Solo travel can be a scary idea, but it doesn’t have to be! Over the years, solo travel has led me to explore more places, meet new people, and gain more interesting memories and experiences.
So, if you want to solo travel but haven’t dared to do so yet, here are my 5 Principles for Successful Solo Travelling ✈️✨
1. Pick the Right City
The More Things to Do the Merrier
Picking the right place is important because you want to make sure there are many fun things to do and explore while solo travelling. And that you do not spend an excessive amount of time having to go from one place to another.
Before picking a city, I always check in advance on GetYourGuide to see what tours are available if I visit the city and if they are appealing to me. Meanwhile, I can also assess how many days I should spend in that city accordingly.
2. Always Plan Ahead
Accommodation, Activities, and Means of Transport
From my experience, simply spontaneously visiting a place without planning won’t lead to an impressive experience. Without planning, I could only see the obvious and visit those easily reachable places which is a pity if I travel to an exotic city.
Planning can also save you much time because you don’t have to spend time planning during the trip. Not to mention that some tours and activities may have already been sold out by the time you’re there.
Usually, I work out a travel plan in Excel and bring it with me during my travel. With Excel planning, I can think clearly about things that can easily be forgotten like the logistics between places and arrange the order of the activities I want to do more smoothly. With Excel, I could also have a cost overview of the trip and make adjustments with this knowledge in mind.
3. Navigate the Place Online
Weather, Temperature, and Safety
At least check the weather, seriously.
It is important to check the temperature and have suitable outfits and shoes. Particularly in winter, when some places like Reykjavik in Iceland could be extremely cold with snow everywhere.
I find having the right shoes one of the most important decisions. I would recommend wearing waterproof hiking shoes if you are planning a lot of adventurous outdoor activities during your trip.
After all, little things as such could impact the overall comfort of your trip.
4. Your Phone CAN NEVER DIE!!
I mean it.
Ok, this is the number one rule for solo travellers.
When solo travelling, my phone is my best friend. I use it to navigate locations, make payments, check information, and look for solutions when I encounter an unwanted surprise. There was once when my USB charger malfunctioned because some sand from the beach damaged it – I had to ask some random strangers for charging in order for me to continue my trip and find my way back to my hotel. It was a terrifying experience.
So I recommend everyone to bring an extra USB charger and a power bank to avoid such circumstances at all costs.
Remember, your phone is your best friend during solo travelling – never let it die.
5. Enjoy being BY YOURSELF
Solo travelling is essentially doing the things you want to do by yourself.
During a solo trip, I can try local food and get amazed, see impressive historical sites, enjoy beautiful exotic sceneries, experience new exciting activities, visit spectacular museums, etc.
I see it as an extension of my life circle, just like when I go to the gym or go shopping by myself in my city. It really isn’t that different when you think about it.
I hope the 5 Principles for a Successful Solo Travel can give you some helpful insights into how you can plan your first solo trip! ✈️
Also, check out 🗻Travel Switzerland on a Budget and 🏖️2 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Ibiza