Tips and tricks for solo travelers
Solo travel means traveling solo or alone. In this travel, you have to plan everything yourself, right from the place you travel. Solo traveling means freedom like a bird and gives the opportunity to be creative. You can enjoy solitude and use the opportunity to know yourself and the world.
Solo traveling makes you independent, self-sufficient, and an extrovert since you have to deal with strangers every day. It teaches you to live out of your comfort zone. In your journey, you may build a few new relationships while traveling solo.
Benefits of traveling solo
Solo travel is beneficial for many reasons. The benefits of solo travel include it broadens your horizons, forces you out of your comfort zone, gives you the opportunity to meet new people, and creates new memories. When you travel solo, you meet different people with different languages. There are bound to be plenty of situations where you have to try and communicate with people who don’t speak the same language as you. So, you need to know the basic words of that language. If you spend a long time traveling you might return to being able to string together the odd sentence. One of the greatest benefits of traveling alone is that you will find yourself interacting with a lot more people.
Solo travelers are always keen to get chatting and they invite others to join them on their journey. There are a huge number of stories of people who’ve met traveling and ended up being friends forever. When you are a solo traveler, it’s your decision what you want to do. This certainly benefits you post-traveling as well, as your decision-making skills will be improved.
Meet new people
Meeting new people is a common phenomenon in solo traveling. In many countries, local people are curious about foreign visitors and are often eager to start a conversation. Don’t be afraid to connect with the locals and ask about their culture, food, and tradition. If you stay in a hostel, you probably meet many peoples who are also solo travelers like you. Hostels normally prepare all sorts of activities from open music nights to walking tours with hostel members. Many hostels even have bars, restaurants, and co-working spaces where you can start a conversation with a fellow solo traveler. You can attend the events and local bazaars to meet new people.
Take photos
If you are a solo traveler, you can take hundreds of photos for memories. Sometimes it is difficult to take own photos in solo traveling. Here are some tips on how you can take photos while you are traveling alone.
- If you don’t have a camera, you can use self-timer mode with a smartphone.
- Self-timer mood with a camera
- Using a tripod is the best option
- Ask a stranger to take your photos
- You can use a Gorillapod
- You can also take pictures with strangers.
- Collab with other solo travelers
- You can take selfies with selfie sticks
- The GoPro
- Take photos from different angles
Enjoy coffee and food
One of the biggest fears in solo travel is dining alone but it is not as bad as you think. It will be more comfortable if you travel a lot. Go casual for your first solo meal and it might ease your loneliness. Sit somewhere that faces the street so that you can people-watch and enjoy your meal. Try different traditional food and enjoy the taste slowly.
Solo travel Packing list
Packing is very important for solo travelers. Some important items for solo traveling are:
- Travel Luggage
- Passport and important documents
- A backpack
- Credit card and cash money
- Microfibre towel
- Bring important electronics like a power bank
- Camera and drone
- Necessary clothes
- First aid box
- Some light food like biscuits, bread, and chocolate
Plan your trip
A solo trip can be easier if you maintain a plan. There is a lot of things-from budget to itinerary-to be planned and make the trip enjoyable.
- First, select the destination
- Make a plan for which places you go
- Make a short note for the trip
- Check out a budget
- Pack the essential materials
Safety
Personal safety is very important in solo traveling. Staying safe should always be a priority for travelers and never more so if you are traveling alone. Before traveling solo, you need to research your solo destination. And find out if there are any safety concerns for your chosen destination. Potential threats to personal safety can assume different forms. Try to learn a little of the local languages before you go so that you can have an idea about what they are saying. You need to carry your passport and important documents. Share your locations with your hostel members or family members and keep in touch while you are away. For your safety, pre-arrange your transport on arrival. Although this will cost more, for the peace of mind it brings, this is money well spent.
Conclusion
Solo traveling will help you feel yourself, reconnect with yourself and find your purpose. It is more difficult to coordinate a trip with other people than it is to do it alone. Solo travel helps you become independent and you will meet great new people.
