15 Vital Tips on How to Solo Travel Successfully

Everyone, at some point in their lives, would love to learn and master how to solo travel successfully. In fact, we definitely want to experience solo travel at least once in our lives, right?

Don’t lie right now, either. If you are, then you wouldn’t bother clicking on this blog in the first place.

Other than that, if one of your yearly goals is to travel independently, we provided you some vital tips to help you through. Moreover, we provided a list of key reasons on why you should solo travel in case you’re still unsure about making this goal become a reality.

What is Solo Travel?

Quite self-explanatory, but solo travel is the act of traveling by yourself. It may be to new places or places you’ve been to with others, but this time on your own and following your own terms. It can be local or international, depending on your free time within the year, budget, and personal preferences (e.g., tropical, city, snowy, etc.).

A lot of the time, it’s a fun and thrilling time for the individual to explore and reconnect with themselves.

Reasons Why People Are Into Solo Travel

Through the process of learning how to solo travel successfully, let’s have a better understanding as to why people engage in it.

1 It gives them a lot of personal growth.

While learning how to solo travel successfully, it urges someone to their comfort zone. Hence, the initial challenges become building blocks of their personal growth. 

For example, going through immigration by yourself in the airport without other people (e.g., your parents) gives you a clearer understanding of how the process actually is. And that there’s actually nothing to be afraid of; consider it a huge adulting milestone! 

Another example of personal growth during solo traveling is navigating the transportation means of your chosen place, studying different train and bus lines and ensuring you get into the right ones when you have certain destinations in mind.

2 There’s less pressure.

Solo travel only entails you and what you want to do. You get to go at your own pace, not having to worry if those around you are entertained or have other agendas they want to do. In turn, you feel much more free and flexible with your time, and you are also patient with yourself, whether you want to stay longer or have already jumped to the next place in your itinerary.

3 You can do it at any age.

Well, mainly starting in your twenties onwards since there’s a lot of extra maintenance and care involved if you’re either a child or teenager. But yeah, solo travel starts as early as your twenties onwards, wherein your choices of destinations constantly change depending on your interests, financial standing, and overall well-being.

4 It teaches them independence.

Solo travel is a way to instill in yourself that you don’t wait for anyone to make your travel plans come through. Especially when a lot of people associate traveling with a group thing, who’s really to say that it’s limited to just that.

Everything is in your hands as you’re in control of how your trip runs.

5 You learn more about yourself.

Solo travel teaches you a lot of self-trust, from the places you plan to go to, the food you choose to eat, and the activities you want to try. In return, you feel more connected to yourself and further understand what your identity as a solo traveler is like.

How to Solo Travel Successfully

Follow these key tips down below when you’re eager and adventurous to travel solo for the first time or again this year.

1 Highlight certain time frames.

Are there any long weekends happening this year that you’d like to take advantage of? Is this solo travel a birthday gift to yourself? Do you want to go to a certain place during a special time of the year (e.g., cherry blossom season)?

These are just sample questions you can ask yourself as you ponder on what solo travel means to you and potentially when you want to act on it. Once you have a better idea of when you want your solo travel plans to push through, you can already put it on your schedule and make any necessary adjustments. 

This first step of planning can give you much more ease and clarity as the year goes along and makes you practice setting firmer boundaries. For example, there’s an invite to an event, but you already set that period to be your solo travel time.

2 Set a budget.

This tip on how to solo travel successfully is of high priority! The last thing you want is to overspend and splurge without setting boundaries in stone, resulting in unexpected financial debt. And that’s not cute or amazing at all.

Setting a budget allows you to make more informed decisions about where your money is going and further group them into which aspects of the trip they’re going to. Such a tip teaches you to stay within your means and make the trip more affordable for you so other aspects can equally thrive. It also lessens any financial stress beforehand.

When setting your travel budget in the beginning, think about what you’re willing to spend without going over. Only from there can you determine what you want to do, how you’ll get there, where you stay, and so much more.

3 Do your research.

You can’t just go to your dream destinations without a clue of what it’s like! When you’ve pondered and decided on where you want to go, check out the various highlights and tourist spots worth going to and even potential lodgings that are near to the places you want to go and activities you want to do.

4 Apply for the necessary work leaves.

When figuring out how to solo travel successfully, this tip can just save you a lot of time, stress, and bucks if you apply early. Doing it late, especially when you work in an office, then it gets declined, would automatically forfeit the trip even if you’ve planned and booked it.

Moreover, using those work leaves helps you catch a break from your day-to-day hustle and bustle. Even more so if you’ve planned your trip around those long weekends, resulting in fewer work leaves used. It’s even better if they’re paid so they don’t make a dent in your monthly or bi-weekly income.

5 Share your solo travels with your close companions beforehand.

This tip on solo travel is especially important for security and safety reasons when an unexpected emergency returns. By telling them where you’re going and where you’re staying and perhaps showing them a tentative itinerary beforehand, they would know where you are. 

Staying connected through social media and tracking apps is also recommended as they get real-time updates from you.

6 Find a balance between following recommendations and personal exploration.

It’s so easy to get swooped by so many must-go places at your destination, whether local or abroad. It can even come to the point wherein your happiness for your solo trip lies in how many must-go places you’ve hit over your personal discoveries.

7 Get lost responsibly.

Ah, yes. We love a getting lost in the city or town moment when traveling solo because you become so rooted in the moment. Like you’re channeling such strong main character energy as you waltz around new places you’ve never thought about going or heard about through your research.

However, it is important to pick yourself up immediately if you really do not know where you are. Take note of the places around you and research them online so you have a clue where you are. You can also turn on your location (e.g., Google Maps) so there’s a more pinpointed idea of where you’re at, especially if you’re surrounded by a foreign language. 

8 Take in the present moment.

While it’s great to document the moment, don’t forget to truly sink in where you are and how you feel. The present is where you truly feel alive. 

9 Plan each day of your trip.

Failing to plan means planning to fail. This quote very much applies to traveling, wherein not planning your days may result in numerous inconveniences. For example, there’s a museum you want to go to on this day but when you’re there, it turns out to be closed. 

In turn, setting a plan for each day gives you a sense of direction and order throughout your trip. It also lessens your stress when you’ve hit a dead end, as you don’t want to waste the day.

But once that’s settled, try to set a wildcard day wherein you’re fueled by sheer curiosity about your surroundings without any external factors (e.g., social media) dictating you where to go.

10 Be patient with yourself.

Even if you have all these plans and eat the right foods to stay energized, setbacks can happen and your mood can change. For example, you rode the wrong bus and it’s going to take another 30 minutes before the next one is available. Thus, give yourself grace and compassion as you navigate things on your own. Having the right mindset throughout will make your solo travel run smoothly and successfully.

11 Make plans with your friends who live in the area.

If you’re in an area where a friend of yours moved to years ago, hitting them up allows you to reconnect and catch up with them. And look, it’s not everyday you’ll get to see them. Social connections like this one make solo travel a lot more authentic, even more so if they know the language of the country well. 

For example, you’re traveling to Tokyo, Japan, and you recall having a close college friend who moved there 2 years ago. Seeing that this interaction is rare, you message them that you’ll travel there soon. Alas, this already makes the planning stage of your trip much more exciting, aside from jotting down tourist spots you want to go to. In fact, you can ask them to join you and then let them show you their favorite places.

12 Learn how to use their means of transportation.

Every country or city has different ways of getting around, from trains, buses, taxis, motorcycles, etc. So just like how you researched where you want to go, study how to get there. Figure out the best transportation means to ride so you get there early. Such a tip is key when learning how to solo travel successfully.

13 Interact with locals.

If you’re a social butterfly, this tip is advantageous for you especially if they speak in a language that you’re fluent in (e.g., English). But if you’re more reserved, this tip can help you get out of your comfort zone and learn more about what the people there are like. It also refines your perspectives on life, grounding you more and opening your worldview.

You can ask them for their personal recs, from food, must-go places, and even hidden gems that no one has ever seen or tried before!

14 Always bring cash!

Not every place you’d go to in your chosen vacation spot would accept cards, especially markets or small businesses. So a few days before your trip or even in the airport, withdraw physical cash so you have more spending power. Then if you’re going to a different country, have your money exchanged with the appropriate currency. Though not all, and save some for your flight back home.

This tip also applies to emergencies, wherein having extra cash onhand is vital if things go awry.

15 Keep watch of the price rates of plane tickets.

Truly, a game of patience, good timing, and a bit of luck. 

Lots of airlines offer discounted seats during certain periods of time, so it helps a lot to check and monitor as often as you can. Like when you see an airline ticket at affordable prices during your dates of choice, book it right away! And at the same time, it also helps to take note of peak areas so you can avoid them since they charge higher.

Takeaway

Learning how to solo travel successfully results in a lot of personal growth, discovery, and self-trust. You get to connect with yourself on a different level and explore different cultures and ways of life that broaden your perspective. Thus, it’s a must to engage in solo travel at least once in your life as a self-care retreat, showing just how life is worth living.

For more culture-related guides such as this one, head on over to the Lauvblog here.