The Ultimate Guide to Solo Travel
During any casual scroll through your Instagram or Facebook news feed, you’re bound to stumble across a beautifully shot video or photo of an exotic location that you’d never heard of. I find them all the time and they never fail to inspire me to add more destinations to my travel bucket list.
The more and more we are exposed to the many captivating places around the world, the more we want to visit and experience these places/cultures for ourselves. My travel bucket list has 20-30 cities/countries on it (and still growing) and I’m dedicated to crossing off as many as I can in my lifetime. In order to accomplish this goal, I’ve decided to dive into the world of solo travel.
WHY YOU SHOULD SOLO TRAVEL
Most working adults have about two to three weeks of paid time off (PTO) each year. That’s around 14-20 days a year that could be spent traveling. I believe that you have to spend at least 3-4 days in a place to truly have a well-rounded experience, so that would allow for a maximum of 5-6 trips a year. You also have to take into consideration:
Travel time to get to and from your destination
Other reasons you would take a day off from work such as family obligations, holidays and doctors appointments
Being able to afford traveling
People you’d like to travel with and their schedules/finances/preferences
When you think about all of those factors you’d be lucky to take 2 trips each year. With those odds, it’ll be very difficult to cross off all the places on my list. Normally the biggest limiting factor is trying to coordinate all of the complex details with another person or group of people. Because of this, I dabbled into the world of solo traveling a bit this past year and I’m super excited to embark on more solo trips this year.
THE BEST PARTS OF SOLO TRAVEL
#1: You can be selfish
The world (your trip itinerary) is your oyster. With no one else to consider, you can do whatever your heart desires. There aren’t many other circumstances when traveling where you have total control of your itinerary, so take advantage and be selfish.
#2: You’re forced out of your comfort zone
When you’re with others you play off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Maybe one person is better at hailing cabs or talking to the hotel staff but when you take away other people you have to handle everything on your own. While it may be difficult initially, the personal growth that comes from it is so worth it.
#3: You have no other option but to immerse yourself in that new place
With no other distractions, you have no choice but to get out and try new things. Whether it’s taking a cooking class, aimlessly wandering around town, or going on a hike, you really get the opportunity to try it all.
HOW TO PLAN SOLO TRAVEL
Picking a Destination
This is the first and most important part of the planning process. The safety of traveling solo is normally tied to the safety of the place that you’re traveling to. There are definitely places that I do not feel comfortable traveling to the period let alone by myself. Being completely transparent, as a young black woman, there are places within this country and around the world that aren’t very welcoming to people like me. Even in groups, I’ve had bad experiences in the past when being in a group of all women at night in a foreign country, so being alone could possibly increase that danger.
So please do as much research you can on the place you planning on traveling to. Of course, bad things can happen anywhere, but do yourself a favor and do that research before getting to your destination.
Transportation (Planes, Trains, Buses)
Use websites like SkyScanner, Expedia, and Kayak to compare prices and dates. This’ll help you make sure you’re getting the most for your money which allows you to optimize your experience.
Tip: Pay the extra money to arrive or depart during the daytime. There’s nothing worse than getting to a new place when its dark outside and you don’t know where you’re going.
Ground Transportation
Will you need to rent a car, can you get around using Uber, is there public transportation or is it best to walk? After getting to your destination, it’s imperative that you have a plan on how you’re going to get to your hotel/hostel/Airbnb and around the city to explore.
Tip: Do some research into your location to make sure services like Uber and Lyft are available. Some cities have banned ride-sharing services to help support local initiatives like the black cabs in London.
Accommodation
To me, this is the second most important part of planning any travel but especially solo travel. If you don’t feel safe in the place that you’re sleeping and leaving your belongings, it’ll be difficult to enjoy all aspects of the trip. There are many options when it comes to accommodations: hotels, hostels, Airbnb, or traditional bed and breakfasts. I’m more of a hotel kind of girl, but I’ve stayed in all 4 of these options and had positive experiences.
Resources: Hotels.com, Hostel World (I’ve stayed at a Generator Hostel in Paris and recommend it), AirBnB
Attractions
Check out Trip Advisor, Yelp, and Lonely Planet to assist in all your planning needs.
Tip: Look up your destination on YouTube. Lots of people vlog their travel experiences and give you the real tea about what to do and not to do in those places. This is normally where I get my first draft of possible sights, attractions, and restaurants and then I vet them with other resources.
TOP TIPS
Do as much research as possible, reviews are your best friend!
Travel during the off-season (Sept/Oct-Apr/May) to save money and avoid the crowds.
Use Google Maps to map out all the places you’ll be visiting.
Download the offline version so you can navigate without cell service or WiFi.
Try to find activities that force you to be social like walking tours or classes.
Airbnb Experiences are a great way to participate in cultural activities in a small group setting.
Listen to your gut.
This pertains to all travel but if you ever find yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable or gives you a bad feeling, listen to that and get out. I’ve booked a train and left a city the same day because I felt extremely uncomfortable and I don’t regret it one bit.
Pack light. Carry on size is my go-to but it never hurts to pack as light as possible.
Check to see if there are major events going on that would disrupt your plans (conventions, concerts, sporting events, etc.).
Share your trip details, itinerary, and location with at least one person. Although it probably/hopefully won’t, if something were to go wrong at least there is someone who would be able to assist in getting help for you.
Hopefully, you found this post helpful and it serves as a reference in the future (honestly I’ll be using it for myself)! Feel free to leave a comment sharing your experience or any other tips/advice you have. Also, share this post with anyone you believe could benefit from it. Thanks for sticking along until the end!
