So, should you go to that pub crawl alone as a girl?

I was sitting in my Istanbul AirBnB apartment, one I had chosen with the idea that a few friends were going to join me. Fast forward to the trip, and none of them were in Istanbul with me. So, I’m in Istanbul alone. Normally, I would have stayed at a hostel, but because of the aforementioned friends, I had chosen an apartment.

I was dying to try out the nightlife. I heard Istanbul is incredible after dark.

So, I googled pub crawls, found one, read the reviews and messaged the organizer on Whatsapp*. I put on my dressiest shirt** and some makeup and sat and panicked.

I racked my brain. Had I ever been to a pub crawl on my own? Technically, yes – but I had made friends with people in my hostel beforehand. I wasn’t really alone. Should I go anyways? I tried to reason with my anxiety, like the toddler it was. Through SnapChat, I messaged my cousin, who I knew would tell me to go. I charged my phone so it would be able to get me home if I needed to. Uber has been a godsend for me in Istanbul.

The ringing was in my ear. I googled more reviews. And paced the floor of my apartment. I lightly cleaned it – it’s not as if I was going to bringing a boy here. *** I took out my phone and called an Uber. That’s it. I was going.

I bet you know how this story ends. Or begins.

I met a lovely group of people – the organizers were awesome party girls and I bonded over Fantasy Football – where the overall consensus was Ezekiel Elliot was a god – Eli Manning was terrible (obviously I don’t agree.) The boys hated my choice in soccer team.

And I met a boy. Or two. The details are still hazy and my mother occasionally reads my blog. My clothes smell like cigarettes and raki. My head pounded for several hours.

The boy ended up being a great travel buddy and we went on a dinner cruise along the Bosphorous the following evening. We had, after all, bonded over our shared love of pub crawls. We had been a bunch of the same pub crawls. Even funnier, we were on the same flight.

So, thoughts. Do you go to a pub crawl alone?

It’s up to you. Take this story as an anecdote. It was so fun. The clubs were amazing, crowded. One of them was a rooftop terrace. Part of the roof was open. The stars were out that night and they looked within reach. The boy and I shared our first kiss underneath the night sky. I heard a lot of Justin Bieber, Sean Paul and Mr. Worldwide himself.

I have no photos from that night (except for one), so I’ve peppered this post with past pub crawl photos. I was the only girl travelling alone on this pub crawl. Most of the boys who went were on their own. I actually find that to be the norm. Girls go with a boyfriend or another friends. Guys have no trouble going alone. Most often, you’ll be fought over. At least, that’s been my experience. ****

But on a more serious note. If you’re outgoing, I think a pub crawl is perfect for you. And if you don’t mind not knowing anyone, then go for it. If you feel you would regret not going, then go. I can almost guarantee that you will meet someone interesting and befriend someone. That’s always been the case for me. So the answer is yes! But always have a plan in case you need to bail.

*Side note: What did people do before Whatsapp? Like how did you even have international friends?

**The Bro called this a Hawaiian shirt. Uh no. It’s a silk Equipment shirt. It was beautiful. It sadly ripped.

*** Mistake #2. Mistake #1 was the shirt I was wearing.

**** My second pub crawl in Budapest was me, my two friends who were in a couple and two Australian guys. They argued over me – they asked my friends to sway my decision. They did this for four bars until I finally made out with the ginger tall one. Mistakes #3. He was kind of rude.