This post is all about the top solo travel tips you NEED to know about before your first solo travel adventure! Whether this is your first time traveling solo or not, these are tips you should absolutely know about to make for the best trip yet!
SOLO TRAVEL TIPS
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Solo Travel Destinations: Europe
So the exciting day has come, and you’ve decided you are going to do it and take yourself on a solo adventure! Where do you go? There are so many great places to see and visit, however some are more suitable for solo travel, especially if you’re a female solo traveler. The best place to start learning how to solo travel abroad is in Europe. So many safe cities to visit! Below is a list of place I myself have traveled solo and felt safe that I recommend for solo travel!
Solo Travel Planning
Once you have decided where you want to go on your solo adventure, the planning begins! Top 5 tips for planning a solo adventure:
- Use Google Maps
- Read AirBnB reviews before booking
- Research transportation options for your chosen destination
- Plan your days/transportation routes/meals
- Book tickets in advance
- Plan to arrive early to leave a day for exploring and familiarizing yourself with the area
Solo Travel Essentials
Of course, now that you have planned your trip and are ready to go on your next adventure, you’re likely wondering what essentials you’ll need to pack to ensure you will be the most prepared and safe while traveling solo! Below are items I always plan to pack while traveling solo, or outfit essentials I make sure to include!
1. BACKUP BATTERY
I CANNOT stress this enough. I don’t understand how people do NOT have a backup battery to charge their phone when traveling PERIOD, let ALONE solo traveling! Maybe it’s just me though and I’m just always on my phone… anywaayyyssss this is an absolute MUST. Always carry it with you everywhere you go and keep it charged. This is probably one of the MOST important things to have on you while traveling solo. If you aren’t good with figuring out directions and your phone dies, you are left relying on backtracking.
*True story: my phone died in Versailles while traveling solo, and I was dumb enough to NOT take my backup battery with me. Luckily, I was able to backtrack very well and get home.
*This one will back up enough to give your phone almost 2 full charges*
2. CROSSBODY BAG
The most anxiety driving thing while traveling is the possibility of someone stealing your personal belongings, especially if you are traveling alone. This little purse makes it a bit harder for someone to reach in or unzip and grab your belongings, and also makes it hard to rip it out of your hand. It holds a LOT of the essential items you’ll need while traveling, and offers several color options and DOESN’T look tacky (lol). Complete with card slots, multiple pockets, and so much more.
3. AIRTAGS or TILE
Whether you prefer Tile or Apple AirTags, buying a product that can track your most important items is a great solo travel essential to add to your list. This is a great way to find anything you have lost or left behind, or to keep track of baggage in case it gets lost. Always an extra additional safety hack in case you are worried about losing anything important! Keeping one hooked onto you is another great alternative to sharing your location with a friend or family member who may be curious of where you’re at in case the absolute WORST case scenario happens (which likely won’t but ya never know.)
4. DOOR SAFETY LOCK
If you are a little weary of the location you are staying at, and want some additional assurance to have peace and sleep well at night, get yourself a door safety lock. Will provide additional safety and privacy for your room and is so important while traveling alone. You never know what can happen! I personally have not used one myself before, but have encountered one or two stays where I would’ve felt a little better having one. The best tip is to take measures to ensure you feel safe beforehand, but just in case, it won’t hurt to have these on hand!
Solo Female Travel Tips
In addition to planning, essential items, and the key destination, there are SO many important solo travel tips to share regarding taking your first solo trip. These tips will help you plan our your day by day itinerary, and give you an idea of how to go about traveling alone. These tips are especially geared towards women, as you need to be a little extra aware of your surroundings and become familiar with where you are.
Tip #1: Take Time to Explore
- leave a day for walking around/exploring to get familiar with the area
Tip #2: Walk With Confidence
- look at walking directions ahead of time
- use headphones to hear walking directions
- walk like you know where you’re going, don’t look lost
Tip #3: Communicate Your Travel Plans
- tell friends/family of your travel plans (emphasize importance of planning)
- maybe share tracking to a trusted person
Tip #4: Limit Travel Time
- BIGGEST tip when traveling between each attraction is to limit how much time you are spending walking or traveling on the trains and busses. This limits the possibility of your valuables getting stolen, and increases your overall safety and limits unnecessary interactions.
Tip #5: ALWAYS Keep Travel Envelope and Info on Your Person
- In the event that something happens to your phone, or purse, or wallet, it is SO important to have an extra copy handwritten of any important info in relation to your trip. Should the ultimate worst case scenario happen, you’ll have some information to get buy on to get help to get back to where you need to be. It is also important to have enough cash to get to where you need to be in case someone has stolen your purse or phone. Best tip is to keep an envelope on your person away from where anyone can grab it. Include the following:
- Info Card:
- Hotel or AirBnb info (address, contact info for host, name, etc.)
- Nearest train stop to Hotel or AirBnb
- Closest friends/family members phone numbers (unless you have them memorized!)
- Complete Itinerary Info
- Emergency numbers for the country you are visiting
- Consulate location closest by where you are visiting
- Cash
- Photocopy of ID, Passport Info, etc.
- Info Card:
Tip #6: Leave As Few Valuables Behind as Possible
- try to limit how many valuable items you leave behind in a hotel or AirBnb while out traveling for the day
- never leave behind your passport, wallet, or phone! (I feel like it’s a given but you never know…)
Photography Tips
So the biggest challenge while solo traveling is of course getting photos of you at the places you are going! After solo traveling in Europe, I’ve eventually found a few tips and tricks to getting the best photos while studying abroad!
If you are not at all worried about budget, or you already have these items at your disposal, I HIGHLY recommend having an Apple Watch and an iPhone tripod stand. If you are dead serious about traveling solo and plan to do this often, this will be SO worth the investment. I will use the camera remote on my watch to then hook to my phone to take photos of me in front of where I am traveling! I can also see on my watch if the tripod is in the right place to save time and avoid taking re-dos for an hour. The only downside to this is when you are traveling in areas that have high traffic and pick pockets. The major downside is that you won’t have your hands on your phone while the tripod is away from you. If you are traveling to places with less volume of people, you should be fine to use this trick! I just would not recommend in extremely touristy spots with a lot of people!
Another similar tip or hack that is a bit more budget friendly is to invest in a tripod stand with a remote, so that you don’t need an apple watch to take the photos on your phone. If you want to get one without a remote, I always like to take a video and then screenshot the photos out of the video, although the quality may not be as great. However, this is one hack you can use to get your photos!
Finally, you can always ask someone to take a photo! I know it may seem scary to ask someone to take a photo of you, but just be smart about who you ask, and look for people trying to take selfies. If I see people taking a selfie, I offer to take a photo of them, and then ask them if they’ll do the same for me! This way, one, you can establish a bit of trust to know they won’t run off with your phone, and two you’ll feel less awkward about asking. Below is a photo a random stranger took for me!
This post was all about the best solo travel tips to get you started on your first solo travel adventure! I hope you use these tips and have a great first solo trip! I love love solo traveling and can’t wait to see where others take themselves to explore the world! For travel guides on some of the destinations listed, visit the travel posts page here on Dani K!
