Tips for Traveling Solo
7 Tips to Travel Solo
It's summer time and many people are planning their travels!! I highly encourage you to do a solo trip. It doesn't even have to be international. If you do decide to take the leap and travel alone (which you totally should!), below are some of my tips and recommendations on how to travel alone and plan the perfect trip that fits your preferences, budget, and avoids some of my own pitfalls! I hope you enjoy and find them helpful.
Overall, when you are planning your solo trip, here are the criteria you should look for:
Activities
Language
Transportation
Crime and safety
Accommodations
Tours
Timing
Tours and Activities During Your Trip
When you are deciding where to go, make sure there are a lot of interesting things you'd like to do there. While boozy, party vacations are fun with friends, when traveling solo you want to make sure there are enough sites, activities, cities, museums, parks, tours, attractions that you want to visit that will keep you occupied. Do you enjoy shopping? Museums? Site seeing? Food? Wine? Ancient architecture? Make sure there are activities for what you personally enjoy and what you are looking for. I love site seeing, history, and ancient sites so cities like Rome, Athens, Amsterdam, Madrid, were perfect for me to travel alone. Tripadvisor always has options for activities in each city, but also look into other travel blogs that might have additional ideas, cities, and even secret locations that you would want to visit. Look into if there are any nice towns or day trips close by that you would also like to do.
When traveling alone I feel like going to places where there is a lot to do is great because you are always on your feet always busy and always engaged with something. I like island vacations as they are amazing and relaxing, but I found myself getting bored after a few days. It’s something I prefer with someone else or a group of people. So, I learned when I travel alone, I like to choose cities or areas with a lot of beautiful sites, history, or nature. Whatever stands out to you and makes your heart excited, go with that!
Several of the cities I went to offered free or donation-based walking tours. This was a great way to see the city on foot and also meet solo travelers! If there are no walking tours, you can plan an official tour through your hostel or hotel. When traveling solo, tours are great because you have the flexibility to go where ever you want, but also have some organized transportation, tour guides, and also meet other people. In Iceland, I booked a tour to the golden circle and I ended up meeting a woman who was also traveling alone. We sparked up a conversation and helped each other with photos and then even had dinner together later in the day. This scenario happened in almost every city I went to! Solo travelers (like yourself) are adventurous, curious, and courageous people, so you end up meeting so many like-minded people. You are never really alone unless you want to be. I also really enjoyed the tours because they often come with tour guides who were passionate and knowledgeable about each area and can tell you the rich history which your would otherwise miss.
Another option is to be part of a tour group during your travels. I met a few people did tours through a travel company. This could be a nice as they take care of all of the travel and accommodations and then you have free time to do whatever you'd like during the day. I preferred more flexibility as I wanted to visit sites that were outside of the touristy areas, but if you want an easy way to visit popular sites, a travel tour would be the way to go.
Where To Stay
If you are traveling alone, you HAVE to stay in hostels. You just have to!!!! People often think they are dirty, unsafe, or lack privacy, but that is simply not trie. They are so much fun, safe, clean, and just made for the solo traveler. Some of my hostel rooms were cleaner than hotels that I stayed at. They also offer single rooms which I love, because you get all of the amenities of a hostel but get your privacy as well. Also, most hostels have happy hours, or daily events so you always have something to do and end up meeting people from all over the world who are friendly, nice, and social just like you. I've made friends with people from all over the world and the U.S., and even years later we are still connected and chat. Yay social media! I just can't stress enough how fun hostels are! They are always suited in perfect locations in the city to, so all of the main sites are super convenient and you pay a fraction of the price of hotels. HostelWorld is great site for finding quality hostels. You are generally safe with booking anything that is an 8 or above. The hostels listed as "HI" are always a solid bet. One of the best hostels I stayed at was HI hostel in Bangkok. It was so clean, in the perfect location, friendly people, and $5 a night.
Safety
I like to be very conservative while traveling alone. While traveling to a third world or less developed country may sound adventurous, it is not something that I am personally comfortable with doing alone. I think traveling solo, especially for first timer’s, and especially women, pick a place that is very developed, safe, low crime rates, and with a lot of research online is important. It is just one less thing to worry about so you can worry more about having fun. Do your research and also check the United States Embassy Travel Advisory site information on current situations of traveling in that country and for tourists. It also provides tips on how to safely travel in the country, anything level one is good to go. Level 4 obviously avoid. Also, knowing the location of the U.S. embassy which is always nice to have in your back pocket...just in case.
Language and Transportation
When I am traveling alone, at least for the first few times, I like to pick places where it will be easy to communicate with others, in case I get lost, want to meet new people, etc. This is why I always pick countries where I can understand the language or know there are English speakers there. Most places especially in major cities have English, however, if you venture out of the main cities sometimes, most people do not speak English, so just be aware and try to pick up some basics on the local language.
In addition, look into if there are good local transit options. Taxi's get so pricy after a while so having good transportation options is nice. If you are going to a non-English speaking country, research how the system works before you get there or ask at your hotel before you head out. Also, look for passes and special deals for tourists.
Bring a Journal or a Book
One of my favorite parts was to be in a place I loved to open up a good book or write in my journal. It helped me get my thoughts out, document my journey, and get in touch with my feelings in the moment. I love going back and reading what I wrote because it takes me back to that moment and remember all of the details and feelings that I sometimes miss in pictures. I love journaling anyways but I find it even more rewarding when traveling. It's the perfect way to depict your story. You never really feel alone when you have a journal. I also really enjoyed going to a park, or the beach or somewhere really beautiful and just relaxing with a good book. I was always one of the weirdos with a book in her purse, but you can obviously download one on your phone too.
Be Open!
You will meet people, from all around and that is the fun of it. Some ways I met people. find someone ale that is also solo, just ask them are you traveling alone? If they seem like they are also traveling alone spark up a conversation, so you can help each other with photos. They will appreciate it just as much as you, and you might even make a friend or a travel companion.
Enjoy being with yourself! You are the only one that's with you for your whole life. Traveling alone is a great time to get to know yourself, what you love and what you enjoy. Enjoy a meal alone or relaxing and just being with you. It can be a transformative experience.