Whether you’re looking for that special someone, traveling for business, or simply need some “alone time,” traveling alone might be very different than going with a companion. Instead of remaining at home because you’re afraid traveling alone won’t be pleasant, these suggestions for solo travel will give you the confidence boost you need.
How To Travel Alone: Detailed Tips
It’s natural to be scared or uncomfortable when you travel alone, especially if you’re going to a foreign location where you may not know anyone. Fortunately, there are some wise methods to keep safe when traveling alone. Here are six tips to help you feel safer when traveling alone:
#1. Communicate Your Travel Plans to Dependable Family or Friends and Stay Connected
Send a family member or friend back home your travel itinerary, hotel reservation information, and details of any scheduled activities. Also, let the hotel personnel know where you’re going and when you intend to return before any solo outings.
Sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) if you are traveling overseas. STEP is a free service that allows US residents and nationalities traveling and living abroad to enroll in their trip with the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. Enrolling in STEP assures that you will get critical information from the embassy regarding the safety conditions in your destination country, allowing you to make educated decisions about your travel plans. The STEP service provides information to the US Embassy about your whereabouts and how to contact you in an emergency. It also allows family and friends to contact you if necessary.
Check with your smartphone carrier to identify what features you’ll need at your travel destination to keep connected with friends, family, or business, even if only sparingly during your solo travels. When you have Wi-Fi, you can also check in by email or social media.
#2. Develop an Emergency Plan
You should never have to cope with a medical emergency, an accident, or a robbery while traveling. However, knowing where to go in the event of an awful situation is prudent. Before you travel, look into surrounding hospitals, police stations, and other emergency services. If you’re going internationally, learn emergency phrases in the local language so you can request assistance if necessary.
Before you depart, check with your doctor or a travel clinic to confirm you have the necessary immunizations. Bring a supply of any prescription medications you may require, as well as face masks, hand sanitizer, and devices to protect yourself from mosquitoes and other possibly disease-carrying pests. To avoid disease while traveling, conduct your research on the safety of drinking water, fresh food, and dining establishments in your destination.
#3. Protect Your Valuables
When you go out, simply bring what you need, such as your phone, a credit card, some cash, an ID, and a copy of your passport. Keep these hidden in a safe bag that you can see at all times. Put bags containing these goods down or out of your line of sight.
In case of emergency, save a photocopy of your passport in case the original is lost or stolen. Keep the copy in a secure location different from where you keep your original passport. Also, consider leaving a copy with a friend or family member back home. When traveling trains, buses, or other modes of transportation, it’s also crucial to stay watchful and keep your belongings close by. Keep extra money, jewelry, your genuine passport, and other important documents in the hotel safe.
#4. Use Common Sense and Avoid Risky Behaviors
Many of the following guidelines are applicable wherever you go alone, even in your city.
Drink in moderation and keep your drinks within easy reach. Avoid going anyplace with a stranger alone.
When strolling, hiking, or driving, pay attention to others around you.
If you’re feeling uneasy, go to a public place like a restaurant or meet up with a large group of people.
If you are traveling alone, explain that you are on your way to meet a spouse, family, or friend.
#5. Conduct Safety Research and Make Sound Decisions
Learn about the safest neighborhoods in your location and whether there are any spots you should avoid. Discover the greatest public transit options and the safest routes to take. Knowing more about the place you’re going can help you select safe accommodations.
When possible, book a room above ground level yet close to the lobby and hotel facilities. When you’ve checked in, leave your door locked with the security chain fastened, and don’t answer the door if you don’t expect hotel personnel or visitors.
#6. Purchase Travel Insurance
Protect yourself and your investment in your trip from unforeseen catastrophes. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance can assist you in recovering damages caused by weather, natural catastrophes, certain illnesses, and other concerns. Other types of travel insurance can help protect you from unforeseen medical and evacuation costs, as well as losses caused by baggage delays, theft, and other factors.
#7. Do not book a room with a single supplement.
Some cruise companies and hotels may mandate that two persons share a room. If you want it all to yourself, you must pay a single supplement so that the travel operator can still make the same amount of money as if you brought a travel companion.
These costs will be disclosed before booking. If not, make sure to inquire before confirming your reservation.
#8. Stay somewhere with a lot of positive feedback.
Traveling alone may make you feel more exposed to an unfamiliar environment. Do some research before booking a place to stay, and only stay at a hotel or Airbnb rental with a high number of positive ratings. These reviews will give you a fair indication of what to anticipate from the host, the neighborhood, and whether or not you will be sharing the home with other tenants.
#9. Stay Somewhere That Offers Free Wi-Fi
Depending on the time of year you travel, it may become dark early, which means you may not want to spend as much time outside sightseeing as you might on a summer evening. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your hotel, ensure sure it has free Wi-Fi. You can use this time to Skype or Facetime your family and friends back home to tell them about your day’s adventures.
You may also use your wifi to watch movies, send emails, and access the web. If you stay somewhere that charges a price to use the wi-fi hotspot, you may be able to avoid that expense by staying at a hotel where you have upgraded membership level and can enjoy complimentary in-room wi-fi. Alternatively, the American Express Platinum Card grants you access to over 1,000,000 Boingo Wi-Fi hotspot sites worldwide. A fast search on the Boingo website will help you find places where you can get Wi-Fi when you need it the most.
Meeting other travelers is another method to break up the monotony of solo travel. Your chat does not have to come to a stop when you land and disembark from the plane. Indeed, two excellent resources for connecting with other visitors and even locals are Couchsurfing (similar to Airbnb) allows you to stay with local homes and possibly meet other tourists.
Regardless matter where you stay when traveling, Meetup can help you find local events and activities in your area. You might be able to visit a cafe or attend a local event that isn’t included in any of the guidebooks. There are numerous options in each place, so make sure to look into this before you come.
#10. Relax and Eat
Mealtime can also be a fantastic time to unwind and be yourself. Yes, you can strike up a discussion with the waiter or bartender, but your lunch can also be a time for introspection. Perhaps you’ll use the time to plan the remainder of your day, catch up on emails if the establishment provides free wifi, or read a book.
If you don’t want to look out of place, consider going to a cafe, where the relaxed atmosphere attracts both singles and groups looking for a break. Choose a restaurant booth if you want more privacy. Either location can provide the anonymity you seek, and the cuisine and ambiance can be more delightful than a fast food restaurant.
#11. Begin Your Day Early
If the prospect of going bar crawling and nightclubbing alone does not appeal to you, be an early bird instead. If you visit a large, hectic city, there are numerous opportunities to sightsee alone while remaining perfectly safe. Getting up early also allows you to escape crowds at popular sights once families and night owls have left their accommodations for the day.
#12. Take Lots of Pictures
With cell phones and nearly universal free Wi-Fi hotspots, it’s easier than ever to photograph whatever you see. It’s almost as if your friends and loved ones are with you on your journey because they can enjoy practically every moment in real time by instantaneously sharing your photos on social media. While a selfie stick is available, it is not required. We are often envious of viewing new destinations that we are unable to visit at the moment.
#13. Make a list of your emergency contacts.
This final suggestion is appropriate for all travelers. Make a list of your emergency contact information and keep it handy. The list can include your personal contact information, the name of a local emergency contact, and any other phone numbers you may require. For example, you may provide your credit card company’s toll-free number in case your card is stolen, or you might need to activate the travel protection benefits if your plans are disrupted.
You should also photograph your stove. As you check to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything, it’s easy to forget to turn off your stove, coffee machine, or iron before leaving for the airport. When you get to the airport, double-check the image of your stove dials to ensure that everything is switched off. If not, ask a friend or landlord to turn it off for you, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about while you’re away.
How to Make Friends When You Travel Alone
When you travel alone, you can spend as much time alone as you desire. However, many people are unaware that you can also enjoy a lot of genuinely social time.
My favorite travel stories are about the individuals I encounter on my vacations. It’s rarely the renowned building I saw or the museum exhibit I visited that sticks out in my mind. The people I met are the ones who have stayed with me the longest.
So, how do you make friends on your trip when you travel alone? Here are a few pointers.
#1. Smile
It has the same meaning in all languages. It indicates that you are cheerful, kind, approachable, and kind. Many talks begin with a grin.
#2. Learn a few words in the native tongue.
An effort to communicate in the local language is always appreciated and is frequently reciprocated with an effort to communicate in your language. Given that English is frequently learned as a second language, you will find many locals eager to converse with you.
#3. Visit a small, independent coffee shop in your area
Sit near someone in a coffee cafe with huge community tables or coffee bars by the window. By situating oneself in this manner, I’ve often had fantastic chats with locals.
#4. Stay in areas that stimulate conversation
For people who travel alone, I believe hostels and bed and breakfasts are the best option. With fewer guests and the proprietor frequently present, common rooms and communal dining rooms provide greater possibilities to interact with others.
#5. Read a book that will make you laugh aloud
Take a book that makes you laugh and hold it so that others can see you are reading in English. This frequently draws folks in for a brief conversation. In Havana, I was reading Will Ferguson’s Happiness, which led me to a few talks.
#6. Create a routine
Every day, you go to the same café, fruit stand, or restaurant. You’ll come to know the folks, and they’ll begin to keep an eye out for you. This is how new friends are made.
#7. Take day trips
On a free walking tour in Paris, I met a woman. We cut out and went for lunch together as it began to rain. Yes, you can meet folks on tours and end up with a friend to have a meal with or another day of traveling.
#8. Be inquisitive
When you ask questions, conversations begin.
#9. Venture off the beaten path
Travelers who meet in places with few tourists are more likely to talk to one another. Meet someone on a hike or in a museum and you already know you have something in common.
What If You Don’t Enjoy Traveling Alone?
Let’s face it: not everyone has the same tastes. Some people will travel alone and, for various reasons, will not enjoy it.
The first thing I recommend is patience. You won’t find your solo travel groove on the first day of your journey. Allow yourself some time to adjust to your new surroundings and implement some of the numerous travel-alone recommendations listed above.
Summary
You might be looking forward to your next single excursion. Don’t. It has the potential to be one of the most delightful experiences you have ever had. It’s nice to make memories with your friends and family, but solo travelers can have just as much fun. All you need is an optimistic attitude. It also doesn’t hurt that technology has made the world smaller than it has ever been.
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