As famous Eleanor Roosevelt said,
‘ The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience’
and what's a better way to do it than on your own, by yourself, with yourself, and by your side, such is the magic of solo traveling.
If you are also a wanderlust soul seeking help with planning your next adventure - local or international - we have what you need!
Read this blog to prepare your checklist and be ready for all the ins and outs of traveling solo. Let's hop in!
1. Plan in Advance
When you are traveling alone, we recommend you to have everything arranged in order before stepping out on your escapade. Your plan doesn't have to be extremely detailed, yet the slight outline of it should be clear. booking your flights or hotel stays beforehand or knowing which places you have to go - some sort of pre-planning is a crucial part of the preparations.
2. Pack Light
Another important thing to consider while planning a solo trip is to always pack light or pack smart. The distances within a country or place you are traveling can be quite huge and at times you might not get an intermediate transport on the go. That's exactly why it is best to pack your luggage according to the weight you can carry yourself with ease (preferably a backpack).
3. Reach Your Destination Early or During the Day
While solo travel is quite an adventure, you definitey don't want to risk your safety. So make sure you reach the destination in the new place during the daylight or early part of the day. If you are visiting a place that is not urban or lively, arriving timely will help you find your way through an unfamiliar place with the help of the locals.
4. Interact With the Locals
The main purpose of a solo adventure is exploration without any inhibitions. And that is going to happen when you get to know the locals of the places. Other than the basic exploration, meeting the locals might additionally guide guide you better than the travel guides!
5. Make Friends Wisely
As an estranged traveler, you might miss up all the fun that a traveler who opens up does. It is the beauty of interacting and connecting with strangers that will help you feel at home even in a new place. There is always a great chance of learning stories, experiences, and even getting to know some exceptional people while on your way!
6. Explore
Apart from the sightseeing in a specific place that you can do alone; rather almost everything can be done alone during a trip. Talk about pubs, theatre, movies, or any place on your list can be given a visit alone. Having experience of going out on your own is one-of-a-kind and enlightening in multiple ways.
7. Take the Offbeat Tracks
To make the most of your solo travel, we suggest you take the road less traveled. We don't mean walk into a deserted street or place alone in the night, but the offbeat tracks often lead to beautiful destination that are yet to be explored by many.
You never know when you may find tourist spot that has still not been spotted.
8. Organize Your Tour
You might not be able to connect with a company while traveling to the different spots in a single place, it's always a good idea to organize your tour wherever there's a possibility of other travelers. Such people can help you interface the details of the place you are about to travel to and the trip too.
9. Carry Only Essentials
Given that you will be traveling alone and carrying everything by yourself, the wise thing is to carry only what you need with yourself. When you are about to head out for the day, just keep essentials such as battery backup, medicines, and maps with you. You can also keep a small diary with note with a list of emergency contacts.
10. Take Care of Your Belongings
You don't have another pair of eye to look after your stuff, so ensure you take care of your belongings in the best possible manner during the entire travel. To keep it simple, you can store all your essentials like camera, phone, passport, wallet, and cash in a single bag and take extraordinary care of that. This way, you will have to focus the most on one thing instead of trying to keep an eye on five different bags.
11. Be Your Photographer
As a solo traveler, you would need to grasp several new skills, and photography is one of them. Being able to take your pictures for the perfect memoirs is a talent that comes when you venture out alone. Being present in the moment as well as photos - both matters.
12. Learn the Local Language
Traveling to a new place on your own could turn out bad if the locals do not understand your language or anything else than their dialect. So as a smart solo traveler, try to learn a few basic and mandatory words of the local language, 'yes' ‘no’ 'food' 'home' for example are exceptionally important.
13. Carry a Book
Book is your best friend when traveling alone as you may get enough time to do nothing while you are on your way to a new destination. Also, when you are stuck in the same place for prolonged hours, keeping your favorite book handy may provide you the pastime and the knowledge apart from the company.
14. Ask Questions
If you want to start a conversation with any random person, regardless of their culture, being inquisitive about a query is important. Asking a question entrusts the fellow travelers that you are intrigued in their talks and kind of forms a positive basis for establishing a connection through conversation.
15. Learn to Read a Map
Knowing how to read a map is one of the most important things to plan before you set off on an adventure on your own. You might not always have helpful locals to guide you, so carry a map and be able to read it for directions to the desired destination.
16. Don’t Flaunt Expensive Items
You are heading out for an adventure not a regret. There's no reason to show off your luxurious items or luxe belongings to every stranger down the road you walk. Be it your collection of lavish jewelry or cool digital devices - exhibiting your items to others is a total risk. Avoid doing that to avoid becoming the victim of robberies and calling unwanted attention.
17. Save Up
Since you are paying for everything and no one else, we suggeat you keep a check on your financial resources and save them for any contingency or adversity during the trip. Though a little extra wouldn't hurt, a little less might land you in a soup!
18. Consider Travel Insurance
Apart from the other things we mentioned, buying travelers’ insurance is a crucial one. You may find different policies in the market and choose one that is applicable on the place you are visiting. Another point is to ensure the traveler insurance covers the cost of getting someone by your side just in case you end in a hospital.
19. Secure Your Identification Proofs
No matter if you are roaming around the same city, state, country, or any other nation, a traveler or a person in general, should always take utmost care of his identification proofs. When mooching around in an estranged land, your identification becomes extremely important and must be kept handy and protected at all costs.
20. Prefer Public Transport
By opting for public transport wherever possible, you may save considerable amount of money along your solo trip. Try to learn about the system of local transport in advance or get detailed information of the place from the accomodation or hotel, before heading out.
21. Stay Sober
A solo traveler's worst nightmare is to get drunk and then travel to unidentified land alone only to get mugged or robbed. So stay sober everytime be aware of your surroundings at all times.
A Bonus Tip!
A solo trip is meant to bring joy, experience the diversity of a place, and find peace in the best possible manner. You don't want any disruptions and that is the main aim of an avid traveler. So to enjoy your journey in a celebratory manner and revel your travel plans, try to experience the inexplicable moments of the getaway and live every moment to the fullest. There's nothing better than exploring, understanding, and learning new things on your own. And more than the destinatiosn you visit, your journey should be worth remembering!
So what are you waiting for? Unearth the secret explorer in you and venture into an adventure on your own!
Make the next escapade a bit better for fellow travelers by sharing your valuable experiences in the comments section or tell us something about your solo trip!
