hand or be a shoulder to cry on when needed. In addition to just sending yourself important details, keep a travel journal. Travellers assume they’ll remember all the places they’re visiting and people they’re meeting, but memories do fade and you’ll come to appreciate having a permanent record of your adventures to look back on.”
Stay unplugged
Kiwi Experience buses are incredibly sociable and you will make friends, but we know that boarding for the first time can be nerve-wracking. Don’t be tempted to hide your face in a book, spend the journey studying your mobile or plugged into an iPod. Make the most of getting to know your fellow passengers in person, rather than using social media to keep up with life back at home. Many a lifelong friendship and a good number of marriages have been formed on Kiwi buses!
