10 Things to Prepare for Your First Solo Trip

Traveling by yourself for the first time can be scary for some, but it can also be a very exciting experience!

So how to prepare for your first solo trip? If you have never traveled alone before, you will find useful tips here to help make it less stressful and more fun.

1. Do lots of research

Is your destination safe for solo travelers? Do you need a visa to enter the country? Are vaccination documents required? Do hotels and stores accept credit cards? Is public transportation easily accessible? Are the attractions you want to see closed for repair?

Do your homework before your trip, so your hard-earned vacation is more enjoyable.

2. Bring more than enough cash

Cash is your best friend when you travel by yourself.

Ask for small banknotes when you do your money exchange, and make a habit of breaking down big ones whenever you have a chance. Sometimes you can’t get change in small stores and public transport so it’s better to be prepared.

3. Install travel apps

If cash is your best travel companion, travel apps have got to be your second best friends.

There are so many free apps that you can use to organize your trips, find your ways, book your rides, translate what you wannna say, and more. Download the ones you find useful when you are connected to Wi-Fi, and try to get familiar with their functions before you go.

4. Get a data SIM card

Data SIM cards are very affordable in this day and age. You will find it extremely handy when you need to do a quick search of information or make an emergency call.

To help you spend less time staring at your phone and more time experiencing a new culture during your solo trip, use Screen Time. It’s available for both iPhone and Android.

5. Tell someone where you will be

The world is not as scary as you see in the news, and you are gonna meet great people along the road. But just in case something happens to you, you want people to know where to find you.

It’s always a good idea to give a copy of your itinerary to someone at home, and tell your Airbnb owner or hostel receptionist where you are going for the day.

6. Make local friends

It’s true that you can find a lot of information online, but you never know when you may need help from an actual human being while you are in a foreign place.

It’s now very common to make new friends online. Give it a try. Go for apps and platforms that come with references of their members to reduce risk of running into scammers.

7. Make reservations

It is almost impossible that you can’t find a place to stay or food to eat if you have money with you. But wouldn’t you feel more at ease when you know exactly at which hotel you will be staying? And that there is a table reserved for you at the restaurant you are dying to try?

Give yourself a peace of mind by planning early and making reservations. You won’t regret it.

8. Allow time buffers

You may be tempted to make good use of every single minute of your trip, but sometimes, shit happens. It is not impossible that your airport bus may break down and causes you to miss your flight.

You are on vacation and you want it to be stress free. Instead of having a jam-packed schedule, add buffers so you don’t need to rush for everything, especially for your trip to the airport.

9. Photocopy your passport

It’s just a piece of paper that occupies no space at all in your bag, but a photocopy of your passport can save you a lot of hassle in case you misplace the real one during your trip.

Put it nicely in a folder. You can save it and reuse it for many future trips.

10. Keep an open mind

Learn to travel. Travel to learn. Open your heart to see the world that you don’t see on the Internet. Experience the culture, try the food, talk to the people, make the most of it.

And remember something very important: you are a representative of where you are from, so be good and don’t do anything embarrassing to hurt the image of your city/country.

Deal?