Top tips on how to travel alone successfully and enjoy your experience
You might have noticed that I do travel alone a lot, even though I don’t represent myself as a solo female traveler. Sometimes I take my parents or best friends on trips with me, or even travel with other bloggers or attend organized trips for bloggers. Having said that, I was traveling solo for a couple of years first until I started traveling with others.
If you prefer or need to travel alone, follow a number of effective guidelines that will help you improve and start enjoying this experience while avoiding common pitfalls or risks.
Top tips on how to travel alone
For many people, traveling alone may seem a daunting experience from the comfort of their home. There are many questions that you may ask when planning this kind of trip, such as:
Is it safe to go out alone at night?
Does it seem weird to eat alone in restaurants?
Will you be attacked by bandits?
Let me tell you… asking those questions is pretty normal…
How to make solo traveling experience beneficial
However, there are many benefits of solo travel. Here are some effective tips on how to make your solo travel experience excellent:
Know your personal strengths;
Sleep around;
Don’t be scared of your own company;
Be ready to say no;
Take pictures;
Embrace terrible films and technology;
Find your kind of people;
Revel in it;
Avoid reading a lot;
Start early;
Eat big.
Know your personal strengths
If you’re an introvert, you can forget about a language barrier because foreign cities are great for people watching, especially if you focus on the fantastic foreign culture. If you’re a sociable person who prefers to stay in the middle of everything, you will go insane if you can’t communicate with others, so go somewhere you can talk to people.
Sleep around
You can search for room rentals in local apartments or try homestays because available options provide you with a good connection with residents while traveling alone. The good news is that you have many alternatives to choose from. Many solo travelers choose hostels, as this is where they spend more time with others. However, personally, I prefer to stay at luxury wellness hotels as I am really crazy about spa :D
Don’t be scared of your own company
Being alone for a long time may seem a daunting experience, but you may end up loving your own company. If you prefer to socialize, it’s always possible to make friends through different options. For example, you can sit near chatty groups of people or offer other tourists to take their pictures at famous sights. From my personal experience, it is always easier to make new friends when traveling alone, than when in a couple or group. Trust me, you will not be alone if you don’t want to be.
Be ready to say no
In many foreigner-fascinated and hospitable cultures, you can get a lot of attention as a solo traveler. That’s why you should be ready to say no in local languages. Ensure that you have local help phone numbers. You are most likely to never need them, but having such numbers in your phone provides you with confidence in awkward situations.
Take pictures
Make taking pictures your mission, even when it comes to only snapping small details that you notice at sights, as this is what will provide each day with a structure. Besides, your friends will appreciate your story and perspectives after returning home.
Eat big
Some solo travelers are tempted to eat fast food only because they want to avoid strange restaurant situations. You shouldn’t repeat their mistake as there are many great places where you can dine alone comfortably. You can take a table or eat at the bar. It is very easy to eat alone, trust me. I do it all the time :)
Start early
To ensure you will get the best solo traveling experience, you should wake up early, enjoy healthy breakfast, and head out to explore local museums, parks, and other activities. If you pack every day full enough, you won’t have any time to get bored.
Find your kind of people
Use social networks to make connections with other people who live where you’re traveling alone. Offer them to go out for a dinner, and you’ll be amazed at how many local friends you can easily make. There are many locals who would like to be your tour guide. Take into account your personal interests at the chosen destination, such as a chess association or a local football team.
Revel in it
If you feel lonely, you shouldn’t lose a sight of different things that you can do while traveling alone. Think about tiny perks, such as changing your mind each hour and dipping chips in guacamole if you feel like it. The best part is your complete freedom because you can go anywhere you want and do anthing you need to without asking for permission.
Embrace terrible films and technology
There’s nothing wrong in spending your occasional evening on watching a romantic film because it can be exhausting to go out every night. If you feel lonely, you can easily connect with your home, check podcasts and read motivational articles to pass your time on a solo journey.
Avoid reading a lot
Many people are daunted by traveling alone, so they often retreat into books because it’s a great way to escape curious stares. Reading is awesome, don’t get me wrong. But you can read a bit while spending a few hours at a local park at mid-day or then before going to sleep. Solo traveling means that you can meet locals, explore your surroundings, and do many other things. Just be confident to introduce yourself to others if you prefer to stay sociable. Or don’t, if you want to clear your head and reconnect with yourself. Your choice ;)
As you can see, traveling alone is not as intimidating as it may seem, and it offers many excellent experiences you most probably could not get when traveling with other people.
TIP 1: Looking for your first destinations to travel alone and you can’t choose? I’ll make it easier for you. Here’s 5 top destinations for solo travelers :)
TIP 2: My favorite city ever is Barcelona. It might not be the safest, but I’ve been thee alone many times. If you decide the visit the capital of Catalonia as well, here’s quick tips for solo travelers visiting Barcelona.
TIP 3: If you are not convinced yet if to go on your first solo trip, check out my article about 5 reasons why I travel alone. Hopefully you will make up your mind quickly as there’s a whole world out there.
Do you travel alone or you prefer to travel with more people? Feel free to tell me in the comments below :)
