Man who ‘raced across the world’ issues warning to first-time solo travelers about two countries they should avoid
A man who journeyed across the world has issued a warning to those looking to try out solo travel for the first time.
Alfie Watts, 22, starred in the BBC's Race Across The World alongside best mate Owen Wood, where the pair traveled from Japan to Indonesia without flying and on a limited budget.
While the young Brits experienced many ups and downs during their travel adventurers, Alfie and Owen ultimately won the competition, beating four other pairs to the whopping $27,000 prize.
Now, Alfie works as a travel content creator, providing travel tips and tricks to his fans across the globe.
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Having experienced so many different cultures and countries across the planet on his own, Alfie is in the perfect position to offer his advice for those looking at taking the plunge into solo travel for the first time.
While the South-East Asia backpacking route is hugely popular for its diverse landscapes and cheap accommodation, some of those looking to travel the world may not want to follow the crowd.
South America has a ton of backpacking routes for travelers to enjoy, and while Alfie acknowledges the continent is 'brilliant', he advises against first-time solo backpackers heading there.
In fact, there's two particular countries Alfie says solo backpackers should avoid for that first trip.
He told UNILAD: "I'm pretty experienced as solo traveler, so I'm I know what to do and what not to do, but particularly if you're going away for the first time, probably don't start in Venezuela or Colombia because you do need to be very streetwise about what you're doing.
"It's when you go down a back alley or you hitchhike, things like that. It's just about not being unnecessarily unsafe."
And while countries such as Venezuela get a bad rep amid political unrest and high levels of crime, there are certainly ways to enjoy it safely according to Alfie - maybe just not for that first solo adventure.
"I'm just trying to basically encourage people to book an organized tour of Venezuela, don't do it on your own because that's silly," Alfie added.
"But if you book an organized tour of Venezuela and you go with a guide, good people that are reputable, it's one of the most incredible countries on the planet."
While Alfie advises against South America for a first-time solo traveler, the trek is actually his favorite backpacking route on the planet.
"I just think that you'll get a much wider variety [with South America]," Alfie added to UNILAD. "You can go to the Amazon, there's beaches you can dip into, all the languages are the same.
"Everything is Spanish, so it makes it a lot easier to kind of either pick it up, or find someone who can speak it."
The Race Across The World winner added: "It's a little bit more expensive. That's the only drawback, but I just find it so much more fulfilling than South-East Asia."
Topics: Travel
Callum Jones