I'm a sometimes-poster in these Forums over the, gosh, past five years or so. And I just hopped on today to share that... I'm going to Asia for a month!

I leave in two days, and I'm soooo excited. I'm just going by myself, but I've done tons of independent traveling around Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico. And, yes, I'm taking all 237 pounds of me to Asia, the land where the average person weighs like 95 pounds probably!

I'll have to see how it works out. At first I was reluctant to go because, well, even after losing 50 pounds I'm still so big. Then I decided, aww, heck with it! I'm in decent enough shape to handle a few hours of hiking at a stretch (as long as it's not mountains, I have about a one hour limit for serious mountains, hills are okay) so I should be able to trek around on day tours and stuff fine.

These last few days I have been heavily focusing on foods I anticipate having a hard time finding over there: raw veggies and fruits that you can't peel. Lots of salad greens, raw tomatoes, and bell pepper strips, and my snacks are tending toward unpeelable fruits like strawberries and grapes, as opposed to pineapple and oranges and such. I'm just scared of eating unpeelable raw fruits and veggies over there.

Anyway, gotta go back to preparing the house for my absence. Woo hoo! Less than 40 hours to go!

Have fun! I went to China two weeks and that was an eye opener. It is amazing how rare it is to see someone who is overweight. I didn't actually see anyone in the smaller cities who even had extra weight on them. When I went to Beijing, I saw a few people but still it was very few. I had a great time and it was the best vacation I've ever had. Don't stress about your weight, just enjoy yourself. I also lost about 6 lbs in 2 weeks even though they kept feeding us like crazy.

That is amazing. I have been looking into traveling alone. I would love to do it.. test myself and such.

Could you tell me.. do you have a certain website you refer to when planning solo trips and such??

When I got divorced I treated myself to a solo trip to Ireland and England. It was GREAT to go by myself. Aside from the feeling of independence and self-reliance I was also rewarded with being able to do and see exactly what I wanted...on my own time table. I highly recommend it!

Kae,

I have a travelling partner these days but I used to travel by myself. On my first trip, I was a bit nervous, I just planned it and went. There are also websites that offer tours that are good for solo people.

I'm currently looking at doing a hiking tour through a company that offers small tours:
www.walkingvacations.com

I took a trip to Greece a few years ago using the tour on this site that offers tours for women only:
http://www.wanderwoman.com/

Lastly, just find a place you want to go and go there.

How cool!! Have a great time and write all about it when you get back if you can.. I love reading about people's travel adventures

Thanks Nelie I check those sites out!

I've done a great many solo trips, and a few trips with friends/family. I love solo travel (and, really, it's hard to find someone else to take a month off work and tramp across Asia).

My web site for the trip is: http://asia2007.rabidstoat.com

So far it's just my itinerary and my packing list (if you want to see how I pack for a month in just carry-on luggage, it's the place to go!). I'm going to put my blog and photos there, and also some resources, which will talk about planning.

A lot of the sites I used this time around are:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ (for their reviews)
http://www.fodors.com/ (mostly for their Forum)
http://www.virtualtourist.com/ (for suggestions on what to do in a city)
http://www.travelfish.org/ (for Southeast Asia hotel reviews)
http://www.canbypublications.com/ (for Cambodia information)
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ (for their forums)
http://www.asiarooms.com/ (for booking discount rooms)

I'm sure there's many I'm forgetting!

One of the things I do is look at package tours and figure out the things they go see, which tend to be the big tourist sites and generally well-planned, and use them as a blueprint for my own travels.

Jennifer
(Back from a salad bar of 'last hour raw veggies that aren't peeled'!)

I do this too! Basically, there are some sights that are not to miss and tour groups tend to hit those. I also have the book 1000 places to see before you die. Its generally interesting and gives some good suggestions on top things to see wherever you go.

I couldn't imagine myself ever doing a large tour group but I do like doing small tours (10 people or less) as well as travelling on my own.

Edited to add:
I just saw your packing list. I didn't see any purell or hand soap. When I went to China, soap was a rarity and I was glad I had brought along travel sizes of body wash to wash my hands. I also took handiwipes and purell.

I am heading to Japan this year..... Have fun

Wow!! That sounds great!! Have a great time and be sure to come back and tell us all about it!

Cool cool cool!

You'll be FINE at 230 something -- I lived in China and Japan each for 2 months weighing something like 280!!!

Nelie is so right about the hand sanitizer in China!

I also really really recommend pocket size phrase books! Make sure that the one you choose includes Asian characters as well as the pronunciation info and English. That way, you can always POINT to the question you want to ask, and the person can read it in his/her own language!!

Oh, and Shout wipes are great for stains!!

Give someone back home a copy of your passport info... I've seen that help several people!

And contact your credit cards and let them know where you're going -- they might put a hold on your cards otherwise!

No soap, but I do have antibacterial gel. And no Shout, but I got a Tide stain pen for stains (which I still need to add to my list, it's unfortunately growing!).

I'll have to see how I do with weight while I'm there. I'm leaving at 237. I'll see what I come back as. I'm hoping to lose, but otherwise, at least not gain more than a pound a week. I have active days planned, so hopefully that'll help.

If your experience is like mine, you'll be walking a LOT!!! Enjoy yourself. I think you'll be just fine!!!
I am really jealous!