How I Went to 2 Countries by Myself This Year: 7 Tips for Solo Travel

This post may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclaimer here

I love solo trips. I also like traveling with people, but being an introvert, solo travel holds a special place in my heart. It’s definitely tough going to a different city where you know no-one. Going to a different country especially one that speaks a language you don’t understand, is a different ball game. I’ve been fortunate to go to France & Italy for the first time this year and they were both solo trips. How to travel solo is not as tough as many people think. Here are some things I do to make my solo trips happen:

 

1. Shorter trips

There’s no doubt that solo trips can easily be more expensive than traveling with friends. The single reason being that you’re not splitting any costs. As much as I love traveling, I’m not a fan of paying too much for a trip. It’s not even about affordability for me. I more so think, if I spend half my budget on this trip, then I can make 2 trips. When considering solo trips, one thing I’ve done to make the costs more manageable is to make it a short. I went to Paris for a day and Italy for a weekend. That meant for my Paris trip for example, I didn’t have to spend anything on accommodation so I could splurge on meals or whatever else I wanted. Doing a weekend trip to Europe from US would be tough considering time difference but it’s definitely possible.

 

2. Maximizing trips

This is really how my Europe solo trips happened. For both trips I was already in Europe. This meant traveling to a different country was only a quick flight or train away. If I’m going to be in Europe for work for a week, then I might as well extend it through the weekend and visit another country. This is obviously if time permits but I usually know ahead of time to plan accordingly. I had a work trip to Germany and I took a day trip to Paris. I had another work trip to Ireland and that’s how I made Italy. Obviously, I know not everyone gets to fly internationally for work but the point is if you’re planning a trip to one place on a different continent, you might as well increase your trip a little bit and make a detour somewhere else.

 

 

3. Taking trains and not cabs

Another cost saving tactic here! First thing to note is I’m not a fan of public transportation. I have my car and it gets me to places when I need to go or else I use Uber/Lyft. However, when I travel solo, I become a different person. Depending on the city, it can be more cost AND time effective to take the local trains. In Milan for example, from my hotel to Duomo was either a 15 minute drive or train ride. The difference was that the cab would’ve cost €20 while the train was only €2. Taking the train meant I could use my extra €18 on whatever I wanted. If I traveled with friends, there’s a good chance I would’ve just taken cabs even though it’s more expensive because splitting the costs makes it justifiable to me. I love returning home to my car but I enjoy the train rides on my trips because the metro in Europe is actually cleaner and better than US transport.

 

4. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN

but don’t overplan!

It is nerve wracking to go to a different country that doesn’t speak a language that you’re familiar with but it doesn’t mean it’s an impossible feat. Before I go on these trips, I plan for the most important things I want to do & I put them at the start of the schedule and leave a lot of wiggle room for later in the trip. This way, once I get there, even though I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable, I have a plan and I can do just that. By the time I’m running out of things I wanted to do, I would feel more comfortable being in a foreign place and be open to going with the flow. Planning also makes sure I travel purposefully. For example, in Paris, my first line of action was to go see the Eiffel tower. As soon as I got to Paris, I went on my way without wasting time being scared, nervous or overwhelmed by all the French and lack of English around me. By the time I saw the tower and walked around a bit, I was more comfortable being in a different country. Also, I don’t & won’t solo travel to any country I believe is unsafe in general and for women.

 

5. Have internet data

Some might say this is not necessary but for me it definitely is. A lot of places have free WiFi but do you really want to go to a foreign country without a contingency plan? Well, I don’t. So I always have my data on. It helps me easily navigate the metro system, translate menus and look up pictures of dishes. I feel comfortable venturing around and walking through random (safe-looking) neighborhoods knowing I can always use my phone to get me home. I could probably do without data but I’ll be really nervous. I’m not traveling to be on my phone all the time so I use internet sparingly when I travel so it’s not as expensive for roaming.

 

6. Getting there for cheap

When I go on trips, my aim is to maximize my experiences while I’m there. To do this, I try to get there for cheap so I can enjoy myself on the trip. It costs me less than $100 to get to Paris and less than $300 to get to Milan so while on the trips, I was treating myself to whatever I wanted. Rather than spending $800 on a flight anywhere, I’d rather spend $300 and spend the difference while there. I clearly end up flying airlines like Ryanair but at least I have those savings. When I’m on vacation, I don’t like to cheap out on meals or experiences and that’s why I try so hard to get there for cheap. Of course, my go to place to find deals is my search engine . Maybe I’ll stop flying for cheap in the future when I’m richer 🙂

 

7. When in doubt, just do it.

My personality isn’t one you’d initially associate with solo travel because I could be shy at times. However, I truly enjoy being by myself and I feel a certain peace with solo trips. I can’t remember my first solo trip but even at home, I somewhat frequently go out sightseeing alone so I felt some comfort in that before going on my Paris trip. I also trust my planning skills so I wasn’t too worried about anything in my control going wrong with the planning. The most important thing for my trips is instinct-I’m not walking alone in a dark alley at night or getting drunk at a club somewhere. I try to stay in crowded/public places and that makes me feel safer. It wasn’t that much of a decision process before I went to Paris. I realized I was only a 3 hour train away from Paris and I had always wanted to go to Paris and I had no one to go with. It seemed pretty obvious to me that I had to go solo. I was a bit nervous but going to Paris and Milan have been 2 of my most fulfilling trips ever!!

 

Bonus thing I could do in the future

Cheaper hotels/Airbnbs

A good way to save costs is getting a shared Airbnb (Private room but others live in the house). I didn’t do it for any of the Europe solo trips but I could potentially be open to the idea. This is one of those tips that could definitely help me save money on my solo trips. There’s a small chance I would actually go through with it because I love nice hotels and cute Airbnbs but it is something I might consider depending on the location.

 

 

International solo travel can be scary and expensive but with proper planning, doable and amazing! I honestly didn’t enter 2019 thinking I would go on any international solo trips. Now I feel super empowered to keep doing it and I hope i’ve shown more clarity on how to travel solo. Even with these trips, there are still countries I won’t go to alone (mostly safety concerns) so I’m by no means a pro at this. However, I do get inspired by people living my dream so I hope I do inspire you to book that flight/train even if it’s just for a day or weekend like me 🙂

 

[tp_search_shortcodes]
Country Name cannot be blank. Location cannot be blank. Name cannot be blank. Search Type cannot be blank. Search Id cannot be blank.

 

Like this post? Show your support by pinning it!