10 tips for planning and executing your own great adventure.
“You are so brave.” This is what I often hear when planning a solo trip. I don’t consider myself a solo traveler — Where brave – but somehow I ended up recovering from Covid in a vineyard in Mendozakayaking Hawaii’s Napali Coast under a full moon, hiking the black sands of Dominica, and traveling to 19 destination weddings from Oregon to Oaxaca, mostly alone.
Beyond safety (which is a legitimate concern, of course), why does traveling alone take courage? Yes, the fear of the unknown can be intimidating, but most other big concerns are pretty easily dealt with. Afraid of being in a place where you don’t speak the language? There’s usually an English speaker somewhere nearby, and the Google Translate app is pretty easy to navigate. Do you care about train times/routes? Your hotel or host can certainly help. Do you hate dining alone? I do this most nights anyway. And yes, it may seem best to share an experience with someone you love. But if it’s not in the cards right now, why miss out on the world?
People may think of me as brave, but I think I’m just more willing to overcome the small obstacles that make travel difficult. And there are ways around everything of them. Here’s how to embark on a solo journey on our “Lonely Planet” without feeling alone on the planet.
1.) Define your vision
Be methodical in creating your trip; build the foundation and frame in advance, so you don’t have to book a trip while you travel. Start with your ideal locations, then find places to stay, then work out transportation between locations A, B, C, and D. Restaurants can be booked in advance, but if you’re on your own, it’s best to sneak in to the bar at a local wine bar than to sit alone in a fancy restaurant. At least you know the bartender will talk to you (and feed you).
Once your reservations are set – at least for sleep and transit – you can spend your time discovering hidden gems, ordering vino and enjoying your gnocchi, without trying to connect to WiFi to reroute a flight. (Planning ahead also applies when traveling with others; no one wants to argue about train times while they’re trying to take in the view.)
2.) Connect with people from your past, present and future
just because you are Go alone doesn’t mean you’re going be alone all the time. Find people who live where you travel: I DM’d my friend Elizabeth on Instagram even though we hadn’t spoken to each other since the 1980s, saying, “Do you remember me?” She lives in Bologna and was then kindly; she picked me up at my rental car depot, invited me to aperitif with her friends and dinner at her place, and told me where (and how) to go for a coffee and to take the bus. People As to help you succeed in your adventure. Also, you will meet more people when you are alone instead of focusing on a partner.
3.) Find a group activity
Tours and group lessons, whether for a week or an afternoon, come pre-packaged with fellow travelers to chat with. My recent trip to Italy was planned around two great group activities: a wine blending lesson in Montalcino and a healthy hiking adventure in the Apennine mountains. I met some friends who had just been to a painting school called OutdoorsTuscanywhere they created DIY masterpieces while watching the countryside.
One-day activities are easy to book: in Bologna, I toured the food markets with Curious appetite. The next day, I met Maribel, a chef who gives cooking lessons at home via Taste-of-Italy.com and serves her own Nocino, a liqueur she makes from green walnuts. I learned how to make pici (hand rolled pasta) in Montalcino with Magida from BrunelloKitchenClass in Castello Tricerchi, a 13th century castle and a vineyard with a view. And Airbnb offers plenty of local-led “experiences” in virtually every tourist city around the world.
4.) Pack light, physically and mentally
Here’s what not to bring: a cowboy hat, your yoga mat, high heels, a bathrobe, or a hair dryer. These items are available just about anywhere you go. (Other than the cowboy hat, but do you really need one?) Instead, bring one of each of these: day dress, evening dress, jeans, sneakers, sandals. Worst-case scenario, you can always find a place to do a quick laundry (or your hotel might do it for you). And think of versatile pieces: My Echo Lightweight Track Poncho served as a plane comforter, day jacket and evening shawl. Plus, half the fun of traveling is finding gems wherever you are: I bought some fluffy slippers on a side street in Siena for $16, enjoyed them the whole trip, and then got them. left in my last hotel. Leave your “beautiful” jewelry at home – no one wants that kind of hassle.
Psychologically, also try to leave your baggage – and your rigid planning habits – at home. Part of the joy of traveling solo is the freedom and ability to pivot and change plans at the last moment. Ideally, you want to be nimble enough to say yes to an invite for dinner, a beach party, or an extended stay, if they come up.
5.) Check your inbox and make an itinerary before you go
Many hotels and Airbnbs send confirmation emails and messages asking you to take action, such as submitting your passport details or even a photo of you holding your passport. It’s much easier to do from the comfort of your own home office, so be sure to hit the deadlines before you leave with plenty of time to spare.
Once everything is booked, create a master document containing the addresses of all the places you are staying and all your important confirmation codes. Print this document and save a copy in your mailbox and/or on your smartphone. A hard copy might seem dated, but you’ll be grateful for it when you’re somewhere without Wi-Fi. In general, you’ll need to be organized, as there’s no one else to consult on the route but you.
6.) Maintain Your Health Routine
Don’t give up your healthy habits just because you’re on vacation. Try to maintain the rituals that keep you grounded at home, as they are even more important on the road. I travel with PLANT probiotics and sachets of AG1 powdered greens with my shaker. My morning routine on the road is therefore the same as at home; taking care of my gut is especially important when I’m traveling and eating all kinds of new things. When traveling, I do my Zoom yoga with World Tribes Yoga whenever timing works – if you meditate at home, meditate on the road.
7.) Bring a book
When I traveled to Vietnam, I brought the Vietnam so that I could read what I saw. My best friend Marcia DeSanctis is a travel writer, and her essays on solo travel in A hard place to leave are also inspiring. On my last trip, I read Pema Chödrön’s book When things fall apart, hold-a-block with the wisdom of life. A book keeps you company at dinner, in the hotel room or on a train. And yes, you can download it to your Kindle if you want, so you don’t have to lug a hardcover everywhere.
8.) Make Google Maps your friend
Alone in Berlin, I chose a different museum or monument each morning, put it in Google Maps and walked there. Google Maps works on GPS, not WiFi, so it works whether or not you’re connected to a network. Just make sure your phone doesn’t accidentally switch to airplane mode, in which case Maps won’t work. Then you can end up wandering aimlessly, like I did in Rome (which, to be fair, wasn’t the worst thing in the world).
9.) Stay in touch with people at home
You can FaceTime with your mom while you’re away. (The only time I didn’t leave an itinerary for anyone was when I traveled to Southeast Asia during what turned out to be a tsunami in 2004; trust me, it’s worth better stay in touch.) Assuming your phone plan works abroad, FaceTime is totally free. When I had Covid in Argentina and I was really isolated because I had to be, I FaceTime my friend Charlie every night, and we drank a glass of wine together like I was down the street. Although they are several miles away, your friends and family are always there for you, even if you only connect with them through Instagram. So you can consider any loneliness you feel on the road as a really temporary feeling.
10.) Remember that leaving is harder than arriving
You can be a little freaked out when you go on your big excursion alone – I did on my recent trip (and took a Xanax). After all, you may be drifting away from loved ones, your pet, or your job. But giving up on safety is part of any trip, and you won’t think about it as much when navigating the daily life of a beautiful foreign country (which can be a very good thing). If you’re curious about a solo trip, I strongly encourage you to take a step into the unknown. As the saying goes, “feel the fear but do it anyway”. That’s travel.
Follow Martha on Instagram @marthamccully
Comments are closed.