Whether you're tired of waiting around to coordinate schedules with friends or want to try a different travel experience, a solo trip may be just what you need. The thought of traveling alone, even within your own country, might feel intimidating if you're used to being part of a guided tour group or traveling with friends. However, a great trip is within reach with careful planning and thoughtful consideration of the unique aspects of solo travel.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Planning a trip by yourself doesn't need to be stressful. With a destination in mind, start with your favorite source of information—like online blogs, TripAdvisor.com, or a paperback Lonely Planet guidebook. Scan through the material and note everything that sounds interesting, whether it is a museum, attraction, restaurant, or tour.
Once you have your list, Google each item to ensure the place is still open and to find more details. Take notes on information such as opening times and days, whether tickets are required or recommended, and if it's geographically located near where you plan to stay.
If your travel dates are fixed, these steps can be done after booking your hotel and airfare. If you need to figure out how long to stay somewhere, you can do these research steps first.
With all this information, you can now easily assign activities to each day of your trip. Once done and the schedule looks feasible, book any required tickets.
You can book tickets directly with the museum or tour company or use a site like Viator.com. If something you want to do is not available, contact the tour operator. One perk of solo travel is that space can usually be made for just one more person, whether at a restaurant, on a walking tour, or in a museum.
SOLO TRAVEL DINING
Many solo travelers express that dining alone in the evenings can feel awkward. To remedy this, try eating at the bar, making lunch your larger meal, or arriving for dinner right when the restaurant opens. As a more exciting option, consider joining an evening food tour.
A food tour is a great way to sample half a dozen restaurants in one evening, meet restaurant owners, and learn a little history about the neighborhood you're visiting. While suitable for couples and groups alike, they are excellent for solo travelers.
Dinner tours are typically hosted from 5 – 9PM, filling the evening hours when most museums and other activities may be closed. Joining a tour gives you a group of people to spend time with, and you might meet people who are willing to spend time with you after the tour or later in your trip.
MEET LIKE-MINDED TRAVELERS
One of the best parts of travel is meeting people. Experiences shared with others are better than museums ticked off your itinerary. If you're traveling alone, there are many chances to meet people. Food tours and the like help you meet people once you've arrived. Katie Jackson, writing for Travel and Leisure magazine, explains how she meets people before leaving home: Tinder.
What is a dating app to some is what Jackson calls "a tool for meeting like-minded travelers. Whether you want a companion for a day tour...or even just another person to take your picture because you're sick of selfies, they can all be found on Tinder." Using Tinder's Passport feature, change your location to the city of your vacation a few weeks ahead, update your profile to explain your intentions, and see who you can meet.
