Solo travel can be intimidating at first. Here are some great tips to help ensure your first solo trip is a success!
Picking the location
Your first solo trip need not be to somewhere halfway around the world! A destination in your own country is ideal. Pick somewhere that will still give you a different experience from home…but take comfort in knowing it won’t be *that* different. If you live in the mountains…go somewhere with a beach. If you live in a small town…spend the weekend in a big city. All too often we forget about exploring the places we live…and these can be the perfect opportunity for a successful first solo trip.
Keep it short
Just like you don’t have to travel far for your first solo trip…it doesn’t need to last two weeks either. A long weekend is perfect for your first solo getaway. Since you’re only there for a short while, you’ll stay busy seeing the sights and enjoying the excitement that always surrounds the first few days of a trip. Before you know it, you’ll be back home again.
Plan, plan, plan
Write a list of everything you’re even slightly nervous about and plan solutions before you even go. Worried about how to get from the airport to your hotel? Where to park if you’re driving? Will there be vegetarian restaurants? Can you walk to the places you want to see or will you have to take public transportation? How do the ticket machines work at the subway? Etc. You’ll probably have a long list of questions and concerns…and that’s okay! It’s perfectly normal. But don’t let your anxiety spoil the trip. Use your time to look up answers to these questions in advance. Write them down if you need to. Heck, put together a whole travel binder with the solutions. Planning is half the fun anyway. It’s likely you’ll find better answers or make deviations to your plan once you get there and start talking to locals, but having a preplanned solution to any worry can help make things more manageable.
Pack a book (or several)
A book is a solo traveller’s best friend. Anytime you feel a bit awkward by yourself (sitting alone on transportation…standing in line…eating by yourself…etc.), pull out your book. You’ll forget about feeling awkward…and no one thinks twice about seeing a person reading a book by themselves.
Be inspired by other solo travellers
Sometimes we just need to hear that everything’s going to be okay! Thankfully there are countless other solo travellers out there who are happy to share their experiences. Check out social media to connect with other solo travellers and be inspired by their own journeys. One of my personal favorites is The Solo Female Traveler Network on Facebook.
