If you are here it is because you like to travel, and you are preparing for your first solo adventure, you may feel that you are not ready and you are looking for reassurance. I am here to help you !
There are generally two reasons for going on a solo trip, either you want to go alone to rediscover yourself, to enjoy the moment in complete serenity or either everyone you know is busy, friends who are gone to live further away, others who got married and others who keep canceling your outings.. Don’t worry, you are not the only ones to experience this, me for example, I waited a long time in order to be able to share my trip to Italy with my future partner but circumstances did not allow it, we sometimes spend our time waiting for others and we often forget to live, for me, my trip to Italy was not only a dream but also a challenge to take up, and we don’t have to wait for others for an eternity to be able to realize our dreams, I never imagined that one day I would go on a solo trip and finally it was the best choice I made in my whole life, it was a remedy that helped me overcome a big disappointment, and again, it was probably the best gift I could have offer myself to be able to reconcile with myself, we can’t make up for lost time, but we can stop wasting it. Traveling in Italy alone has given me an appetite for traveling around the world, believe me that once you taste it you won’t be able to resist it.
Here are my essential tips for a solo trip:
1-Plan your first solo trip very well:
Before traveling solo for the very first time I of course did my research, and I took all my precautions. Sometimes it’s good to not to worry too much but let’s be realistic, it’s our first solo trip and we don’t want to fall into unimaginable situations that could ruin our trip and even cause us a travel phobia in solo, although you can leave a little space for improvisation because you won’t be able to control everything, but you can’t risk a whole trip and navigate without directions, although over time, the more you travel the more you will feel capable to detach yourself from planning but for the moment we have steps not to skip and experiences to live to be able to reach pro freestyle mode.
2- Choose secure destinations and locations for your stay:
On the one hand, and for a first solo trip you certainly do not want to go to a country in conflict zones, or which is not secure, on the other hand you need to find out about the area where you are going, if it is safe to move around at night alone, if it is a quiet area… In addition, you need to ensure the availability of the minimum means of public transport to be able to reach the places you want to visit and return to your hotel easily, especially if you are traveling on a medium budget, taxis are expensive almost everywhere in the world so we only leave that choice for a really urgent cases.
3- Trace your travel itinerary:
If you are afraid of traveling solo, preparing your journeys is one of the keys to overcoming your fears, if the unknown makes you uncomfortable there is no better way to research and make sure yourself on your journey to reduce your stress.
Plotting your route in advance also helps you save a lot of time and allows you to have ideas in advance about the places you want to visit, for example visiting certain monuments, palaces and museums should be done a few days in advance by purchasing the access ticket online, and avoiding long queues which can cause you to waste up to 3 hours of waiting time, it should be noted that it is impossible to find tickets the day before of your visit for most of the well-known museums such as the Vatican and sometimes you even have to request an appointment by email to be able to visit certain palaces so make some researches about the places you want to visit.
4- Stay vigilant:
There are many secure countries in the world but you still have to remain vigilant because there may be pickpockets, for example. Be careful of groups of young girls or young men who can probably steal something from your backpack without feeling anything! Pickpockets are normal people like us who cannot be easily distinguished, although there are certain tricks to knowing them, for example people in train stations with no luggage and who walk without any aim.…
5- Basic survival and emergency rules:
The first rule consists of three basic elements, the passport, the phone, and cash, the last three should be carried in front of you and not in your backpack, a fanny pack could do the trick. Do not forget to write down all the pleading numbers in case of emergency in each country, such as the number of the police.
6- Health, medicines and food:
You must take essential medications against the most common illnesses, such as headaches, body aches, poor digestion, diarrhea, etc. You will probably walk a lot and try several dishes that your stomach is not used to and will probably not be able to not hundle, so having temporary medication is better than going to pharmacies when you have a pain! Remember to bring with you your favorite snacks, cakes, mini chocolate bars or wafers… in case you have a bad culinary experience. Remember that some restrictions apply when it comes to bringing food on board, so check with the airline if you plan to bring anything special.
7- Pack light :
Remember that you are on a solo trip and no one is going to carry your luggage for you, so be sure to take a light luggage that is easy to roll within the weight limits imposed by your airline. Try to minimize and optimize your luggage, take the bare minimum, for example a backpack and a small suitcase as much as possible. Never fill your suitcase full, remember to leave some space for the little souvenirs you want to bring back from the country visited.
8- Enjoy your stay:
Don’t spend your time running everywhere, you’re not supposed to see everything, normalize the fact of not being able to 100% carry out the plan you have planned for your trip, the main thing is not to see everything but rather to live and enjoy every moment during your trip.
Finally, if you are in good health and able to finance your trip, don’t wait for anyone because lost time is never found again, these are fewer precious days of your life and it is better to take full advantage of them. Going on an adventure, traveling, at the age of 30 will obviously not be the same as that at the age of 60 hah!
What are you waiting for, start booking and planning for your trip!