Travel Solo and Love It: 5 Tips for Travelling Alone
Since sharing some of my solo trips on Instagram over the past year, I’ve had SO many messages about what it’s like to travel on my own. I’ve also had a few people say I’ve inspired them to take a solo holiday, which I think is amazing because I’ve loved all of mine recently! But I will say my first few trips by myself for work in 2017 were pretty lonely. It takes practice to master the art of solo travelling so today I wanted to share some of my top five tips…
1. Find accommodation where you feel safe and happy
As a female, my biggest fear around travelling by myself is feeling unsafe. In the past year I’ve been to New York and Bali on my own, both of which can be quite intimidating places. What made me feel more confident going solo was making sure I did my research about good places to stay. For New York, I paid a little extra to stay in the Upper West Side in a really good neighbourhood with a hotel that had security and great reviews. Alternatively, if you still find this a little intimidating or a bit lonely, look into booking a group trip. In Bali I attended the Escape Haven retreat and had the absolute best time. Everyone there was travelling solo so we ate meals together and went out on our activities as a group. I made a vlog of the experience over on our YouTube channel if you want to check it out.
2. Make a killer playlist
Music is my best friend when I travel. I don’t know what it is, but walking around a city listening to some tunes or dancing around my hotel room to a good song always makes me feel less lonely when I’m travelling solo. It’s great to keep you entertained when there isn’t anyone to talk to and It’s also great if you’re in a location where you don’t want to be bothered by anyone - stick your headphones on and pretend you can’t hear anything.
3. Bring a book to read while out for meals
This is a tip I picked up from my Aunty! I don’t know about you guys, but it can be a little sad sometimes eating a meal in a restaurant all by yourself. I’m a fan of doing my own cooking to save money while travelling, but I also love experiencing food in new countries and will still go out to eat often. To save yourself from staring at the empty chair, bring a book with you as your dinner date. Not only does it give you something to do while you’re eating, you will also get through that reading list that you never usually have time for.
4. Talk to people you meet
Whether it’s your waiter at the restaurant or the funny American man on your bus or tour group, make conversation with others. You might actually meet some cool people or they could have suggestions for places to visit on your trip. When you’re travelling solo, it can get lonely, but even just a small conversation during the day can fix that.
5. Use social media
Another way I like to maintain some kind of human interaction while travelling solo is using social media. When I’m on holiday, you’ll find me posting way more regularly on Instagram. Not only is it a great way to document your travels, but it also keeps me connected with my friends and family back home. People will message and reply to my Instagram Stories and it feels like they’re experiencing it all with you.
