4 Things Every Solo Traveller Should Know
Solo travel is a life-changing adventure you should jump at if you have the chance. After spending the best part of 2 years on and off solo travelling I learnt a lot of do's and don'ts and thought it best to save you the costly and embarrassing mistakes by sharing the 4 most important things any solo traveller needs to know. So whether you are swinging on a hammock in your hostel or at home constantly checking Skyscanner for the next solo adventure this is for you.
How to Be Comfortable Alone
One of the most pivotal lessons solo travel will inevitably teach you is also a very useful life skill. Learning to love the time spent in your own company is crucial to solo travel. Whilst you will meet plenty of people and have great memories with them, sometimes you just have to get out there and explore alone.
I think there are 2 main factors in being comfortable alone, having self-confidence and also having self-love. The two balanced together is a hard juggling act but if you hit that sweet spot you will kill solo travel.
Naturally, your self-confidence will grow during solo travel however some days the confidence just won't be there and for those days I say fake it till you make it. You can also do little things to build this self-confidence before heading away, like taking yourself out on dates e.g. solo trip to the cinema or a cafe lunch alone with your favourite book.
And for the self-love part, when you have that little voice in your head putting yourself down, remember to treat yourself how you would your best friend and give yourself some compassion. And keep up with any self-care habits you do at home, looking after yourself is always so important even if you are living your best life travelling the world.
Enjoy your time spent in your wonderful company and remember no one cares if you are eating alone.
How to Make The Most of Hostels
Hostels are such a great way to meet people and explore new places whilst solo travelling. They are also extremely budget-friendly and the dorm rooms help offset that pesky solo supplement you can pay at traditional hotels.
Hostels also tend to organise or offer walking tours, pub crawls and all sorts of fun day trips if you want to get out and about exploring with like-minded people. Also, they can provide very useful facilities such as kitchens, laundry facilities, pools, gyms, wifi, lockers, working spaces and on-site cafes and restaurants. A lot of hostels offer female-only dorms if you want that extra privacy.
The best tip for solo travellers in hostels is just to be warm and friendly to those around you. If you are on a common backpacking route you tend to bump into some of the same people in different hostels, which can be a lovely sense of familiarity.
Discover my guide to staying in hostels ->
How to Slow Down
Having the freedom to do what makes you happy is one of the best parts of solo travel and slowing down to enjoy those moments is crucial. As a solo traveller, the best thing you can do to make the most of your trip is to remind yourself to live in the moment.
Take in that beach sunset, enjoy your morning cup of coffee with a view, and be present during that guided tour. You are making memories that you will remember forever and will look back on with nostalgia for the rest of your life, so just take it all in.
When you’re jumping from place to place you might feel like you have to see and do everything. Remember this is not the case. The goal isn't to complete somewhere or tick off a checklist of places to see and things to do.
Instead of trying to do it all, find what you enjoy doing, maybe it's taking a cooking class, trying a new adventure sport, or visiting local historical sites. You don't have to stick with one thing but the point is to accept you can't see and do it all.
So slow your travel down. Quality not quantity applies to everything in life even our adventures.
How to Accept Change
Not only will you change after solo travel, but so will your opinions, beliefs, places and other people at home. Accepting change can be difficult but at the end of the day resisting change is much harder than accepting it.
The key to allowing change is as simple as just letting it happen, chances are the only person in the way is yourself. For example, say your travel plans have to change due to a global pandemic. Instead of thinking about all the things you can't do reframe your mind and think of the things you can do with all your free time.
Or maybe it's what you want to do that changes. You might want to cut your solo adventure short and go home early. Or maybe you don't want to go home and take that corporate job you had lined up. Like I said earlier show yourself compassion and allow yourself the space to change your mind. Sometimes things just aren't meant to be and normally we know deep down when something needs to change.
Being open to different beliefs and cultures is also SUPER important whilst solo travelling. Respecting a country's beliefs is an absolute must of travel even if they differ from your own. This is less and more just accepting that people's views/religions can be different from yours and that's okay.
So be the most open-minded solo traveller you can be and I can guarantee you will learn so much along the way.
