Solo holiday tips please

[Graphista]

Going in a few weeks beach holiday on my own first time where I'm not going and staying with friends/family.

Main concern is safety/security so tips please?

Also tips on any difficult times eg evenings, I'll have tablet with me to watch streaming but I'd rather not be holed up in hotel every night.

Also for swimming - possibly some snorkelling etc too how to protect phone? I know there's waterproof cases but I would love recommendations for ones you know actually work! Last thing I need is to lose phone!

Thanks in advance you lovely clever people

Where are you going?

Malta

Don’t overthink it , go and enjoy yourself. Why would you be holed up in hotel? Go out to dinner, take a book if more comfortable. For snorkelling, leave your phone on boat/hotel/hire place. Other people will be doing the same.

I’d just leave my phone in my hotel room if i were going snorkelling, but if you want to research waterproof ways of keeping it on you, I’d probably ask regular sea swimmers.

What I do at night if I’m on holiday on my own depends entirely on what I’ve done during the day. My solo trips are usually art-focused, meaning I’ll have been on my feet looking at paintings or frescoes for ten or twelve hours, so I will have a drink and dinner on my way back to my accommodation and collapse in the bath. Or alternatively walking or hiking focused, so ditto.

If I go to the beach on my own I have a tupperware style box that I put passport, keys, phone and purse in, then I bury it in the sand under my towel.

I happily go out to dinner on my own, but I don't know Malta at all. Most places it's just a question of being sensible. I usually figure that if local women can go out and about then I can too.

Not been to Malta but have travelled the world solo and been fine.

I usually do art and culture hols so exhausted by dinner. Still, I do often eat dinner alone with a book. No one has bothered me. I don't talk to strangers or get overly chatty with anyone.

I leave most of my money in the hotel and my phone with the hire place if it looks ok.

I’ve been to Malta solo and with family, I think it’s very safe tbh, never had any concerns…

I think in the evenings it’s good to find a medium sized casual place to eat or drink, ideally sat outside on the patio seems a bit less awkward to me than being indoors - it can feel awkward but also quite liberating, funnily I’ve never worked out exactly what it is that makes some solo meals awkward and others fine! Lots of places did takeaway last time I went (although that was not long after the pandemic), so that can help mix it up a bit, to take food back to hotel.

On the beach there are little lockable cases that you can put round a beach chair or umbrella etc, if you want to swim or just bury it under towel. I always take as little as possible to beach, often leave phone in hotel etc if i want to swim. Around pool I will lock up or not go too far from my chair so I can keep an eye on my stuff.

RE snorkelling I take my GoPro (or would buy an underwater disposable camera), I wouldn’t risk a phone in a case to be submerged. I have a neck pouch for phone for boats etc but can’t remember the name of it. It does work though!

Hope you have a great time - the hop on hop off bus is quite a good day out to see lots of the little towns etc, and Gozo is also well worth a visit.

Sorry not on as regular as I used to be just seen this, thanks so much for all the kind advice and support. I'm debating taking old phone for beach/water sports days and getting a pouch for it this sound a good idea?

I am quite a chatty person and happy to make new friends but also sometimes like some alone time

I take a bright orange inflatable thing that straps around my waist when snorkeling alone. Im a strong swimmer but just concerned that something may happen.

It has a little compartment that folds and I put my phone in that - it just bobs along behind me.

Got it from Amazon.

Do you have a link please? Thanks

@Graphista

https://amzn.eu/d/bADcn0b