How to Travel the World Alone
If you want to travel the world, what’s stopping you? Many women share that they don’t travel because they don’t have anyone to travel with and are scared to travel alone.
Here’s the secret to traveling the world though: you don’t have to wait for your friends, family or partner to be interested in what you want to do. In fact, it’s healthy to have your own interests and walk down your own path. Or perhaps your friends are busy with work or kids, or you work remotely and have more room to travel.
You can have fun, be safe, and enjoy destinations across the world on your own. Traveling alone can be a lot of fun. You get to choose your own adventure. You don’t have to visit museums or ever leave the beach, if you don’t want to. It’s 100% on your terms.
If you’ve never traveled solo, you likely need some help getting started. We’ve compiled a quick compilation of our best tips for traveling the world alone to jump start your next adventure.
Practice local activities alone before traveling
Doing a trial run or two locally will help you build confidence for solo travel. We highly recommend dining a few times by yourself so when you’re traveling you don’t feel out of place. You can start at the bar, but don’t be afraid to ask for a table for one. You’re not alone and it won’t be the first or last time someone dines alone at that establishment. It gets easier the more you do it.
Take a solo day trip in your area or sign up for an event or activity solo. Again, this helps build your confidence and strengthens your comfortability with traveling by yourself.
Understand the destination you want to visit
After a few years of traveling on your own, you’ll go just about anywhere solo. That said, keep the destination in mind. Is the hotel couples only? Might not be the best fit to meet new people or feel at ease. Just went through a soul-crushing breakup? Paris might not be the place for you right now. Understand what you want to experience and feel when planning your solo trips.
Choose activities that work for your travel goals
Research the destination and look for activities you can join with other groups or solo travelers. Explore the city with a tour group. Buy a ticket to an excursion. Ticketed events, museums, historical sites, and shows don’t need a lot of interaction and you’ll feel comfortable in these settings.
If you want to relax, head to a spa or resort. If you want an adventurous location, join a local tour group or hire a local guide.
Find ways to integrate into the local scene or culture
Plan like a traveler, not a tourist. One of our favorite ways to explore a new destination is to sign up for classes. Take a pasta cooking class from an Italian grandma. Tour a farmer’s market and cook dinner with a chef in Paris. Learn to make pierogies. Take a pottery or jewelry making class with local artisans.
Make friends with your concierge or your Uber drivers (still be the cautious woman we know you are). They’ll have insights on where you can explore as a solo traveler (and where not to!). They’ll also have amazing insight into activities you can’t easily search the internet for.
Bring a selfie stick or small tripod
If you don’t plan accordingly, taking pictures on a solo trip can end up being 100% selfies, which is 100% ok. However, if you’re wanting some Instagram-worthy travel photos, we suggest investing in a selfie stick/tripod combo. They’re compact and can easily fit in your bag. Trust us: they make all the difference.
Final quick tips
If you’re just getting started, try a short weekend trip to a destination in your home state or country.
Once you’ve figured it out, give a longer trip a try. We do recommend starting with travel to countries where you speak the language or larger touristy cities (Rome, Paris, etc). You can also spend a bit of time studying and practicing some common phrases to help get you around and be respectful of the location you’re visiting.
Always keep your phone fully charged before you leave your hotel and bring a portable phone charger. You’ll be navigating your journey with your phone so you don’t want to end up with a dead phone and no way to charge it.
Share your travel information with a friend or family member. Be sure to include your travel dates, flights and hotel. And, if you’re traveling outside of the country, share a copy of your passport as well. Hopefully, it’s all precautionary, but it’s best to be prepared.*
*Don’t worry. We recommend this anytime you travel outside of the country–alone or with friends.