Solo Travel, Love It!

Travel Alone Tips: How to Love the Solo Travel Experience

Let's get into the experience of traveling alone.

For some people, enjoying a solo trip comes naturally. Others have to work at how to travel alone. Most who do, fall in love with it. Here are a few things you can do to ensure a great solo adventure.

1. Visualize the trip you want. Start thinking about the opportunities that are present when you travel alone long before you leave. Is it down time you really want? Build that into the plan. Are you after a creative travel experience? Research the opportunities before you go and then dream on them until you get there.
2. Gather as much first hand knowledge you can before you go. Talk to people who have already gone to your destination. Use your social network to find people.
3. Learn to chat with strangers. Starting conversations with strangers can be a challenge, especially when you're an introvert like I am. However, these conversations can be trip-changing, if not life-changing. There are many skills that can be developed for this and, what I have certainly found, is that you are never too old to learn them.
4. Tap the experience of the people you meet. As a solo traveler, you'll meet more travelers and locals than those who travel with a partner. Ask a traveler about the best thing they've done so far or a local for the best hidden gem restaurant in the area. The people you meet and the advice they offer will greatly enrich your trip.
5. Be flexible. When suggestions or opportunities arise from these chance encounters, be flexible enough to act on them. There are times when flexibility must reign and the schedule should be thrown away.
6. Don't over-plan. It is only by having extra time in your itinerary that you can spend a little more of it at the market, linger over a coffee at an outdoor café, or take that trip into the mountains you hadn't considered.
7. Be patient. It can be difficult arriving in a new city alone. Take your time. Take a day to relax, watch the city function, and settle in. Read Tips for Solo Travel Confidence.
8. Explore the city at different levels. In London, it's natural to take the Tube. However, riding on the top of a double-decker bus gives you another perspective on the city. But you still wouldn't want to miss the Tube as it's an experience unto itself. My point is, explore the city in as many ways as possible: on foot, by bicycle, via public transit. Take a taxi and talk to the driver. Rent a car and learn what it's like to park or drive on the opposite side of the road. Every mode of movement offers new perspectives.
9. Take in local events. Whether it's a street festival or sporting event, these are opportunities to rub shoulders with locals, offering insight into the culture and, potentially, fun conversations.
10. Be proactive if you’re unsure of yourself. Ask for help. Standing around looking dazed will not get you where you want to go and it may get you noticed by the wrong people. Go ahead, smile, and ask for help. It's one of the fundamentals of staying safe as you travel solo.