Traveling by yourself can be a lot of fun, but before you do this, you should use some solo travel tips to make sure you have a safe and fun trip.
When you travel in groups, there’s a lot more safety and protection available to you, but when you choose to travel by yourself, you have much more freedom. If you feel confident and comfortable going out into the world on your own to enjoy your time in another location, you’ll want to heed some travel advice to ensure you can be safe and secure while you’re going out into the world alone.
Here are a few solo travel tips to help you have a great vacation on your own.
Research your destination
When you understand your destination and know what to expect, you can be better prepared to have a wonderful vacation while going it alone. The more you learn about the places you’ll go, the safer and more confident you can be. Reach out and ask others who have visited these destinations for their guidance, suggestions, and tips.
Plan your transportation and accommodations
While researching your destinations, check out the various locations where you can stay and how you’ll get around. Most tourists take advantage of public transportation when visiting a foreign country, which can be a great way to see the sights without worrying about learning how to drive. Make a shortlist of safe transportation and hotel locations to make your stay more secure and fun. This is one of the most important solo travel tips, and it makes it much easier for you to know what to expect.
Tell people where you’re going
While traveling alone, you should at least check in with people you know and love by telling them where you’re going and what to expect. Give them copies of certain documents that might be required to try and find you should anything happen. These documents should include:
- Detailed itinerary, including hotels and contacts
- Copy of passport
- Copy of visas
- Copy of travel insurance policy
- Emergency contacts
Plan to check in with these people at home at specific times and dates. This will help keep them from worrying and make sure you’re not missing in a foreign country for too long.
Have an emergency plan
One of the most important solo travel tips for keeping you safe is to understand the emergency procedures in that country. What happens when there’s an emergency? What number do you call if you need emergency services? How likely are these services to respond to your call? Make a list of emergency services, hospitals, public clinics, and your contact details in case something happens and you need help.
Learn key phrases in the local language
When you travel abroad, you will run into people who don’t speak English. You’re the foreigner in that country and will need to know some important phrases in the native language to communicate. Its important to understand how to ask for basic essentials and whether or not others speak English. Its also good to understand how to tell others that you don’t understand or that you need help. Learn also how to say “no” in the local language along with the accepted nonverbal gesture for no.
Ask tour guides for tips
Most countries welcome foreign visitors and expect tourists to require guides and tours of their cities. Many tour guides can be a great source of information when you want to stay safe. Ask them what tips they have to help you stay safe. It’s also a good idea to try to blend in, which means wearing local clothing and walking confidently. Try not to get stuck in an isolated area, especially at night. Try to stay with a group or tour that’s happening while you’re out.
Visualize the trip you want
Once you have covered the safety aspects, one of the best solo travel tips is to create the trip you want to enjoy through visualization. You’ve got a schedule and an itinerary, which you’ve shared with your friends and family at home, but you can create some space in there to be spontaneous and take an unplanned tour sometime during your vacation. Create the ideal vacation in your mind, and then make it happen.
Use these solo travel tips to stay safe when you’re exploring the world on your own. You can have a lot of fun and go wherever you want when you’re alone, but you must also be safe and aware to avoid becoming a target and eventually a victim.
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