Berichten

Female solo traveling: my tips for a great experience.

Traveling solo?
Did you ever consider solo traveling? Do you have the time to travel, but your friends and family haven’t? Ever wondered if travelling alone would also be an option to consider? I think you should try! Once you have experienced it as a fun way of traveling, it makes you feel like the world is at your feet, that you could go anywhere you want! Therefore hereby my tips for when you are considering to solo travel.

KLM milano1. Prepare!
Solo traveling means preparation: nobody is going to check for you how you reach your hotel from the airport, or which bus will be going to the city center from your Airbnb accomodation. This may sound funny, but it is important to realize, you will have to do this yourself! Prepare on beforehand all the information you will need , especially for the first day. Of course also on your destination there will probably tourist offices, or maps, guides, and information centers, but once you have arrived, it feels good needing only to pick up your luggage, and knowing which bus or metro to take to which address. This will be especially useful when you will arrive or depart from your destination in the middle of the night when places are more difficult to find.
night milano

2. Be smart: go for safe
When you are going to travel solo for the first time I suggest you should visit a not-too-faraway city. It might sound like a beautiful idea to go on a back-pack trip through South America. However, I know someone who actually did this on her own, and…I really consider that as a trip for the more experienced traveller! If you travel for the first time alone it is best to go for safe! You will experience what you like and don’t like about solo traveling, and also you will find out what means “safe” for you (for example: does that mean ordering a taxi in the night instead of going to wait for a bus in the city night life, or is it not even attending the city night life alone?).  In any case while traveling alone, make sure you won’t get involved in unsafe situations.
BCN Passeig de Gracia

3. Make a plan
On of the big advantages of solo traveling is that every day you are free to decide what to do, where to go, what to eat, and what to visit! Freedom! However, this involves that making a plan for the day is also up to you. Use the time you have to go to the places you would like to see, or prepare an afternoon at the beach! The secret is: choose what you want to do in any case. If that is staying in the swimming pool all day, then enjoy your freedom to do so!

BCN Playa4. Get connected
The counterside of solo traveling is that there won’t be people around you whom you can share your experiences with. And although solo traveling brings you freedom, it is also fun to actually share your experiences! This is why I have always searched for a hotel or bed&breakfast with a Wifi connection. This gave me a connection with friends and family and made it possible for me to share my experiences while being somewhere alone. Another tip is to attend an event, or workshop, or something organized for tourists,  so you can meet other people in the place you are staying. Sometimes you are in the lucky position that in that way you will meet people you could meet up with also later, for dinner or for a fun night out during your vacation!

Gent

5. My own experience
I still remember the first time I went to travel alone. It was only some years ago! I visited a small city in the east of Italy. This was what I did: I decided to go for only 4 days. This I did consider as long enough for my first solo travel. Also it would be long enough for me to consider if I would like it or not. Then, in picking my destination I chose for the elements I loved: sunshine, sea, a good shopping area in the city, and enough choice in restaurants serving good food. I was already looking forward to spending time on the beach while booking the trip here in the rainy grey cold weather! For me this was a very good experience to find out I could actually travel solo and also enjoy it!

I hope my tips will help you in taking the step. And I hope for you it will also be a great experience!