The Trip That Changes You
Solo travel has a reputation for being brave or unusual. In reality, millions of people travel alone every year and most of them will tell you it’s one of the best decisions they’ve ever made. The freedom to go where you want, at your pace, with no compromises — it’s liberating in a way that’s difficult to describe until you’ve experienced it.
But solo travel does require a different level of preparation. Here’s everything you need to know to do it safely, confidently, and well.
Why Solo Travel Is Worth It
When you’re alone, you’re forced to navigate, make decisions, and connect with strangers in ways that group travel rarely requires. You’ll chat to locals, join other travellers’ plans spontaneously, and discover things that a guided group would never find. The personal growth — in confidence, resourcefulness, and perspective — is remarkably consistent across solo travellers’ accounts.
Choosing Your First Solo Destination
For a first solo trip, choose somewhere welcoming, easy to navigate, with good infrastructure for independent travellers. Our recommendations:
- Japan — extraordinarily safe, efficient public transport, helpful locals even with a language barrier
- Portugal — warm, English widely spoken, genuinely safe, and beautiful
- New Zealand — outdoor adventure in an English-speaking, extremely safe environment
- Thailand — excellent backpacker infrastructure built specifically for solo travellers
- Iceland — dramatic landscapes, one of the world’s safest countries, easy to self-drive
The Safety Fundamentals
Research Your Destination Before You Arrive
Understand the local culture, areas to avoid, common tourist scams, emergency contact numbers, and how transportation works. Government travel advisory websites provide current safety assessments. Spend an hour on this — it pays back immediately on arrival.
Share Your Itinerary With Someone You Trust
Give a family member or close friend your full itinerary: accommodation addresses, phone numbers, planned activities. Check in with them regularly. They should know when to be concerned if they haven’t heard from you.
Stay Connected
Get a local SIM card or an international data plan immediately on arrival. Being able to access maps, translation, emergency services, and contact home at all times is non-negotiable for solo travel. This is not optional.
Trust Your Instincts — Immediately and Without Apology
If a situation, person, or place makes you uncomfortable, leave. Don’t let politeness or social awkwardness override your instincts. Your gut is a remarkably reliable safety system. Solo travel rewards people who listen to it.
Practical Tips That Make Solo Travel Smoother
Accommodation: Hostels Are Your Friend
Hostels are the natural habitat of solo travellers. Modern quality hostels have excellent private room options alongside dormitories, common areas designed for meeting people, and organised activities that make connection easy and natural. They’re not just for 22-year-olds on gap years — solo travellers of all ages use them for the social infrastructure.
Managing Money
- Use a hidden money belt for passport and emergency cash — worn under clothing, not accessible in public
- Carry only the day’s spending money in your regular wallet
- Keep a backup credit card stored separately from your main wallet
- Note your card’s emergency numbers in your phone and separately on paper
Dining Alone
Eating alone is the thing first-time solo travellers dread most. In reality, it becomes completely natural within two or three days. Sit at bars or counters where staff become easy conversation partners. Markets and street food scenes are perfect for eating alone without any social pressure. Bring a book or journal as a prop if it helps — though you’ll probably need it less than you expect.
Meeting Other Travellers
- Hostel common areas and organised events — the easiest and most natural setting
- Guided day tours — excellent for single-day connections with fellow travellers
- Walking tours — highly social, conversation flows naturally while moving
- Cooking classes and language lessons — shared activity creates instant rapport
- Couchsurfing meetup events — even if you’re not staying with hosts, the community events are welcoming
A Note for Women Travelling Solo
Women solo travellers face additional considerations in certain destinations. Research cultural norms and appropriate dress codes before arriving. In more conservative countries, conservative clothing reduces unwanted attention significantly. Trust your instincts firmly and immediately — no situation is worth overriding them for politeness. Connect with female travel communities online before departure for destination-specific advice from women who’ve been there recently.
The Part Nobody Tells You
One of the unexpected gifts of solo travel is getting comfortable with your own company. The quiet moments — watching a sunset alone, navigating a foreign city by yourself, sitting in a café with no one to talk to — become some of the most vivid and meaningful memories of the trip. Solitude stops being something to escape and becomes something to savour.
Just Go
Solo travel doesn’t require bravery. It requires a decision, some preparation, and a tolerance for uncertainty. Start with a destination that excites more than it intimidates, prepare thoughtfully using this guide, and take the first step. The world is a lot more welcoming to solo travellers than most people expect. You’ll find out the moment you arrive.
