TIPS FOR A FIRST TIME SOLO TRAVELER

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Have you ever wanted to travel to a dream destination, but shut out the idea because you didn’t have someone to go with? Well, perhaps it’s time to explore the idea of solo traveling. While it can be intimidating to explore foreign cities and countries all by yourself, I wholeheartedly believe that anyone can do it with the right amount of preparation and research. In fact, there’s now entire lifestyle trends and content creation accounts dedicated to solo travel for people of all backgrounds and identities.

I took my first ever international solo trip a little less than a year ago at age 21. While I’d flown by myself plenty of times before and gone on solo hikes, I’d never done something quite to this extent. Let’s be honest, traveling internationally for two entire weeks alone as a queer women can seem impossible at first thought. However, after recently graduating college, spending the last two years doing minimal travel, and itching to see more of the world—but not having anyone who would seriously commit to going with me—, I decided to try out solo travel for myself.

Here are the top five things I did that helped me plan my first solo trip and navigate the experience once I arrived:

RESEARCH

Leading up to becoming a solo traveler myself, I had been following other solo travel content creators and influencers for years. Over this time, I had saved informational posts, itinerary suggestions, and tips and tricks that certainly helped with the initial planning of my own trip. In addition to looking on Instagram for information, I highly suggest reading articles, blogs, and websites to get the inside scoop on your destination from previous travelers. This can help you identify the best (and safest) parts of town to stay in, what accommodations suit your wants and needs, and excursions to plan or avoid. Also reading up a bit on the country’s website itself, such as on current politics, best means of transportation within the country, climate, and acceptance on LGBTQ+ communities, can help you decide if and when it’s best to travel. Personally, I prefer to travel in a country’s off-season to avoid masses of people and to get the lowest prices!

BUDGET

Once you’ve gathered information from your research and developed a good idea of what you want to do, where you want to stay, and what parts of the country you want to visit, I suggest drafting a budget to figure out what you are realistically willing to spend on your trip. Consider expenses such as travel and transportation, accommodation, food, excursions, shopping, travel insurance, and an emergency fund. Easy ways to cut costs while traveling include utilizing public transportation or sharing taxi/uber fares with other travelers, grocery shopping and cooking your own meals, and staying in shared dormitory hostel rooms at an average of $10-$40/night—I swear by Hostelworld to find the best Hostels around the world. I’ll share a future post for my top hacks to finding cheap flights.

ENGAGE

Communicating with locals such as artisans and shop owners, service industry staff, tour guides, and taxi/uber drivers is the first step to immersing yourself and deepening your understanding of a foreign country’s culture. If you speak the local language, or can learn even just a few words and phrases, that will get you far and win you some kindness! Striking up conversations with other travelers can also lead to friendships and memories that you’d never expect. Staying in Hostels is a great way to do this and an lessen feelings of loneliness while solo traveling. The first night of my solo trip, and first night in a hostel, I originally planned on turning in early to get some rest after a long travel day and feeling a bit insecure, however ended up conversing with my bunkmate for close to four hours, gaining a friendship, advice, and memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything—Ankober, if you’re reading this, thank you!

GO WITH THE FLOW

I’m the first one to want to plan out every detail of my trip and create color-coordinated itineraries and spreadsheets. While, yes, planning is important for some aspects of travel, leaving room for flexibility is just as ideal. You may arrive in your destination country and come to love (or hate) one of the cities you’re traveling in and want to alter how long you’re staying. Perhaps you’ll get sketchy vibes from the AirBnB or Hostel you booked and want to move—trust me, I’ve been there. There’s a chance you’ll even want to ditch a solo excursion for one with a new friend. I did this and ended up spending an entire day with my Swiss bunkmate, grabbing coffee, visiting Chichén Itzá, cliff jumping into a giant cenote, and drinking coco locos. In short, keeping an open mind and staying flexible might actually make your travel experiences all the more memorable.

TAKE SAFETY MEASURES

Safety is the absolute #1 priority when it comes to traveling, even more so when traveling solo. Before your trip, take precautions such as sharing your live location with close friends and family who can keep tabs on you, as well as familiarizing yourself with what areas to stick to in the cities you’ll be exploring. I also like to travel with my Birdie Personal Safety Alarm to add an extra sense of comfort. While you’re traveling, trust your instincts. If you’re in a situation where something seems ‘off,’ it probably is. Follow a plan of action, whether that means changing accommodations, staying on the phone with someone you trust until you feel safe, or reaching out to a trusted local source. I’ll share a future and more detailed post for ways to stay safe while traveling.

Solo travel takes some planning and a leap of faith, but if you’re like me you’ll be hooked on it after the first time. Things are bound to go a little different than you expect but I hope that this guide can help ease some of the first-timer’s stress and give a resourceful starting point to navigating your solo travel journey.

Happy travels!