How to travel solo? What a tricky question! I will try and answer it as best I can in this post.
I’ve always dreamed of travelling all over the world, discovering amazing places and getting to know new people from different cultures. I’ve always been passionate about the idea and luckily, before uni I had the opportunity to backpack in South America.
It was a completely unforgettable experience and I assure you THAT YOU CAN DO THE SAME! But, I do understand that it takes a lot of bottle to do something like this – the idea of travelling alone is pretty scary and intimidating. So, I’m giving you the necessary advice to travel solo, have fun and keep safe. Also there’s a selection of some of my own photos.
How to travel solo
You need to have an open mind
This is one of the most important rules when you travel alone. DO you want to make the most of every single day? To travel solo and make the most out of your time, you nee to be flexible all the time, because sometimes the best plans are the improvised ones! I saw loads of people travelling who planned every single day and every single activity, so that they could never make last minute or spontaneous plans. I know that you need to plan a bit but its important to leave yourself some wiggle room.
If I hadn’t been flexible, I wouldnt have been able to see the amazing beaches in Peru and Ecuador, or go the jungle in Bolivia; I can’t imagine missing these trips. I always tried to say yes to new plans, meet new people every day, and you should do the same. I promise you that an open mind is the most important thing when you travel.
Live in the moment
You know those tourists that take photos every minute of every day and they’re always on instagram uploading stories – DON’T BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. By all means, you should take photos and upload them to Insta, but what I’m saying is that the most important thing when you’re travelling is to live in the moment and appreciate the places you visit
If you’re too distracted by your camera or phone, you wont fully appreciate nature or monuments or culture. My advice is to capture some memories, but try to be present and live in the moment when you can. These experiences only happen once, so enjoy them whilst you can!!
Discover some of our tours here
Be safe
I mentioned the importance of being flexible and having an open mind but obviously its equally important to be safe in any situation when you are travelling alone. FIrstly, I would advise that you stay in hostels with good reputations, which you can find using websites like Hostelz, Hostelworld or Booking.com.
Or if you prefer you can travel on an organized tour with a travel agency. Unitrips organises a multitude of trips in Europe and Morocco and we always prioritize your safety. You’ll be travelling in a group with other solo travellers – you don’t have to worry about organization, nor security!
Try and learn a bit of the languages of the countries you travel to.
I think that its important to learn the language of a country to which you’re travelling not just because it helps you meet new people but it also helps you appreciate a new culture. Also, you can impress your friends when you get home!
Try and use simple phrases at the start and the more that you speak, the more you will learn. I recommend that you buy a phrasebook and don’t forget you can use helpful sites like DeepL or Linguee. Another way of learning is attending a language school or living with a local family using an app like Workaway if you want to develop quickly.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your travels!!
