Believe it or not, many people have never traveled alone in their life. Travel is often seen as something that you do with your friends or family, and it is rare to see people travel alone unless it’s for business purposes. However, traveling alone can be one of the most transformational experiences a person can have.
You step outside of your comfort zone, and you’re forced to try things in a new way without the comfort of your friends and family to fall back on. If you’re in a foreign country, you may even find yourself speaking an entirely different language. Fear not, traveling alone doesn’t have to be stressful, or even scary. Take a look at some of the best tips for solo travelers.
Be Smart
One of the biggest concerns about traveling alone is the concern for safety. Many people are afraid that they’ll get mugged, or even kidnapped. At the end of the day, a lot of danger can be avoided by simply being smart.
Use your logic, and most of the time you’ll come out just fine. If you take cash out from an ATM machine, make sure that you don’t carry it all with you in the street. If you’re out at night, make sure that you stay on busy roads and stay away from dark alleys. This kind of basic safety logic will keep you out of harm’s way in most cases.
Talk to Other People
It’s so simple, yet can be incredibly helpful for making friends along the way— if you go to a restaurant, or get a coffee at a cafe, and get to know other travelers! Even though you might be shy, most people are more than willing to get to know you and are likely curious to know where you’re traveling from. Many people traveling alone wind up linking up with other solo travelers and decide to combine their trips together.
Perhaps they decided to check out a neighboring town together, or share the price of a hotel. You’ll never know what kind of opportunities are waiting for you unless you conquer your shyness.
Know Your Way Around
Before you arrive somewhere, it helps to have a basic idea of where everything is laid out. Take a look at a map, and get to know the hotspots and best places to go. Nowadays, the internet makes it so easy to find travel advice. Forums like Lonely Planet are full of tips for people traveling solo.
Ideally, you should make sure that you have a working phone with you so that if you do get lost, you can find your way using GPS. Whatever happens, embrace the adventure, and dive fearlessly into the unknown. You’ll never know until you try!
