Travelling abroad brings with it a set of inherent risks that travellers must always familiarise themselves with before they start their journey. And travelling alone can exacerbate those risks even further if they are not taken seriously enough. While solo travelling is an attractive prospect for many people around the world, it is vital that you take the correct precautions to allow you to enjoy new experiences safely. The tips below will go a long way to helping you to do just that.
Plan your trip
Travellers are frequently advised to let their plans for a holiday evolve naturally and to not plan too much in advance. While you might want to slightly alter your itinerary based on the people you meet or the places that catch your attention, it is always a good idea to plan ahead while travelling alone. Organizing your accommodation and transportation for the initial part of your travel will make you feel more at ease before you leave. You can unwind knowing that you will at the very least be able to move from point A to point B and have a roof over your head. When your trip actually begins, you’ll have plenty of time to concentrate on the important things, like meeting new people, soaking up the culture, and making everyone back home jealous.
Meet other travellers
Because you have complete independence when you travel alone, you may create an itinerary that meets your interests and includes the places you’ve always wanted to visit. The drawback of this is that a lot of single travellers encounter loneliness at some point. It doesn’t have to be like this. When you make an effort to connect with like-minded travellers, you won’t have time to worry about what’s going on back home since you’ll be too busy having fun.
Meeting other solo travellers is easy when you stay in hostels. Use applications like Backpackr, Bumble Friends, and Eatwith to meet people in the many locations you travel to. Alternatively, if you’re a female traveller travelling alone, consider joining Girls LOVE Travel® to connect with other female travellers going to the same place.
Stay connected
Throughout your journey, stay in touch with loved ones. G ive your loved ones back home a true insight into your daily life while travelling, document your vacation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Be careful, though, about the information you share and the sites you use. The internet is widely viewed. To maintain the greatest level of internet safety, some solo travellers opt not to post information about a destination while they are there but rather after they have moved on to their next location.
Discover new hobbies
Do you still remember that book you kept putting off because of a task at work or that failed photography project because of time restraints? Here’s your chance!
You have the chance to give up old hobbies and discover new ones when you travel alone. You’ll have plenty of time to concentrate on yourself and the things that make you happy away from the 9 to 5 schedule. By enrolling in group activities, you essentially kill two birds with one stone: you get to know other travellers while concentrating on your favourite pastime. Join an Italian cooking class and make a new friend, test your limits on a walk through Peru, or unleash your creativity at an Indian artists’ retreat. There are countless possibilities available!
Focus on the practicalities
By taking all essential measures before you go, you can reduce the likelihood that something will go wrong. Make sure you have all the necessary immunizations for your intended travels. Nasty diseases like hepatitis A, typhoid and, of course, rabies are more frequent than you might realize, and if you don’t receive your vaccines, your chances of contracting them are significantly higher. You really don’t want to wake up alone in a hospital bed in a foreign country.
Get a good travel insurance policy while you’re at it that covers the entire duration of your trip, the nation’s you’ll be visiting, and any particular activities you could wind up participating in. For solo travellers without a ready support network, this is a necessity. TMB provides a comprehensive 24/7 support facilities free of charge for our patients and sometimes that can be a life saver.
These useful tips will help to lessen the anxiety associated with your planned solo journey, whether you’re heading for the balmy islands of Thailand or interrailing your way across Europe. Even though it seems corny, traveling alone will do wonders for your self-confidence, and with a little forward planning, you’re sure to have a blast!