How To Prepare For Your First Solo Trip

Have you been thinking of going for a solo trip? You don’t know how to plan and prepare for that? You feel lost or not confident about it? Let´s check out what tips and tricks we can find to help you for preparing your travels!

1. Be confident about your trip

For preparing the first solo trip you should be self-confident and confident about your plans. If you have doubts of how it will be and if it is the right decision, you will make it hard for yourself, your mind and your health. If you trust and believe in yourself your prep will go way easier. Your mindset is very powerful. Don’t underestimate it. So, keep being happy and confident.

2. Have a Confidant (a person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it to others)!

A very important aspect is having someone who knows about your travels. It should be a person who will take a look on your planning and will review on how you prepared. Furthermore, this person should roughly know where you´ll be and what you´ll do. For any emergency, this will be your WoMan.

3. Inform and brief yourself

If you check things in advance you will be prepared for what is going to happen. Check about how to get from the airport to your accommodation, check about how to get to the places you want to explore or check the opening times of sights. Read articles about experiences from other travelers, check out guidebooks and talk to friends who traveled solo before. Don’t forget to do researches about scams or dangerous places etc.

4. Plan out the first days

People discuss about this point a lot. Some people say to never plan the first days, others swear on having the first two to three days planed. It depends on your personality but if you travel solo for the first time it might give you the feeling of safety and calms you down if you are nervous. If you plan your arrival and the first view days it can give you more confidence, you can grow and later explore more spontaneously.

5. Make Plan B

It might sound a bit weird but if you are a solo-traveler you should have a backup plan. This means for example what you can do if your credit-card is not working, do you have any alternative to get money? What can you do if you get lost? What should you do if you get scammed? Is your trip depending on good weather? Any rainy-weather plans? Consider questions like this in your backup plan.

6. Pack light

A general traveler rule which we forget so many times: just take the essential. The easiest way to travel is to just take the most essential things. You don’t need much while being on a trip. It is just a lot of weight you have to carry. So, leave it at home. It will be there when you come back.

7. Set goals

It might not be basically necessary but it will help you a lot if you set goals for yourself and furthermore think about the intentions of your solo-trip. You might be travelling to just relax, to get to know people, to understand a culture, to escape your daily life, to get to know yourself. Whatever it is, make it clear for yourself and your trip will make sense.

8. Prepare to blend in

If you are traveling by yourself, try to blend in and not attract all attention because you wear inappropriate clothes or behave incongruous. While preparing for your travels inform yourself about appropriate dressing and manner of the culture or country you will visit. If you blend in and respect their dress codes and their dos & don´ts, the locals will show their hospitality in full magnitude.

9. Find your places

Every person prefers different places. Some people feel comfortable in nature, others need people around them or just want to be in nature. Don’t go to places just because people tell you to go there. If you have an idea or a feeling of places you want to see and explore plan it your way. If you like to be at the beach, do it, if you want to be on the mountain or in the city, do it.

10. Leave your expectations at home

A very difficult thing is the expectation which might be with you. While planning your trip there will definitely be expectations growing in your head. Before you go, try to leave them at home. Having a lot of expectations is dangerous because during your trip you might get disappointed or frustrated because things are not exactly as you thought. If you leave your expectations behind you, you will see the beauty and you will enjoy everything, if it is planned or spontaneously changed.

11. Do it your way

Last but not least, just do it your way. There is no rule, how a solo-trip has to be or how you have to prepare for it. The previous mentioned points are tips which means, that you can use them, transform them or do it in a complete different way. If you read about solo-traveling or talk to people who traveled alone all they say should just be an inspiration which you can transform, adapt or accept for your own planning. There is no wrong or right. There is only your very own way, which is the best for you. It´s your trip. So, make it your trip, plan and realize it your way.

Those 11 points are clearly tips which everyone can use in their way. This is not a recipe which you have to process. It is an inspiration for everybody who is looking for it.
Enjoy your preparation and even more enjoy your solo-trip!