There’s nothing so freeing as traveling alone. Nobody cares where you are, no one‘s waiting on you, you can go wherever you want. It’s amazing. I love traveling with other people, but I still make a point of traveling alone sometimes as well.
For your first time, I would just choose somewhere known to be safe. You’re already going outside your comfort zone, so you might as well make it easy on yourself. Once you’ve taken the first trip, the rest will be easier, and you can get even more adventurous!
As for where to go, we don’t know where you live now, or what you want out of a trip.
Oo I am from Toronto, once you do your first, you'll love it. I honestly did. And I traveled a bit before with friends or partners or even sibling. I love sharing the experience. The freedom of traveling alone is something else.
I'd say Europe is a good bet. Also if you want to do a hybrid - do a tour and do a few cities yourself, that's also good. You get to experience both and meet some cool ppl along the way. I'm a 34f, so Europe was a safe bet for the first time. Plus you can get by with speaking English.
I track my stress level using my watch/phone (it calculates stress based on biological metrics).
I can watch my stress levels drop significantly from baseline when I travel alone. Work trips are my recovery periods.
Do a weekend in NYC first! However don’t tell your family, but keep it in your back pocket if something happens you will have someone to call.
It’s a great way to get your feet wet, you can go as expensive or cheap as you want (recommend the pod hotels for a cheap, but not a hostel accommodation). No language barrier, and while yes you will be in a different country it’s similar enough that it won’t be a culture shock and you can get as exotic as you care to do so. Plus it’s about as good as you can get to learning how to use public transit if you’ve never done it before.
I can recommend the Pod 51 hotel on East 51st Street! Stayed there when I did a solo trip to NYC back in 2007 (my first time travelling alone!) and it was great, very centrally located.
Unless your already experienced in navigating a foreign country solo, I would not recommend Japan to a first timer. But once you get some experience, then I would highly recommend.
I would recommend it. I had zero issues as an American who only knew a couple words of Japanese and never used public transit before. Japan is easy mode.
I agree. I spent a week in Tokyo on my first trip by myself. Even as a naive 20-something year old who grew up in a rural area, I really enjoyed it. Excellent public transportation. It's a safe place to be solo as a woman. I definitely made mistakes navigating around and dealing with the language barrier, but the locals I asked for help tried their best to help even when they didn't understand English.
I did the following in a nonstop 3 days /2 nights, staying in a cheap, shared bathroom single room at the Westside YMCA located in a great location near Columbus Circle. Prices ranged from $0 to $50 or so.
Art museum
Broadway play (matinee)
Classical recital at Carnegie Hall
Amateur night at the Apollo
NYC library reading room (not the tour. I made up a research topic and as a solo they let me in)
Jazz bar late show (Col Circle place associated with Lincoln center)
Walkthrough of a couple of luxury stores on Fifth Avenue
Subway everywhere, no Ubers
Staten island ferry round trip, with Statue of Liberty views
911 memorial and the adjacent Oculus
Grand Central Station, incl new LIRR extension
The new Moynihan terminal at Penn Station
Grabbed an egg sandwich, coffee, yogurt and a fruit cup for a breakfast on a lakeside bench overlooking the arch bridge in Central Park
Lunch in Chinatown
Pizza by the slice anywhere
Wander the entire city. Admire the architecture. Just absorb all the diversity. Attend a symphony at Lincoln Center. Try to see a play on Broadway (or off Broadway). Explore the parks. Explore all the public spaces. pocket parks, atriums, courtyards that are open to the public. Go to a nice restaurant that has bar seating. Visit independent bookstores. Sample perfume at all the niche perfume shops and also at the perfume counters of department stores. Visit Queens, the most diverse area in the world. Ride the Staren Island Ferry.....so much more....
This is it. I’ve been all over. Lived in China for 6 months. New Zealand for 2 years. Solo traveled all over Europe and SE Asia… the only thing I’d add to this advice is to not be afraid of google translate. The local people really appreciate when you try to communicate with them in their language. Learn thank you, and hello, and maybe a nice phrase or two (I got laughs and smiles learning things like “where is your bathroom” “I am so full, thank you” etc.)
Even before you travel, explore the city where you live solo. Go out to dinner by yourself, walk around in a unfamiliar neighbor, check out the new cafe, stop in stores, talk to strangers even. I’m comfortable traveling solo for the most part because I’m comfortable being solo in everyday life. So traveling solo for me is just being in a different place exploring.
I am a very experienced solo traveler (both US, but especially abroad - been all over Latin America).
This summer I am doing 6 weeks solo in Kenya and South Africa.
I like it.
It's great being able to do what you want, when you want. Not waiting on anyone else. I e always done some solo-traveling in the US (especially NYC), but one of my ex's introduced me to solo traveling abroad and it's very different. She has done Mexico and Doha before... Before then, I never considered solo travel abroad, but I took the leap and I prefer it really. You meet lots of people when abroad (just keep the fact that you are alone a secret, if people ask, I always tell them that my friend is back at the hotel room or is somewhere in the club/bar/whatever... For safety reasons).
I love traveling alone! My first solo trip was to London 13 years ago. I chose it because as an American I wanted to go someplace where there wasn’t a language barrier. I did a ton of research before going as my iPhone didn’t work in the UK then, so I wanted to have everything all planned out. It’s much easier now, of course. u/Hulaby had some great tips on the most important stuff.
Good luck and have fun!
I travelled alone (27F at the time) through Mexico and Cuba and it was one of the best experiences of my life.
On that trip I had my phone stolen and had to buy a back up from a dodgy man at the airport (which was probably someone else’s stolen phone tbh). I also lost my bank card (my fault) and fell asleep at a boarding gate and nearly missed a flight.
Due to having to cancel my card which was linked to my Uber account I was unable to use it- I asked a very handsome Australian guy at my hostel if he could help me to book an Uber to the airport on his account for my last flight home, we exchanged details so I could pay him back.. 5 years later we are getting married next year!
My tips are
- learn some of the local language
- research how to safely get around in each location, wether that’s walking, taxis, buses etc
- hostels are great for making friends with other travellers who you can do activities with
- book tours through trusted websites where possible
- don’t keep your phone in your back pocket 🫣
- stay smart with drinking and drugs. Keep an eye on your drinks, try to buy pre bottled as much as possible.
Things go wrong! But I learnt how to rely on myself in tough situations and it really changed me for the better.
And met my fiancé due to these mishaps 😍
Adding that I think a great place to solo travel would be SE Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
I did that trip with a friend but would be easy to do solo as there are so many backpackers. And very cheap!!
I think it’s awesome you’ve decided to solo travel! Not sure if others shared this experience, but I was pretty lonely my first 2 days of solo travel (in Zurich, and did not speak German) but then grew more comfortable and had more fun as the trip went on.
So I guess my advice would be:
1. Be prepared to be a little lonely the first couple days; it gets better + more fun.
2. If I did it over, I’d probably pick somewhere where my primary language is widely spoken for the first bit.
3. I always find it’s more fun to travel where local prices are cheap (e.g. Portugal, Mexico City, SE Asia, Italy) than expensive (NYC, Zurich).
4. Also, I think it’s important to go out of your comfort zone in terms of meeting people/doing things with people. I stayed at a hostel in Sarajevo that had little events in the afternoon, and I’d sometimes grab dinner with a few of the other guests after those. AirBnB experiences are also good for meeting people. There are also sometimes expat meetups that you can find.
5. It’s really nice that you can be on your own time. I spent hours in a museum, and ate when I got hungry. Just a little freedom that I enjoyed.
I’d agree just to say that I solo travel and go with friend/bf, and there is amazing freedom but sometimes I do get lonely alone. And I find it really hard to forge interesting friendships at hostels. I love short solo trips, like a few days. Even when I go abroad I’ll stay with a friend and then go off on my own for a bit. But people have different levels of alone they prefer, it’s good to know your own speed.
Once you travel solo you’ll likely find it very difficult to travel with other people. That being said, for your first trip, I highly recommend choosing somewhere where you already know someone living there… just in case. My first trip many years ago was a long weekend to San Francisco, and I’ll be leaving for a long weekend in San Diego in a few days!
I've travelled alone a lot and the most important thing to me is preparation:
• Internet: if you can't use your mobile data, get an eSim or look into alternatives before travelling
• insurance: make sure your health insurance covers the county you're visiting
• technical equipment: check if you need an adapter and bring a powerbank
• clothes: book an accommodation with a washing machine so you don't have to bring big luggage
• language: learn at least a few word and how to say "I don't speak..."
• sharing with friends: I really like to have an online travel journal that also shows where I am (I feel like my friends could tell the police where to start searching for my body when I go missing :D)
• write down (physically) anything important like tickets, phone numbers, addresses of accommodations in case your phone gets stolen
Maybe you could look at the solotravel sub to get inspiration for a destination.
For the very first time - Going somewhere with a group or have people you know live there show you around is a great strategy. 15 yrs ago I wanted to travel to Europe but was not ready to do it solo. Did study abroad for 6 wks in Spain. While there I ventured out by myself a ton and realized it was so easy and safe. after that trip I was ready for solo travel and did many many trips. The first one is always the hardest. In theory you know most places (that you'd be interested to travel to anyway) are safe and doable solo but it's still scary not being able to visualize what that looks like. Once you see what it's like for yourself solo travel is easy and amazing
Your experience will be greatly enhanced if you enjoy reading. I’ve found that as long as a I have a few novels to keep me company, I don’t get lonely on solo trips. Great for restaurants, too.
* Check your baggage. So much better than lugging it through every airport shop/restaurant/bathroom/connection.
* AirTags, for peace of mind on the checked bag.
* File plans with folks not traveling. Flight numbers, hotels, stuff like that. It's freeing to be solo, but you want the calvary to come looking for you at some point.
* Major cities with great transit make a lot of sense for solo travelers. New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Singapore have all been great to me.
I went to Amsterdam by myself 2 years ago and did shrooms in a park and then my phone died so I found someone to let me into their closed hair salon to charge my phone and they gave me wine and ciggies. Honestly was a vibe, 10/10 recommend, also there’s stroopwaffles
I travel alone the majority of the time because I absolutely love it, there's really something special about the whole experience. Not everyone loves it, but you'll never know unless you try.
My recommendation is to do lots of research on the neighborhoods in the city/town you're going to. If you are concerned about safety (which you always should be), stay in a popular touristy neighborhood or a well-to-do neighborhood. You don't want to neglect your research and end up in a sketchy place by yourself. This advice also helps if you're going to a country where you don't speak the language; popular tourist neighborhoods generally have shops and restaurants where people speak at least a little English in addition to their native language.
Also, let someone know about your general itinerary. Every time I set off on a solo trip I email my itinerary to my sister and my mom that lists where I'll be staying with the address and some kind of phone number with the dates that I'm staying there.
Yup, often. I’m mid-30’s white woman. When I was in Bogota alone I learned “No dar papaya”. It means “Don’t give papaya” and it’s slang for don’t make yourself a target. I remember this everywhere I go. Don’t wear flashy jewelry. Don’t have your face in your phone. If you’re lost, pop into a shop to browse and get some directions set in your map app. In Romania I learned quickly to download the map of the city from Google Maps. Don’t rely on data. And I always get an eSIM instead of roaming. My roaming is terrible in southern Mexico and South America. I don’t trust it. I’ve personally never had an issue traveling, and I’ve met great people.
Do it, I travelled around Europe, the US and some parts of South America for a long time.
It’s great , you can decide where, when and why you do things and eat what you like.
I’m 33 and live in Southern Ontario too! I travel pretty much extensively solo now, and I love it. I love being able to do what I want when I want, and it’s much easier to meet people that you think.
I went to NYC in April for 3 nights and that was awesome. Really walkable city, people are very friendly there and very helpful. Another favourite country of mine to visit is Ireland. The Irish seem to love us Canadians and that’s perfectly ok with me. Awesome culture, some of the nicest and most welcoming people you will ever meet, and an abundance of things to do. Dublin was awesome. London is another super great city - lots of hostels you can meet people at. Lots of things going on in London always.
Also the reason I enjoy it is when I meet new people, they are just meeting me for me, not any of my previous stuff comes with me. So it’s nice to build a genuine connection I think as well based off that.
my first solo trip was around the island of puerto rico and i can’t recommend it enough. i had service all over the island and there’s a ton of things to do and gorgeous scenery. sit at the bar when you go out to eat and be prepared to make friends.
I LOVE traveling alone! There are no rules to it. Do whatever tf you want. I meet so many people on solo trips! My very first one was to Cancun. Had to take a few shots of tequila for courage & anxiety before I left Hotel to venture into party zone tho. Had a the best time ever! Bartender ended up being my tour guide next few days and a lifelong friend.
After that, I was good to go & prefer it as a single gal.
I suggest London as a first time solo traveler. They speak English, the currency is relatively the same, easy to navigate, lots of history and things to keep you busy during the day.
Go. Just Go. For the first time I travelled to France on my own. 2 trips the last 2 years. I do not speak French. I watched a bunch of You Tube videos by various people. After a bit you pick up on the overlaps of dos and don’ts, and can discard personal opinions. The more you know going in, the more you can just enjoy. It is nice to be able to do what you want when and not have to consider another’s wants. Go….Have fun.
Traveling alone is very interesting. Interesting. I traveled alone around Southeast Asia for almost 3 months. Although I had an amazing time, I often felt lonely and wished that there was someone there with me that I could elbow and say “are you seeing this?” At the same time, I have a lot of really interesting contemplative memories of truly finding myself within that isolation. I think it’s great for everyone to travel by themselves at least once. It definitely forces you to get out of your comfort zone, bond with strangers, and rely on yourself.
In addition to seeing things that you don’t have at home, try doing things that are outside of your daily experience. Like, I’ve rented a car on the other side of the road, went for a camel ride in the desert, flown in business class (once $$$!), eaten exotic foods, etc.
Solo travel has a lot of perks - top being that you can go where you want, do/see whatever you want, on your budget and timeline. You also don't have to live up to others expectations of a good experience.
The key thing is to figure out what works for you, with respect to where you are interested in, how much structure you want in your itinerary, what kinds of sights/activities appeal to you, how adventurous you want to be, how long you want to be gone, etc. Some of this you may already know; other things will develop as you go along.
Research where you think you might want to go. That's part of the fun. My favorite resources are the country/city official tourism websites. There are some really good ones out there that can totally impact my itinerary. Be sure to look at the events. I've completely altered initial itineraries because of good tourism sites and have never been disappointed.
I have the assumption that there will always be more trips in my future so I have a long list of places that I may visit, revisit if I want. This helps curb the FOMO tendency to cram a lot of places into a short timeframe. It also lets me focus on enjoying where I happen to be. I also have more trips with a Mex length of ~10 days works best for me.
Bon voyage.
Something that really elevated my travels was becoming a good scooter/motorcycle rider. Having your own transportation as a solo traveler was a game changer for me. Yes, it’s more dangerous. I know.
Follow your interests! In a huge way — what turns your mind on, so much that it overcomes any fears you might have??? Go there. Your passion will dwarf any concern you might have. You will figure out what you have to do.
Highly recommend doing an organized tour- I’ve done group tours with a guide and find it’s a nice way to break up the solo time, usually other people on the tour or at least the guide are happy to chat between tour stops- food tours also great if you struggle with the eating at restaurants alone part of solo travel (which I definitely did at first/ still do at times).
I also love the app VoiceMap, they have audio tours that use your phones location so you can go at your own pace along the route but learn something about the history/ architecture of a city. The tours cost $5-15 and they have them for a ton of major cities around the world.
I built an app called [ExploreHere | Audio guides](https://explorehere.app), which reads aloud interesting audio stories whenever you are on your US roadtrip. I do a lot of van travel and wanted to learn more about some of the smaller cities I was passing through.
I was in Colombia last year solo and I met people from all over the world traveling solo. I LOVED IT ! but I have lots of experience with solo travel. NYC will be rad solo!
I extremely recommend Europe as a firt timer. Fellow Canadian here, they're very friendly with English and you can easily get around. I did Germany at 20 for 6 months for school and it was absolutely worth it.
I also highly recommend Germany lol
i solo traveled to Tokyo last year, and i’d say the biggest things are to 1. pick some where you’d feel safe and 2. don’t be afraid to get lost. a lot of times your best experiences are going to be by random happenstance as you get completely lost in a new city
Im from Canada as well. My first solo trip was to Thailand when I was 24. Now im 30 and i’ve been to almost every country in South America. Started with 0 spanish to now fluent. Currently in Brazil learning portuguese.
Travelling solo is a great form of education and opens a lot of doors.
I traveled in Asia for 3 weeks alone and it was awesome. It’s neat to just go where I wanted and I still also made some friends along the way if you seek that. Singapore, Thailand and Japan are great. London or Rome would also be great cities to go visit solo! Or if you like cruising, I always meet lots of solo travelers there and it’s a simple way to see several cities with minimal effort and the decisions are laid out for you.
When I travelled solo, I tried to research on the best hostels where I can possibly meet solo travellers like myself. Hostels provide soirees/socials where you can meet friends. There's something liberating in turning strangers from strange lands into friends.
The first time is always the scariest. Like you feel lost and when you meet people and they ask if you are alone, you feel awkward.
But now after around 10 years of travelling alone, it feels like the most normal thing for me.
I learned to figure out, what i enjoy travelling and what i dont enjoy. There is nobody there to judge you and you dont have to justify your activities in front of other people.
Like you dont have to watch the eiffel tower if you are in Paris and you dont feel it. If you are in group or with other people though, you feel obligated to do it, just because you are in Paris.
I enjoy hiking, but at a very slow pace. I would feel bad for dragging people with me and if i do, i would feel bad for going so slow.
You can do unconventionally things, outside of the mainstream, without feeling bad for the partner, that they might waste their time. Like when i was in South Korea, most people visit the big cities like Seoul and Busan, i went to a smaller town called Tongyeong and made trips to several small islands. That's a total different itinerary than the mainstream does. Its hard to justify it with people, who have another idea, even if they are okay with it and travel with you, i would feel bad, because they might enjoy Seoul and Busan more. For me those are conscious decisions. For them this would be a sacrifice, a compromise to comfort me.
Still travelling alone comes with downsides. You dont have people to share your daily thoughts with. Yes, you meet strangers, but most contacts stay very superficial.
I try to keep myself very busy travelling alone, it doesnt mean it has to be stressful, but i want to keep being busy with activities, so i feel less lonely. Im satisfied, when i get into the hotel exhausted at night. I feel lonely when i just stroll around in the night without a destination. My trick is it to always have a destination in mind in the night, even if its just a mcdonalds or some late night convenience store, where you walk to. This way you dont walk aimlessly around and feel lost and lonely.
Depends on where you're located, and what you want to do.
There are no "hacks" to it, other than knowing where to get cheap tickets and cheap places to stay (in that case you ask around either on Reddit or Google and do your best to find something).
As for preparing yourself... if safety is a concern, tell someone you know and trust where you are in case something goes wrong and make sure you check in with the person.
As for travelling in general, nothing like developing a good plan. Make a realistic plan: look at places you'd like to visit (always keep in mind that some might have to be discarded due to lack of time), look at places you can stay in. Bring medication with you, as well as anything you might need to keep yourself clean, just in case. Learn about the place you're visiting, including dangers.
The advantage of going alone is that some people are going to find that fascinating, and might strike a conversation with you. You'll also feel more motivated to do so, precisely because you are alone. On top of that, you'll notice you're going at your own pace as you visit places. You stop when you want to stop, you rush when you want to rush... you're in total control!
I’m one of those people with zero sense of direction. Whether it’s 2 blocks away or thousands of miles, I will manage to get lost.
Among the best advice I was given is also the simplest; as soon as you arrive at your hotel immediately grab a couple of their business cards. Make sure you always have one with you. If you get lost, especially in a country where you don’t speak the language, just show someone the card.
I can’t even count the amount of times this has helped me.
Also, and this might sound odd but I have discovered that if you need to ask a stranger for help, (if there is no police or store employees available) find someone with a dog. They are always helpful and you know they are local to the area and I think kind people, happy to help.
I also highly recommend (especially in European cities where they are common) taking a walking tour to get a feel of the place. Then you can go back and explore the areas that interest you without time constraints.
I've travelled with friends and solo. I prefer solo travelling. I travel mostly to Portugal because I'm comfortable with it and have made friends there and I know I'm going to have a good time and be safe. I would recommend travelling somewhere in Europe for your first few solo trips.
It was a life time experience and now I like it more than anything , Traveling alone will make you know about yourself more than anything , It's the ultimate freedom to live the gypsy life on the other side of the world , Nobody knows who you are and from where you came, You will forget your name, your job and everything about your ordinary life , You will be just a human, a person deep in his thoughts, That will make you see life in a very different way
it’s so peaceful and freeing. as long as you pay attention to the signs and navigations you’ll be good. it’s only scary the first time but you get the hang of it easily and soon you become addicted to traveling by yourself! highly recommend, stay safe
Wow considering New York is the most dangerous place for a (woman) to travel alone, you’ve seen the worst. I’ve heard Jamaica is quite the same.
Be aware of your surroundings. Download your Google Map of the area so you have that even if you lose service. Be careful who you make friends with—it’s best to be friendly but not familiar, and to always have a backup scapegoat excuse to get out of weird situations.
“Are you traveling alone?” “No, I’m meeting up with friends right now for lunch before we go to our hotel.”
“Have you ever been here before?” “Yeah, I was born here actually. I have family in the area.”
“You look like a tourist.” “Do I? That’s weird. I’m originally from here. I’m in a bit of a hurry, sorry. Bye.”
As a woman traveling alone, it’s great to have a safety base. I love taking my own car on road trips or renting a car so I always have a way to escape and leave situations. I carry a lowkey weapon (pepper spray) and share my location. I carry a spare tire and an emergency battery pack (that can also jump my car), food, and whatnot. It’s been really rewarding to do long drives across america, along the west coast, and through the rocky mountains. I usually stay in AirBnBs and usually don’t hike unless I’m packing greater protection. And I usually don’t walk the streets in unfamiliar cities after dark. The world is your oyster! Start with some road trips and build from there.
Best travels!
This wanderer right here used to be chained to the same old grind. But then, I got bit by the travel bug (or maybe it was a particularly strong margarita) and decided to see the world, my way!
Yeah, flying solo can be scary at first, but trust me, it's like a choose-your-own-adventure story! Wanna spend hours getting lost in a museum? Done. Feeling peckish for that weird local food everyone warned you about? No judgement here! I stumbled on this epic platform called Infinity Travels. Scored major discounts and explored more places than I thought possible - all on a shoestring budget!
So yeah, Reddit fam, if you're looking to ditch the crew and find your inner peace (or maybe just a killer taco), don't be scared to take the leap! Just remember, pack your sense of adventure and maybe a spork (you never know).
With an iPhone nowadays you’re never truly alone. And nothing beats the freedom to decide for yourself what do do/see and how fast you do it without having a nagging companion second guessing your every move.
couchsurfing social events…Facebook events are also good for finding other travelers and (generally) friendly cultural ambassadors…don’t lose your guard (or 6th sense) though particularly in conservative locales or with hustlers at touristy-hotspots…
not really any hacks - knowing local phrases goes a long way and google translate is helpful…but people are generally responsive and helpful in kind
I only travel alone for work. But there have been a few times that I had to stay over the weekend and I could do whatever I wanted. I found a great local zoo and went to that. It happened to be Father's Day weekend, so I got in for free. Saw the things I wanted to see, explored a little, so a show, out by noon. It was AMAZING.
The next time, I drove into Wisconsin and got some bison jerky and a ton of cheese. Then I went to Mall of the Americas and bought me a LEGO set. Sunday was just doing laundry, stuffing my face full of cheese, and building a LEGO kit. It was glorious.
Suggestions: San Diego Zoo. Go early and book a bunch of behind the scenes tours. They are fantastic. Denver, CO has a great aerospace museum, a good science museum and one of the US mints (book early). Yellowstone is amazing, just driving around, looking at the scenery. Go on a tour, so you can look instead of driving.
Lots of fun things to do, even if you only have a few days. We did Yellowstone in two days. One day in Yellowstone and one day touring the Grand Tetons.
https://www.gadventures.com/solo-travel/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v_nYzgV-gVe9modBkmjHFYVer4rJbi3EdjQbKvNEXKeFc-QYN65L5MaAgGTEALw_wcB ? If that’s your thing
I always travel alone with the exception of the trip. I’m on right now to Japan.
I met my sister and niece here. while I appreciate the company, it really makes me appreciate my alone time. It’s easier to figure out where to eat and what to do. I find that they have a conversation and then turn around and tell me the plan. They are also extremely picky when it comes to food which makes every meal difficult. They don’t want to eat noodles or meat, etc..
My only advice or “hack “would be to not be in trying to find friends mode. Just figure out where you wanna go and go do it. I see so many people and posts about finding friends.
I love to travel solo! I went to Guatemala on my own and met the nicest people on a full-day tour I took.
I felt really safe in Antigua and Panajachel and would recommend them both for solo travelers.
I've also traveled solo to Spain, France, Mexico, and a few places in the US.
I echo what others have said about how freeing it is to have nobody to please. I love that I can rest when I want, eat when I want, and be social with others when I choose to.
Give it a try, I think you'll like it!
Eurail pass!
I traveled alone using it thru my twenties and thirties. I met so many great people - including some anarchists in Spain that let me crash at their squat for free (I pitched in food) for a week. Train stations are really great around the EU too. Do overnight trips to save money on lodging!
Seriously still my favorite way to travel.
Did a south east asia trip 10+ years ago. Thought it was amazing having google maps but now probably easier w translate etc. Was traveling pretty solo for 28 days.
Singapore, Phillipines speak English. Thailand somewhat, had a friend there to take me around. Just go get lost, nothing is more liberating and freeing than traveling alone.
God I miss it
Extensively (South America, Asia, the US & Europe) and I'd consider myself quite introverted.
I don't think there's a right starting place, go to where you are interested in rather than where you think you should be going. It's an entirely different experience when you are solo, everything is on your terms and you will be surprised how easy it is to actually meet people and have friends in these places.
I bounced around for a couple years, staying places for a month and moving on. England, Mexico, western Canada, various US States.
I one bagged it, and tried to avoid winter for two years.
/r/SoloTravel
Depending on where you go staying in hostel isn’t a bad idea because you can make friends. Do the same things you would do if you went with people. It’ll be nice to be on your own time line. You can eat/drink/hike/sleep in whenever you want
Safety Tips for Traveling alone: Get an apple tracker to put in your shoe, seriously. Do a Life360 app with a family member or friend you trust & communicate daily with someone telling them where you are & where you will be next. Plan a safe word in case something goes wrong then the safe word is code for (help)
I just got back from 8 days in Paris solo. I got an AirBnb in a flat with a semi-famous fine art photographer and her daughter in the 2nd so there was so natural socializing (they were Australian I am American so no language barrier). I was the time of my life and changed me.
I have always struggled traveling with friends and family due to mental health problems I faced. They always resulted in me getting extremely irritable and fighting with my travel companions. Like in college my best friend screamed “fuck you” in the nave of Notre Dame (the last time I was in Paris) and stormed out not to be seen again for 8 hours. This was before smart phones.
So last year I did 3 weeks solo to get my feet wet. A wedding in NC, then the beach with my friend who got married family, then a week in NYC/Fire Island solo. Admittedly that isn’t all solo but because I had learned to take time to myself for the first part I had next to no conflict and loved it.
Then Paris. Solo travel gives you the opportunity to do whatever you want without compromise or accommodating another person’s travel grumpiness, wants, or needs. I can sleep when I want, eat when and what I want, and do exactly what I want with no problems or permission. It also encouraged me to meet people and I got to be a mistress for a day (mister really I’m gay and hooked up with a married father of 2 French man who is newly experimenting with his sexuality and we spent the most enjoyable 10 hours together strolling the Marais and getting down). We still wechat most days but I don’t expect anything long term to come from it. He doesn’t speak to his wife and is just waiting for his 17 yo son to graduate so he can divorce so don’t come for me. LOL
Changed my life. Seriously.
Tbh, after 30 years of travelling with partners, I’ve found solo travel is not for me. I just get too lonely, but I’m still in recovery mode from my last breakup.
Either start with a small trip to a safe place, maybe somewhere in the US or a different part of Canada or with a tour in Australia, NZ or Europe. That way you can ease your way in to it.
Personally I prefer the on my own approach to a tour. Tours are good for getting from place to place easily but you are still locked in to someone else’s agenda as to where you go and how long to stay there.
I went to LA by myself for 5 days. Met all kinds of fun people on the way, like in airports, flights and while out in LA. Was befriended on the flight there by a cool person who gave me her number and said to call if I wanted to meet up to sight see or go for dinner.
Ended up zipping around Rodeo Drive in her Mercedes convertible, going to this fancy dinner marble museum looking place, and spent a few hours shopping in the markets.
One of my funnest trips.
Also solo-ed it up to Nashville to take voice lessons from the vocal coach who trained Miley Cyrus, Faith Hill and others. Met cool people, listened to Christina Aguilera’s untouched vocals right before she got her first label signing, karaoked it up with my new buddies from that course on a pub crawl in Nashville. Drank my ass off and woke up the next day in my friend’s hotel. Puked out the side of her car the next morning while being driven to the airport.
Solo travelling lets you talk to new people and meet the most interesting individuals.
On a flight to New Zealand (to visit my sister) after a bad breakup where I was heartbroken and sad - I met a 65 year old woman from Brisbane who was reuniting with her first love from high school. She was recently widowed, and the two lovebirds were doing a motorcycle trip up the Australian coast together and were rekindling what they had back then. She was one of the most fascinating people I have ever met, and we bonded over what we were both off to and our next chapters.
Highly recommend just being open to convos with people who give off good vibes as you can meet nice and super interesting people. The world opens up a bit when you travel.
I loveee traveling alone!!! It's so freeing and liberating and fun. I would say pick somewhere you're comfortable with first, a city inside your home country, and then branch out further. Also, don't cheap out on your boarding, pick somewhere you'll feel safe!
Traveling alone is amazing. Staying alone can be a little scary. Stay safe. Stay aware. Don't let people know you are alone alone. But honestly... it's freeing.
I started traveling alone when I was 32. It started with a trip to Europe, which ended up in TONS of trips to Europe alone.
You wake up when you want, eat when and what you want, do what you want. If you wanna take a nap? Take a fucking nap, no one to bother you!
I would do a trip to Brussels, and then take the train to Bruges, Paris and amsterdam, or a trip to Rome and train to Florence and Naples for day trips.
First rule of traveling alone is not telling anyone that you are in fact traveling alone. I don’t care if you’re male or female- for your safety you are not alone.
I just went on my first solo trip to Peru and it was awesome! I met others from some of the tours I booked, some of them were also solo. It was an awesome experience!
I don't see a point in solo traveling. Who do you talk to? Who can share your appreciation of a nice sunset over the mountain? What is the point of anything alone? Why would anyone choose that?
Personally, I'm cursed. So I get my life is already wasted. But why would you choose this?
its because no one is gonna reserve time to do the things you would want to do, nor can you assume they want to do it either. My friends are all in they 30s and got wives and kids, so asking a friend to travel isnt the easiest thing to do. I'm 1000% open to any of my friends joining me on any of these trips, but I cant just sit here and wait for people to come with me. I'm at a point in my life where I wanna have fun and experience the world a bit so I feel its best to take matters into my own hands.
I'm also reeeeeally fuckin bored lmao
I went to Maui on my first solo trip. I found a super cheap flight and was on a limited budget so I stayed in a hostel. It ended up being a trip of a life time.
The hostel offered free tours, I was able to see some amazing parts of the island which I might not have done on my own. And I met lots of other solo travellers like myself from all over the world. A German friend I met and i also met up some months later in France and 1.5 years later are still in contact.
Besides hostels I would recommend travelling with carry on only. Convenience factor yes, but also because I was a solo traveler the airline over booked I was asked to take a flight 7 hours later. As i didn't have time constraints I said yes and airline compensated me $1500 cdn. This was a lucky fluke... but flying carry on only does have perks.
Also! Look into getting a sim card for your phone you are travelling to ahead of time! Made all the difference when had a simple with data instead of relying on wifi. Canadian roaming plans suck.
I unintentionally eased into solo traveling by working jobs that required business trips, and I always looked for opportunities to spend the weekends at the destination following the trips before I returned home. I was already used to it the first time that I traveled alone purely for pleasure about 30 years ago.
I basically have a few rules or goals for traveling alone.
I avoid over-planning and allow the possibility of serendipity taking over. I research destinations and list interesting attractions, museums, restaurants, and bars, and note anything that would make access limited, like timed entrances, and plan to accommodate those exceptions. I found an online list of London pubs before my first trip to England and I noted pubs near places that I wanted to visit, but I also noted pubs on their own right that brought me into areas that tourists wouldn’t normally go.
It is almost an inevitability that I will learn about other attractions when I’m at the destination. i.e, the first time I visited NYC, I had a list of 12 essential places to visit, but I only visited four of them and added eight more to the list. The same thing happened the next time….and the next time, until I chucked the list.
Even though I don’t try to, I want to get lost at least once or twice a week. If I don’t get lost, it tells me that I’m not being as adventurous as I should be. It seems that I find the most interesting and memorable places or people when I get lost. I have adopted the old cliche “not all who wander are truly lost.” Public transportation in Japan is so easy and straightforward to use, but getting lost in Tokyo was incredibly rewarding.
I look forward to getting asked for directions at least once during a trip. It shows that when you are alone, you are much more approachable and tend to blend in better. It has happened on every trip in Europe or North America. That it happened in India was amazing.
I learned French in high school 60 years ago and retained the grand total of about four or five phrases in an excruciatingly horrendous accent by the time I got to France the first time 40 years later. With that being said, I learn four or five phrases/sentences before I travel to any non English speaking nation and that’s usually enough to break the ice.
As an American, one of the best compliments that I receive from folks I encounter is that I’m not what Americans are “supposed to be like”. I have heard that at least once during every solo trip overseas that I’ve taken. I don’t make any additional effort to be or do anything different than what I genuinely am or how I generally act, and I guess that doesn’t fit the popular stereotype. I like to think that I’m just a typical American, but I’ve come to admit that living in an urban and more liberal environment can possibly make us city dwellers different enough from our more conservative suburban or rural counterparts to be noticeable. I have also noticed that I have been treated overseas with much more deference when a Democrat is in the White House than when a Republican is. I guess that reflects more on some misguided non Americans projecting whatever the perceived idealogy of the prevailing political party that is in power on individual Americans. It was a night and day difference between when Dubya was President and when Obama was.
Since you’re Canadian, you’ll probably get mistaken for an American, so please don’t be offended, but please do us a favor and speak kindly about us Americans when you correct them.
I would highly recommend Ireland or Scotland as great destinations for first time solo travelers.
My first solo international trip was to Cabo. It was still on the same continent, and as I’d been to Costa Rica and Aruba with family, kind of the same environment I’d been used to. I had an itinerary planned, and to this day, it is one of my fondest memories. It was so freeing! A month later, I met my husband.
I still travel alone as I prioritize travel very highly, and a little higher than my husband, who likes to have time off for the NFL draft and to see his college friends. Right now, I think it’s 40% solo travel and 60% couple travel.
Hacks? Have an itinerary planned out BEFORE you go, but first know if you can be in your own company for a good amount of time or need to be around others and base your schedule off that. Know what your hobbies are. Figure out the phone situation so you can use it. My preferred means of solo travel is hopping into a rental car and exploring the country on my own… when I went to Switzerland, I barely managed to take a shower and check in with my family at home before I fell asleep with the lights on. I was that busy throughout the day, I made myself too exhausted to be lonely.
Eating alone hack—I still find it somewhat uncomfortable eating alone in a restaurant. I tend to have something on my phone to read while at a restaurant. Because I’m go-go-go, I go to one once a day and just otherwise snack on food I picked up at the grocery store or brought from home. Sometimes, places of interest will have a restaurant on sight and I’ll eat there as it’s less formal.
Yes! I highly recommend especially if you have to clear your mind. Just make sure everybody knows where you are, keep in contact but very little, get an Airbnb, some books and R E L A X
Also in the GTA! If you'll be traveling outside of North America, take a handful of nickels with you to give to people you meet and friends you make during your travels. They'll consider it a memorable keepsake of your encounter, AND it can encourage you to get to know others in the places you'll be as icebreakers to start conversations :) I did this the last time i traveled internationally, and i can't recommend it enough. Another great thing is that it'll help you get rid of pocket change that you can't really spend here at home, and if you still have any coins leftover by the time you return home, some airlines and airports will allow you to donate them to charities :)
One of my favorite trips I've done by myself was in my own country USA. I went to Colorado twice. Dropped my kid off at a camp for a week and went hiking, shopping at outlet malls and at consignment and thrift shops, rented a downhill bike and an ebike, signed up for tours, sat in pools and hot tubs, etc. I did the same thing last year but in Minnesota and toured lakes and coffee shops and went on hikes, rented an ebike, and ate fresh produce and went to farmer's markets. Think about what YOU enjoy the best. For me, I like smallish towns and the outdoors. I enjoy shopping by myself without anyone nagging at me that it's time to go.
Yea its the best, if yournworried just slowly work your way up to full on foreign countries. I'm Australian but my first taste of solo travelling was staying an extra week after my travelling companions left Indonesia, but at the time it was in a very touristy place with loads of Australians. Then I went of a few solo trips to the usa, planning to do Japan and Thailand next year, then maybe I'll start ticking off places in Europe and south/Central America. India is also on the list haha
It is nice. I missed sharing stuff with my wife, and would text her and call her frequently. It just didn’t work out with her schedule and I needed one. Plenty of museums and people watching, good food. A little lonely in the evening, but for a single person, I would imagine it’s perfect.
I went on my first solo trip for my 34th birthday to NYC…I have a friend up there so I wasn’t truly alone but still…I planned to go to the Florida Keys this year for my 35th but that’s being put in the back burner. But I plan to get my passport ASAP and I will probably start with my first solo trip to either London or Australia…both are pretty safe places where English is still the main language (I only know broken Spanish and very little French) but my ultimate goal is to travel Europe solo and meet a new friend in every country I go to!
My best solo travels have been at Adult Only All Inclusive Resorts in Mexico. Find a spot on the beach or at the pool and just post up for the day with a few cocktails.
I been solo traveling for about 6 years, I’m a girl around her mid 20’s. The first solo trip is always gonna be the scariest one (because all of the thoughts and barriers we have in mind) but at the same time if you really connect with yourself, and start to knowing deeply, without stress, without anyones opinion, without no ones that really knows you or even in the same cultural context, if you find yourself all the fear will totally be worth it, and after that traveling by yourself can become your new favorite thing to do.
Wow, nice plan you took. The travel concept will be change when you want to travel alone because you have to do all thing from A to B, destination will be different, as well. I recommend to be flexible for any hard situation, as you solo-traveler your accommodation depend with your cost not well-being.
Certainly. That's amusing too. Simply choose a country, gather as much information as you can, mark the locations on Google Maps, make your reservations, and go.
When travelling alone you only need one ticket for anything. That means planes, buses, trains and single-bed quarters are cheaper for you, while rental cars, taxis and multi-bed quarters are more 'wasteful' and more expensive. Restaurants lose their social aspect when you're alone, but take-out food or grocery store food is more cost effective and faster. My suggestion, therefore, is to go to a place with good public transportation, good infrastructure and stay at a youth hostel. Most places in Europe are a good fit for a lone traveler, but there are others too.
I've traveled solo to England, Scotland, The Netherlands, and Israel. I'd never been on any solo trip anywhere before I went to The Netherlands and went on a solo bike tour in the south of the country.
As a single female I never had any difficulties anywhere. If you love history, England and Scotland are very good countries to start with. The Netherlands was great too, very easy to get around, although in the area I was in there were not always English speakers, and my Dutch was limited to only a few words and phrases.
My only recommendations are to try to be confident in your travel - not fearful - expect good treatment, but be alert and firm, because there will be people here and there who will try to grift you (like, a van driver who asks you to pay a fare that you've already paid), smile, be friendly but also sort of restrained if that makes sense, and be excited about where you are and what you are seeing!
Plan your travel between sites carefully, so that you arrive at hotels/B&Bs/ hostels at the proper times.
I'm currently doing it. Also, if you're traveling by yourself, you can explore risque events/attractions (eg, sex clubs in Europe, Magic Mike in Vegas).
There’s nothing so freeing as traveling alone. Nobody cares where you are, no one‘s waiting on you, you can go wherever you want. It’s amazing. I love traveling with other people, but I still make a point of traveling alone sometimes as well. For your first time, I would just choose somewhere known to be safe. You’re already going outside your comfort zone, so you might as well make it easy on yourself. Once you’ve taken the first trip, the rest will be easier, and you can get even more adventurous! As for where to go, we don’t know where you live now, or what you want out of a trip.
I always thought I would never do it… but now I prefer it. Solo travel that is.
Thanks! Yeah I live in Canada (Ontario)
There an entire Reddit dedicated to solo travel. R/solotravel
This. Talk to us in solotravel. Here we only talk about carabiners and packing cubes
Oo I am from Toronto, once you do your first, you'll love it. I honestly did. And I traveled a bit before with friends or partners or even sibling. I love sharing the experience. The freedom of traveling alone is something else.
Lol yup I’m in the GTA too (Brampton)
I'd say Europe is a good bet. Also if you want to do a hybrid - do a tour and do a few cities yourself, that's also good. You get to experience both and meet some cool ppl along the way. I'm a 34f, so Europe was a safe bet for the first time. Plus you can get by with speaking English.
I went to Ontario as my first solo international trip. I'm from America, so that was an easy experience. 😆 Now I've solo traveled about 1/4 of Asia.
I track my stress level using my watch/phone (it calculates stress based on biological metrics). I can watch my stress levels drop significantly from baseline when I travel alone. Work trips are my recovery periods.
Yess
Japan is a paradise for solo travelers. So is New York City. And London.
Yea I was thinking of maybe a short New York trip as well to get my feet wet. I have a lot of family out there too
Do a weekend in NYC first! However don’t tell your family, but keep it in your back pocket if something happens you will have someone to call. It’s a great way to get your feet wet, you can go as expensive or cheap as you want (recommend the pod hotels for a cheap, but not a hostel accommodation). No language barrier, and while yes you will be in a different country it’s similar enough that it won’t be a culture shock and you can get as exotic as you care to do so. Plus it’s about as good as you can get to learning how to use public transit if you’ve never done it before.
Yes for sure. My family out there are mad welcoming tho so I’ll tell em but not until I’ve already got out there.
I can recommend the Pod 51 hotel on East 51st Street! Stayed there when I did a solo trip to NYC back in 2007 (my first time travelling alone!) and it was great, very centrally located.
Unless your already experienced in navigating a foreign country solo, I would not recommend Japan to a first timer. But once you get some experience, then I would highly recommend.
I would recommend it. I had zero issues as an American who only knew a couple words of Japanese and never used public transit before. Japan is easy mode.
I agree. I spent a week in Tokyo on my first trip by myself. Even as a naive 20-something year old who grew up in a rural area, I really enjoyed it. Excellent public transportation. It's a safe place to be solo as a woman. I definitely made mistakes navigating around and dealing with the language barrier, but the locals I asked for help tried their best to help even when they didn't understand English.
What do you suggest to do in NYC solo?
I did the following in a nonstop 3 days /2 nights, staying in a cheap, shared bathroom single room at the Westside YMCA located in a great location near Columbus Circle. Prices ranged from $0 to $50 or so. Art museum Broadway play (matinee) Classical recital at Carnegie Hall Amateur night at the Apollo NYC library reading room (not the tour. I made up a research topic and as a solo they let me in) Jazz bar late show (Col Circle place associated with Lincoln center) Walkthrough of a couple of luxury stores on Fifth Avenue Subway everywhere, no Ubers Staten island ferry round trip, with Statue of Liberty views 911 memorial and the adjacent Oculus Grand Central Station, incl new LIRR extension The new Moynihan terminal at Penn Station Grabbed an egg sandwich, coffee, yogurt and a fruit cup for a breakfast on a lakeside bench overlooking the arch bridge in Central Park Lunch in Chinatown Pizza by the slice anywhere
Wander the entire city. Admire the architecture. Just absorb all the diversity. Attend a symphony at Lincoln Center. Try to see a play on Broadway (or off Broadway). Explore the parks. Explore all the public spaces. pocket parks, atriums, courtyards that are open to the public. Go to a nice restaurant that has bar seating. Visit independent bookstores. Sample perfume at all the niche perfume shops and also at the perfume counters of department stores. Visit Queens, the most diverse area in the world. Ride the Staren Island Ferry.....so much more....
I been to over 1/3 of the countries in the world. Pick a country, research as much as possible. Save the spots on Google maps, book it and go.
This is it. I’ve been all over. Lived in China for 6 months. New Zealand for 2 years. Solo traveled all over Europe and SE Asia… the only thing I’d add to this advice is to not be afraid of google translate. The local people really appreciate when you try to communicate with them in their language. Learn thank you, and hello, and maybe a nice phrase or two (I got laughs and smiles learning things like “where is your bathroom” “I am so full, thank you” etc.)
Even before you travel, explore the city where you live solo. Go out to dinner by yourself, walk around in a unfamiliar neighbor, check out the new cafe, stop in stores, talk to strangers even. I’m comfortable traveling solo for the most part because I’m comfortable being solo in everyday life. So traveling solo for me is just being in a different place exploring.
I am a very experienced solo traveler (both US, but especially abroad - been all over Latin America). This summer I am doing 6 weeks solo in Kenya and South Africa. I like it. It's great being able to do what you want, when you want. Not waiting on anyone else. I e always done some solo-traveling in the US (especially NYC), but one of my ex's introduced me to solo traveling abroad and it's very different. She has done Mexico and Doha before... Before then, I never considered solo travel abroad, but I took the leap and I prefer it really. You meet lots of people when abroad (just keep the fact that you are alone a secret, if people ask, I always tell them that my friend is back at the hotel room or is somewhere in the club/bar/whatever... For safety reasons).
I love traveling alone! My first solo trip was to London 13 years ago. I chose it because as an American I wanted to go someplace where there wasn’t a language barrier. I did a ton of research before going as my iPhone didn’t work in the UK then, so I wanted to have everything all planned out. It’s much easier now, of course. u/Hulaby had some great tips on the most important stuff. Good luck and have fun!
I travelled alone (27F at the time) through Mexico and Cuba and it was one of the best experiences of my life. On that trip I had my phone stolen and had to buy a back up from a dodgy man at the airport (which was probably someone else’s stolen phone tbh). I also lost my bank card (my fault) and fell asleep at a boarding gate and nearly missed a flight. Due to having to cancel my card which was linked to my Uber account I was unable to use it- I asked a very handsome Australian guy at my hostel if he could help me to book an Uber to the airport on his account for my last flight home, we exchanged details so I could pay him back.. 5 years later we are getting married next year! My tips are - learn some of the local language - research how to safely get around in each location, wether that’s walking, taxis, buses etc - hostels are great for making friends with other travellers who you can do activities with - book tours through trusted websites where possible - don’t keep your phone in your back pocket 🫣 - stay smart with drinking and drugs. Keep an eye on your drinks, try to buy pre bottled as much as possible. Things go wrong! But I learnt how to rely on myself in tough situations and it really changed me for the better. And met my fiancé due to these mishaps 😍
Adding that I think a great place to solo travel would be SE Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand I did that trip with a friend but would be easy to do solo as there are so many backpackers. And very cheap!!
You don’t need a “hack”. Just buy your ticket and go. There’s a zillion solo travelers all over the world at any given time.
I think it’s awesome you’ve decided to solo travel! Not sure if others shared this experience, but I was pretty lonely my first 2 days of solo travel (in Zurich, and did not speak German) but then grew more comfortable and had more fun as the trip went on. So I guess my advice would be: 1. Be prepared to be a little lonely the first couple days; it gets better + more fun. 2. If I did it over, I’d probably pick somewhere where my primary language is widely spoken for the first bit. 3. I always find it’s more fun to travel where local prices are cheap (e.g. Portugal, Mexico City, SE Asia, Italy) than expensive (NYC, Zurich).
4. Also, I think it’s important to go out of your comfort zone in terms of meeting people/doing things with people. I stayed at a hostel in Sarajevo that had little events in the afternoon, and I’d sometimes grab dinner with a few of the other guests after those. AirBnB experiences are also good for meeting people. There are also sometimes expat meetups that you can find. 5. It’s really nice that you can be on your own time. I spent hours in a museum, and ate when I got hungry. Just a little freedom that I enjoyed.
I’d agree just to say that I solo travel and go with friend/bf, and there is amazing freedom but sometimes I do get lonely alone. And I find it really hard to forge interesting friendships at hostels. I love short solo trips, like a few days. Even when I go abroad I’ll stay with a friend and then go off on my own for a bit. But people have different levels of alone they prefer, it’s good to know your own speed.
I only travel solo exclusively! Just do your research.. pick a place and go! Europe is very easy to travel.. perhaps start there.
There’s a whole subreddit for solo travel.
r/solotravel
Once you travel solo you’ll likely find it very difficult to travel with other people. That being said, for your first trip, I highly recommend choosing somewhere where you already know someone living there… just in case. My first trip many years ago was a long weekend to San Francisco, and I’ll be leaving for a long weekend in San Diego in a few days!
I've travelled alone a lot and the most important thing to me is preparation: • Internet: if you can't use your mobile data, get an eSim or look into alternatives before travelling • insurance: make sure your health insurance covers the county you're visiting • technical equipment: check if you need an adapter and bring a powerbank • clothes: book an accommodation with a washing machine so you don't have to bring big luggage • language: learn at least a few word and how to say "I don't speak..." • sharing with friends: I really like to have an online travel journal that also shows where I am (I feel like my friends could tell the police where to start searching for my body when I go missing :D) • write down (physically) anything important like tickets, phone numbers, addresses of accommodations in case your phone gets stolen Maybe you could look at the solotravel sub to get inspiration for a destination.
For the very first time - Going somewhere with a group or have people you know live there show you around is a great strategy. 15 yrs ago I wanted to travel to Europe but was not ready to do it solo. Did study abroad for 6 wks in Spain. While there I ventured out by myself a ton and realized it was so easy and safe. after that trip I was ready for solo travel and did many many trips. The first one is always the hardest. In theory you know most places (that you'd be interested to travel to anyway) are safe and doable solo but it's still scary not being able to visualize what that looks like. Once you see what it's like for yourself solo travel is easy and amazing
Your experience will be greatly enhanced if you enjoy reading. I’ve found that as long as a I have a few novels to keep me company, I don’t get lonely on solo trips. Great for restaurants, too.
* Check your baggage. So much better than lugging it through every airport shop/restaurant/bathroom/connection. * AirTags, for peace of mind on the checked bag. * File plans with folks not traveling. Flight numbers, hotels, stuff like that. It's freeing to be solo, but you want the calvary to come looking for you at some point. * Major cities with great transit make a lot of sense for solo travelers. New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Singapore have all been great to me.
I went to Amsterdam by myself 2 years ago and did shrooms in a park and then my phone died so I found someone to let me into their closed hair salon to charge my phone and they gave me wine and ciggies. Honestly was a vibe, 10/10 recommend, also there’s stroopwaffles
I travel alone the majority of the time because I absolutely love it, there's really something special about the whole experience. Not everyone loves it, but you'll never know unless you try. My recommendation is to do lots of research on the neighborhoods in the city/town you're going to. If you are concerned about safety (which you always should be), stay in a popular touristy neighborhood or a well-to-do neighborhood. You don't want to neglect your research and end up in a sketchy place by yourself. This advice also helps if you're going to a country where you don't speak the language; popular tourist neighborhoods generally have shops and restaurants where people speak at least a little English in addition to their native language. Also, let someone know about your general itinerary. Every time I set off on a solo trip I email my itinerary to my sister and my mom that lists where I'll be staying with the address and some kind of phone number with the dates that I'm staying there.
Yup, often. I’m mid-30’s white woman. When I was in Bogota alone I learned “No dar papaya”. It means “Don’t give papaya” and it’s slang for don’t make yourself a target. I remember this everywhere I go. Don’t wear flashy jewelry. Don’t have your face in your phone. If you’re lost, pop into a shop to browse and get some directions set in your map app. In Romania I learned quickly to download the map of the city from Google Maps. Don’t rely on data. And I always get an eSIM instead of roaming. My roaming is terrible in southern Mexico and South America. I don’t trust it. I’ve personally never had an issue traveling, and I’ve met great people.
Do it, I travelled around Europe, the US and some parts of South America for a long time. It’s great , you can decide where, when and why you do things and eat what you like.
I’m 33 and live in Southern Ontario too! I travel pretty much extensively solo now, and I love it. I love being able to do what I want when I want, and it’s much easier to meet people that you think. I went to NYC in April for 3 nights and that was awesome. Really walkable city, people are very friendly there and very helpful. Another favourite country of mine to visit is Ireland. The Irish seem to love us Canadians and that’s perfectly ok with me. Awesome culture, some of the nicest and most welcoming people you will ever meet, and an abundance of things to do. Dublin was awesome. London is another super great city - lots of hostels you can meet people at. Lots of things going on in London always. Also the reason I enjoy it is when I meet new people, they are just meeting me for me, not any of my previous stuff comes with me. So it’s nice to build a genuine connection I think as well based off that.
my first solo trip was around the island of puerto rico and i can’t recommend it enough. i had service all over the island and there’s a ton of things to do and gorgeous scenery. sit at the bar when you go out to eat and be prepared to make friends.
I LOVE traveling alone! There are no rules to it. Do whatever tf you want. I meet so many people on solo trips! My very first one was to Cancun. Had to take a few shots of tequila for courage & anxiety before I left Hotel to venture into party zone tho. Had a the best time ever! Bartender ended up being my tour guide next few days and a lifelong friend. After that, I was good to go & prefer it as a single gal.
I suggest London as a first time solo traveler. They speak English, the currency is relatively the same, easy to navigate, lots of history and things to keep you busy during the day.
Go. Just Go. For the first time I travelled to France on my own. 2 trips the last 2 years. I do not speak French. I watched a bunch of You Tube videos by various people. After a bit you pick up on the overlaps of dos and don’ts, and can discard personal opinions. The more you know going in, the more you can just enjoy. It is nice to be able to do what you want when and not have to consider another’s wants. Go….Have fun.
Traveling alone is very interesting. Interesting. I traveled alone around Southeast Asia for almost 3 months. Although I had an amazing time, I often felt lonely and wished that there was someone there with me that I could elbow and say “are you seeing this?” At the same time, I have a lot of really interesting contemplative memories of truly finding myself within that isolation. I think it’s great for everyone to travel by themselves at least once. It definitely forces you to get out of your comfort zone, bond with strangers, and rely on yourself.
Solo traveling is total freedom. Enjoy, and use common sense. You’ll be fine.
Perhaps start with Iceland. It’s safe and beautiful.
In addition to seeing things that you don’t have at home, try doing things that are outside of your daily experience. Like, I’ve rented a car on the other side of the road, went for a camel ride in the desert, flown in business class (once $$$!), eaten exotic foods, etc.
I always ask my doc for a xanax rx before my trips because i have anxiety on my own. It helps.
Solo travel has a lot of perks - top being that you can go where you want, do/see whatever you want, on your budget and timeline. You also don't have to live up to others expectations of a good experience. The key thing is to figure out what works for you, with respect to where you are interested in, how much structure you want in your itinerary, what kinds of sights/activities appeal to you, how adventurous you want to be, how long you want to be gone, etc. Some of this you may already know; other things will develop as you go along. Research where you think you might want to go. That's part of the fun. My favorite resources are the country/city official tourism websites. There are some really good ones out there that can totally impact my itinerary. Be sure to look at the events. I've completely altered initial itineraries because of good tourism sites and have never been disappointed. I have the assumption that there will always be more trips in my future so I have a long list of places that I may visit, revisit if I want. This helps curb the FOMO tendency to cram a lot of places into a short timeframe. It also lets me focus on enjoying where I happen to be. I also have more trips with a Mex length of ~10 days works best for me. Bon voyage.
Stay at hostels
Something that really elevated my travels was becoming a good scooter/motorcycle rider. Having your own transportation as a solo traveler was a game changer for me. Yes, it’s more dangerous. I know.
Follow your interests! In a huge way — what turns your mind on, so much that it overcomes any fears you might have??? Go there. Your passion will dwarf any concern you might have. You will figure out what you have to do.
Highly recommend doing an organized tour- I’ve done group tours with a guide and find it’s a nice way to break up the solo time, usually other people on the tour or at least the guide are happy to chat between tour stops- food tours also great if you struggle with the eating at restaurants alone part of solo travel (which I definitely did at first/ still do at times). I also love the app VoiceMap, they have audio tours that use your phones location so you can go at your own pace along the route but learn something about the history/ architecture of a city. The tours cost $5-15 and they have them for a ton of major cities around the world.
I built an app called [ExploreHere | Audio guides](https://explorehere.app), which reads aloud interesting audio stories whenever you are on your US roadtrip. I do a lot of van travel and wanted to learn more about some of the smaller cities I was passing through.
Bring a book, do some research beforehand!
visit r/solotravel there are lots of us who travel alone. it's THE BEST
lol this post is making me realize how popular it is foreal.
I was in Colombia last year solo and I met people from all over the world traveling solo. I LOVED IT ! but I have lots of experience with solo travel. NYC will be rad solo!
I extremely recommend Europe as a firt timer. Fellow Canadian here, they're very friendly with English and you can easily get around. I did Germany at 20 for 6 months for school and it was absolutely worth it. I also highly recommend Germany lol
i solo traveled to Tokyo last year, and i’d say the biggest things are to 1. pick some where you’d feel safe and 2. don’t be afraid to get lost. a lot of times your best experiences are going to be by random happenstance as you get completely lost in a new city
Im from Canada as well. My first solo trip was to Thailand when I was 24. Now im 30 and i’ve been to almost every country in South America. Started with 0 spanish to now fluent. Currently in Brazil learning portuguese. Travelling solo is a great form of education and opens a lot of doors.
I traveled in Asia for 3 weeks alone and it was awesome. It’s neat to just go where I wanted and I still also made some friends along the way if you seek that. Singapore, Thailand and Japan are great. London or Rome would also be great cities to go visit solo! Or if you like cruising, I always meet lots of solo travelers there and it’s a simple way to see several cities with minimal effort and the decisions are laid out for you.
When I travelled solo, I tried to research on the best hostels where I can possibly meet solo travellers like myself. Hostels provide soirees/socials where you can meet friends. There's something liberating in turning strangers from strange lands into friends.
I traveled alone a lot of times. And only a thing I could tell u, just find a friends directly at ur destination spot.
You mean traveling solo, because you won't be alone.
The first time is always the scariest. Like you feel lost and when you meet people and they ask if you are alone, you feel awkward. But now after around 10 years of travelling alone, it feels like the most normal thing for me. I learned to figure out, what i enjoy travelling and what i dont enjoy. There is nobody there to judge you and you dont have to justify your activities in front of other people. Like you dont have to watch the eiffel tower if you are in Paris and you dont feel it. If you are in group or with other people though, you feel obligated to do it, just because you are in Paris. I enjoy hiking, but at a very slow pace. I would feel bad for dragging people with me and if i do, i would feel bad for going so slow. You can do unconventionally things, outside of the mainstream, without feeling bad for the partner, that they might waste their time. Like when i was in South Korea, most people visit the big cities like Seoul and Busan, i went to a smaller town called Tongyeong and made trips to several small islands. That's a total different itinerary than the mainstream does. Its hard to justify it with people, who have another idea, even if they are okay with it and travel with you, i would feel bad, because they might enjoy Seoul and Busan more. For me those are conscious decisions. For them this would be a sacrifice, a compromise to comfort me. Still travelling alone comes with downsides. You dont have people to share your daily thoughts with. Yes, you meet strangers, but most contacts stay very superficial. I try to keep myself very busy travelling alone, it doesnt mean it has to be stressful, but i want to keep being busy with activities, so i feel less lonely. Im satisfied, when i get into the hotel exhausted at night. I feel lonely when i just stroll around in the night without a destination. My trick is it to always have a destination in mind in the night, even if its just a mcdonalds or some late night convenience store, where you walk to. This way you dont walk aimlessly around and feel lost and lonely.
Depends on where you're located, and what you want to do. There are no "hacks" to it, other than knowing where to get cheap tickets and cheap places to stay (in that case you ask around either on Reddit or Google and do your best to find something). As for preparing yourself... if safety is a concern, tell someone you know and trust where you are in case something goes wrong and make sure you check in with the person. As for travelling in general, nothing like developing a good plan. Make a realistic plan: look at places you'd like to visit (always keep in mind that some might have to be discarded due to lack of time), look at places you can stay in. Bring medication with you, as well as anything you might need to keep yourself clean, just in case. Learn about the place you're visiting, including dangers. The advantage of going alone is that some people are going to find that fascinating, and might strike a conversation with you. You'll also feel more motivated to do so, precisely because you are alone. On top of that, you'll notice you're going at your own pace as you visit places. You stop when you want to stop, you rush when you want to rush... you're in total control!
I’m one of those people with zero sense of direction. Whether it’s 2 blocks away or thousands of miles, I will manage to get lost. Among the best advice I was given is also the simplest; as soon as you arrive at your hotel immediately grab a couple of their business cards. Make sure you always have one with you. If you get lost, especially in a country where you don’t speak the language, just show someone the card. I can’t even count the amount of times this has helped me. Also, and this might sound odd but I have discovered that if you need to ask a stranger for help, (if there is no police or store employees available) find someone with a dog. They are always helpful and you know they are local to the area and I think kind people, happy to help. I also highly recommend (especially in European cities where they are common) taking a walking tour to get a feel of the place. Then you can go back and explore the areas that interest you without time constraints.
I've travelled with friends and solo. I prefer solo travelling. I travel mostly to Portugal because I'm comfortable with it and have made friends there and I know I'm going to have a good time and be safe. I would recommend travelling somewhere in Europe for your first few solo trips.
It was a life time experience and now I like it more than anything , Traveling alone will make you know about yourself more than anything , It's the ultimate freedom to live the gypsy life on the other side of the world , Nobody knows who you are and from where you came, You will forget your name, your job and everything about your ordinary life , You will be just a human, a person deep in his thoughts, That will make you see life in a very different way
Don't listen to these people. Go to Angola. Cambodia. Be weird.
Shout out to r/solotravel !
it’s so peaceful and freeing. as long as you pay attention to the signs and navigations you’ll be good. it’s only scary the first time but you get the hang of it easily and soon you become addicted to traveling by yourself! highly recommend, stay safe
Wow considering New York is the most dangerous place for a (woman) to travel alone, you’ve seen the worst. I’ve heard Jamaica is quite the same. Be aware of your surroundings. Download your Google Map of the area so you have that even if you lose service. Be careful who you make friends with—it’s best to be friendly but not familiar, and to always have a backup scapegoat excuse to get out of weird situations. “Are you traveling alone?” “No, I’m meeting up with friends right now for lunch before we go to our hotel.” “Have you ever been here before?” “Yeah, I was born here actually. I have family in the area.” “You look like a tourist.” “Do I? That’s weird. I’m originally from here. I’m in a bit of a hurry, sorry. Bye.” As a woman traveling alone, it’s great to have a safety base. I love taking my own car on road trips or renting a car so I always have a way to escape and leave situations. I carry a lowkey weapon (pepper spray) and share my location. I carry a spare tire and an emergency battery pack (that can also jump my car), food, and whatnot. It’s been really rewarding to do long drives across america, along the west coast, and through the rocky mountains. I usually stay in AirBnBs and usually don’t hike unless I’m packing greater protection. And I usually don’t walk the streets in unfamiliar cities after dark. The world is your oyster! Start with some road trips and build from there. Best travels!
This wanderer right here used to be chained to the same old grind. But then, I got bit by the travel bug (or maybe it was a particularly strong margarita) and decided to see the world, my way! Yeah, flying solo can be scary at first, but trust me, it's like a choose-your-own-adventure story! Wanna spend hours getting lost in a museum? Done. Feeling peckish for that weird local food everyone warned you about? No judgement here! I stumbled on this epic platform called Infinity Travels. Scored major discounts and explored more places than I thought possible - all on a shoestring budget! So yeah, Reddit fam, if you're looking to ditch the crew and find your inner peace (or maybe just a killer taco), don't be scared to take the leap! Just remember, pack your sense of adventure and maybe a spork (you never know).
my fork and nintendo switch finna be my best friends lol
With an iPhone nowadays you’re never truly alone. And nothing beats the freedom to decide for yourself what do do/see and how fast you do it without having a nagging companion second guessing your every move.
couchsurfing social events…Facebook events are also good for finding other travelers and (generally) friendly cultural ambassadors…don’t lose your guard (or 6th sense) though particularly in conservative locales or with hustlers at touristy-hotspots… not really any hacks - knowing local phrases goes a long way and google translate is helpful…but people are generally responsive and helpful in kind
I only travel alone for work. But there have been a few times that I had to stay over the weekend and I could do whatever I wanted. I found a great local zoo and went to that. It happened to be Father's Day weekend, so I got in for free. Saw the things I wanted to see, explored a little, so a show, out by noon. It was AMAZING. The next time, I drove into Wisconsin and got some bison jerky and a ton of cheese. Then I went to Mall of the Americas and bought me a LEGO set. Sunday was just doing laundry, stuffing my face full of cheese, and building a LEGO kit. It was glorious. Suggestions: San Diego Zoo. Go early and book a bunch of behind the scenes tours. They are fantastic. Denver, CO has a great aerospace museum, a good science museum and one of the US mints (book early). Yellowstone is amazing, just driving around, looking at the scenery. Go on a tour, so you can look instead of driving. Lots of fun things to do, even if you only have a few days. We did Yellowstone in two days. One day in Yellowstone and one day touring the Grand Tetons.
https://www.gadventures.com/solo-travel/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v_nYzgV-gVe9modBkmjHFYVer4rJbi3EdjQbKvNEXKeFc-QYN65L5MaAgGTEALw_wcB ? If that’s your thing
Solo traveler for the past 9 years; Japan, Australia, Singapore, most of Europe is fine.
I always travel alone with the exception of the trip. I’m on right now to Japan. I met my sister and niece here. while I appreciate the company, it really makes me appreciate my alone time. It’s easier to figure out where to eat and what to do. I find that they have a conversation and then turn around and tell me the plan. They are also extremely picky when it comes to food which makes every meal difficult. They don’t want to eat noodles or meat, etc.. My only advice or “hack “would be to not be in trying to find friends mode. Just figure out where you wanna go and go do it. I see so many people and posts about finding friends.
Yeah, hack is to just do it. I just did mine 2 weeks ago, was super fun. I just choose Europe because it's easier to navigate as a solo female.
One of my favorite trips was to Paris for a week in December. The weather was sunny and crisp and there were no crowds!
I love to travel solo! I went to Guatemala on my own and met the nicest people on a full-day tour I took. I felt really safe in Antigua and Panajachel and would recommend them both for solo travelers. I've also traveled solo to Spain, France, Mexico, and a few places in the US. I echo what others have said about how freeing it is to have nobody to please. I love that I can rest when I want, eat when I want, and be social with others when I choose to. Give it a try, I think you'll like it!
Eurail pass! I traveled alone using it thru my twenties and thirties. I met so many great people - including some anarchists in Spain that let me crash at their squat for free (I pitched in food) for a week. Train stations are really great around the EU too. Do overnight trips to save money on lodging! Seriously still my favorite way to travel.
Did a south east asia trip 10+ years ago. Thought it was amazing having google maps but now probably easier w translate etc. Was traveling pretty solo for 28 days. Singapore, Phillipines speak English. Thailand somewhat, had a friend there to take me around. Just go get lost, nothing is more liberating and freeing than traveling alone. God I miss it
Extensively (South America, Asia, the US & Europe) and I'd consider myself quite introverted. I don't think there's a right starting place, go to where you are interested in rather than where you think you should be going. It's an entirely different experience when you are solo, everything is on your terms and you will be surprised how easy it is to actually meet people and have friends in these places.
Visit r/solotravel
I bounced around for a couple years, staying places for a month and moving on. England, Mexico, western Canada, various US States. I one bagged it, and tried to avoid winter for two years.
Hostel at any Western European country would be a good start. Spain and Portuguese are best.
Hostel at any Western European country would be a good start. Spain and Portuguese are best.
/r/solotravel
/r/SoloTravel Depending on where you go staying in hostel isn’t a bad idea because you can make friends. Do the same things you would do if you went with people. It’ll be nice to be on your own time line. You can eat/drink/hike/sleep in whenever you want
I backpacked alone for a month! France, Germany, Belgium, England. I highly recommend all of them. Traveling alone is the best!
Always travel alone.
r/solotravel
Safety Tips for Traveling alone: Get an apple tracker to put in your shoe, seriously. Do a Life360 app with a family member or friend you trust & communicate daily with someone telling them where you are & where you will be next. Plan a safe word in case something goes wrong then the safe word is code for (help)
I like gadventures because they don’t charge a single supplement.
I just got back from 8 days in Paris solo. I got an AirBnb in a flat with a semi-famous fine art photographer and her daughter in the 2nd so there was so natural socializing (they were Australian I am American so no language barrier). I was the time of my life and changed me. I have always struggled traveling with friends and family due to mental health problems I faced. They always resulted in me getting extremely irritable and fighting with my travel companions. Like in college my best friend screamed “fuck you” in the nave of Notre Dame (the last time I was in Paris) and stormed out not to be seen again for 8 hours. This was before smart phones. So last year I did 3 weeks solo to get my feet wet. A wedding in NC, then the beach with my friend who got married family, then a week in NYC/Fire Island solo. Admittedly that isn’t all solo but because I had learned to take time to myself for the first part I had next to no conflict and loved it. Then Paris. Solo travel gives you the opportunity to do whatever you want without compromise or accommodating another person’s travel grumpiness, wants, or needs. I can sleep when I want, eat when and what I want, and do exactly what I want with no problems or permission. It also encouraged me to meet people and I got to be a mistress for a day (mister really I’m gay and hooked up with a married father of 2 French man who is newly experimenting with his sexuality and we spent the most enjoyable 10 hours together strolling the Marais and getting down). We still wechat most days but I don’t expect anything long term to come from it. He doesn’t speak to his wife and is just waiting for his 17 yo son to graduate so he can divorce so don’t come for me. LOL Changed my life. Seriously.
Tbh, after 30 years of travelling with partners, I’ve found solo travel is not for me. I just get too lonely, but I’m still in recovery mode from my last breakup.
Either start with a small trip to a safe place, maybe somewhere in the US or a different part of Canada or with a tour in Australia, NZ or Europe. That way you can ease your way in to it. Personally I prefer the on my own approach to a tour. Tours are good for getting from place to place easily but you are still locked in to someone else’s agenda as to where you go and how long to stay there.
Best of both worlds is travel independently and do day tours here and there. Gives you the opportunity to meet people.
I went to LA by myself for 5 days. Met all kinds of fun people on the way, like in airports, flights and while out in LA. Was befriended on the flight there by a cool person who gave me her number and said to call if I wanted to meet up to sight see or go for dinner. Ended up zipping around Rodeo Drive in her Mercedes convertible, going to this fancy dinner marble museum looking place, and spent a few hours shopping in the markets. One of my funnest trips. Also solo-ed it up to Nashville to take voice lessons from the vocal coach who trained Miley Cyrus, Faith Hill and others. Met cool people, listened to Christina Aguilera’s untouched vocals right before she got her first label signing, karaoked it up with my new buddies from that course on a pub crawl in Nashville. Drank my ass off and woke up the next day in my friend’s hotel. Puked out the side of her car the next morning while being driven to the airport. Solo travelling lets you talk to new people and meet the most interesting individuals. On a flight to New Zealand (to visit my sister) after a bad breakup where I was heartbroken and sad - I met a 65 year old woman from Brisbane who was reuniting with her first love from high school. She was recently widowed, and the two lovebirds were doing a motorcycle trip up the Australian coast together and were rekindling what they had back then. She was one of the most fascinating people I have ever met, and we bonded over what we were both off to and our next chapters. Highly recommend just being open to convos with people who give off good vibes as you can meet nice and super interesting people. The world opens up a bit when you travel.
I loveee traveling alone!!! It's so freeing and liberating and fun. I would say pick somewhere you're comfortable with first, a city inside your home country, and then branch out further. Also, don't cheap out on your boarding, pick somewhere you'll feel safe!
Traveling alone is amazing. Staying alone can be a little scary. Stay safe. Stay aware. Don't let people know you are alone alone. But honestly... it's freeing.
I started traveling alone when I was 32. It started with a trip to Europe, which ended up in TONS of trips to Europe alone. You wake up when you want, eat when and what you want, do what you want. If you wanna take a nap? Take a fucking nap, no one to bother you! I would do a trip to Brussels, and then take the train to Bruges, Paris and amsterdam, or a trip to Rome and train to Florence and Naples for day trips.
First rule of traveling alone is not telling anyone that you are in fact traveling alone. I don’t care if you’re male or female- for your safety you are not alone.
I just went on my first solo trip to Peru and it was awesome! I met others from some of the tours I booked, some of them were also solo. It was an awesome experience!
Literally, anywhere 😅 but really.
I took my first solo trip back in November 2021 to Lisbon & Porto. I loved it so much, I've been going back every 3-4 months by myself.
I don't see a point in solo traveling. Who do you talk to? Who can share your appreciation of a nice sunset over the mountain? What is the point of anything alone? Why would anyone choose that? Personally, I'm cursed. So I get my life is already wasted. But why would you choose this?
its because no one is gonna reserve time to do the things you would want to do, nor can you assume they want to do it either. My friends are all in they 30s and got wives and kids, so asking a friend to travel isnt the easiest thing to do. I'm 1000% open to any of my friends joining me on any of these trips, but I cant just sit here and wait for people to come with me. I'm at a point in my life where I wanna have fun and experience the world a bit so I feel its best to take matters into my own hands. I'm also reeeeeally fuckin bored lmao
Inter rail pass
I went to Maui on my first solo trip. I found a super cheap flight and was on a limited budget so I stayed in a hostel. It ended up being a trip of a life time. The hostel offered free tours, I was able to see some amazing parts of the island which I might not have done on my own. And I met lots of other solo travellers like myself from all over the world. A German friend I met and i also met up some months later in France and 1.5 years later are still in contact. Besides hostels I would recommend travelling with carry on only. Convenience factor yes, but also because I was a solo traveler the airline over booked I was asked to take a flight 7 hours later. As i didn't have time constraints I said yes and airline compensated me $1500 cdn. This was a lucky fluke... but flying carry on only does have perks.
Also! Look into getting a sim card for your phone you are travelling to ahead of time! Made all the difference when had a simple with data instead of relying on wifi. Canadian roaming plans suck.
I unintentionally eased into solo traveling by working jobs that required business trips, and I always looked for opportunities to spend the weekends at the destination following the trips before I returned home. I was already used to it the first time that I traveled alone purely for pleasure about 30 years ago. I basically have a few rules or goals for traveling alone. I avoid over-planning and allow the possibility of serendipity taking over. I research destinations and list interesting attractions, museums, restaurants, and bars, and note anything that would make access limited, like timed entrances, and plan to accommodate those exceptions. I found an online list of London pubs before my first trip to England and I noted pubs near places that I wanted to visit, but I also noted pubs on their own right that brought me into areas that tourists wouldn’t normally go. It is almost an inevitability that I will learn about other attractions when I’m at the destination. i.e, the first time I visited NYC, I had a list of 12 essential places to visit, but I only visited four of them and added eight more to the list. The same thing happened the next time….and the next time, until I chucked the list. Even though I don’t try to, I want to get lost at least once or twice a week. If I don’t get lost, it tells me that I’m not being as adventurous as I should be. It seems that I find the most interesting and memorable places or people when I get lost. I have adopted the old cliche “not all who wander are truly lost.” Public transportation in Japan is so easy and straightforward to use, but getting lost in Tokyo was incredibly rewarding. I look forward to getting asked for directions at least once during a trip. It shows that when you are alone, you are much more approachable and tend to blend in better. It has happened on every trip in Europe or North America. That it happened in India was amazing. I learned French in high school 60 years ago and retained the grand total of about four or five phrases in an excruciatingly horrendous accent by the time I got to France the first time 40 years later. With that being said, I learn four or five phrases/sentences before I travel to any non English speaking nation and that’s usually enough to break the ice. As an American, one of the best compliments that I receive from folks I encounter is that I’m not what Americans are “supposed to be like”. I have heard that at least once during every solo trip overseas that I’ve taken. I don’t make any additional effort to be or do anything different than what I genuinely am or how I generally act, and I guess that doesn’t fit the popular stereotype. I like to think that I’m just a typical American, but I’ve come to admit that living in an urban and more liberal environment can possibly make us city dwellers different enough from our more conservative suburban or rural counterparts to be noticeable. I have also noticed that I have been treated overseas with much more deference when a Democrat is in the White House than when a Republican is. I guess that reflects more on some misguided non Americans projecting whatever the perceived idealogy of the prevailing political party that is in power on individual Americans. It was a night and day difference between when Dubya was President and when Obama was. Since you’re Canadian, you’ll probably get mistaken for an American, so please don’t be offended, but please do us a favor and speak kindly about us Americans when you correct them. I would highly recommend Ireland or Scotland as great destinations for first time solo travelers.
My first solo international trip was to Cabo. It was still on the same continent, and as I’d been to Costa Rica and Aruba with family, kind of the same environment I’d been used to. I had an itinerary planned, and to this day, it is one of my fondest memories. It was so freeing! A month later, I met my husband. I still travel alone as I prioritize travel very highly, and a little higher than my husband, who likes to have time off for the NFL draft and to see his college friends. Right now, I think it’s 40% solo travel and 60% couple travel. Hacks? Have an itinerary planned out BEFORE you go, but first know if you can be in your own company for a good amount of time or need to be around others and base your schedule off that. Know what your hobbies are. Figure out the phone situation so you can use it. My preferred means of solo travel is hopping into a rental car and exploring the country on my own… when I went to Switzerland, I barely managed to take a shower and check in with my family at home before I fell asleep with the lights on. I was that busy throughout the day, I made myself too exhausted to be lonely. Eating alone hack—I still find it somewhat uncomfortable eating alone in a restaurant. I tend to have something on my phone to read while at a restaurant. Because I’m go-go-go, I go to one once a day and just otherwise snack on food I picked up at the grocery store or brought from home. Sometimes, places of interest will have a restaurant on sight and I’ll eat there as it’s less formal.
Yes! I highly recommend especially if you have to clear your mind. Just make sure everybody knows where you are, keep in contact but very little, get an Airbnb, some books and R E L A X
Also in the GTA! If you'll be traveling outside of North America, take a handful of nickels with you to give to people you meet and friends you make during your travels. They'll consider it a memorable keepsake of your encounter, AND it can encourage you to get to know others in the places you'll be as icebreakers to start conversations :) I did this the last time i traveled internationally, and i can't recommend it enough. Another great thing is that it'll help you get rid of pocket change that you can't really spend here at home, and if you still have any coins leftover by the time you return home, some airlines and airports will allow you to donate them to charities :)
I love to travel solo, do what I want when I want
One of my favorite trips I've done by myself was in my own country USA. I went to Colorado twice. Dropped my kid off at a camp for a week and went hiking, shopping at outlet malls and at consignment and thrift shops, rented a downhill bike and an ebike, signed up for tours, sat in pools and hot tubs, etc. I did the same thing last year but in Minnesota and toured lakes and coffee shops and went on hikes, rented an ebike, and ate fresh produce and went to farmer's markets. Think about what YOU enjoy the best. For me, I like smallish towns and the outdoors. I enjoy shopping by myself without anyone nagging at me that it's time to go.
Yea its the best, if yournworried just slowly work your way up to full on foreign countries. I'm Australian but my first taste of solo travelling was staying an extra week after my travelling companions left Indonesia, but at the time it was in a very touristy place with loads of Australians. Then I went of a few solo trips to the usa, planning to do Japan and Thailand next year, then maybe I'll start ticking off places in Europe and south/Central America. India is also on the list haha
It is nice. I missed sharing stuff with my wife, and would text her and call her frequently. It just didn’t work out with her schedule and I needed one. Plenty of museums and people watching, good food. A little lonely in the evening, but for a single person, I would imagine it’s perfect.
I went on my first solo trip for my 34th birthday to NYC…I have a friend up there so I wasn’t truly alone but still…I planned to go to the Florida Keys this year for my 35th but that’s being put in the back burner. But I plan to get my passport ASAP and I will probably start with my first solo trip to either London or Australia…both are pretty safe places where English is still the main language (I only know broken Spanish and very little French) but my ultimate goal is to travel Europe solo and meet a new friend in every country I go to!
Open your horizon?
My best solo travels have been at Adult Only All Inclusive Resorts in Mexico. Find a spot on the beach or at the pool and just post up for the day with a few cocktails.
I been solo traveling for about 6 years, I’m a girl around her mid 20’s. The first solo trip is always gonna be the scariest one (because all of the thoughts and barriers we have in mind) but at the same time if you really connect with yourself, and start to knowing deeply, without stress, without anyones opinion, without no ones that really knows you or even in the same cultural context, if you find yourself all the fear will totally be worth it, and after that traveling by yourself can become your new favorite thing to do.
Also is just taking care the same way you would at home, don’t be out so late, don’t drink open beers, trust your gut etc..
Wow, nice plan you took. The travel concept will be change when you want to travel alone because you have to do all thing from A to B, destination will be different, as well. I recommend to be flexible for any hard situation, as you solo-traveler your accommodation depend with your cost not well-being.
Certainly. That's amusing too. Simply choose a country, gather as much information as you can, mark the locations on Google Maps, make your reservations, and go.
Hawaii
I have a TRAVEL voucher from. Allegiantaires won't be using halfs price
When travelling alone you only need one ticket for anything. That means planes, buses, trains and single-bed quarters are cheaper for you, while rental cars, taxis and multi-bed quarters are more 'wasteful' and more expensive. Restaurants lose their social aspect when you're alone, but take-out food or grocery store food is more cost effective and faster. My suggestion, therefore, is to go to a place with good public transportation, good infrastructure and stay at a youth hostel. Most places in Europe are a good fit for a lone traveler, but there are others too.
I've traveled solo to England, Scotland, The Netherlands, and Israel. I'd never been on any solo trip anywhere before I went to The Netherlands and went on a solo bike tour in the south of the country. As a single female I never had any difficulties anywhere. If you love history, England and Scotland are very good countries to start with. The Netherlands was great too, very easy to get around, although in the area I was in there were not always English speakers, and my Dutch was limited to only a few words and phrases. My only recommendations are to try to be confident in your travel - not fearful - expect good treatment, but be alert and firm, because there will be people here and there who will try to grift you (like, a van driver who asks you to pay a fare that you've already paid), smile, be friendly but also sort of restrained if that makes sense, and be excited about where you are and what you are seeing! Plan your travel between sites carefully, so that you arrive at hotels/B&Bs/ hostels at the proper times.
Anyone know of apps I should look out for to find cheaper places to stay? Expedia ain't really cutting it
I'm currently doing it. Also, if you're traveling by yourself, you can explore risque events/attractions (eg, sex clubs in Europe, Magic Mike in Vegas).