My Top 5 Solo Travel Tips — Learn From My Mistakes
My first solo travel experience was kind of like an awkward first date — it could have gone better. I’ve put a lot of thought into my top 5 solo travel tips after reflecting on the mistakes I made during that adventure, all by myself.
For a bit of background, I decided to travel solo to Europe last year more by chance than choice — after my mom had to cancel her plans to meet me in Scandinavia. The result was a hastily planned solo trip to Europe in September and October, to 3 different countries.
Along the way, I learned many lessons about the benefits and drawbacks of solo travel. Below, I confess the 5 biggest mistakes I made during my first solo travel experience and share my best tips on how you can do things differently as a solo female traveler. Hopefully, knowing what NOT to do will help you plan a solo travel experience you’ll love.
Seville, Spain
Seville, Spain
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Table of Contents
Solo Travel Disclaimer
This is by no means a post discouraging solo travel! I believe there are so many benefits to seeing the world and spending time with yourself. Instead, this guide includes solo travel tips to help you be more prepared for your first solo adventure than I was. You deserve to feel safe as a female traveling alone, so you can focus on falling in love with the world.
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Solo Travel Tips: FAQs
How do you travel solo successfully?
If you’re planning a first date and you want it to go well, you’re going to put some thought into it. You should do the same with your first solo travel experience — put more than a little thought into it.
Before you go, research the destination. Book accommodation in safe areas ahead of time (try staying with Outsite), and create a travel itinerary for yourself. It’s also best practice to share this travel itinerary with a loved one. This way, someone else always knows where you are.
Be sure to set up an international phone plan or purchase a SIM card before you go. You’re going to need your phone for navigation, safety, and communication. Lastly, trust your gut. If something feels off, there is no shame in changing course to make yourself feel more comfortable.
What not to do on a solo trip?
Below, I confess my biggest solo travel mistakes to show you exactly what NOT to do on a solo trip. But here are the 5 key things you should not do on your first solo adventure:
- Don’t stay in hotels. Choose shared accommodation.
- Don’t move too quickly to new destinations.
- Don’t choose hard to reach travel destinations.
- Don’t travel to off-season destinations.
- Don’t book early or late flights that require you to travel in the dark.
How do I prepare for my first solo travel?
Here are 4 things you can do to prepare for your first solo travel:
- Research and Plan: Create a detailed itinerary. Include accommodation, transportation, and activities, to have a clear plan during your solo trip.
- Health and Travel Insurance: Ensure you have appropriate health and travel insurance coverage that includes medical emergencies and trip cancellations.
- Packing Essentials: Pack light, focusing on versatile clothing and essential items. Don’t forget to photocopy your travel documents and place them in separate bags.
- Financial Preparedness: Notify your bank about your travel plans to prevent any issues with your credit/debit cards abroad. I recommend bringing more than one card and carrying a combination of cash and cards when you go out.
How long should my first solo trip be?
The length of your first solo trip should depend on your personal preferences and budget. In my experience, a 1 to 2-week solo trip allows you to enjoy the experience without being overwhelmed.
However, if you’re going to stay somewhere like Outsite, I recommend prioritizing slow travel and staying for a month to get serious discounts on your stay! Plus, this is the best way to really get to know the people you meet and the place you visit.
Mistake #1: Staying in Hotels Instead of Hostels
Listen, I’m a hotel girl at heart. I love having a comfy space to call my own when I travel; and I especially enjoy finding eco-friendly and boutique hotels wherever I go. Because I was working while traveling, I was nervous about staying in hostels during my solo trip. I feared that I wouldn’t have a quiet workspace. So I booked hotels — even when I was traveling to quieter destinations like the islands in Croatia — and this was my first mistake.
Hotels are more expensive
First and foremost, hotels are significantly more expensive than hostels if you’re traveling solo. If you’re traveling as a pair or in groups, hotels and AirBnbs are the perfect choice. However, if you’re traveling alone, the price is steep.
Hotels can feel less safe
Safety is a top priority when you’re a girl traveling solo. I honestly felt less safe in hotel rooms than I did in the one hostel I stayed at. When you’re surrounded by people (even if you don’t know them), you naturally don’t feel so alone.
It’s true that there’s strength in numbers, and I felt a bit isolated when I was staying in my hotel room on an island in Croatia. After traveling alone all day, it’s nice to arrive at an accommodation where you will be able to meet and interact with other people, rather than an empty hotel room.
One of my friends who backpacked across Europe solo described hostels as her “safe space,” where she could relax after the a long day of traveling. It’s important to consider whether you feel safer in groups when traveling solo. If this sounds like you, choose shared accommodation over hotel stays. I recommend my favorite shared accommodation below.
Montezuma, Costa Rica
Montezuma, Costa Rica
Where to Stay as a Solo Traveler
If you’re looking for the best shared accommodation as a solo traveler, allow me to recommend Outsite. This company has 50+ co-living homes across the globe that are designed for remote workers and travelers. If you stay at Outsite, you can enjoy your own private room and bathroom, just like at a hotel. You’ll share the common spaces of the home, like the living room and kitchen, with the other house guests.
If you’re a digital nomad, you’ll have the added benefit of a great office space where you can focus and get your work done. But don’t worry if you’re not working while traveling, you don’t have to be a digital nomad to stay with Outsite. The Outsite membership costs just $150 a year, and then you get access to the online community of members and travelers to connect with.
Staying with Outsite is one of my top solo travel tips for those who are also working. For me, it’s the perfect cross between a hostel and a hotel.
Naxos, Greece
Naxos, Greece
Mistake #2: Moving around too much
My second mistake was playing the field a bit too much — in other words, trying to hit too many new destinations in a short amount of time. The more I travel the more I have come to love slow travel. This means staying longer in one place and taking time to get to know it.
I wish that I would have done this during my solo trip in Europe, because the travel days were the longest and hardest part of the trip. Navigating foreign countries on your own without anyone to help you can be tiresome, and I wasted valuable time in Europe trying to squeeze in too many destinations.
I traveled from Copenhagen, to Switzerland, to Croatia, to England, back to Copenhagen. This form of travel is significantly more harmful for the environment too. Therefore, it’s a great idea to take things slow and get to know the places you go.
Ultimately, I wish that I had stuck to 2 countries instead of 4, which would have allowed me to get more comfortable with my surroundings, cut my carbon emissions as a traveler, and have a more authentic experience.
Tarifa, Spain
Tarifa, Spain
Mistake #3: Choosing Remote Travel Destinations
The best destinations are often some of the most remote, requiring multiple flights or ferries to reach. When traveling with a group, I usually prefer to put in the work to get to the more off the beaten path travel destinations. But for my first solo trip, I wish would have stuck to places a bit more easier to reach.
For example, I flew from Chicago straight to Copenhagen. If I had simply stayed in Copenhagen, this would have been a very easy travel day as a solo traveler! But instead I decided that I wanted to go to Hvar, Croatia (a small island off the Dalmatian coast). So I went straight from Copenhagen to Geneva, Switzerland where I spent just 1 night. Then, I woke up incredibly early for a 6am flight to Split, Croatia. From Split, I had to take a bus and a ferry to get to Hvar. This was SO MUCH travel by myself, at the very start of my trip. By the time I made it to Hvar, I was exhausted.
The least enjoyable part about travel is getting to your destination. I spent way too much time moving around during my first solo trip.
Mistake #4 Traveling to Off-season Destinations
Hear me out, I LOVE traveling in the off-season. But if you’re a solo traveler hoping to meet other travelers, you might not want to travel to a destination during its off-season. I traveled to the island of Hvar in October, and the island was sleepy in a way that I would have enjoyed with a group of friends or family to explore with.
But solo, I felt more alone and I quickly realized that there weren’t many other young travelers to meet. I prefer to travel to in-season destinations as a solo traveler. I enjoy having the comfort of having other people around and the chance to meet fellow travelers.
If you’re going to backpack Europe, I recommend going during the summer and fall, when there will be so many other people doing it too! That is, if you want the chance to meet new people. If you prefer to be alone, then off-season travel is just fine!
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Mistake #5: Booking Early Flights
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes I made solo traveling: booking very early flights. One of my best solo travel tips is to fly during the day. This way, you avoid having to travel to or from the airport in the early hours of the morning or late hours of the evening. It’s far less safe to travel in the dark as a city sleeps, than it is to use public transportation during the day time.
As a solo traveler, public transportation is your friend for safety and budget purposes. When I was traveling from Switzerland to Croatia on a 6 am flight, I had to call a car around 4 am. I felt very uncomfortable in the car with an unknown man in a sleeping city. However, I had felt very safe using the public transportation in Switzerland during the day time.
If you take one thing away from my mistakes, let it be to consider what will make you feel safest as a solo traveler BEFORE you leave for your trip. It’s worth it to spend the extra money on a flight that leaves a few hours later to ensure that you will feel secure while traveling. Your safety should be a top priority. If you don’t feel safe, you won’t be able to enjoy your experience.
Naxos, Greece
Naxos, Greece
Wrap It Up
So many people romanticize solo travel. So when I planned my last minute solo adventure, I hyped myself up and told myself that I would love it too. But what I should have done was be realistic with myself and consider what type of travel I would be most comfortable with alone. I wish that I had planned more in advance and done a bit more research on the best ways to solo travel.
Ultimately, I am grateful for the experience and what it taught me about travel and myself. One year later, I know now that there are SO many ways to travel solo, meet amazing people, and have new experiences. Going forward, my solo trips will be focused on slow travel, and I’ll stay with places like Outsite.
Sometime you have to experience what you don’t like in order to understand what you DO like, but I hope these 5 solo travel tips help you avoid some of the mistakes I made.
xoxo,
Baggage girls
