As an 18 year old myself and 3 friends went on a cruise out of Sydney.
Ports of call were Noumea, Vanuatu, Lautoka and Suva.
In Suva, I went off on my own to walk around the Capital. I was accosted by spruikers galour and one managed to get me to enter a shop selling watches. I told him I never wanted a watch. He said, “You want girl, I get you girl” 
I reeled and could only come up with the line, “I do not have time, the ship is leaving soon”
His reply was “She is young and will finish you real quick”
Panic, Panic.
“No, No, No”
He then said “You want boy, I can get you boy? You come upstairs with me and I get you boy”
I ran out of that shop and ran all the way back to the ship.
A naive 18 year old country boy from a small mining town in Tasmania. What a shock. 
How awful! You don’t remember the name of the shop by any chance?
I had a similar experience in Madrid.I was taken into what I thought was a club but it was a brothel.Very friendly they were though but I made my excuses and left.
Did you happen to get a contact number, at all? 
I did not hang around at all. High tailed it back to the ship quick smart. 
OMG what a horrible thing to go through. Sorry to hear!
I’d travelled only once by myself, but it was a good experience overall. London 1982, after Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding to Prince Charles. I’d watched on Tele but I wanted to be in the heart of it.
Didn’t get a glimpse of the new Princess but got the name and number of a possible beau in a pub. However, he never contacted me. Concluded that he only wanted one thing that same day. I declined as I was on tour with the family I stayed with.
Then downtown shopping, I crossed the street after a marvellous lunch, looking for shoe sales. This man next to a shoe display, spoke Italian, planted a kiss and hug on me and gave me a free pair of white sandals.
I offered to pay for them, he refused, said that he wanted to make me happy and comfortable. That apparently, I had a confidence that radiated.
I changed into these sandals and walked for miles in them and never been in so much comfortable shoes. They lasted nearly 10 years!
Only one bummer experience, I went into a souvenir shop near Trafalgar Square. My arms were full, put everything on the counter and began talking to the man there.
He began swearing blue meanie about tourists… I was appalled! I left everything walking out, saying, “You can put it back on the shelf and forget your paycheck come Friday!”
Found another shop and completed my friends souvenir list and my own. Years later, went back to see if the shop was still there and guess what? Nope, it was gone…
The experience was unpleasant for an 18 year old who had never left his home state before that time.
It showed me that the world can be a wicked place indeed.
I did venture out one more time. A friend and I drove around Malaysia for two weeks. This experience was much more pleasant though we arrived there just before Ramadan and there seemed like a million people on the roads on their way home.
I found the East coast of Malaysia to be beautiful but the West Cost was rather dirty and very overcrowded. Stayed away from KL, no need to go to a large city. All cities are the same, some are more crowded than others.
I am content with staying in Australia now. Out in the world it is too crowded with everyone trying to get money out of one.
My holidays are spent exploring my own country and it would take 10 lifetimes to see what Australia has to offer.
