January 20th, 2025 | By:Â Grace Kim
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How to Travel Alone and Love it
Solo travel? Why would anyone ever want to solo travel? For the last 5 years, I made the decision to quit my job and solo travel the world. Traveling solo was never something I had ever desired to do, it just happened by chance and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.
Solo travel changed my life forever. It showed me freedom, taught me patience, and made me break out of my Type A personality. From my years of solo travel, I’m here to help guide you on everything you need to know about solo travel, how to prepare for it, and lessons I’ve learned while traveling alone.
Why Solo Travel?
What if I get into a weird interaction with someone and don’t know? How am I going to get out of it? How do I navigate through loneliness? Am I negotiating my safety by not going with someone else?
Let’s be real. Traveling alone can be intimidating, especially traveling to a new country you’ve never been to before. But if you prepare correctly and set yourself up for success, it can be the most empowering and rewarding life decision you will ever make.
So why should you solo travel? Solo travel opens yourself not only to yourself, but also to the world. Solo travel teaches you lessons no textbook can ever teach you. It introduces thoughts that you probably would never come by if you were traveling with someone else. Solo travel can open doors up for you to meet people for the sole reason of you being alone. And it’s beautiful.
13 Travel Tips on How to Prepare for Solo Travel
There is no one way to prepare for solo travel. It comes through experience, building confidence, and doing the necessary research before every trip. Are you taking the time to learn more about their culture, must-visit attraction spots, and safety to gain a better understanding of what to expect? Do you have all the travel documents needed so you’re not turned around at the airport?
Share your travel plans and rough itinerary with a friend or a family back at home. With just the right amount of preparation, you’ll be ready to start solo traveling confidently in no time.
1. Share your location on the Find My Friends App
Attention all iPhone users! Did you know that you have a free app on your phone called Find My Friends? This is by far one of the most powerful free apps you can get on every iPhone, and it is so handy for solo travelers. The app allows you to share your location in real time with your friends and family. This brings such an ease of mind because you’re essentially letting your family and friends know where you are at all times without having to give them updates 24/7.
Whether it was me being stuck in the middle of the desert, or that one time I got stuck on an island in Vietnam, the Find My Friends app has come in handy countless times along my solo travels. I feel safer traveling to places alone because I know that someone has my location at all times.
2. Get a free Google Voice Number
Did you know that everyone gets one free Google Voice Number? Download the app, get a free number, and memorize the number ASAP, especially you ladies! Imagine being in a weird situation where a guy asks for your number at a bar and you can’t get out of the situation? Instead of giving your real, trackable number, give your Google Voice Number instead. Not only does it make you non-trackable, but it’ll also get you out of so many weird situations throughout the rest of your trip. It is a lifesaver!
3. Learn the basic language of the country you're visiting
Learning the basic language of the country you’re visiting can only get you far. Not only does this show respect, but it can also help you get out of situations being scammed, overspending, and from unwanted situations.
The basic words I learn in every new country: hello, good bye, thank you, bathroom, bill.
4. Book accommodations in the center city
For your overall safety, the best thing you can do for yourself is booking your accommodations where there’s a lot of foot traffic. Go where the crowd is and avoid running into someone you don’t want to in a more secluded area. My favorite place to look for accommodations is on Booking.com or on Agoda. I personally like having my own space after a long day out of traveling but if you’re looking for a community, Hostelworld is a great place to find accommodations in popular areas.
5. Have backups
Having backups of all your data, documents, and photos are so important. I’ve come across way too many situations of meeting people getting their phones snatched without having backups of any of their photos and videos. Rather than being devastated losing all your data at the end of your trip, having backup can only give you an ease of mind.
Consider getting iCloud backup storage, extra hard drives, or even an additional online backup service. I’ve been using BackBlaze as an extra backup service as it offers unlimited back storage as long as you back your data up every 30 days.
6. Be aware of your surroundings
Whether you’re exploring during the day or at night, being fully aware of your surroundings is crucial. Act confident wherever you plan on going, don’t look at your phone for long periods of time, and don’t walk with headphones on at night. Take taxi’s whenever you have the slightest bit of discomfort, and make sure your location sharing is on at all times.
7. Pack light but smart
Flexibility is key. Since you’ll be traveling by yourself, nobody is there to help carry your bags so pack lightly. Bring neutral clothing so that it’s easier to wear more outfits throughout your trip.
It’s also likely that you’ll want to shop and buy souvenirs to bring back home. This fills up your luggage quicker and will prevent you from needing to buy another suitcase along your travels. What I like to do is to leave a section of my luggage empty for things that I want to buy while traveling.
Here’s a list of things I always pack on my solo trips:
- Neutral clothing
- Medicine familiar to you
- Universal Travel Adapter
- Light zip up sweater
- Fanny pack
8. Download offline maps
Not every city will have good, reliable WiFi, so it’s important to download an offline map of the area prior to your trip. I rely on Google Maps, especially if I’m doing a road trip, since I know I can’t rely on that country’s data all the time. This has saved me hundreds of dollars on data and has come in so much handy, especially when navigating back to my hotel at night.
9. Get an eSIM
From the moment you arrive at the airport in a new country, you’ll be able to connect to the airport’s WiFi. But what about getting from the airport to your hotel? Instead of waiting on long lines at the airport, the quickest and most efficient way of getting data is by registering for an eSIM. I’ve been getting my eSIM’s at Airalo and getting immediate connection couldn’t have been easier.
10. Meet other solo travelers on tours
The best and most organic way to meet people is on tours. I’ve been on plenty of tours alone and have enjoyed learning about new places with others with the same interest. On my solo trip to Thailand, I met someone on a tour who I still keep in touch with today. We were the only two people solo traveling on the tour, and connected instantly. Since then, we traveled Thailand together and have both agreed that that was one of the biggest highlights of our solo travels.
If you’re looking for group travel with other solo travelers, G Adventures has been my go-to site for that. Not only do you have the opportunity to travel to unique destinations with likeminded travelers, but you can also get your alone time throughout your trips. It’s a win-win!
11. Have a trusty health insurance plan
The last thing you’d want is to travel alone, get sick, and not have the right resources to seek medical attention. For the comfort of your health and safety, having international health insurance is so important, especially if you’re going on a long-term solo trip.
I had to file a health claim when I got sick in Thailand, and being under SafetyWing’s Health Plan came in so much handy. I was alone, in a new country, didn’t know how to speak the language, but felt reassured being protected under the insurance.
12. Bring a tripod
One of the most common questions I get asked is who takes my photos if I’m traveling alone? If it’s not someone I randomly ask on the spot, it’s usually on my tripod. I’ve done through so many tripods and after so much trial and error, my go-to is the MagSafe Tripod from KraftGeek. Not only does it connect onto your phone instantly, but it’s so small that it can fit in your purse! A photo is worth a thousand words and these photographs will keep your travel memories last longer.
13. Carry a mix of cash and credit
It’s always a good idea to carry the local currency around with you. Especially if you’re looking to support small and local businesses, like indulging in street food and shopping at markets, cash is a necessity. Instead of taking larger amounts of cash on every trip, I withdraw small amounts of money at a time with my Charles Schwab Debit Card. I take out cash as I need it as I’m not charged with ATM withdrawal fees or international exchange fees.
Additionally, having a travel credit card that doesn’t charge you international fees is key. Find my favorite international travel credit cards here.
Overall Experience
Everything from freedom, personal space, time, and self-discovery, there’s a lot to be learned from solo travel. Solo travel is an opportunity to grow, learn more about yourself, and experience the world in a different light. Even though it can come off as intimidating at first, solo travel is a choice and should be fun and exciting. As long as you’re taking full control of yourself and your travels, your opportunities are endless.
Solo travel as truly changed my life and how I view the world, and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who has even the slightest interest of trying it out. Hope these steps helped with taking away the fear of solo travel, and ultimately prepares you for your next solo trip. Safe and happy travels!
Save these pins when planning your solo trip!
