9 Solo Travel Tips: A Guide to Exploring the World Independently

Making the decision to pack up your belongings and travel the world is a wonderful feeling.

From embracing new cultures to making incredible memories, solo travel around the world is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In this blog, we’re sharing 9 solo travel tips to help you make the most of your travels:

1. Solo Travel Tips: Travel Light

One of the many benefits of travelling solo is learning the art of minimalism. However, that comes with time: if it’s your first time travelling, you might spend a while deciding what to pack.

Make a list of your essentials. Consider what you may be able to purchase once you’ve arrived and remove this from your list. Travelling light is only going to benefit you, so try to be as ruthless as possible.

You may need some time to find your feet, so take some toiletries with you for the first few days. Decant what you already have into travel-sized bottles to help you save on space.

Sort through your drawers to help you see what clothes you have already to prevent overspending before your trip, and to help you pack more mindfully. Try to think realistically about what items to prioritise – for example, when it comes to footwear, you’ll likely only need walking boots and sandals.

You may find it helpful to research online and download checklists to help you. You can also search on forums to see what other people have taken with them and use that as a guide to help you pack efficiently.

2. Manifest Your Experience

Before you go, take a moment to visualise what you want from your experience. Are you travelling to find yourself, find peace or push yourself out of your comfort zone? You might not even know why you want to travel, you just have a gut instinct telling you to go for it…

Whatever your reason for solo travel, try to visualise your experience and plan to make it happen. If the reason you’re going is to push yourself out of your comfort zone, visualise all the ways you might do that; this could be taking part in extreme sports such as skydiving or scuba diving, or trekking through a jungle.

One of the beautiful aspects of travelling is that as you learn and grow, your expectations of the trip may change. So, manifest your experience, but be open to change.

3. Solo Travel Tips: Be Prepared to Meet New People

Travelling will encourage you to meet a wealth of new people. Some will help and guide you, some will become your friends, and some will simply add value to your experience.

Try to interact, open up, laugh and enjoy meeting people; they will ultimately become a lasting memory and you want to know that you did all you could to ensure it was a great experience.

4. Take Photos, Write a Journal, Make Memories…

Don’t forget to pack your camera; you’ll appreciate being able to capture some breathtaking moments.

You may also want to keep a journal or write a travel blog; in years to come, you’ll love being able to look back at all the specific details and read about how you were feeling. Try to give a realistic and honest account of your journey, as this will help you in years to come when you’re reflecting on your past.

5. Solo Travel Tips: Try New Foods

When you travel around the world, you’ll come to appreciate the different types of cuisine that each country is known for. Embrace the textures, flavours and dishes that you may not have experienced before.

If you get the opportunity, try learning to cook the dishes yourself; you can then try to recreate them when you get home.

6. Embrace New Cultures

When you’re travelling, you’re going to be immersed in new environments, experiencing different cultures and meeting new people.

This is an exciting time, and a wonderful opportunity. Embrace the different cultures and join in any momentous events, such as festivals or celebrations.

Be mindful and respect all the new people you come across and their values, but have fun – you’ll return home with a new found appreciation of the many different cultures that make up our world.

7. Solo Travel Tips: Be Spontaneous (But Plan Ahead!)

When you’re travelling, be spontaneous. As you explore new places and meet new people, different opportunities are likely to arise to try new experiences. Try to be open-minded and join in with a variety of activities.

However, no matter how spontaneous you are, it’s always a relief to know that your bed is eagerly waiting for you at the end of the day. It’s a good idea to book your hotel ahead of time to ensure you have somewhere to head back to after a busy day of adventures.

8. Learn a New Language, Dance or Skill

Another of our solo travel tips is to learn something new; you could learn a new language, or practise a new dance. Be open to learning – and if you have a particular skill, you could even teach people as you go.

Sharing knowledge and skills is a great way to immerse yourself in the travel culture and make fond memories and lasting friendships.

9. Solo Travel Tips: Have Fun

The most important of our solo travel tips is to have fun. Whatever you do and wherever you go, ensure that you make the most of every moment and grasp every opportunity to enjoy your experience.

If you’re ready to set off on your adventures, contact a member of our team to book your first hotel.