Many people believe that solo travel is the best way to travel. After all, you get to explore the world on your terms which offers plenty of opportunities to discover not only the world around you but also discover yourself. Yet, while traveling alone offers plenty of benefits and exciting opportunities, it can also present a considerable amount of challenges and potential dangers.
Whether you’re traveling for the very first time or you’re embarking on a solo trip after quite a few, here are some of the best tips for making the most out of your solo adventure.
Avoid Dangerous Areas
Perhaps the most important goal of solo travel is ensuring that you stay out of danger. Remember, not everywhere in the world has the same kind of police presence as we do back in the United States. Depending on where you are, you could find yourself in serious danger in certain neighborhoods.
This is why you want to do your research ahead of time and get to know tourist-friendly neighborhoods and ones you’d be better off to avoid. Usually, it’s as simple as researching ahead of time and getting to know what the locals and other travelers say.
Plan Ahead
A little bit of planning goes a long way, especially when it comes to travel. Book your flights ahead of time, reserve the hotels, and consider reserving a few activities in advance as well. This will help avoid scrambling and improvising at the last minute and also guarantee you have plenty of things to look forward to.
However, while planning ahead can be advantageous, it’s also important to remember to stay flexible. The best trips are the ones that allow for unexpected changes and discoveries, which can lead to spontaneous adventures.
Stay Connected
When you’re traveling alone it’s important that you know you have a reliable way to get a hold of people should you find yourself in an emergency. Ideally, you should call your phone company ahead of time and ensure that you have coverage in the area that you’re traveling to.
Make sure that you go over any additional costs or differences in pricing should you need to use your phone regularly at your destination. There’s nothing worse than getting back from your trip and finding that you have an astronomical phone bill, so do a little research ahead of time to avoid an unnecessary expense you can’t afford.
Pack Lightly
Packing lightly is one of the biggest favors you can do yourself when traveling, whether in a group or alone. However, it can be especially helpful when you travel alone as hauling around a bag without any help from a friend or partner can be burdensome.
Pack only the essentials, and remember that most places will probably sell things like toiletries or an extra pair of socks should you really be in need of something that you didn’t pack.
