To ask how on earth you go about travelling solo?

[Teaandcakeat8]

I'm single and likely to be so for a long time. I really want to use this time to see more of the world (on a modest-ish bydget).

However I have absolutely no idea how to go about travelling solo!

Can I book onto a regular holiday? Is Air BnB safe? Am I missing some great single person tour operator? Feel like I'm making it more complicated than it is...

I'm 26 if it helps...

Please enlighten me

[LaPharisienne]

Just choose where you want to go and go. Easy!

My only tip from lots of solo travelling would be don't stay in mixed dorms in hostels and if you stay with random people, only stay with women or families.

Good luck! And enjoy

[blueturtle6]

I went travelling in mid 20s I stayed in youth hostels.
Do a self defence course. (didn't need it but made me feel safer)
Keep phone charged up.
Don't go wandering around at night.

You meet other like minded people in yha,and I had a fab time
If want to discuss I further detail happy to tell you my routes etc, PM me.

[sw15mum]

I went on quite a few group trips when youngish, freeish and single. Backpacking adventure type ones. Went with various companies including Dragoman and Intrepid- all very good. Enjoy! ( v jealous!).

[stubbornstains]

Maybe build in some volunteering work/ group tours along the way, so you get an opportunity to hang out with other people? Could be anything- from WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) to a group white water rafting trip to a yoga retreat.....

[isseywithcats]

start small when i was last single i went to edinburgh on my own for three days, went on ghost walks at night so talking to other people, spent my day time going to places like the castle and the museums stayed in travel lodge so breakfast was sorted, bought sandwiches etc to take back to my room at night so didnt have to sit in a restaurant on my own, i was very wary of wether i would be lonely or not, and i thoruoghly enjoyed myself and im in my fifties

[Bertieboo1]

Intrepid travel is really fab - I went on four trips with them when young, free and single. Sigh.

[Natsku]

Hostels are brilliant to stay in when travelling solo so you get a chance to chat to people. Never tried Air BnB so don't know about that.

[stubbornstains]

Also, if you want to eat in restaurants, it's a nice idea to have a big lunch, when it's more informal and restaurants are filled with all types, and then just grab something quick for tea.

[Mappa]

I travel solo often. The key thing for me is to plan. Make sure you get a flight that arrives in the day, and to an airport with easy travel connections to the city. Stay at a hostel on a busy street (and one with a bar for mingling). Download a map on your phone so you can use without wifi. I make sure I'm walking distance to most places I want to visit. Start small and build up - perhaps a European city first.

[Liiinoo]

I would pick a holiday with lots to do -either trips or tours or an activity. My first solo holiday was skiing and it was great. I met people in ski school so I normally saw someone to talk to in bars and restaurants.

DD1 Has just come back from inter-railing round Europe on her own. (She is 23). She had a great time exploring new cities, visiting sights and galleries, eating whatever she wanted at odd times of day, sitting in nice bars with a glass of wine and a book, never having to hang around for someone else or get dragged off to noisy clubs.

The first 10 days were tricky because she had pre booked hostels and even in the all girl dorms people were noisy/being sick/fighting. The mixed dorms were a torment to her and she didn't get much sleep. She realised she really valued her privacy so for the next three weeks she spent about an extra €20-30 a night and stayed in hotels with private bathrooms. It meant she had to cut her trip short by a few days but it was worth it to her. It also meant if she was tired she could have an early night with a picnic and so save on eating out. I think a high point of her trip was the hotel in Verona where a little bottle of prosecco from the mini-bar was cheaper than the bottled water.

She is not at all the adventurous type so a trip like that was quite out of character for her. I half thought she might quit it and come home early, but she thrived on it and is already planning her next trip away.

[something2say]

Get a copy of 'First Time Around the World.'
Also try the WWOOF scheme....travelling is expensive where working four hours per day with free board and food is great fun.

[Greaterthanthesumoftheparts]

I can hugely recommend exodus.co.uk for holidays on your own. I've had loads of holidays with them. Fantastically organised and a really good mix of participants. I first went on my own to Vietnam in 2004, was really nervous but it was the most amazing holiday I have ever had. Can't recommend them highly enough, you just have take the plunge!

[Enidblyton1]

Have a look at GVI.co.uk
I went travelling alone in my mid twenties and did a volunteering program with GVI for a month, and then travelled alone for 6 weeks. Volunteering at the start was great because I met some people who I then ended up travelling with for a week. I was travelling in Spanish speaking countries and was often in places where the locals spoke no English. Being with a volunteer program first also gave me the opportunity to learn some basic Spanish, which was really useful when I was by myself later.
A friend of mine did a brilliant truck tour (sorry can't remember the name) which took a group of people (mostly English, Australian, American) through all the countries of Central America - from Mexico to Panama. She said it was fantastic.
My sister travelled the east coast of Australia and that is such a well beaten path that you can't possibly go wrong - very easy to meet people in hostels.

There are so many options Hope you have a great time, wherever you end up!

[Teaandcakeat8]

I should add that I also work full time and don't really want to stall my career... so I'm thinking of starting with short trips to build my confidence.

[andadietcoke]

I'm going to Hong Kong on my own in the middle of November. I'm so excited for my little adventure! I'm staying in a hotel and specifically chose HK because my phone works there on my normal contract, and there's Citymapper and Uber and great public transport.

[MundayCakes85]

STA travel were great when I booked my solo round thevworld trip. I was able to book flights, tours (Intrepid in Thailand) and bus tickets around Australia. I liked having my itinerary planned, but was able to change things/ dates of flights as I went.
Hostels are great places to meet people. There'a always like minded people to travel with.
Have a great time!

[Namechangenurseryconcerns]

I love traveling alone. Always do my research first and stay in hostels. Just be open to chatting to people and you will find like minded people to spend time with if you want to.
I tend to get take away/street food rather than eating alone in a restaurant or just cook something at the hostel.

[Andcake]

Built confidence with off the beaten track tours with explore worldwide. Definitely worth a look as many people on them are solo but they are relaxed groups then I did more alone

[Rachel0Greep]

As a pp said, start small. See how you get on with a short trip away, taking on board the various pieces of advice above. Best of luck.

[FuzzyBadger]

I travel solo often and have only ever had one trip where I felt unsafe the whole time and it made me question ever travelling solo again, it was Madrid.

Some places have certain types of tourism in certain areas - unfortunately where I stayed, the tourists were mainly college kids from around the world who basically just wanted to hook up. Me being there alone gave many the impression I was there to meet men and it was almost constant (aggressive) attention.

I did as much research as possible beforehand but didn't realise it was the wrong type of research. I had read plenty of blogs but realised afterwards they were written by travellers of a similar age who were into the party scene. So my advice would be to focus blogs/forums/guides that suit you and be flexible, if it doesn't feel right when you get there just move to a different hotel/area.

[ilovesooty]

I've been travelling solo for years and have enjoyed some trips more than others. I have a few favourite hotels which have become homes from home now. Apart from the one which has a delightful restaurant where I always stay half board, I always eat in restaurants at night. It's half the fun.

[FuzzyBadger]

I've never managed to find a reasonably priced solo travel group/site, the prices are ridiculous compared to booking it off your own back.

[PikachuSayBoo]

I went to Thailand when a bit younger than you.

Booked a plane ticket to Bangkok , then another to koh samui. Booked a beach bungalow at a complex I found in Lonely Planet guide. Job done.

There were lots of other travellers/back packers at the bungalows and I was soon finding people to hang out with.

[CatatonicLadybug]

You can definitely see the world alone. You will have an amazing adventure.

Airbnb is great and I've loved it when travelling alone because you can stay with someone without it being a while crowd like a hostel. In some parts of the world you can alternate, and it's a great way to have a bit of balance if you find the hostel scene a little exhausting after a while. Just read the reviews on airbnb- I've always booked places with reviews and they've been accurate to my experience. The company offers a mediation service too so if something went haywire, they don't automatically side with the property owner.

Agreed Trailfinders can be very useful even if you book elsewhere in the end, as their staff are all travel mad. Worth talking to them about RTW flights if you want to do big scale. You choose a direction and keep flying round the world until you return home, with whatever stops you want. It sounds ridiculous and some places online will quite ridiculous prices for it but I did one itinerary like that with six months of stops that costs less than a plain round trip from London to Los Angeles, so the end price shocked me compared to booking all those flights separately.

Read up on packing light. The lighter you can go, the better. You will read things now and think they sound wholly unnecessary and after a few weeks you will decide it is completely worthwhile to have a toothbrush with no handle and only two days of clothing. Possibly! Worth reading the topic because lots of people write about it and you can cherry pick from their tips. Just promise you won't take a giant rolling suitcase to the middle of the jungle and you're good!