Traveling Alone for The First Time 101: Basic Tips to Follow!
Traveling alone for the first time may feel scary to you at first but it’s not in actual!
People tend to ask themselves questions like “where to go,” “what to take with them,” and “how will they manage everything on their own in their journey.”
The solo journey is no less than an exciting experience if you plan, organize, and follow all the important things properly.
If you are soon going to travel alone for the first time and worrying about how it may go for you, check out some solo traveling tips for first time solo travelers to make sure you don’t stuck while your journey.
Traveling Alone for The First Time 101: Basic Tips to Follow!
There are several tips and rules you have to follow and adapt to make your first solo trip memorable.
Here they are:
Preparing Yourself As a Solo Traveler
Start by taking a helping hand from group tours, they’ll guide you with everything you need to know about your trip. i.e. The best places to visit, hotels, total expenses, etc.
What’s more, travel companies are very helpful for the newbies, as they provide a complete package that one needs to enjoy their dream tour to the fullest.
Consider a Travel company if:
- You have no idea where to go on the tour
- You are an old aged or inexperienced person
- Your destination is challenging
- You want to take a long trip for a month or more
- You have a good budget for the trip
Note: Not all tour companies are the same. There are several things to consider when choosing a traveling package from an agent. Each company will provide you a different package and at different prices, where some might not give you everything for which you’ve paid them.
Take Advice
There might be a large number of people in your circle who are experts in travel.
Ask your friend or family members about their experience as a solo traveler.
Ask them about the problems they faced and the things that are most important for the solo tour according to them.
Make a list listing all their advice, and follow them to make your journey go smoothly.
Make a Budget
Your trip mainly depends on your budget because the more budget you have, the longer and memorable your trip will be.
Write down your budget on a paper so that you can calculate your transportation, living and other expenses.
You can also use a mobile app or a budget planner to calculate the entire travel expenses.
Prepare a To-Do list
There are many tasks that you need to think, plan, and accomplish on your trip. And the best way to organize all that stuff is to create a professional To-Do list!
Take a pen and paper & write down all the tasks that you need to complete before your trip.
Write all important tasks like packing items, finishing your remaining tasks, your traveling routine, etc.
(You can also check this blog post to learn how to create an effective To-do list.)
Pack Small
You’re temporarily shifting to a new country and city, not permanently!
Put only important items in your luggage, i.e. clothes, medicines, a camera, etc.
Don’t burden it with extra items, or you’ll worsen your tour only in handling those stuff.
Learn Solo Photography
You definitely don’t want to miss a single photo of your trip, but who will take your shots? Who is going to capture your photos in the swimming pool and chairlifts?
It’s quite difficult to do that alone!
You’ll have to handle every photography stuff on your own.
That’s one of the biggest problems that a solo traveler face!
Learn to take professional photos with yourself. Never forget the following photography tools in your trip:
Identify the Basics
Make sure you have enough knowledge about the visa requirements and the currency exchange.
Ensure that your passport is not expired and is eligible for the country that you are visiting.
Choose a Friendly Country
Each country has its own traveling advantages but if you’re just getting started with solo traveling, it is recommended only to travel a country that has a high class and standard tourism industry.
Countries like France, Spain, the United States, and China has a bigger tourism market. These countries are extremely friendly for foreigners in so many ways.
What’s more, these countries are worth visiting because they have better infrastructure, tourism facilities, and overall just a better place to visit as a newbie solo traveler.
Study the local language
Being alone in a new country could be difficult in terms of communication.
That is, you may encounter so many problems if you don’t know the basics of a particular native language.
Especially in countries like China, Spain, and Nepal, you need to know the basics of their language in order to communicate with them and make your journey successful.
Trust Yourself
If you think, “You can’t travel alone in a new country or city,” or “Your journey will have problems,” then you’ll only do more harm than good.
Get rid of every negativity that is wandering in your head!
If you don’t trust yourself then that means that your mind is not fully prepared for the trip, and if that’s the case, it is not possible to accomplish the journey according to your expectations.
If you keep the negativity in your mind, you’ll fail in your solo journey.
Book Your Flight / Train
After checking your visa and passport, now is the time to book your flight.
Check the flight details on the official website, check the ticket price and their services.
Do the same thing if you are traveling on a train.
Make sure you are not spending too much on transportation, book cheap flights, and spend the saved money on your tour.
Book Your Room
Once you’ve landed in a new city, you won’t have any idea of what to do there and how to find a place to stay.
If you rush into finding a room, you won’t get an ideal living space that meets your budget and requirements.
The best time to book your hotel is the night before landing in a new country/city. By doing this, you won’t have to wander in the new city you’ve just landed in and waste your first day just in searching for a bedroom.
Go for shared room options
A shared room is a budget-friendly option for a solo traveler because a private hotel room can be both expensive and make you feel lonely.
The best thing is that you can make your roommates your traveling partner and can enjoy your trip with them.
Choosing hostels is particularly the best option to save your money and meet new people.
The best way to find an affordable shared room is by utilizing Airbnb!
Prepare your Smartphone
You would never forget your smartphone, but you might ignore the things that make it worth having!
That is, you must have an internet data package, a power bank, a phone charger, and a standard mobile phone for emergency use.
Never forget these items, or you’ll be in so many troubles.
Use a Map
Maps are the most useful tool to navigate the city where you’re going to travel.
They give you a proper illustration of notable places, hotels, and other important things.
Using Google maps would be a great choice, it is all set to show you every important location at your steps.
Keep Moving
Traveling is limited, so don’t waste it in a single place!
Keep moving to different places, and don’t stay in the same location for long.
Value your time and trip, avoid sitting longer in one place and explore different places as much you can.
Keep in Touch With Your Family
Although solo traveling is a great opportunity to enjoy your life alone, you should still keep in touch with your family members so you can get some help if you need it.
For example, if you run out of money, then the only way to overcome this problem is to request your family member to transfer money to your account.
Create a Google sheet and share it with your family members!
Keep it up to date with your accommodation, place, expenses, and traveling progress, so your family can monitor your trip and can help you when you need it.
Challenge yourself
Boredom and loneliness can affect your trip anytime, however finding ways to keep yourself busy can help you enjoy your trip.
Keep yourself busy on your trip so you don’t feel any kind of boredom.
Enjoy the day and night time of the new cities, go to markets, visit restaurants, and enjoy every moment of your journey.
Stay Safe While Traveling Alone
Although traveling alone can make you strong and confident, you must keep a check on your safety to avoid any unexpected incident.
You have to be cautious about so many things when you are traveling alone because the life you were living in your city might not be the same in the city you are going to visit.
You’ll find all sorts of different people that you never met before which might cause trouble in your journey in so many different ways.
Here are some of the most important points that you should follow to keep yourself safe on a solo journey.
Keep a Travel Insurance
Always keep travel insurance with you because it provides all the important things that a solo traveler needs.
It covers unforeseen losses while traveling domestically or internationally.
When you have travel insurance, you can file a claim and cancel your trip anytime.
Avoid Public WiFi
Don’t you think it is a risk to use the internet from a router that is connected to tens of other devices at the same time?
Of course, it is!
Because there’s a high risk of losing the credentials of so many important things mainly the credit card, so the best solution is to use a VPN every time you use a public WiFi.
Secure Your Pocket
Pickpocketing is very common in numerous countries and both, the new and experienced solo travelers can be the victim of this.
To protect your items from getting snatched, use the following items:
- Money belts
- Wrist wallet
- Clothes with smart pockets
- Hidden pockets : Spibelts & PortaPocket
Also, be attentive every time and do your best to monitor your safety.
Expect The Unexpected
You will face all sorts of different people in the new place, you should be ready to deal with the snatchers, street criminals, and any other unusual person.
Be polite and don’t act any different who is being rude to you and handle everything smartly.
Be Confident
Travel the same way you would in your city!
Don’t be shy, and don’t let others feel like you are new in the city.
Shy people usually get trapped by shopkeepers, they understand customer’s psych and ask more money for the items.
Be confident, deal with everyone smartly, and don’t let anyone take benefit of your introverted personality.
Get together with other solo travelers
Traveling alone doesn’t mean that you are forced not to meet anyone.
You are not bound; you are free to enjoy and meet with people that might make your journey more comfortable.
Find travelers near you and communicate with them! Ask them if they can give you any guidance of visiting the new city you are currently residing in or use any other statements to converse with them.
If they respond to you well, continue your conversation with them.
Do your best to find fellow-travelers and enjoy your journey with them.
The Bottom Line
Solo traveling is undoubtedly a huge challenge for everyone who’s doing it for the first time.
However, using the smart planning and proper management, it is quite easy to prepare yourself for your first solo travel.
The only thing you need to make your journey successful is to follow all the important points mentioned throughout this article using your strong passion and ambition.
It is possible to do solo travel to your favorite countries, but only when you are completely mentally prepared for that!
