Get advice and information for planning, selecting a solo travel destination, budgeting, health & safety, and the basics for traveling alone from a female solo traveler.
I was almost 30 years old when I took my first solo trip to Southeast Asia to backpack around Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand for 7 months. And ever since then, I realized I love to travel alone! Certainly it can be challenging to travel by yourself, but for me the rewards far outweigh any negative aspects of solo travel.
So far, I’ve traveled to over 25 countries, lived in 4 countries, and spent 7 years living a nomadic lifestyle while roadtripping around the US and Canada by myself.
There is no right way or wrong way to travel solo. Not everyone should become a nomad. Although I do think everyone should give solo travel a try at least once in their life!
Even if you just get out and explore your current city alone, that too could be your start to solo travel, my friend :)
You are never too old to start traveling solo. I was already 30 years old when I took my first overseas trip alone. Actually, I was 29 years and 300+ days old; I celebrated my 30th birthday while in Singapore.
There was a time when I was afraid to travel at all, never mind travel alone. I thought about all the things that could go wrong. But I changed my mindset to instead focus on all the fabulous places I wanted to see around the world. And I know I always figure out a solution whenever things don’t go exactly as planned.
Sometimes you just have to embrace uncertainty. I had to get over the awkward feeling of traveling by myself. Things like dining alone may still bring on anxiety at times, but there are steps you can take to ease the feeling of discomfort while dining solo.
How to Overcome the Language Barrier While Traveling
How to Cope with Getting Lost While Traveling
How to Avoid Jet-Lag on Long Haul Flights
Even if you fear traveling solo now, Solo Trips and Tips travel blog is here to help you overcome the fear of traveling alone. One of the best things you can do to overcome any uncertainty about solo travel is to read stories that inspire your desire! And then you can start taking steps towards your own solo travel adventures.
READ NOW: Quotes About Solo Traveling
Before you leave on your first solo journey, you may want to practice your solo travel skills closer to home.
You will become comfortable with taking day trips, then try a weekend solo trip. You can plan something within your budget and comfort zone and see how it goes. Maybe you love it, maybe you are not crazy about solo travel.
There is only one way to find out whether or not you like to travel alone—you just have to give it a try. You will build up your solo traveler confidence each time you go it alone.
Do you have a budget for your monthly expenses? If not, there’s no better time to start than now. Do you have enough money for your dream vacation? If not, think about ways you can save money (and make more money) so that you can afford to travel, and think about how much you want to spend on your trip.
Southeast Asia is an excellent location for solo travelers on a budget. And because it’s so beautiful and budget-friendly, you will find it’s easy to meet other travelers in Southeast Asia.
One summer I wanted to escape the heat of a Texas summer, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I traveled to Sao Paulo (and took a bus to/from Rio de Janeiro) using my frequent flyer points during shoulder season and stayed at hostels. All of these things helped to keep my travel costs down and I had an amazing time in Brazil!
I completely understand if you’re not sure that you’re ready to stay in a hostel. Perhaps you are thinking you’re too old to stay in a hostel? Read my article about staying in hotels versus hostels, where I detail my stay at the Ritz-Carlton one night and a 4-bed hostel dorm the following night. I haven’t stayed in a hostel for years now, but I’m glad there is the option if I ever need to cut back on my travel spending.
Travel is education.
Solo travel is one of the master’s programs at the University of Life.
Travel is life-changing and extraordinary in so many ways. I returned home from my first solo trip only because the money was running out. But all I could think about was how much I wanted to travel again, to see more of the world.
I discovered that I prefer to collect experiences rather than things.
Stuffing everything I owned into one bag carried on my back, it was an amazing feeling of freedom. I’ve been a minimalist ever since.
Solo female travelers are not fearless, nor do I think solo female travelers are brave.
We are curious. Because we want to know more about the world, we go out and explore.
The towns known as Cinque Terre (five lands) offer captivating views of the rocky coastline of the Italian Riviera and an excellent location for solo travelers. The five coastal towns are (in order from north to south) Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. And they are all beautiful, historic seaside villages within Cinque Terre National …
Since moving to Austin in 1999, I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of solo traveling in Texas. While I don’t have any problem traveling alone here, I know it can be daunting for someone who is visiting for the first time. So, I wrote this guide to help you put together your own …
Thailand solo travel is an incredible experience and a right of passage that every solo traveler should have! This vibrant country in Southeast Asia offers diverse experiences, from visiting historic temples in Bangkok to savoring street-side khao soi in laid-back Chiang Mai to finding tranquility on the beaches of Krabi. Thailand’s allure is hard to …
Before I took my first trip alone I didn’t really think about traveling by myself. I thought I needed to travel with other people. But after my solo backpacking trip to Southeast Asia my world opened up to the rich experiences of traveling solo. Solo travel is rewarding. We experience personal growth from trying new …
Julie Julien from the travel blog Julie Around the Globe is guest author with her article on the best places to travel alone in Southeast Asia. My first solo trip was a backpacking trip for seven months to Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. But Julie has traveled on her own since 2016 and visited many …
Natoya from the travel website Her Lifestyle Travel is guest author with her advice and tips on traveling to Japan alone. Afraid to travel to Japan by yourself? Fear no more! Natoya’s got you covered with this handy Japan solo travel guide that will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to tour around …
Traveling alone may seem intimidating. Especially for first time solo travelers the anxiety before a trip can get to you. Rest assured everyone feels a bit of anxiety before doing something new and unknown to them. In this post I’ve put together 15 of my best tips for solo travel to help you to prepare …
Arzo Reist is guest author with this article about solo travel to Dubai. Get safety tips, find out what is appropriate to wear, and find the best things to do when traveling alone to Dubai. So far, in the Middle East I’ve only visited Jordan but I’m looking forward to traveling to the Middle East …
When you start to plan a solo trip it can be difficult to decide on a solo travel destination. Maybe you’re planning your first solo travel adventure but do you know where you want to go. Maybe you already have the ideal location in mind or if you are like me you probably have a …
The end of March (2016) marks 6 months on my solo road trip adventure, taking me from Austin Texas to Portland Oregon. Here are the places I stayed, so I could wander and explore, while enjoying my new nomad life adventure: Alpine TX – October Big Bend National Park TX – October (read about hiking solo at Big …
I often think back to my first solo trip and how my life has taken me on unexpected adventures since the 7-month journey. Twenty-two years ago, in August 1993, I was enjoying my last few days on the tropical island of Bali in Indonesia. One could stay two months for each entry to Indonesia back in the …
The fear of traveling alone is so intense for some people they simply do not travel solo and some do not travel at all. I have had many conversations with people that long to travel but are afraid to travel alone so I decided I would write a new series on Solo Trips And Tips about the issues …
