Roaming Alone: Conquering Solo Travel Concerns
Solo Travel. To some, those are two of the most daunting words that could be placed together. Leaving home, maybe even the country, alone. Exploring unknown places. Navigating language barriers. Walking down unfamiliar roads with no guide. If you’re anything like me, solo traveling is simultaneously invigorating and terrifying. It’s not that we’re not scared, it’s that we do it anyway. But if you’re just getting started, found yourself stuck in an endless fear-loop, or are just curious about traveling alone, there are genuine concerns that we should address. I don’t want to scare away anyone from wandering alone, but I think we should have open conversations about the scary, dirty, questionable things that come with it. That said, you will find some of the most common travel concerns below, and how I have learned to conquer them.
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Table of Contents
1.Safety | 2.Health | 3.Language Barrier | 4.Culture Shock | 5.Budget | 6.Loneliness | Takeaways
1. Safety
Safety concerns come in different shapes and sizes. Physical safety for self and items, as well as emotional wellbeing are all very personal, individualized concerns. Physically speaking, there are a few things I do to minimize risk, especially as a woman.
Don’t walk around at night alone. Travel in groups (you make plenty of friends for this), ask a guy to go with you (one that you trust, obviously), or simply go during the day. You can also call a taxi/uber if you still want or need to be out past sundown.
Have a way to alert your contacts you’re in danger. I wear an Invisawear necklace, which you will see me reference often. I love this added layer of protection and peace-of-mind I get from knowing my contact will be notified at the click of a button.
Track your items. I use Apple Airtags in my bags and mixed among my items.
Lock your items. Staying in hostels, you should have a locker for your personal items. Size of the locker varies, but you will at least be able to lock up your passport and valuable items. I use the Prosafe 1000 Travel padlock from Pacsafe.
From a mental wellbeing standpoint, here are a couple of my tips:
Plan rest days. I didn’t do this my first month, and it wore me down. Even if you are the most social and outgoing person ever, you still need a day here-and-there to rest and recoup. Learn how often you need them, and don’t skip them.
Be in the right situations. Don’t put yourself in situations where you know you will be uncomfortable, nervous, or really anything but happy and safe. Protect your peace and all that.
2. Health
You know how every school year, everyone would get sick in August being around each other again? Well, imagine being introduced to a new environment and people every few days or weeks. Your immune system is going to take a beating. There are ways to combat this, of course. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Take supplements specifically for travel. I have found the Co-Pilot The Travel Brand travel supplements work great for me. Created by travelers, for travelers, with tested ingredients, and in sustainable packaging that you can use for a deck of cards. Use the link above to get 15% off your order on Amazon, or use “TrinTravels” on their website to receive 15% directly from them.
Drink your water. A good rule of thumb is drink in fluid ounces (fl oz) the temperature in Fahrenheit (90F is 90fl oz) / one liter per ten degrees Celsius (20C is 2L) when outside. If you sweat or workout, drink more.
Eat your fruits and veggies. I know I sound like your grandmother right now, but the best way to fight off illness is eating the rainbow.
Choose who you share with. I’m just going to leave this out there… be careful who you decide to share things with, whether that be food and drinks or otherwise. Cooties and everything.
3. Language Barrier
If you’re reading this blog without translating it, congratulations, your life is easier than most when traveling. At least 18% of the world speaks English, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s over 1,4B people! That being said, not everyone speaks your language. Expect that. The good news is, we have tools like Google Translate / DeepL to help us. Remember to download the language for offline use to minimize data usage. But if that isn’t an option, you’ll be surprised with how creative you can be to communicate with someone without words. Pointing is always an excellent options, truly. Facial expressions, hand signals, sound effects. You’ll figure it out. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but usually it’s a cool experience communicating with someone else when you don’t know each other’s language. It’s also a good reason to learn a little bit of the language of that country before going. You don’t have to become fluent, just know a few words and phrases that are helpful. You can find a list of my recommended words on my blog about lessons learned in Milan.
4. Culture Shock
It is simply unavoidable- you will be shocked by some of the things you see and hear while traveling. No matter how much reading you do ahead of time on a particular culture, experiencing it is entirely different. And I’m going to give the most cliché answer to combat it: keep an open mind. I know, I know. But it really is true. Don’t go to a new place expecting everything to be like it is at “home,” wherever that is. Try not to have the “I’m right, you’re wrong,” mentality either. This is very toxic, for everywhere involved. There doesn’t have to be a right and wrong, just different. From hospitality service to parenting styles to public behaviors and meeting new people, it’ll change. Observe, analyze, move on. Don’t focus on the differences as a bad thing, find the beauty in different ways getting to the same destination. It’s honestly quite fascinating the world works vastly different in different places, but still keeps spinning.
5. Budget
Money, money, money. Unfortunately, it’s sort of important for traveling. That being said, you need far less than people often imagine. I have spent, on average, less per month than I did when living in the Caribbean. And with that amount of money, I have been to an average 2,5 countries per month, gone to historical places and museums, taken weekend trips, eaten delicious local foods, and had experiences I never could have if I stayed “home.”
Budgeting is a highly personal thing, though. It depends on a lot of factors as well, such as how much you have to start, if you will be earning an income along the way, what your priorities are… I use the TravelSpend app and have categorized my spending into the following (percentage of my budget towards this category):
Food: Groceries (20%) and eating out (15%)
Transportation: Big tickets (15%) and public transportation (10%)
Accommodation: Hostels (15%)
Activities and Sightseeing: Museums, activities, etc. (15%)
eSim: Data plan (5%)
Shopping: Souvenirs and items on an as-needed basis (5%)
6. Loneliness
While traveling alone can be freeing, invigorating, and magical, it can also be lonely, confusing, and tough being with yourself all the time. The last part of that sentence might sound funny, but it’s true. When you have no one’s company but your mind and heart, a lot comes up. But here’s the good news: you can choose when you’re alone and when you’re not, for the most part. Especially if you are staying in hostels, you have ample opportunity to engage and socialize. I even go into more detail about friendships while traveling that you can read about here. If you’re feeling lonely, go to the common area of your accommodation, go to a bar, go to a beach or mountain, or… go online! Yes, this sounds counterintuitive, but trust me. Facebook Groups, TripBFF, Travel Ladies, Hostelworld, and so many other apps are out there for you to use, so use them! Make plans with others who are traveling in the area and meet up. Facetime your friends and family back home when you need/want to, make new friends along the way, and get comfortable with being alone. It’s healthy to sit with ourselves sometimes, so don’t neglect it, but you don’t have to be alone 24/7 either. Traveling alone is the furthest thing from being alone I’ve ever done.
Takeaways
To say this list is comprehensive would be a lie, but it’s a huge starting point. I hope that this addresses most of the common concerns while solo traveling, and also made you feel safer and more confident about it. Safety, both physically and emotionally, health, language barriers, culture shock, budgeting, and loneliness are all valid concerns. BUT. They should not stop you from doing the dang thing. Just get out there. The more you do, you’ll realize you’re far more capable than you realized and those fears and concerns were far smaller than you originally believed. After you take the first step, each subsequent one gets easier and more magical, I promise. If you found this debunking blog helpful, I encourage you to like, comment, and share anything you find useful on my platform and accounts. If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads, you will find that’s the easiest place to interact with a community of wanderers. On my YouTube channel, I will share tips, tricks, and lessons learned from each destination I go to, and my podcast will have similar content in a different format. I look forward to hearing from you and creating connections! Happy wandering.