I’ve talked a fair bit about the trials and tribulations of travelling solo on Inside Laura’s Head but I’ve never done a post talking about what I’ve learned during my many solo trips. Since meeting J, it’s clear my solo trips will be less frequent as I want to explore with him mostly, but I know there’ll still be the odd one, and I’ll keep learning valuable lessons. I wanted to share with my readers the things I’ve learnt so far, so that if you’re looking to travel solo, you can have the best possible time.
Go for the best accommodation you can afford
On my first ever solo trip, I went for accommodation that was mid range, in the best location. That worked out really well for me in Wroclaw, because I could go back to the hotel easily as often as I wanted, but it wasn’t cheap. I tend to travel on a budget so go for cheap accommodation where possible, but for me a shared dormitory room in a hostel wouldn’t work. I like my own space, so I go for a single room or an air b n b.
‘The best accommodation you can afford’ is totally subjective and, if a bed in a shared dorm is good for you, then that IS the best accommodation you can afford. If you are someone who wouldn’t be comfortable without being in a five star hotel, that’s the best you can afford. Maybe you’re more bothered about a central location, so prioritise that. A solo trip, even if you’re doing it on a budget, has to work for you.
Planning is your friend
For me, solo travel doesn’t lend itself well to too much wandering around. I can often feel overwhelmed if I have nothing planned, so planning in advance helps me to avoid that. Before I do a trip I look into places I want to go to, things I want to see, anywhere I want to eat or drink. I also have a second list of things I’m not desperate to do but wouldn’t mind doing, so that if my plans take less time than I expected I can fill more time.
I’m careful not to overplan though, as I do value time sitting with a book or Netflix, and some sitting with a coffee people watching. Ideally, for me, I plan 80% of my day and give myself 20% to do what I feel like in the moment, or to work through my second list of things instead.
You don’t need as many bags as you think
I am the biggest advocate for travelling hand luggage only. It’s cheaper, it saves time waiting for your hold luggage at the airport and, most importantly for solo travel, it gives you less bags to wrangle. Carrying multiple bags, or carrying a bag and wheeling a suitcase, is difficult. Going to the toilet with a hand luggage back and a suitcase is difficult. Navigating stairs with a suitcase is difficult. Life is much easier if you travel light on a solo trip.
Social media is great for meeting trip friends
As much as I enjoy solo travel, if I’m away for a while I can feel lonely sometimes. I don’t tend to stay in hostels and if I do I have a private room and eat out, so I very rarely meet people. I realised quickly that when you talk about trips on social media, when you use relevant hashtags and facebook groups, you can find people who are in the destination at the same time who might want to grab a coffee or some food.
I recommend a facebook group called Host A Sister, and I’ve also met people I’ve interacted with previously via Instagram and Twitter. Always make sure you’re safe when meeting a stranger-tell friends and family where you’re going, share your live location, and make sure the other person’s social media looks legit first. Always, always meet in a public place too.
It can be tricky to get decent photos
Getting good photos of yourself is HARD. If you’re like me and want a decent photo album from each trip, with plenty of good shots of yourself for Instagram, figuring that out on your own can be tricky. I’ve been known to book photoshoots with local photographers via Air b n b experiences (with the added benefit of them being able to give you local recommendations too) asking strangers if they’d mind taking a photo of me (they generally don’t mind at all) and using my gorilla tripod and my camera timer to take shots with me in them myself.
The first option isn’t always cheap, I will only do this if it’s affordable on the trip for me. The second has the risk of the person taking a bad photo (ask someone with a camera around their neck for the best results!) and the third is my favourite. Taking self timer photos means I can take as long as I need to get the perfect shot, so I’d recommend a mini, portable tripod to anyone. (For transparency, the photos of me in this post were all taken by J in Podgorica-but I could have done similar with the tripod)
I’d love to know if you’re learnt anything when travelling solo. Or, if you’ve not travelled alone, whether there’s some content I could write that would help you take that leap. Let me know in the comments
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