Solo travel

Stayed at I am Local Hostel.. Super beautiful accommodations, made friends with Co-ed dormmates.. we went to see Barbie in the refurbished Panopticon former prison! Solo day: rented bike from hostel and rode through the National Park dunes to the beach-absolute bliss and the water temperature was incredible! Woodstock on the beach is an amazing place to hang out and the wildlife is incredible!

Solo travel

I want to give a shout out to Haarlem, Netherlands. For someone who has seen Amsterdam but gets tired of the hustle of the big city, nearby Haarlem can’t be beat. My son relocated there two years ago and I’ve had the opportunity to visit 4 times already. It’s a mini Amsterdam but much more laid back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tourist shop there. It’s safe, easy to get to from Schiphol (the #300 bus has its own road!). It’s beautiful. Safe, and very walkable. I just got back home less than 2 weeks ago and looking forward to another visit in 3 months. They’ve got a “Centrum” that is chock full of restaurants with outdoor dining. An amazing place to people watch in all seasons as the patios are heated and they supply blankets. I can’t say enough about Haarlem,

Haarlem is a very calm, nice place. With beautiful nature. Very nice people that are open minded to help you out or just for a talk. The neighborhood becomes quiet at night.

Haarlem is pretty safe. There are some places you can better avoid in the dark, but overall there is not a lot of danger. There are a lot of fairly young children on fatbikes who think they are all that.. But in the end most of them are harmless.

It feels like a small village with lots of space, beach and nature just around the corner. I walk and ride my bike at night without ever experiencing anything but being alone and able to enjoy going home. I even ride my bike from the beach after dark and that is like a 40minutes bike ride. Also you can wear whatever you want and feel save.

Haarlem is a mid size city (Dutch standards) and the capital of the provence. Most people are pretty well off / at least above the national average. Predominantly white. Pretty much no (major) crime - at least that I’m aware off..