I would definately recommend going on a tour. As it happens, STA works with a great company called Intrepid. They offer a 22 day trip on the Annapurna Circuit. The great thing is that you would be with other young adults that are looking for adventure, you have a guide to help you, and your parents wont worry so much. Feel free to give us a call at 800-777-0112 or stop by a branch close to you to learn more about this tour.

Thanks for your answer! A few further questions though:

Why would you recommend a tour? And do you mean for the entire trip or just the hike? Actually, it hadn’t even occurred to me to consider a tour for the whole trip. I’ve been traveling in a few different ways- with my family, with a student tour group, with a volunteer program, and with a study abroad company- and to be completely honest, the student tour group was by far my least favorite.

Granted, it was back in ninth or tenth grade and it was a huge tour (30 or so kids), but I still feel like it would take a fair bit of convincing to get me to go that way again. Anyway, I had originally planned the Nepal trip to be a solo thing, and I think I would definitely prefer that but for my parents’ objections.

To finally get to the point, do you suggest a tour because you prefer traveling that way or because it’s dangerous not to?

Oh- sorry, you did give your reasons already.

Hmmm… I don’t know if I’m cut out for a tour. I guess I kind of WANT to have to take care of everything myself. The hardest and/or scariest things I’ve experienced during previous trips have been, almost without exception, some of the most valuable in retrospect (an awful first night in Senegal, getting separated from my parents and totally lost with only a dollar to my name in Singapore, utter exhaustion on the Inca Trail, and so on). I’d actually strongly prefer my trip to Nepal to have a couple “OH. CRAP. What do I do now?” moments- as long as you don’t think a solo female with no previous totally-on-my-own experience would be in serious danger, because getting killed or badly hurt wouldn’t fall into the “fun bad” category but rather the “serious bad” one.

Thanks again!

Hi Spionen,

It really sounds like you love to get out there and experience everything! Honestly, I kind of jump in feet first when I travel as well. But, there are some good things to having a net. With that in mind, lets cover a couple of issues. First of all, unless you are a very seasoned mountaineer, I would not recommend doing a major trek in Nepal without a tour. Even if you are a seasoned mountaineer, I would recommend the tour. Sure, you can probably get around Katmandu just fine on your own, but there is a huge difference from wandering down streets and worrying about getting Deli Belly and the idea of being out in the middle of no where alone and in one of the more challenging mountain ranges available to standard tour groups. If you struggled on the Inca Trail, then you will struggle here. At least here, you will have some support and help. I am not sure where else you are planning on going, but I know most of our tours do offer you the free time to explore on your own and experience places your own way.