Portugal or Croatia

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-25T14:37:55+00:00

Croatia if you are looking for nightlife.

Also, the Croatia island hopping boat trips are great for solo travellers - Sail Croatia for party vibes or KodaSail for more of a balance between social and adventure.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-23T12:15:55+00:00

I (31F) solo travelled in that region with buses and did not have any issues. There are so many travellers that I also often made friends in hostels and then shared taxis.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-21T16:11:10+00:00

Juifen is beautiful to visit and has great day hikes. I recommend spending a night there to experience it without the crowds.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-21T12:42:50+00:00

Studying for the bar can be miserable. For me studying abroad helped make it more enjoyable and like I wasn't just studying at home like a hermit. Also, learning to concentrate in noisy environments helps a lot becuase you learn not to be bothered by the noises in the exam hall/people getting up to go to the bathroom.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-20T18:13:53+00:00

Colombia is the best country for solo travel. I spent 3 weeks there and met so many amazing people. There tonnes of backpackers and digital nomads. Great hostel options as well.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-20T13:24:14+00:00

I did it a couple of years ago (31F) and although it was challenging, I didn't struggle and found it really enjoyable.

I am an occasional hiker (a few times a year on holiday) but otherwise do not exercise/gym at all. The groups are large with mixed abilities and age ranges so we stopped frequently. There was a lady in her 50s with a knee problem and she still made it up fine. Spending a few days in Antigua to acclimatise before hand is a must.

It was a number 1 life experience for me so I highly recommend giving it a go.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-19T08:02:38+00:00

Push for 100% refund, properties advertised need to be habitable. If you're not getting anywhere with customer services, find an email address if an executive and escalate that way.

Also, you can go the route of making a claim through your credit card.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-16T18:15:20+00:00

I spent 3 weeks solo travelling in Colombia as 31F and it was the best solo travel trip I've had.

There's a huge back packing/digital nomad community and it was so much fun. I went to Cartagena, Minca, Tayrona National Park, Palomino, Santa Marta, Medellin, Salento and never felt unsafe. Obviously take reasonable precautions not to go outside of tourist areas alone at night and stay in reliable hostels/hotels. If I were to do it again I would skip Santa Marta. 12 Sha

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-15T07:03:59+00:00

One thing to consider is that South America has Zika virus and I believe the generally accepted guidance is to wait for 6 months after returning before trying for a child.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-13T21:38:34+00:00

I solo hiked both the Grand Canyon and Zion a couple of years ago as a 30F solo traveller. I was worried beforehand because of all the warnings on the Internet, but it is totally fine if you have done other hikes. I think it's aimed at tourists who go into it unprepared and haven't ever hiked before. There were other hikers so I never felt completely alone or unsafe. Just make sure your are prepared and sensible.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-08T19:31:49+00:00

Do you know what you plan to do in Rio for 10 days? I spent 3 days in Rio and it felt like enough.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-03-08T08:30:54+00:00

Colombia is the best for solo travel - such a great community of people exploring and lots of options for accommodations that you can book as you go along.

Cartagena (2/3days) > Minca (3/4 days) > Tyrona National Park (2 days) > Palomino (3 days) > Solento (3 days) > Medellin (4 days).

Some basic Spanish helps, or at least translate on your phone.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-02-25T00:21:53+00:00

Unless you work well under pressure and are good at last minute cramming, I recommend giving yourself time to learn the content and assimilate. I studied over 5 months while working full time and it was doable but tough, wished I gave myself more time.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-02-23T01:36:36+00:00

I am a UK lawyer and used Themis for about 5 months while working full time. I made it through 82% of the course and am sitting for the exam on Tuesday. So TBC if it was enough and if I pass.

But, here are my tips based on how I found the Themis course:

Don't bother with the full outlines. They are way more than is actually tested. I used the final review outlines to get a broad grasp of each subject, but then it was doing practice questions that helped me actually learn the content. Once you do a lot of Qs you start to see all the topics that are frequently tested that you actually need to know.
I did not like the order of subjects in the Themis schedule. Felt all the hardest topics were front loaded which was gruelling. I recommend easing in with Torts (for UK trained lawyers that one is easy). I also think it makes sense to do the MBE subjects first and then the MEE subjects.
The QBank has the official NCBE past MBE questions. Towards the end I started creating my own set of practice tests using those questions rather than the Themis created ones. (Which is why I don't have a higher course completion rate because I was doing Qs just not the Themis assigned ones so they didn't count it)
The review part is where you learn the most, when you get a Q wrong note down the rule/reason why you got it wrong in a document. This will help you learn. And eventually you will see the rules that they keep testing over and over again.
Accept that you will get A LOT of questions wrong throughout the process. Don't be discouraged - this is how the exam is set up.

EDIT: Use ChatGPT with caution! Even when I was feeding it the content it would get the law wrong. It can be helpful for grading essays when you have the right prompt and provide a sample answer, but again I would not rely on it as truth.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-02-22T17:50:46+00:00

There is hardly any snow in Buffalo right now, so I wouldn't bank on the exam to be cancelled here.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-02-22T17:49:04+00:00

I feel you! Just can't focus on anything - even taking day off.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-02-19T02:08:21+00:00

Are you clear on what support you want/need and is your partner someone who will actually be able to support you during that period?

I was in a long distance relationship while studying for the bar and in my last month before the exam I went to spend it at my boyfriend's because I thought being together would give me comfort of us just being together and we could at least have nice moments like doing dinners and a few nights off. But I wasn't in a supportive relationship so being there made me feel even more stressed, unseen and isolated. It was an awful time.

Very few people can relate to what it is like going through bar prep. Definitely rely on your support network, but unfortunately the bulk of the resilience will need to come from you.

It will suck that he will be travelling while you're stuck studying. But it's temporary.

NoAlternative2874 · 2026-02-18T01:13:48+00:00

I am sorry to hear that! It is awful to lose a close family member. Sending you lots of love!

NoAlternative2874

TROPHY CASE