Solotraveler Tips: "15 Ways to Enjoy and Jump in Solitude at the Crowds of Jakarta and Indonesia!"

(Updated: Nov, 2020). ​Jakarta and Solotraveler are two words that might be contradictory. Jakarta as the capital of Indonesia is a big city with a bustle of 24-hour non-stop city life activities. While, Solotraveler is someone who travels and enjoys traveling alone to find identity, add insight and of course in this era want to fill their social media accounts with inspirational stories or instagrammable pictures that they gets during the trip.

But based on our experience accompanying many solotravelers, not all of them want to enjoy solitude in a quiet, beautiful and comfortable place or destination. Many are also curious and want to enjoy solitude in a destination or city full of the hustle and bustle of life activities. This type of solotraveler wants to add insight into the process of finding identity and actualizing oneself through travel stories and images in their Instagram account.

Once, a solo traveler we asked about the main reason for traveling alone to Indonesia. The answer is : "The experience gained during the trip will be used to step the work and business forward while enjoying solitude in all the atmosphere wherever it is".

Therefore, enjoying solitude while adding insight into life can not only be done in a quiet, beautiful and comfortable place. However, in a place or destination that is frenzied even though a solotraveler can enjoy it!

In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic problem that has plagued almost the entire world including Indonesia and Jakarta also has an impact on a solo traveler traveling.

So, Here we are  :

​15 Tips if You want to Try a Solo Trip to Jakarta or Other Major Cities in Indonesia and Enjoy Jumping in Solitude Amidst the Hustle and Bustle of Life City :

1. ALWAYS COMPLY WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION'S HEALTH PROTOCOL RELATED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

During the pandemic, it is advisable not to travel within and outside the country, including solo travel. If this is not possible and travel is required, then health protocols that have been officially established by the World Health Organization must still be followed.

This includes complying with domestic and foreign travel regulations and policies that apply in all regions of Indonesia regarding Covid-19 and in terms of complying with 3M health protocols: Wearing masks, Social distancing and Always washing hands with running water and soap. This is for the safety and public health and to reduce the spread of the virus.

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2. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CLOTHES MODESTY WHEN VISITING A SPECIAL PLACE OR DESTINATION

Wherever we set foot in a place or city,; the norms, habits or customs must apply. Especially if a place is known to be very sacred or is a special destination such as an ancient place of worship, a place sanctified by local residents, a pilgrimage burial complex, a sacred museum or during traditional ceremonies.

​"Where the earth is based, there the sky is held up," the saying goes. Follow the rules of the game that apply in that place and enjoy the atmosphere. Even better if you can give donations perfunctory. But when to make a donation, you can ask your tour guide whether it is mandatory or not.

In terms of dress, maybe western culture puts forward freedom and human rights. But in eastern culture, it would be more ethical and wise if a traveler can adjust to local culture. There are several places that require special and complete clothing. There are also normal. Better to ask or find out about it. If things or norms have been followed and implemented, you can be guaranteed to enjoy it yourself in an atmosphere full of hustle and bustle.

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3. DONT FORGET YOUR CAMERA TO CAPTURE SPECIAL THINGS THAT WOULD BE HAPPEN

​The opportunity may not come twice. Beautiful things, touching, inspiring, out of the ordinary; can add your insight when looking at life. Do not forget your camera and capture the moment. The smartphone camera will help in terms of speed and practicality.

​While a portable camera complete with all its features will make your collection of moments more beautiful. Just adjust where your interests and comfort. The photos or images that you get are guaranteed to be useful for future survival.

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4. THIN CLOTHES AND SUNBLOCK WHEN TOUR DURING DRY SEASON

​Indonesia has two seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. The dry season usually occurs in March - August and the rainy season in September - February. In the dry season the weather can be quite hot and dry. The city of Jakarta and most other major cities in Indonesia such as Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Lombok and Medan during the dry season can sometimes experience more hot weather than usual.

​But that does not mean the atmosphere of the city can not be enjoyed. You can just adjust the condition by using thin clothing and absorbing sweat, use a protective skin sunblock and enough drinking water for freshness of the body. Especially if you plan to do a walking tour to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the big city, the tips above is highly recommended.

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5. KEEP UP & LEARN THESE MAGIC WORDS:
​"HAI, APA KABAR?" (Hi, How are you?), "PERMISI" (Excuse me!), "TOLONG" (Please! or Help!), "SAMPAI JUMPA" (See you soon!), "TERIMA KASIH" (Thank you!).

​There's a proverb generally accepted and popular in Indonesia: "do not know, then do not love." The population of Jakarta and Indonesia are famous for their hospitality. We as citizens are very open and proud if we can be close and acquainted with you as foreign tourists visiting Indonesia.

​Although many of us have understood or mastered in English, but the majority of native in Indonesia doesn't enough understand English conversation. We might say "Hello!", "Hi, sir!" Or "Hello Madam!" And doesn't know any more English vocabulary that will be used later. But if you want to say hello and ask something, we as natives will be very honored and certainly ready to help.

Use the magic words opening the initial conversation in Indonesian as follows:
"Hai, Apa Kabar?" (Hi, how are you?), "Permisi..." (excuse me), "Tolong" (help!), "Sampai Jumpa" (see you or goodbye), "Terima Kasih!" (thank you!). Furthermore, you will be able to develop our own intended conversation naturally and the atmosphere can be beautiful, comfortable and liquid.

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6. CHOOSE HOTEL CLOSE TO THE DOWNTOWN CROWDS

​Maybe this advice applies to travelers in general. But if you are traveling solo in a big city and at the same time want to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city atmosphere, it would be better if the hotel or inn where you stay is close to the hustle of the city center.

​This is important to save your budget and time efficiency if you want to do your own walking tour. You only need to walk from where you stay to the center of the crowd. Big cities like Jakarta, which has a population of around 15 million people and a fairly high level of traffic congestion will require time if you want to explore the hustle and bustle of your hotel quite far away.

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7. USE LOCAL GUIDE TO VISIT PLACES WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO REACH, PLEASE DONT FORCE YOURSELF!

​Local guides or native residents of a city are more understanding in enjoying the atmosphere of the city than you who might be the first time visiting the city. Do not hesitate to ask for help or instructions from them. Especially if your goal plan is a place that seems difficult to reach or you think you need a guide to visit it.

​Don't force yourself to a place that you find difficult. Use local tour guides or help local natives that you trust. Consult with the guide in advance via whatsapp mobile about travel time, how to get to the destination and costs involved. You can see the tour guide recommendations that you trust via the Trip Advisor.com site or our service Hellonolan.com. Local guides on one hand will make you comfortable, efficient and happy in reaching these hard-to-reach destinations.

For an example, in Jakarta precisely in the area around Tanjung Priok there is a very old church site built by the Portuguese around the 17th Century. The church is still standing until now with a little renovation on the building. Its position is also in the middle of a crowd of residential houses and shipping sheds. Even though it is close to the center of Jakarta, special tricks are needed to achieve it due to high traffic and winding roads. But a local guide must have special tricks to achieve it easily and comfortably.

​In addition there is also an ancient megalithic site in the Mount Padang area of ​​Cianjur city which is quite far from Jakarta. However, a local guide or a local native can easily reach it from your location of stay because they are more familiar with the characteristics of the area.

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8. JUST TALK DIRECTLY IF YOU NEED SOMETHING, WE ARE VERY FRIENDLY AND APPRECIATE FRIENDSHIP.

There's another proverb saying which was very popular in Indonesia and useful for us as travelers: "Embarrassed to ask, go astray on the road". Sometimes we as humans rely too much on our own minds and ego. We can be too confident in trying to reach our travel destination. Confidence is positive and good for us. But in exploring a place, it's better to have that confidence mix with the opinions of others who are more experienced or in control of the area. Only after that we decide how to do it next.

Residents of Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia are very friendly and respectful friends. Just ask directly about something you want to know about how to get to a destination or whats needed there to the people you met. You can ask directly to hotel staff or the place where you stay, someone you meet on the street, store, mall or in public transportation. Don't forget to use magic words at point no.4 above. You will surely find new experiences and atmosphere that can be enjoyed and remembered. 

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9. CHECK & FIND OUT RECOMMENDED AREAS TO VISIT WHILE TRY TO CONNECT WITH THE LOCALS.

Preparation was very important in terms to make explores. You can save your time and maximize the planned activities that will be carried out and know the conditions of the place you want to visit at this time. Monitor and find out the recommended places to visit when you traveling solo. You can use the Foursquare site or Trip Advisor to help find places you like wherever you are. After that, don't forget to try to blend in with the locals to add your travel experience.

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10. BROWSE FIRST! MANY CHEAP AND COMFORTABLE BUDGET LODGES IN JAKARTA AND OTHER CITIES IN INDONESIA FOR SOLOTRAVELER.

​This one tip is also part of your preparation. Reduce your costs and use them as efficiently as possible. If you plan to stay at a budget hotel or lodging specifically for solotravelers or backpackers, these places are widely available in Jakarta and other major cities in Indonesia.

​Browse first on the internet, find a few and compare which ones are the best because there are so many budget hotels and inns available. As in Jakarta, you can browse for cheap hotels and inns on this page on our site (click here). Also in Jakarta, there are cheap and comfortable lodging specifically for solotravelers and backpackers such as Six Degrees or The Packer Lodge.

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11. USING TRAVEL INSURANCE IS BETTER

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people are starting to think seriously about travel insurance. Even if a vaccine is found and injected into everyone, there may still be concerns about its effectiveness and its follow-up phase.

All travelers certainly want to be safe during the trip. But they don't know where to start and what to cover and are suitable for their type of trip.

This is where the duty of travel insurance companies and their agents to honestly provide good education about travel insurance products that are safe and suitable for travelers and on the other hand, travelers must be careful and wise in choosing products and criticize which insurance companies are good and suitable for their trip of type.

The indicators can be:
- Whatever is covered during the trip,
- What products are suitable for solo / duo traveler types, families with several children or small groups,
- Price of insurance products according to the budget,
- Reputation of the insurance company
- Service representative office or insurance company branch at the destination,
- Extra services such as 24 hours of good customer service, and provision of mobile applications (current applications are very necessary and can help a traveler at any time if a problem occurs during the trip).

In other words, travelers can minimize losses due to risks that may occur while traveling amidst the uncertain situation or territorial restrictions that can occur domestically and abroad during and after the pandemic.

Regarding this, Money.com has conducted a number of research on "Best Travel Insurance 2020" which may be useful as a consideration for travelers to choose a travel insurance company according to their needs. You can learn completely about it through their article.

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12. FIND AND DETERMINE THE NEAREST MONEY CHANGER FOR YOU TO EASILY PREPARE LOCAL CURRENCY CASH.

​In general, restaurants or food halls in Jakarta and Indonesia do not recognize cash tips for waiters or staff because their services are already counted at service charge item in your foods bill.

​But if you want to enjoy the city of Jakarta and other big cities by mingling with communication and exploration or asking for help from local residents, its fair enough to give a donation or cash tip as your gratitude. This is not somethings mandatory for you to do, but small cash rupiahs supply is very useful to anticipate the unexpected. You can exchange it at the nearest money changer or at the airport when you arrive in a city.

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Next ...! Here are 3 Other Tips that We Recommend and We Believe You May Understand in Describing Them... :) 
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13. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE MAKE A SHORT FRIENDSHIP WITH LOCAL RESIDENT, IF YOU WANT TO GET NEW AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OR INSIGHTS.

14. ENJOY LOCAL FOOD & DRINK, ALSO SOUVENIRS FOR YOUR UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES.
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15. FIND OUT OR BROWSE INTERESTING EVENT IN A CITY THAT MIGHT BEING HELD WHEN YOU COME TO VISIT.

​Thank you and enjoy your solo trip at Wonderful Indonesia, travelers! :)
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