Solo Travel: The Truth About Traveling Alone

I love solo travel for so many reasons. My solo travel adventures started because of my grandmother. About 20 years ago, while sharing a breakfast together, she told me about all of the places she wished she had visited. She considered her life to be a blessed life. However, she did not have the opportunities to travel the way she wanted. I actually think part of my travel bug comes from her.

Solo travel is not for everyone, and I will admit that there may be a few cons. For example, I was unable to find a single food tour in Osaka, Japan, that would allow me to join a tour group. Apparently two was the minimum. Also, for some reason when I go to the beach, some people tend to ask “just one” with a little bit of pity or surprise. You know what? I DO NOT CARE!! Those small things are not enough to keep me from traveling solo, and I think everyone should try it at least once.

I know many women are particularly afraid. I understand the fear…the fear of the unknown, and frankly, I would never guarantee nothing bad will never happen. However, with planning, I have never really felt like I was in any type of danger. There are ways to protect yourself and feel safe. The goal is for your primary focus to be on whatever beautiful environment you are there to experience.

As part of my bucket list adventures, I set a goal to travel to at least 60 countries. I hope to exceed that, but for now that is my goal. So far, I have visited 44 countries. To make my goal possible, solo travel had to be built into my plan. I am a single woman and I think it is important that I do not to wait for people to make decisions, take risks, or be willing to push themselves outside of their comfort zones before I take a trip. This is especially true since the more I travel, the more I want to keep going.

Tips to help you conquer your fears of solo travels!!

Limit social media: We live in an age of social media where we track everything we do in the moment. Remember that social media also provides nefarious people with detailed information about your whereabouts and travel location, which can be used against you. The best practice is to limit your play by play activities.

Do not wing the important stuff: In general, I book my hotel or Airbnb reservations well before I board the plane. I buy walking maps of cities I am visiting. I also try to gain some understanding of public transportation systems as well as culture and norms. All of my pre planning helps me feel comfortable in a strange environment. I only wing it when I am visiting a country I’ve been to several times and I know what I am getting myself into.

Leave your itinerary behind: It is good practice for you to leave your travel plans, to include plane and hotel reservations, with someone you trust. Someone who cares about your whereabouts.

Join a day tour: If you are unclear about how to navigate a city or how to accomplish an activity, then joining a day tour makes things easier. Day tours help me manage logistics, like pick up and drop off from lodging and transportation to the tour site. They also usually provide lots of information about the site I am visiting. It is the easiest way to see things you may have not otherwise seen on our own.

I have been lucky to come across mom and pop restaurants and shops, received lots of information about temples, cathedrals, and mosques, and gained a ton of historical knowledge. My favorite tour companies are Viator.com and Getyourguide.com, but there a many others that can help ease your travels.

Dining alone: Dining alone can be the hardest part of traveling solo. I eat out by myself all the time in the US. But, for some reason it feels different on a trip. This is especially true if I want to go to a fancy restaurant solo. However, I do not think you should skip out on good places to eat just because you are by yourself. I tend to find restaurants with bars or outdoor seating, which take off of the pressure of eating by myself, and I also always have a book with me.