The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Alone (and Loving It)
Tips to travel solo
Traveling alone is the scariest, most liberating, most life-changing experience. Everyone should try it at least once!
“Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one thing that is going to require the most from you.”
Caroline Myss
After traveling alone multiple times, here are the things that helped me to travel safely and be happy.
1. Start it small:
Traveling solo for the first time can be daunting. Initially, I took some time and decided to start it small. Travel somewhere nearby and stay there for a couple of days to see how you would feel about it. Also, traveling somewhere close by gives you a sense of not being too far away from home and a sense of safety.
Mainly, if traveling solo isn’t your cup of tea that would give you a chance to drive back home quickly.
2. Calculate the budget:
Travel need not be expensive, often times choosing couch surfing (couch surfing provides an option to stay for free with a local host or series of hosts while traveling), hostels, and Airbnb’s are affordable to stay.
Finalizing the places you want to visit ahead of time and staying somewhere close reduces the cost of Uber.
3. Check the deals on flights:
Booking flights in advance and rather than directly booking flights on the airline’s website booking them on sites like Priceline, Expedia, and kayak can reduce the flight costs. Collect your free miles on the flight and If you are a frequent traveler it’s a good option to choose an airline’s credit card.
4. Choice of Airbnb:
Every single time I have traveled solo- while choosing an Airbnb I made sure to check the kind of locality and area the Airbnb is located in and verify the neighborhoods are safe to stay and walk around. If I choose to stay somewhere longer and share the room with an owner as a personal choice I always choose something that is owned by women for safety reasons.
5. Packing smarter:
I promise you don’t need as many things as you think. Proper clothing depending on the weather, sunscreen, a hat, a warm jacket despite of the weather(helps on plane or night if one feels cold), wearing good shoes and pair socks helps.
Marie Kondo made my life easier when it came to packing for travel. Her videos help to pack your bag efficiently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWCmeklWJug
6. Taking it slow:
I truly believe traveling is much more than a bucket list, a checklist, a fancy Insta post, the number of places you have visited, or just another thing to do on your list. It is an experience to savor, a memory for a lifetime, a history to be known, an experience to capture people and places through your own visual brain, something one should take as slowly as possible and savor every bit of it.
7. Cherish each memory:
Life is a spur of tiny little moments and once a moment is gone it’s just gone forever. Same is the case with travel, when you leave a place that moment is gone and it will never be the same again. You never know how beautiful the same sunset is going to look tomorrow or how high the tides of the ocean are going to be the next time.
I have visited a pottery place on block Island twice, every single time I visit that place is so artistically different each time and the vibe feels so different. The warmness of the owner would sure want to come back again.
8. Being thankful:
It is a true privilege to travel, know this world, and make memories for a lifetime. From place to place the earth under the feet changes but the kindness of people and the beauty of this world still remain constant. Hence, I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to live and explore this world
