Help! need advice, Eastern Europe, the Baltics.

I’m a 29 year-old male who is self-employed but work has started to dry up lately, and I thought I’d try to take advantage of the situation by getting away from it all and meeting new people.

I’m giving serious consideration to going travelling next year in Eastern Europe, and the Baltic states but need a little advice from somebody more experienced than myself.

For various reasons I’m more than likely to be embarking on the trip alone, and am a little apprehensive about that to expect, and what I will encounter.

If anybody has any ideas, suggestions or past experience that they’re happy to share please feel free to let me know!

Thanks!

I have travelled alone many times, in part Russia and the Baltics and met some travellers who im still friends with and still travel with. The Old Town Hostel in Vilnius is a great place to meet other travellers. Stay there. And Vilnius is a wonderful city and I met alot of locals there as well.

Key to meeting locals, go to a bar early, find a table with 3-4 empty seats, and eventually locals will come in and join you...this has worked many times for me.

Hey Coys,
good advice from Coldwarspy.
I've done the same many times and I've never been left on my own for too long, especially in the Baltics. The bar thing works very well (as they seem to respect a student of the hops).

I've always found when I travel by bus in either the Baltics or rural Russia, I end up in conversation with lots and lots of people.
I know this sounds really lame but I promise that it works (not just because I'm Irish) - if you see an Irish bar, drop in, they'll usually have local papers in English, lists of what's going on, people with local knowledge who are willing to help someone on the road, and also they've become a bit of an unofficial expat network.

Oh yeah, and learn a few words of whatever languague... (I would advise Russian, but be careful where you use it in the Baltics. I only use Russian when I'm sure the people with whom I'm speaking use it as their FIRST language).

Have fun.