I travelled plenty and sometimes by myself. People think they're going off the beaten track but in actual fact are doing the same thing as many, many other people. It's strange to begin with (but nice) to meet people in one country and then see them a month later in a new one. There's a backpackery kind of community that I enjoyed. Small things like free book exchanges at certain kinds of hotels / hostels are small but nice.
Make use of Trip Advisor. You'll find what you're after. Ask questions of the 'experts' on there.
Get a Lonely Planet: expect it to be fairly useless for where to eat and stay but they're great for planning an itinerary when you're in a city or place for a short time.
Look for places to stay that are 'travelery'. It's a great way to meet people if that's what you're after. Either for short-term company for an evening or to get ideas of where to go and what to do.
Really though, the world is both mind-blowingly enormous yet, at the same time, much of it is so accessible and people are people wherever you go.
Cities can be easiest to begin with and, if you haven't seen much of the world, just as exciting than more hard-to-reach places. HK, BK, Jakarta. Depending on how long you're in a place, I liked to arrive in a city and then sort out travel from there. I'd have a vague plan but it's good to be flexible.
tl;dr
pick a country / region
research on Trip Advisor to make sure you're going to the kind of place you're interested in and it's the right 'scene'. (as a PP metntioned) Book the first couple of nights' accom.
buy plane tickets
pack
enjoy
"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"
Yes, because men, especially the foreign ones, will rape you as soon as look at you!