From the safety of your own home, solo travelling may be scary. And, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for fresh and richer experience” and what better way to do it than on your own, with yourself and by your side, such as the beauty of travelling solo.
There is a lot to arrange for solo travelling, from the budget to the schedule, and the notion of it gives butterflies in their stomachs. Yes, you are ready to face the unknown, but where do you begin?
As enthusiastic solo travellers and experienced solo travellers at GO, given below are some tips to help you plan your trip travelling abroad or a road trip on your own at your own pace. Don’t be concerned as the article includes some solo travel tips for solo travellers.
20 Solo Traveling tips
Be it for travelling abroad or travelling to a new city in your home country, continue reading a few tips for solo travelling to get ready for your next adventure trip to go solo.
1. Although Overrated, Making an Itinerary is Essential
Instagram and YouTube are both great sources to get travel inspiration and peak season suggestions and tips to save money. You can find some fairly spectacular spots, both popular and isolated. Most importantly, the location tagging feature is widely used.
Other solo travellers on Instagram allow you to view the specific locations and major landmarks where they capture wonderful moments.
If you save those travel images and videos, you can search for them when you solo travel to a new destination for your upcoming trip, and many people tag the location in their photos, which is quite helpful. You can also use an Instagram post maker to create one of your own.
Make a list of your must-do activities by researching the local scene and culture ahead of time for an organized tour.
Do save the top destinations you see your favourite travellers or solo travellers visiting.
Many solo travellers even drop reviews on hotels and private rooms. Considering those next solo trips, you can go to a hotel or room service facility that is within your travel budget, has safety concerns, and offers all amenities required for a comfortable stay.
With them in mind, you may check into a hotel or boarding facility that is inexpensive, safe and provides all facilities necessary for a comfortable stay. Make a list of the happening evacuation expenses. Before deciding, read the reviews and compare the ratings and imagery online.
2. Inform your Friends and Family about your Trip
Solo travelling may be exciting and enjoyable. But, for your safety, keep your family and friends updated on your travel plans.
Make a list of the hotels you will be staying in, together with their contact information, road trips you will be taking, as well as the places you will be seeing and activities you will be doing, and distribute it to your family and friends.
Leave a copy of your schedule with a friend or family member at home, and keep in touch through phone, text, video chat, or email frequently.
This practice will inform your touchpoint to contact the embassy or hostel if something tragic happens to you because you are in your own company. You are in the ideal position if you take a little more care with your stuff.
3. Book Hotels Ahead
Booking tours and tickets ahead of time save money. Simply search for your desired location on websites to identify the best places to visit, and then pre-book your entrances or tours.
Well, you will quickly discover that while travelling (especially when backpacking), your plans don’t always go as planned. This means you will have to cancel last-minute hotel reservations.
Instead of losing that money, it is a good idea to utilize a service that offers free cancellations, sometimes even on the day you are supposed to arrive. You may even choose to only search hotels with reasonable cancellation conditions.
4. Pack Smartly
Check that you can manage your bags on your own for a short distance. Look for the best backpack for you, taking into account the size, the kind of framing, top-loading vs front-loading, support, weight, and practicality, and then invest in it. It is travel planning advice.
It is usually a good idea to keep your belongings organized when packing. Separate your clothing, shoes, and electronics. Don’t overpack your clothing.
Once you start your vacation, bring a cover or anything to keep your dirty clothes away from your clean ones. Remember, you must carry everything yourself and bring only the necessities.
5. Curate a Special Playlist for Your Trip and Download Them
Create a playlist of songs and podcasts customized to your solo travelling. Because you will be solo traveling until you get to your destination, it is not always convenient to engage with strangers. It is best if you have music ready to go to pass the time.
Choose all of your favourite music and podcasts that you have always wanted to listen to but never have, and then download them offline.
The networks must play tricks on you at the most appropriate moment. As a result, keep the playlist offline. And every time you hear those songs when you return, it will remind you of your experience!
6. Travel with a Book Often
When you are solo travelling, you will have plenty of spare time. This might happen when waiting in line, between courses at a restaurant, or on long bus journeys. It is better to always travel with a book to immerse yourself in and never feel lonely while surrounded by some of your favourite characters.
Even if you are not a bookworm, bring a book in your bag; you will appreciate how essential it is only when you encounter curious (or even unpleasant) co-passengers.
And when you encounter one, you can just open the book and start reading, or just pretend that you are reading it. It is the best hack to prick co-passengers and to stay in your comfort zone.
7. Pick Clothes that You can Mix and Match
Your choice of clothing for travel may be incorrect. Examine what you have packed and see what may be eliminated. See whether you have packed an extra pair of jeans or a t-shirt.
It is fine to bring one or two additional T-shirts, but it is best to choose items that you can mix and match to create a variety of outfits from a limited collection. You might look at YouTube styling videos or Instagram styling influencers to identify outfits that are appealing and comfortable for you.
8. Stay Sober
The worst thing when solo travelling is to get drunk and then go alone in an unknown land. Set your aim to stay sober for the duration of your vacation before you even acquire your boarding pass.
While there is nothing wrong with going to a local pub and having a drink to lift your spirits, have your common sense and take it easy on the booze. Staying away from drinking in crowded places is a smart idea since you should always be mindful of your surroundings.
Holidays are frequently centred on partying, which leaves you drained rather than refreshed.
Being sober allows you to spend more time alone; after all, this is a solo trip where you want to cleanse your mind from the daily choices of life in the bustling city, have your own time, and experience something fresh. Never, ever become drunk when you are alone.
9. Eat Locally and Eat till you are Full
Because you are solo travelling, you may not have the time or choice of meals. As a result, if you have the opportunity to eat your favourite cuisine, take advantage of it and be prepared for long hours of travel without food. It is also a good idea to pack some food with you.
There is nothing like discovering the local food. It provides you with a fresh perspective on your destination’s culture, history, and landscape. There is always a purpose behind a certain food, which may be examined with your taste senses and your thoughts.
Keeping in mind that local cuisine is always on the cheaper side, be it a single cup of coffee or a full meal, it will also fit into your budget without you having to worry about finding a restaurant or someplace to eat.
10. Always Pack a Towel
While many hostels provide towels, you never know if they will be suitable for your skin. Since a little towel will not add much weight to your bag, you never know when you will need it, whether it is at the beach, on a picnic, or just to keep dry if it rains.
It is even preferable to have a pocket tissue with you if you can’t locate tissues to wash your hands or wipe your sweaty face when travelling. Pocket tissues don’t take much space either just slide in your pocket or the side zip of your bag.
11. Money Matters
If you are going to be in an airport or travelling through one, one of the finest pieces of travel advice is to withdraw money. The world is becoming more digital, and even transactions are being conducted online.
However, you may come across small businesses or antique stores where you want to buy something but are out of cash and stranded. As a result, carry cash with you when travelling.
Many locations, particularly tourist attractions, do not take credit cards and instead prefer cash transactions. While you shouldn’t store all of your cash in one area of your bag or only in your pocket, keep some in your bag, wallet, right side pocket, and some in your left.
Even if theft occurs, you will be reassured to know that you will be left with the leftover money.
12. Take a Mini First-aid Kit
While travelling or solo travelling should always have bandages, pain relievers, Pepto, Benadryl, allergy medicines, antibacterial cream, insect spray, anti-itch spray, and other essentials with you.
Each of these things is a lifesaver, and if done correctly, they don’t take up much room. It is awful to get sick in a foreign land while being on your own on solo trips, so try to be prepared. It is preferable to carry a first aid kit than to become infected or allergic.
13. Meet Locals
Meeting locals will only improve your overall vacation experience while solo travelling. Make friends with them. Always be open to making new friends but choose wisely and trust your instincts.
The young adults in the town are aware of everything that is going on in the town. They know everything from coffee shops to the local embassy. They can even help you with the local language and local culture.
If you have a language barrier, they will be ready to help you out with your native tongue. They can point out local events and unique events that take place around town in the season and are the perfect people to ask for advice on how to have a better trip with convenient transportation.
Because they are aware of the public transportation prices, you may keep an eye out for anyone who charges you more than what is expected. There are so many benefits to meeting locals on a solo trip.
14. Stay Hydrated
It is essential to drink water as frequently as possible during the day. When you travel, your customary habits frequently fall by the wayside. You might miss exercises or change your sleep routine for the week.
Staying hydrated is another problem when travelling. When you are dehydrated, you may experience weariness, muscular cramps, headaches, constipation, and overeating. Fatigue is a crucial issue to address when travelling because you will most likely be active with little opportunity to relax
You should get a reusable water bottle to take on your vacations instead of wasting important time looking for a purified water bottle. Many airports include water stations where passengers may refill their water bottles. You might be able to locate these water stations anywhere you go, saving money on bottled water and reducing plastic waste.
Though staying hydrated while solo travelling might be difficult, there are methods to make it work.
15. Invest in a Camera
Solo travelling demands many new talents, one of which is the ability to capture your photographs for the perfect memories. Making photography a purpose, even if it is only taking pictures of weird tiny features you notice about a place, gives your day structure.
You can admire your point of view as well as the story behind the photos you captured while travelling alone. It is also a wonderful chance to reflect on your solo travel experience and recall what you have accomplished.
A photographer desires to travel alone. When you travel solo, a day might easily be spent photographing crowded side streets and magnificent vistas with no plan or timetable. When it comes to capturing a moment with oneself, it is occasionally useful to go beyond the selfie.
If not the locations, photograph yourself. You know you won’t be surrounded by fellow travellers all the time.
So, begin taking a tripod to several locations. Don’t care about how you appear; what matters is that you preserve the memories rather than feeling self-conscious. Most people will not even notice you, and some may even offer to take your picture.
16. Always Carry a Lock
There will be times when you must leave your luggage somewhere while travelling. You can never trust anyone at those times, and because it is your baggage with almost all of your things, you can’t take any chances. So, what are you about to do? Bring a lock.
They come in handy, especially if you live in dorms and need to lock your belongings. When travelling, have a modest combination lock with you. If you use one with keys, you are doomed if you lose the keys.
17. Make Extra Copies of Your Passport and Important Documents
A person should constantly take care of his identification evidence, whether in his city, nation, or any other country. Such identification is especially crucial while solo travelling in an unfamiliar area and must be kept ready and safeguarded at all times.
Don’t forget to send yourself a copy as well via mail. You never know when you will need some form of documents and won’t want to carry your original.
Furthermore, if your passport is stolen, having a copy will be useful for your police report. Instead of carrying the original documents with you while travelling alone, get them printed and save them in a waterproof file.
18. Keep your Power Bank Boosted
You never know when your phone’s battery will die during the trip. And it is a terrifying thing to happen if you are travelling alone. When you travel alone, you are constantly reliant on your phones for navigation instructions or to locate local attractions.
In the midst of all of this, you may not have time to recharge your phone by stopping anywhere. To avoid running out of phone batteries, have a charged power bank with you at all times.
Also, a free bit of advice, keep the maps of the cities you will be visiting downloaded so you may use GPS without using data.
19. Keep a Plan B Ready at all Times
Nothing equals being ready at all times. Plan B should always be available. It will just inspire you to have more fun and not be as concerned as you might be on a vacation.
There will always be something that will not work and disappoint you while travelling alone. Solo travellers should be flexible because they do not always go as planned. While you are at it, remember to put your troubles aside and have fun. After all, isn’t that the whole point?
20. Be Careful
Trusting oneself is also one of the secrets to peaceful solo travelling memories. The more assured you are, the more at ease you will be. Your instinct is typically correct, so perhaps it is time to trust it.
You may even find yourself entirely alone at times, which is the whole point and joy of this vacation with complete freedom. In times of stress or doubt, you are never far from someone who can help you. Being a sociable person when in need, makes all the difference.
While solo travelling keeps an eye out for the places and people around you. Make sensible decisions about what you want for yourself when you travel alone. Know when to back off if something doesn’t work out.
Gaining the courage to travel alone, frequently go off on a tangent about how wonderful it is not only to spend time alone but to adore being alone. The entire flexibility of solo travel allows you to discover more about yourself, pursue your hobbies, and grow into a more authentic version of yourself.
Don’t fall into the pit of travel insurance unless and until you don’t read all the documents by yourself. Travel insurance is a safe option but only if it offers enough benefits. Many travellers just agree to the offers they present for saving money and end up paying even more.
Key Takeaways
Consider the safety tips for solo travels on a beaten path. Make sure every trip counts for your beautiful memories in the small towns you visit when you are travelling alone. Being alone is beneficial to the soul and may even aid in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress. And by solo travelling, one can take benefit from it exploring a new city or a different country.
Be it a first solo trip or your third, you can be an inspiration for other travellers out there. Take it easy, you have got it all.
Last Updated on March 9, 2023 by Priya Das
