Top Tips for the Solo Traveller
Taking that first trip alone can be a little daunting, so I decided to share my top tips for the solo traveller. My first solo trip wasn’t exactly planned that way, a friend I was going to be travelling with was offered a great job opportunity and decided to stay in New Zealand. At this point I was forced to make a decision; continue with my plans to move to London but go it alone, or back out and hope to find another travel buddy.
If you’ve read my blog before, you will know I chose to continue with my plans and after travelling around India for two months (with a group of people I had never met) I moved to London alone and have been travelling solo without fear ever since.
After four years of travelling solo I’ve managed to gather some great tips for the solo travellers to help you get started.
Top Tips for the Solo Traveller
Begin with a Travel Group
I know there are plenty of travellers out there who will tell you never to join a tour group but I say do whatever you feel comfortable with and what will make you happy! I travelled with Geckos Adventures through India and it was amazing; I made friends with a fantastic bunch of people, felt safer knowing I wasn’t completely alone on my first major travelling experience and never once felt tied down to an itinerary I wasn’t happy with. I still felt like an independent traveller and it was the perfect group situation for me, I truly believe if I had gone it alone at that stage of my travelling experience I wouldn’t have enjoyed myself nearly as much.
My advice is to do as much research into different travel companies as possible, there are options out there for everyone and all kinds of travel. You may want to travel in a huge party group, or maybe you prefer something more laid back and quiet – whatever it is you will find the right group somewhere.
Travel Forums are Your New Best Friend
I’m not even sure how many hours I spent trawling travel forums before I left home, these things are loaded with plenty of tips and tricks from fellow travellers that will help you get by on your own. It can also be a good place to connect with potential travel mates to meet along the way (use your common sense here though people, this is still the internet where creeps lurk). I recommend the Lonely Planet forum to get your started.
Don’t Overthink It
I have tendency to overthink most things, but travelling alone is slowly teaching me to go with the flow and let things happen as they may. I still like to makes plans but now it’s more just getting a rough idea and then seeing where I end up once the travelling begins. Travelling alone means you have a whole lot more freedom, and going with the flow allows you to really take advantage of this freedom. If you allow yourself to worry too much about the small stuff then you will end up holding yourself back from all the amazing experiences that come with travel! Loosen up those reigns a little and see what happens.
Social Media
Since I set out on my own social media has become an important tool in my life, I have meet so many incredible people through Instagram, Twitter and blogging. People who aren’t really into social media always seems surprised when I mention to them how I initially met my ‘online friends’ (many of whom have now become my real life friends), but I really don’t think it’s all that strange! All of your friends are a stranger to you at some point but by using a tool like Instagram you have the chance to find people who you already know you have a lot in common with!
When it comes to finding interesting local hangouts, stunning cafes or the best foodies spots you can’t go wrong than social media. I’ve discovered so many fantastic places I would otherwise have never known about if it weren’t for social media (I utilise Instagram a lot for this).
Stay in hostels
Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘hostels are only for drunk, party crazed youth’ or ‘hostels are dirty places you only put up with when on an extreme budget’. But in all honesty hostels these days can be pretty blimin’ amazing, and affordable! Alongside the fact that there are some seriously well designed, clean and fantastically located hostels out there it also means you have a greater chance of meeting fellow travellers who you can buddy up with. There will be a ton of people in the same situation as you in a hostel so put yourself out there and you might just make some lifelong friends!
Don’t Be Afraid
Finally, the most important tip of them all – don’t be afraid. It can be easy to let fear take over, to let your mind think of all the possibilities that could go wrong. But until you get out there and experience the joys of solo travel you will never understand just how rewarding it is. Sure things may go wrong but you WILL find a way to deal with whatever is thrown you way, and this will leave with a feeling of pride and confidence within yourself that you’ve never had before.
So please don’t let fear hold you back, if this is truly something you want to do take the plunge and see where your feet take you.
I hope you my top tips for the solo traveller have inspired or perhaps given you the confidence to set off on an adventure of you own!
Are you thinking about setting off on a solo trip?
Or perhaps you already are, either way I’d love to hear about it!
Let me know in the comments!
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Check out some of my other posts about solo travels
How to Visit Los Angeles on a Budget
How to Travel the Isle of Skye Without a Car
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