How To Plan Your First Solo Trip

One of the questions I get often is ‘How do you travel alone? Don’t you get bored? Do you feel safe?’ The funny thing is, as I shared here, my first solo trip was accidental. Now, almost 8 years later, I’ve been to about 25 countries solo. Some trips are planned as solo trips while others just happen when schedules don’t align. I promise, I do like people!

If you’re reading this, you’re likely contemplating going solo. I love it, I support it, and I applaud you. Guess what? You’re in the right place as I’m sharing four practical steps to help you plan your first solo trip. Ready?

1. Make the decision – mind over matter

This is the biggest hurdle to overcome for a first time solo traveler. Once you overcome this, its pretty much smooth sailing from here. Some solo travelers were born to do it. For others, it doesn’t really hit them until just before the trip (I fell into this category). The latter group can be initially apprehensive at the thought of traveling alone and thats understandable. 

However, here’s what I’ve learned from taking risks and making moves: Deciding to do something does not in anyway mean the person isn’t scared or anxious. It just means they decide to go for it IN SPITE of the fear and anxiety. Confidence often comes AFTER taking a risk.

Let me assure you, that traveling solo is only scary in your head and much better in reality. Waiting for friends or family to be ready may mean you never go on the adventure you desire so much. If you need someone to encourage you to take the plunge, reach out to me, I can guarantee my support. Remember that you don’t have to go to the end of the world on your first solo trip, which leads to the next point.

2. pick a destination

So you’ve decided to go on that first solo trip, now you get to pick a destination! This should be fun. It’s okay to start small by visiting a city or state in the country you live, a neighboring country, or if you’re up for it, get on a plane and go further. There are no rules! Some first timers consider picking countries where their language is spoken to avoid those barriers; others pick destinations that are popular with backpackers (so they can make friends easily). Here are things I consider when picking travel destinations. For my first solo trip, I headed to Turkey. Why? Because I saw an image in an online travel magazine and I decided I had to see it for myself. Here are some solo trip  ideas by continent depending on comfort levels and where you currently live:

Europe – United Kingdom, Ireland, Czech Republic, Malta, and Netherlands

• Within the UK (domestic trip): Bath, Day trips to York, London, Day trip to Cambridge, or a short weekend trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland.
• North/Central America – Canada, USA, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica
• US/Canada – Boston, Washington DC, New York, Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, Savannah
• Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia (Bali), UAE, Hong Kong
• Africa – South Africa, Mauritius, Ghana
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

3. book in advance

Booking accommodation and transportation in advance will put you at ease knowing these items are sorted. It’s assuring on arrival to have transportation to the hotel/hostel/airbnb already arranged and this can be taxi, organized pick up, or just researching the route vs. public transportation in advance. Stay in a hostel to meet people easily, I’ve explored many cities with people i’ve met at hostels. If you’re not into hostels, book group tours as an alternative way to meet people. In Hanoi (Vietnam), I stayed in boutique hotels but booked a group street food tour. The group ended up hanging till 1am, long after the tour ended.

Plan and book key activities for most days in advance as well. If you feel nervous about missing flights or losing luggage, buy travel insurance and rest easy. Once everything is booked, send your flight and accommodation details to one person. I still send my flight information to my sister when I travel for one week or longer.

4. pack light

This is getting exciting! It’s time to pack. Pack light, but don’t forget to have an electronic copy of your passport (and your real Passport of course), and handy information about your accommodation. Pack your BEST ATTITUDE & AN OPEN MIND. Go light on everything else. Take an extra set of underwear and a shirt or in your hand luggage just in case anything happens with luggage while traveling. Download your favorite travel apps. If you’re one to buy souvenirs, save some space for that!

With that, it’s almost time to roll. It’s wonderful to travel with friends, classmates, family, or Bae but I believe everyone should try to travel solo at least once. It makes for a different experience. 

Have you travelled solo? Please share any preparation tips or share a link to your blog post on the topic. If you’re hesitant to travel solo and have a question, please ask and I’ll respond in the comments below.

This is the  first in a 3-part series about solo travel.  The next post in this series shares  on how to make the most of the trip while you’re there, read it here.  

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