Backing Alone in Spain, France, Portugal

Hello, I am 18 and from the US. I am going to be traveling France,
Spain, and Portugal this summer for 6 weeks. I am planning on flying
there and back with two other friends, but I would really like to
travel alone for a good deal of the time.

Do you have any advice for backpacking alone? I have heard from
several people that "even though you travel 'alone', you are never
alone". Is this true? How safe is it camping by your self? Do a lot
of other people go solo?

Thanks,
Brad

I went solo back in 1998 for 30 days. I went through most of the western
europeon countries without any problems. It was fantastic. I travelled
with people I met along the way, and went on my own when I felt like being
alone. I didn't do any camping -- staying exclusively in youth hostels,
which were great placesto meet folks. A book I read at the time, and a
source of a lot of good information regarding backpack travelling in Europe,
is "Europe through the Back Door" by Rick Steves. I have been back to
Europe several times, and I recommend reading this before embarking on such
an adventure. good luck.

"Brad Lipovsky" wrote in message
m...
Hello, I am 18 and from the US. I am going to be traveling France,
Spain, and Portugal this summer for 6 weeks. I am planning on flying
there and back with two other friends, but I would really like to
travel alone for a good deal of the time.

Do you have any advice for backpacking alone? I have heard from
several people that "even though you travel 'alone', you are never
alone". Is this true? How safe is it camping by your self? Do a lot
of other people go solo?

Thanks,
Brad