Solo travelling is an amazing experience and can be a fantastic way to meet new people and see the world. Travelling alone truly boosted my confidence, learning how to navigate new places, languages and cultures all while being completely independent. It also meant I got to see places that I wanted to go to without having to organise around others and I got to create my own itinerary. However, solo travelling can be a bit daunting – especially as a woman. If you’re considering solo travel, here are some tips to help put your mind ease and feel safe.
1. Female Dorms
Staying in hostels is a great, budget-friendly option for travelling. Hostels are cheap and often have facilities for cooking so you can save on dining out. Solo travellers also benefit from hostels because you can meet new people in the dorms and communal spaces, with some hostels providing walking tours and social events such as pub crawls. However, dorms with strangers can be a little scary when you’re alone. Mixed dorms are often predominantly male because solo female travellers tend to gravitate towards female dorms, making mixed dorms slightly intimidating if you’re a woman alone. I would recommend booking female-only dorms in hostels. This means you can meet new people and experience the benefits of hostels without having to be worried about mixed dorms.
2. Using Paper
This sounds very random, but writing things down on paper can actually be really helpful. Before I went solo travelling, I made sure to write down some potential emergency contacts details and the addresses of some hostels on paper and kept it in the back of my rucksack. I never used it, but it made me feel less worried about having my phone lost, stolen or damaged, knowing that I still had some useful information I could access.
3. Portable chargers
Could I have survived solo travelling without Google maps? Absolutely not. It’s important to ensure that your phone is always fully charged when you leave your accommodation for the day, and bring a portable charger with you as well if possible. It’s surprising how quickly your phone battery dies when you’re using it to navigate, take photos, and keep in contact with people.
4. PLanning in advance
Spontaneous travel can be great, and you don’t have to have everything readily booked when you set off for your trip, but making sure you have accommodation booked wherever you’re heading before you get there can help make sure you have somewhere safe to stay. It can also be helpful to plan travel around daylight times if you’re unsure about finding your accommodation or where you need to go in the dark alone. Wherever possible, I made sure I arrived in each city before it got dark so that I had time to safely find my accommodation.
5. Apps
There are so many apps that are designed to help you travel. Interrail and Deutschebahn are examples of apps that show train timetables all over Europe. Flixbus is another option for buses across Europe. There are also apps designated for enhancing your safety, such as tracking apps like Life360 that allow friends to see your location. It could bring you peace of mind to know that your family and friends know where you are.
Ultimately, this is all down to personal preference, but these are just some tips that can help you keep safe and feel confident while travelling alone. Solo travel is an amazing experience that can really boost your confidence, help you meet new people, and allow you to see the world at your own pace.