Travelling solo is an experience that everyone should try at least once. While it’s always fun going on vacation with friends and family, there’s nothing quite like going on a trip on your own if you’re looking to discover yourself more. Plus, you get to decide on every single aspect of your itinerary without having to compromise with others.
However, there are some important considerations you’ll need to take into account when travelling solo. Since you’ll only be able to rely on yourself, you need to make sure that you plan thoroughly for your adventure and keep your wits about you once you arrive. If you’re looking to get the most out of your trip, you’ve come to the right place: keep reading to discover some solo travel tips that are sure to make your journey as fulfilling as it can be.
Prepare a Detailed Itinerary
Planning is essential for any trip, but especially if you’re travelling alone. Create a travel itinerary using a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Once you’re done, save your itinerary as a PDF so that you can access it from any device. You can also compress your PDFs online for free to avoid running out of device space. Once compressed, you can download the file as a text-only version, and it will take very little space and battery to open and access it anywhere without an internet connection.
As for the content of your travel itinerary, we recommend being as specific as possible. Include details such as your accommodations, your methods of transportation and a list of the sites you plan to visit. Remember that detailed planning doesn’t mean you can’t make changes once you arrive. However, creating a fully fleshed-out itinerary will help keep your travels going smoothly and potentially help avoid issues at immigration.
Take Copies of Your Documents
While we never plan to lose anything on our holidays, mistakes happen. It’s critical to have scanned copies of all your identity documents when you’re travelling in the unfortunate case you lose something. These can help you be identified when checking into accommodation or boarding transport, or they can help you replace lost documents like passports if you need to.
Also, make additional copies of all your other documents, like itineraries, tickets and booking details and keep them in different places in your luggage. Again, this safeguards you against losing specific documents that you’ll need throughout your journey. For example, if you lose your travel wallet with all your essential documents, it doesn’t have to be a disaster if you’ve kept scanned copies and duplicated documents in another part of your bag.
Record Your Adventures
It’s important to live in the moment when travelling solo, but you should also capture some memories you can look back on in the coming months and years. These days, the most popular way to do this is to take pictures and videos on your phone or camera.
Since you won’t be travelling with anyone else, you’ll need to capture most of your footage on your own. While this is easy if you’re snapping pictures of the landscape, you need to master the art of the selfie if you want to include yourself in your photos. It can also help to familiarise yourself with basic photography concepts such as the rule of thirds, leading lines and negative space.
You might also want to share snippets of your solo trips with others. To do this, set up a social media page dedicated to your travels and keep it updated regularly. To ensure that your content is post-worthy, master travel videography and photography before you set off. Travel footage is meant to last a lifetime, whether you decide to share it or not, so make sure that yours is as memorable as it can be.
Prioritise Safety
Safety should be your number one priority when travelling on your own. Prior to setting out, do plenty of research about the city or cities you’re visiting. Understand which parts are safe for tourists and which are best avoided by solo travellers. Also, practice caution when speaking to strangers.
Another safety tip to keep in mind is to let a loved one know where you are at all times. You can do this by sharing your phone’s location with them and checking with them at the end of every day. Solo travelling is a time for solitude and self-reflection, but that doesn’t mean you should totally cut contact with loved ones back at home.
Search for Deals in Advance
Travelling is among life’s great pleasures, but the costs associated with spending time in another city or country can sometimes get in the way. Thankfully, there are many smart ways to save money while still going on your dream vacation.
One of the best ways to save while you travel is to search for deals in advance. If you book early, you’ll likely be able to find better deals for flights and accommodations. There are also plenty of B2B travel portals that offer better rates on these things – just be careful of scammers.
When going on a solo trip, you’ll likely need to pay all the expenses yourself. Save some money by planning your travels well in advance and making smart booking decisions.
Final Points
There’s nothing better than getting the chance to explore another country or city. While most think of a vacation as a shared experience, there’s a good reason solo travelling has been popular among people of all ages since time immemorial. Travelling by yourself gives you the space to learn more about yourself and to explore at your own pace.
Solo travelling requires an even greater degree of planning than a group trip, since you’ll be doing everything on your own. In this piece, we’ve gone over some crucial things to keep in mind when preparing for your solo trip. Make sure to tick all these boxes prior to your adventure to make sure it goes smoothly and that you have the time of your life.
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