The world is full of magnificent destinations and activities, worth your visit. While traveling with family and friends is a fun and safe format, you get much more freedom and flexibility by embracing solo journeys. When planning a solo trip, you get the freedom to choose destinations, sights, and travel dates. And yes, the first solo trip may be a scary project – unless you arrive at the destination of your dreams.
This article explains how to plan a solo trip, ensure safety measures, and save costs while sponsoring the vacations on your own. Prepare for a bunch of lifehacks and save them for later.
Here Are Steps, Essential for Your First Solo Trip
Before we start, it’s essential to outline the key steps of traveling preparation. It’s always recommended to plan the journey and consider the emergencies. For this, let’s follow a universal solo trip guide:
- Mental preparation. No one wants you to travel with a feeling of danger and subjection. You should either take responsibility or decide that the solo format is not for you.
- Booking and practical steps. Once you pick the destination, it is time to book the flights and accommodation. You may also need a visa and insurance, depending on the destination.
- Safety concerns. This article will guide you through the essential safety measures, including preparation steps and your behavior abroad.
While reading this material, it’s recommended to take notes on your smartphone/notebook. Pick all tips that work for your destination and create a plan along with the guide.
Preparing for the Solo Trips Mentally: The First Steps
According to the 2024 survey, the main reason people do not travel alone is safety concerns. Indeed, the responsibility and risk level is higher when you’re alone and seem vulnerable.
Yet, our world is developing toward a civilized and safe society, where travelers of all ages, genders, and nationalities can travel alone. Other surveys show that 59% of women (and even more men) are already traveling solo. What you need is to understand, whether you are prepared for such a format or not. Ask yourself these questions:
- How do you feel about the upcoming journey? Are these emotions of curiosity and excitement?
- Do you feel that anything’s off? If your instincts are screaming “Danger!”, it may be a moment to postpone the solo trip.
- Do you want a journey, connected with challenges, unknown places, and solitude? Thousands of people feel excited about such trips, and you may be one of them – or not.
Inevitable trips are another thing. It’s sad to admit, sometimes you cannot change plans – for example, during a business trip or educational exchange program. In this case, focus on preparation and maximum safety.
The Destination Matters
Before you turn to planning, it is time to change the location. And, to be honest, the country’s choice hugely determines your mental state, preparation steps, and level of risk. You should embrace the fact that some regions are safer than others. According to statistics, the top-10 safest trips, especially for women, are the following:
- Iceland.
- Monaco.
- Liechtenstein.
- Andorra.
- San Marino.
- Luxembourg.
- Denmark.
- Ireland.
- New Zealand.
- Austria.
Further regions include Japan, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. What makes a country safe? The crime level, national attitude toward tourists, political and economic situation, distance to the closet military conflicts, and so on. If you’re picking a destination for the first solo journey, focus on them.
If you’re looking for something more extraordinary, follow the basic concerns. Avoid countries with war conflicts (Ukraine, Israel), political instability (Syria), and high crime levels.
Preparing for the First Solo Trip
The next steps of travel experience include booking and logistics. And yes, you can turn this process into a joyful experience with the proper attitude. What you need is to embrace the planning steps and regard each booking option as a unique chance.
Safe Flight Booking for One Person
If possible, book flights directly from the carrier. The information on their sites and apps is 100% true, and you will be the first to learn about cancellations, delays, and discounts.
Alternatively, use one of clients’ favorite booking platforms:
- Booking.com with both accommodation and flight booking services;
- Google Flights gathers info about other platforms in one;
- Skyscanner focuses on cheap options;
- Kayak also offers car rentals, hotels, and travel packs.
When using a website, make sure all symbols in the link are correct. Don’t answer messages from unknown numbers, claiming to be your flight service.
Note! Experience travelers offer another life hack: process payments with your credit card. Debit cards are more vulnerable to hacks.
Accommodation Booking
Airbnb is a great tool for finding cheap locations and private offers from landlords. Yet, the service often implies cohabitation or private accommodations for rent. This may not be the safest option for solo trips, as they lack professional security measures.
Book hotels and hostels instead. A little more expensive, these are businesses with professional security, 24/7 reception, and security cameras. Use official sites of renown hotels or online aggregators: Booking.com, Expedia, or Hotels.com.
Exploring the New Location: Your Solo-Discovery Guide
Tourists with experience recommend asking yourself a question: what kind of traveler are you? While some prefer extreme and physical activities, others prioritize relaxation, luxurious spa places, and delicious food. There’s no wrong or right way to discover new places. After all, you won’t discover them fully anyway! Even the locals don’t know all the best locations in their area.
What works is discovering different recommendations and activity guides:
- Explore Tripadvisor to see the most popular places, chosen by the majority of tourists.
- Read articles and blog posts of your favorite travel bloggers to find vibe-matching places.
- If possible, talk to the locals and ask for their suggestions.
Discover the Instagram posts, tagged by your destination. This is a great way to find local businesses, matching your interests and practical needs: coffee shops, boutiques, souvenirs, activities, restaurants, etc. You may also find new people and make friends after arrival.
Choosing the Trip Duration and Budget
The duration of the first solo trip fully depends on you. If you’re worried about “travel anxiety”, try not to leave your home for more than 5 days. Don’t forget to include flights and roads in your plan. For example, a 5-day trip to a neighboring city is more than enough, while a full-day flight to another continent requires more stay time as well.
Let your chosen activities guide you. Be honest with yourself and decide how many new emotions you can handle daily. While some traveling amateurs can visit new places from dawn till midnight, one new place per day is the maximum for emotional people.
This article won’t suggest the “perfect solo trip duration”. It doesn’t exist. Trust your intuition and follow the “less is more” principle to avoid anxiety and overstimulation.
Matters of Connection: from eSIM to Emergency Services
Safety is always a priority, especially if you travel alone. Don’t get it wrong, as you are not in constant danger! Just be ready for the worst scenarios to enjoy the trips at minimum risks.
Ensure a Stable Internet Connection with eSIM Services
Most smartphones, developed after 2019, support virtual SIM along with plastic SIM cards. These embedded SIMs, or eSIMs, connect you to the Internet in a chosen country without roaming charges. No matter where you travel, purchase an eSIM plan for the destination country and activate it before the arrival. What do you get? Reliable connection everywhere:
- use the local mobile Internet and pay for it like a local;
- make calls within the country or to your motherland;
- buy a virtual phone number, but keep your original number as well to access messengers;
- be connected to the 5G Internet in any part of the world.
Depending on the duration, one day of unlimited eSIM connection costs you 2–7 USD. Within prepaid formats, choose small-scale plans to use messengers, or buy several gigabytes to post on social media, watch movies, and download files.
By using a trustworthy eSIM service, you ensure connection with the world, no matter what happens. Be in touch with your family, tour guides, etc.
Turn on the Tracking Apps
Before your departure, inform family members and share your location with trusted people. Experienced travelers recommend Google Maps, My Location, Find My Friends, and Find360. The applications are available in iOS and Android. They track your current location and synchronize this data with chosen contacts.
Inform your close people about daily plans, and they’ll be able to contact emergency services if your location is changing predictably.
Keep Social Media Literacy
The fact that you post on social media is understandable: you explore new locations, experience emotions, and want to share them with subscribers. Yet, maintain the basic rules:
- avoid naming particular locations, especially your accommodation;
- don’t share your plans, better post content afterward;
- don’t open suspicious messages and links, as they may track your location.
Finally, don’t record in forbidden locations, as you may get in trouble. Always check if you’re allowed to record or not when visiting cultural and religious places.
Conclusion
Treat solo journeys as an invitation to discover the unknown. Prepare your mindset for challenges and investigation, back up your bags, and trust your intuition. Despite the fun, you should also embrace possible risks. As a solo traveler, prioritize your safety with a stable Internet connection, contacts of emergency services, and precise planning. Finally, remember to share this material with other travelers and inspire them to embrace the solo traveling format. Stay safe and inspired!
