A Guide to Traveling Solo
Traveling alone has always freaked my family out more than myself. It’s just another adventure!
As I’ve gotten older, people are less worried about me traveling alone. Whether it’s because they don’t want to get into the whole “so you’re not dating anyone?” conversation or they’re just used to me constantly being on the move, I’m not sure.
I’ll share more detailed posts about my solo travels based on the location, but below are my recommended to-do’s before you book your trip.
Research your ideal destination
I enjoy traveling alone, but depending on your interests some locations may be more suited to you than others.
Social Butterfly 🦋 - you may enjoy locations that are known for having thriving youth hostels where you can meet others.
From my experience, cost-efficient locations such as Southeast Asia, South America, and parts of Europe are hotspots for youth hostels and solo travelers. I met so many Australians in Southeast Asia (it’s such an easy flight for them), a bunch of Dutch people and Israelis in South America (there was a reality show hosted in Colombia the summer before in the Netherlands that made a big tourism boost, and South America as a whole is known as the “Hummus Trail” for Israelis that have finished their service in the IDF), and of course Europeans backpacking in more party-forward areas such as Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, and Spain (short Ryanair flights for them!).
The majority of these people were backpackers traveling for months at a time and would gawk when I told them I was only there for a week or two, but culturally US citizens tend to go straight from high school to college to the working world, so don’t be phased.
Lone Wolf 🐺- you may prefer locations that have plenty of activities that you like to do on your own.
I’m an art buff, so I enjoyed traveling alone in Amsterdam and Paris because I was able to visit museums every day. I love going to museums alone and I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so this was a stress-free way to roam the exhibits, spend too much time in gift shops, and leave when I was ready.
If you’re a nature buff, I have limited experience in that area and can’t imagine a worse activity than hiking alone with my own thoughts. But to each their own.
Decide what you’d like to do and plan accordingly
In order to reduce stress upon arrival, I recommend you research the following:
Location: a walkable area to stay in, or one with reliable transit.
Activities: pin museums and other neighborhoods you’d like to explore on your Google Maps, and try to schedule any day trips before you leave. It’s so easy to sleep in when nobody else is dragging you out the door, and you may regret it if you don’t get to the big ticket items on your list.
Restaurants: when I get hungry I need to eat IMMEDIATELY, so I like pinning recommended restaurants on Google Maps throughout the city, if available. Feel free to ask your hostel / hotel concierge their recommendations nearby and pin those as well! If you’re a big foodie, I have also made reservations in advance to ensure I can get into a restaurant, but if they don’t allow reservations for one, don’t be discouraged.
Holidays: A quick Google search to determine when holidays are for your desired destination will help with determining both your travel and activity dates. Independence days along with annual festivals could spike your flight / lodging prices, so run a quick search if your dates are flexible and to ensure any day trips will be in service.
Face your fear of eating / drinking alone
I don’t understand this fear, but I’ve been called crazy multiple times this year for sharing that this is an activity I love doing alone.
FACE YOUR FEAR. A lot of people dine solo, and even go to bars solo!
I typically bring a book, but I don’t scold myself if I end up sitting on my phone. The majority of time I strike up conversations with people sitting next to me or make friends with the bartenders and wait staff.
What to have on you
🔒 A lock if you’re staying in a hostel with lockers
💸 Emergency cash for when your debit card doesn’t work and you have to exchange at a place that rips you off on the conversion rate (depending on the location and trip length, I typically bring ~$100-$200 USD)
🛂 A picture of your passport (printed AND on your phone, both in files / favorited pictures AND in an email you can easily access)
🗺 An offline download of the city you’re staying in on Google Maps for when your service is a dreaded 3g or less
🔋 An external phone charging bank (I didn’t have this my last trip and kicked myself daily)
📃 Travel insurance (I like World Nomads)
✅ Everything else on my 10 Packing Essentials list
Share travel information with emergency contacts
Whether it’s a parent or your roommate, it’s a solid safety measure for someone else to have record of where you’ll be. At least one other person should have the following:
✈️ Flight information
🏨 Lodging confirmation
📃 Travel insurance
🛂 Picture of your passport
👯♂️ Shared location on Find my Friends - it can’t hurt!
My biggest pet peeves traveling alone
I’ve been extremely positive above, but to close out there are two things that annoy me about traveling alone and I would be remiss if I just tried to hide them from you
📸 Asking strangers to take pictures of you - I took so. many. selfies. I never caved for the selfie stick during its prime, but I’ll probably buy it for my next solo trip.
🧴 Asking strangers to put sunscreen on your back - I was able to find girls my age to do for me in Colombia (less awkward), but I had no idea how to say it in Spanish, so I just looked helpless and held my sunscreen and pointed. They were extremely nice about it! I really had to dig deep and ask myself if it would be worse to ask a stranger to apply sunscreen or to lie miserably in my bed without being able to put aloe on. Talking to strangers won.
I’m one of the only one of my friends that has traveled alone and I’d like to reduce the stigma. It’s not scary - the world is an exciting place to explore and you can’t always wait for others’ vacation schedules to align. 😊
Check out my other articles for location-specific travel recommendations!
