The Ultimate Solo Travel Survival Guide

Updated: April 23, 2021 | Posted by: Grace Kim

Solo traveling comes off as intimidating, I’d like to say for obvious reasons. But it’s also a preferred method of traveling for many, as you can experience total life freedom, knowing that your time and schedule is solely dependent on you. No one is responsible of taking care of you and your sanity, as a huge weight can be lifted off your shoulders. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s great knowing that you don’t have to come to debate which restaurant to eat at for dinner, or bickering because of disagreement in plans.

Knowing that you’re traveling all alone comes off as intimidating to many, and even weird to some. I get asked a lot if I ever get scared traveling alone but to be completely honest, I don’t. Not sure if it’s because I’ve been pretty independent since I was younger, but because I make sure that I’m traveling in a safe area, I let my closest friends and family know where I am, and I take precaution wherever I am.

But if you’re seriously considering a solo trip, you’ve come to the right place. Since the end of 2019, I’ve pursued solo traveling to cities I’ve never visited in my life and from the months of indefinite travels, I’ve come up with a list of things to consider if you’re planning a solo trip.

In tears on my first, international solo trip

The first time I ever took my first solo trip, I was scared and intimidated out of my mind. Originally, the trip wasn’t even supposed to be solo but sometimes life just works that way. I remember the moment so vividly as I was on the plane departing to Oslo, Norway. I was intimidated and scared out of my mind and I couldn’t control the tears falling off my face. It was actually more embarrassing than anything else as the guy next to me looked clueless. The trip was so last minute and I barely had anything planned and with no shoulder to cry on, I somehow convinced myself that everything was going to work out in the end. And that’s exactly what happened.

I didn’t have enough time to plan for the trip since I was trying to make sure I had the basics, such as a car to get me around and a place to stay for the night. Mind you that I didn’t even know where I was going to be sleeping every night and didn’t know a single soul in the country.

Thankfully English is spoken in Norway because navigating through the country would’ve definitely been a lot more difficult. The number of lessons that can be taught and learned solo traveling is more than I can count on two hands. And as there is no one way of doing it correctly, all it really takes is the right amount of commitment to immerse yourself in the art.

From long months of trial and error, I’ve come up with survival tips that may come in handy if you ever plan on pursuing a solo trip.

>> Read More: Why I Solo Travel

Solo Travel Survival Tips

I’d like to say that most don’t even consider traveling alone. Especially for women, there are more precaution measures to take that puts solo traveling out of the picture.

Safety is the first thing that should be on anyone’s mind, whether you’re traveling by yourself or not. Before leaving home to travel, my father told me that as long as I followed his three rules, I could travel however I’d like. In this order, his three rules were and still are: safety, safety, safety.

Once safety considered, the rest can be easily navigated.

1. Research the city

Before traveling anywhere, it is so important to stay up to date with the city’s current updates. You want to make sure that there aren’t events or protests that hinder you from experiencing the things you’re trying to accomplish during your visit. To name a few, these can range anywhere from stores and parks being closed for the holidays, political riots, and extreme weather conditions.

What’s worse knowing that your trip fell on a ‘bad’ week, closing main attraction spots, restaurants and stores?

2. Share your location with close friends

This is one that I was hesitant at first, but wouldn’t think twice to do now. When you’re traveling all alone, what’s better knowing that someone has your location in case of an emergency, or if you have responded to a text for hours? Not only does sharing your location provide an ease of mind with your friends and family, but it’s also reassuring knowing that your closest friends has your back at any given time.

But if you’re generally uncomfortable sharing your location, another good way to ensure your safety is to turn on any tracking systems between your devices. It’s smart to have a backup of your electronics, especially if you lose a device and have no other way of tracking it.

3. Always be aware of your surroundings

For males and females alike, it’s important to make sure to do more than just look to your left and right. You wanna make sure that when you’re traveling, that you’re in public areas and making sure that you’re not walking alone at night. And if you ever find yourself lost trying to find your destination, that you don’t look like you’re clueless.

Especially females, please don’t take this tip lightly! It’s easy for locals to identify tourists but even easier when you seem lost. And as intimidating as it sounds, you don’t want people taking advantage of you at any time.

There have been instances where people have come up to me because they note that I am traveling alone. Thankfully, I’ve never had any bad instances but I will say that most people are extremely friendly. Most are more intrigued and curious about the fact that you are traveling solo but if you ever come across an unwanted scenario, remember that it’s okay to say no.

4. Act with confidence

Whatever you’re trying to accomplish throughout your trip, make sure that you’re traveling with confidence. There can be instances where you might be taken advantage of because you’re traveling solo but showing ownership of yourself will take you far. Body language and signs of “I know what I’m doing” translates into confidence.

There is a stigmatism that Asian people come off as shy and timid. Ever since I was younger, I’d be assumed to be those traits, even though I’ve grown up in an area that is heavily Asian populated. There are some cities I’ve traveled to where I’ve stuck out like a sore thumb but for that reason, it’s that much more important for me to be aware and know when to stand my ground.

5. Pack Lightly

Since you are in total control of creating your own schedule, you can move at your own pace and time. There is also no one who is going to be there helping you carry your bags, so remember to pack lightly. Traveling with a suitcase has become so overrated, I can’t stress enough how much more at ease you’ll be when packing lightly.

Depending on the type of trip you’re pursuing, if you’re solo traveling in countries like Europe or Asia, surely you’ll be moving around a lot. With having lighter loads, transporting yourself from place to place becomes a lot easier and as you’re meeting people along the way, you won’t have to drag a suitcase around.

Unless your goal is to showcase fashion during your travels, you’ll find yourself wearing the same two or three outfits throughout the week. Well, at least that was the case for me.

6. You don’t always need definite plans

Some will tell you that traveling is stressful without a plan. For some, yes. But others live for the spontaneity. I used to be an extremely type A traveler but ever since I started traveling indefinitely, my travel habits have shifted as I’ve become extremely flexible. But this didn’t happen overnight. This habit slowly developed overtime as I started solo traveling.

Why?

There’s a special energy that you radiate because you’re traveling alone. Whether you’re an introvert or not, you’ll find yourself being more okay talking to strangers. You’re more willing to take opportunities because you don’t have to worry about anyone’s time or feelings and sometimes, the best trips come from not knowing what you’re going to do next and who you’ll meet next.

7. Ask locals for advice and safety tips

When entering into a new city with absolutely no plans, one of the best advice I can give is to ask locals for advice and places to avoid. Especially because you’re traveling all by yourself, people will naturally want to help you out. Even though they may be strangers, people are nicer than you think.

On top of that, they’re the best and most trusted tour guides of the city. Some of the best solo trips I’ve had were ones I’ve explored with locals or ones that locals recommended on the spot.

From the best food to the hidden gems, locals know best. They will direct you to the best hole in the wall food joints, and inform you on which areas of the neighborhood to avoid because with all places, some places are shadier than others!

8. Be open minded and trust your gut

From city to city, there have been plenty of times where I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping for the night. Especially when traveling alone and on a budget, it definitely comes off as scary and intimidating. Yes, I do get anxious when I’m scrambling to find the basics, such as food, shelter, and security, but I’ve learned that as long as you trust your gut instinct, things usually work out in the end.

Even when plans don’t go as planned, the universe speaks in an interesting way. There are times where I’d be overwhelmed with plans and actually rely on my gut to help me out. Most of the time, I’d like to say that my gut chooses the right path for me.

9. Make friends on social media

Embracing solo travel is one thing but there are some places where it’s better to travel in groups or with someone else. But if you’re traveling all by yourself, how do you find and meet people to travel with along the way?

The amount of connections that I’ve made off of social media is insane. I would constantly receive messages from people asking who takes my photos and how I met them? Instagram is a platform that’s taken me further than I’d ever known.

Before heading over to each city, I make the effort to reach out to local photographers to meet up and shoot. It doesn’t require a lot of effort but it’s allowed me to travel for as long as I’ve been able to. I’ve met some of my closest friends through online networking and collaborating through my social media platforms.

Social media contains such powerful tools that should be taken advantage of when used intentionally. Now, I make it mandatory to meet and make friends wherever I go and till this day, am connected with new friends and creators all around the world.

>> Read More: How to Make Friends While Solo Traveling

10. Have access to good internet connection at all times

With how advanced technology is these days, it makes solo traveling that much easier. Especially when you’re in an international country where you don’t speak the native language, it’s so important ensuring that you have good internet connection. How are you going to find your way around when you can’t communicate with the locals, and don’t know your way around the city?

Whether you’ve been planning a solo trip internationally or not, I’d recommend ordering a SIM card that can provide you with enough data during your time traveling. But even if you planned on visiting last minute, airports and main city squares will have stores selling SIM cards. And in major tourist attraction cities, many times, restaurants will even have free WiFi, which is great so that you can save data when you need it the most.

Overall Solo Travel Experience

Whether you’ve been solo traveling or you’re heavily considering a solo trip, know that you have a lot of guts for wanting to do so. Traveling all alone, especially in unfamiliar and unvisited cities, this method of traveling may not come naturally to most. And as traveling solo may not even be considered, I highly recommend everyone trying it at least once. Not only will you learn so much about yourself, but you also are not running on anyone else’s time.

Overall, these tips are the reasons why I’ve been able to survive on the road traveling solo for months. It’s a life I was curious to pursue although it was extremely intimidating and fearful at first. Hopefully some of these points have encouraged you to take your first solo trip because I promise, navigating through the world all by yourself will only make you stronger!