I went on my first solo trip, when I was 19. I booked 4 days in Stockholm as a celebration of my A-levels. Plot twist, I did not enjoy my time in Stockholm at all, which had nothing to do with the city or the lovely Swedish People.
I didn’t like this trip, because I made some mistakes when traveling for the first time on my own. As a result, I didn’t travel on my own again until I was 27.
I don't want you to make the same mistakes as I did. So keep on reading and find out my top 5 things to think of that might help you when you are just starting to travel solo.
1. Start small
When I first started to think about my next trips and realized that a lot of my friends didn’t have time to join, I started to think if I would be ready to start traveling solo again. So I booked a 2-day trip in the UK. At that time, I was living in London, so I had the whole of UK easily accessible for me. I booked a bus ticket to Cardiff, Wales and planned to go there on a Saturday Morning. My return bus was on Sunday evening, so technically I had a little bit over 24 hours in Cardiff. It was perfect, as I only had to worry about a couple of hours of activities and dinners for 2 days. My next trips were over the weekends or maximum 4 days. Only after 3 or 4 such trips, I booked a 2 week solo Trip to India. So my advice would be to just go on a weekend trip to start out with and then slowly build up the days you’ll be spending on your own.
2. Travel somewhere close by
As mentioned earlier, my first trip was to Cardiff in Wales. I spoke the language and it was very similar to London, where I lived at the time. It also has the same currency, so I didn’t have to worry about travel credit cards or exchanging money. When you eliminate all these factors like money and language, you already have less to worry about.
3. Do your research and plan a little bit
Nowadays, I love spending days with no plans whatsoever. But when I first started, having an itinerary really gave me the confidence and security that I will have enough to do and won't be bored on my own. For some reason, I was really worried that I will be spending my days bored in the park or in my hotel room. So having an itinerary, really helped me to one, leave the room in the morning and second, to not be worried about having nothing to do.
4. Book a hostel, instead of an Airbnb or Hotel
I love hotels and airbnbs, and nowadays, I am staying in hotels as well as airbnbs, even when I am traveling solo. But at the start and even now, I love spending some nights in hostels. You will not feel as lonely in the evenings and they offer you the opportunity to meet new people while traveling. So you might not be spending your holiday on your own after all.
5. Don’t worry about the food
One of my main concerns and worries was and sometimes still is, to eat dinner on my own. I have to admit, I did spend some evenings with a sandwich, snacks and small wine bottle on my hostel or hotel bed. But sometimes, I do not care and sit on my own in a restaurant. One of the things, that really helped me was to do some research beforehand. Is the restaurant a more romantic one, or did some other solo travelers leave a comment that it was popular for single people? On my first trip to Cardiff, I went into a Five Guys and sat there on my own. I was a lot more comfortable with Five Guys in comparison with a restaurant, as Five Guys is a quick Burger-joint, which doesn’t have the restaurant feeling. So my advice would be to do what is comfortable for you and don’t put too much pressure on yourself, to do something you are not ready for.
Lastly, I just want to reassure you that every traveler has their down-days where they feel insecure or don’t want to be too social and that is absolutely fine. It’s already a huge accomplishment to pack that bag and go on your first solo trip. So don’t be too hard on yourself. It does get better over time and you don’t want to miss out on some of the most epic memories you’ll make in your life. So book your 2-day trip away and enjoy the new memories you will be making.
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