A lot of people ask me, "aren't you scared of traveling alone? Especially as a woman?" And I always say absolutely not! I think the thought of traveling and being alone is a lot scarier then actually doing it. Traveling alone gives you an amazing opportunity to do whatever YOU want, without compromising or consulting with others. It also gives you so much time to learn about yourself, grow as a person, and gain more independence. You also meet incredible travelers, just like yourself, along the way- so it's really not all that lonely! Here are some tips for taking your first solo trip:
Tips
1. Try it out first
Take a close solo day or weekend trip to see how you feel. Whether that's just going to the movies and dinner by yourself, or going camping for a night. Do something that's not too far from home, but gives you the freedom to explore and feel like you're experiencing something new with yourself. If you like the feeling, awesome- let's do a real solo trip! If not, then no worries. At least you figured it out close to home rather than halfway across the globe.
2. Stay in hostels
I always recommend staying in hostels (preferably all female dorms) over AirBNB and hotels because of several reasons. First, you'll be surrounded by people all the time so you'll feel very safe. Second, the people who work at hostels are normally adventurous souls themselves, so they always give you great advice on cool things to do. And lastly, you'll meet some awesome people to go do things with! And when you're backpacking on a budget, you can't go wrong with hostel prices.
3. Do your research
You don't need to have a full-on plan of daily activities, but just make sure to look up things about the city like: how to get from the airport to your hostel in the cheapest way, local must-try foods, any safety precautions to be aware of, etc. It's always nice to do a little bit of research and feel familiar with a place, especially when you haven't traveled alone before. It will comfort you and make you feel safer.
4. Practice normal precautions
You know the normal safety precautions we females have to be aware of: don't walk alone in dark places, don't share cabs with random men you just meet, don't drink too much, etc. I mean these are things you do in your hometown, so of course do them when you're traveling. My personal rule of thumb is unless the path from my hostel to downtown/restaurants is well-lit, I eat dinner before it gets dark and just stay in the hostel for the night. You don't need to be paranoid, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. If you have a weird gut feeling, trust it.
5. Always have an active phone service
This one is super important. Right when you arrive in a new country, the first thing you should do when you get into town from the airport is get a SIM card activated. If you're backpacking poorer areas like SE Asia and South America, they will be extremely cheap and worth it. If you're going to more expensive places like Europe, you can order prepaid SIMs on Amazon for cheaper. Or if you have T-Mobile, you can use your phone free internationally. It's important to have an active phone service because you'll feel safe knowing you have a way of communicating with others and you can track your location on maps when going from place to place in someone's car or public transportation.
What to pack
Less is always more. When you're living out of a backpack, you realize how much you really don't need in life. A 40L backpack is the perfect size, because it's still big enough to fit everything you need, but you can bring it on as a carry-on (so no extra fees when flying, yay!).
I backpacked Asia for 4 months straight and only brought the following:
- 5-6 thin shirts
- 5-6 thin pants and shorts
- 1 lightweight rain jacket
- 4 pairs of socks
- hiking sandals (sooo comfortable, can wear with or without socks!)
- microfiber towel
- toiletries
- book
And the rest of the things from my list of 10 must-have items while traveling.
Remember you can always do laundry everywhere you go! Make your life easier by just bringing staple items, because you have to carry it all on your back. I know you want beautiful outfits for your pictures for the gram, but just bring staple items and mix & match! Best of both worlds.
Top countries in Asia for solo female travel
This list is in no particular order, but these are the places where I felt the most safe as a solo female traveler. Even with the language barrier in most countries, I never felt scared or unsafe.
In all my time traveling there was never a place where I felt extremely sketched out or scared for my safety in Asia and the Oceania. So you can't go wrong anywhere you decide to go. But these places listed above were just very welcoming and made me feel like I was home.
How to take Insta-Worthy Pics
It can seem extremely difficult to take a nice picture of yourself while traveling in beautiful places around the world. The typical selfie just isn't gonna cut it, and don't even think about asking a stranger because you know it won't be what you want. The key to beautiful pictures is a tripod. I actually have a monopod (basically a selfie stick) that stands up on its own and has a remote clicker. This means I can set up the ideal background and then just walk over and click away once I'm in the frame. I got mine in Bali for very cheap, but if you want to get in the states before you head out abroad you can check out this one.
Overall
The first time is the scariest. I still remember my first solo trip from Los Angeles to Costa Rica. I was sitting in LAX airport thinking I am crazy. What am I doing? This is so unsafe! So many thoughts running through my head. Thank god my flight wasn't refundable or else I might've chickened out. But once I actually got to Costa Rica I realized how awesome it was to travel alone. I got to do whatever I wanted, eat whatever I wanted, spend as much or as little money as I wanted- it was great. I met amazing travelers along the way, and I'll always remember that trip. After that first trip, I never thought twice about traveling solo! And now I do it all the time.
Take the leap of faith, I promise it's worth it.
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