A Quick Guide To Your First Solo Trip

You’re planning your first solo trip and probably feel a lot of excitement, nerves, mini-anxiety attacks, hemming and hawing, and “what the heck am I doing” feelings. 

If you’re ready to do it alone, there are some important things to consider before booking that first big solo trip. The most important thing you can do is to be realistic about your expectations and your plans. While solitude can be freeing, it can also be lonely; while independent travel gives you the opportunity to have new experiences, it also puts you at risk if you’re not prepared.

Why should you travel solo?

Traveling alone is a fantastic way not just to get perspective on find yourself but also on the world around you. In your alone time, you’ll learn about yourself—perhaps you’ll discover that you’re more at ease travelling abroad than viewing familiar landmarks close to home.

  • Perhaps you might also discover that you enjoy dancing salsa or playing chess with strangers,
  • Or, conversing with other travellers is as delightful as viewing the Eiffel Tower or Taj Mahal.

If you recall, Rani from the film Queen opted to travel alone to Paris and Amsterdam after her fiancé rejected her just before her wedding. She not only received a new perspective on life and met some beautiful people, but she also learned the importance of loving oneself and putting oneself first. 

Now that you’ve made up your mind to travel alone, You want to step out on your own and take in the world around you, travel to find yourself,  gaining new perspectives that will enrich your life. 

You want to meet new people and learn about their cultures and experiences, soak in the new sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of each destination, and go wherever the wind takes you. But where do you begin? What do you need to know? What do you need to prepare for? Where should you go for your first solo trip

What should be your first solo travel destination?

A successful first trip is crucial to a lifetime of travel. You want to feel comfortable on your own, and the only way you can do that is to travel alone at least once, preferably in a place where you speak the language.

Although many people have a “bucket list” of places they’d like to visit, sometimes their desire to travel is more of a “back burner item.” It’s never too late to start planning your first trip. It can be a great confidence-builder and can even affect your future behavior.

If you choose wisely in the destination department, you’ll find it easier to get around, feel safer, and meet more people. You might even find yourself making friends! Make sure you choose a place where plenty of people speak your language; it’ll be much easier for you to navigate through the destination if you don’t have to worry about language barriers.

5 tips to make your first solo trip remarkable

Here are 5 solo travel tips to get the most out of your journey:

1. Plan everything

When you’re planning your solo trip, it’s essential to have a plan for your first few days. There’s no prescribed order in which you need to do things, but here are some ideas of what you should plan- 

  • Book your accommodation
  • Arrange a few tours with local operators
  • Schedule airport pickup (if you’re arriving by air)
  • Do plenty of research on the city and region, including cultural norms, popular tourist destinations, typical itineraries, food choices, Mobile networks, local cuisines, etc.

2. Prepare a budget accordingly

When you’re planning a solo vacation, the cost of your trip is one of the biggest considerations. The most important decisions you’ll make are about transportation and accommodation.

Before deciding on solo trip budget, you need to get a clear idea about the cost of transportation and accommodation in your destination. Transportation is the easiest part of your trip budget. You will be moving around in the city or small town you are visiting, so you need to calculate the cost of hiring cabs, using public transportation, etc.

For a solo traveler, the biggest expense is accommodation—it can constitute anywhere between 50% and 80% of the total budget. The rule of thumb is to keep your accommodation costs as low as possible while maintaining safety and comfort.

3. Set clear goals

When you’re traveling for the first time on your own, you can easily feel a little overwhelmed. You’re trying to navigate a new city and figure out how to make the most of your time there. Keeping this in mind, why not start with a little intention setting?

You may want to look at your trip as a chance to learn more about yourself – maybe you want to learn how well you can handle yourself independently while also being on vacation.

Or maybe you’re looking to challenge yourself or gain confidence. Maybe you’re curious about what it’s like to be in a place where no one knows you and have to start over again. 

Therefore,  you’ll have an easier time taking advantage of your trip if you’ve planned out some goals for what you want out of it. This way, when you’re out and about exploring, every activity will bring you closer to achieving one of your intentions.

4. Visit renown places

When you’re planning a solo trip, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of options out there and the number of different places to visit. For your first solo trip, it’s best to choose a destination where tourism is well-developed, so you can take advantage of the local infrastructure that is set up to make things easier for travelers.

In places where tourism is flourishing, locals will be used to people coming in and many might even know English, which can be a great help if you don’t speak the local language. 

It will also be easy for you to find other people around your age who are traveling alone. A lot of tour operators offer organized trips specifically for solo travelers and these trips often include scheduled meetups with other like-minded people during the trip. 

5. Make all the bookings in advance and collect all your documents

You’ve got your trip planned and your budget in place, but now it’s time to book the actual travel. While there are many ways to get around a foreign country, you’ll likely find that the most affordable option is to travel by rail. 

To start with, you can buy a Rail Pass for the duration of your trip. It will give you unlimited travel on any train within its valid period. You can also consider buying a Pass for specific routes if you have plans to travel longer distances and if you are going to use railways more than once. The Railways website has an online booking facility where you can check seats availability from anywhere in the world.

The other option is to go for air tickets. If you plan your trip close to the departure date, it will be easier for you to find good air offers at low prices. However, booking early will ensure that you get the flight of your choice at an affordable price.

Now that everything is done, the last step is to collect and put all your documents together at one place so that it gets easier for you to assemble them when needed. 

Conclusion

You’ve been dreaming about traveling the world for a long time. Now you’re finally ready to take the leap and make that solo trip a reality. The best way to overcome those feelings is to take action. You can do so by planning everything in advance, booking the correct destination, and getting all the information you need about your destination. 

Start with the tips we’ve given you in our blog post and reach out to Cleartrip to plan out everything for you. You can also read more such relevant articles on our website to get started with your travel plans! P.S. We also provide exciting offers and discounts to our users, so, what are you waiting for?

FAQs

Q. What is the best time to travel solo?

Ans: When you’re traveling alone, you really need to be at peace with your decision. If you’re not, it’s probably not the best time for you to travel alone.

Q. What are the benefits of travelling alone?

Ans: Benefits of travelling alone are:
Travelling solo gives you a chance to discover things about yourself that you might not have known before.
You can pick up hobbies, try new activities and meet new people in foreign countries all by yourself.

Q. What are the challenges that come along with solo travelling?

Ans: It’s important that you’re aware of both sides before deciding if this is for you and how far to go with it. Traveling alone means taking responsibility for yourself: everything from booking flights and accommodation to wandering off into dangerous areas or getting sick in another country. 
Some people find this stressful or even challenging; others find it liberating and empowering (and sometimes both at once).

Q. How to choose the destination for your first solo trip?

Ans: You’ll want to choose a destination that makes sense for your interests and your budget. Most importantly, you should choose a place of origin that you’re somewhat acquainted with so that it gets easy to travel and you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Q. How to make your first solo trip fun?

Ans: You can make your first solo trip fun by planning everything in advance and just being carefree while you’re travelling. Prepare an itinerary beforehand and let everything go with the flow.

solo trips | Travel Tips | trips