I traveled by myself for the first time this past year in Southeast Asia, where I spent about seven months. I was SO scared to go, but it ended up being a totally groundbreaking, perspective-shifting experience.
These tips are mostly bits of advice I learned from my Southeast Asia trip, although I think they should generally be useful wherever you’re going! :)
Get inspired! If I had to choose one thing that mentally prepared me most for my solo trip, I think I’d choose the popular book Wild by Cheryl Strayed, about the author’s solo trek on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you don’t have time for the book, the movie is great, too. I also enjoyed The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World by Torre DeRoche, about the author’s battle with anxiety throughout her travels in India and Italy. It’s not as impactful as Wild, but it’s funny and an easy read.
Look for friendly hostels. I’m very social and love meeting new people on the go. If this is you, seek out the friendly places! I type into Google: “Friendly hostels [insert city name here].” Hostelworld can be a great resource. Read the reviews to determine the vibe of the hostel before you go. Does the hostel offer tours or bar crawls? Are there common spaces where people hang out? Is the staff friendly and helpful? Chances are good you’ll get good social vibes if reviewers mention these things. If you go the hostel route chances are that:
You’ll rarely be alone. One of my greatest fears about solo travel was that I’d feel isolated and lonely. This was the opposite of what happened - because I was staying in friendly hostels and doing lots of activities, I was always with other people. In fact, I was so social that I sometimes felt I didn’t have enough time for myself!
Be kind to yourself. What makes you feel better when you’re stressed, overwhelmed, or homesick? I like to bring a journal with me to process hard feelings. I also love essential oils and tiger balm to soothe my mind and body. Do you see a therapist at home? If so, ask if you can do appointments online while you’re away. Or FaceTime a friend or family member! Life’s ups and downs still happen. You won’t be energetically, happily exploring 100% of the time. That’s just not realistic. That brings me to my next point...
You don’t have to ALWAYS be doing something. Taking an afternoon or even a whole day to rest is really important, especially when you’re traveling for an extended period. You will burn out super fast if you don’t listen to your body’s needs. If you’re feeling sluggish and your new friends invite you to explore, it can be GOOD to say no! Don’t feel guilty about putting yourself first. Better to care for yourself today than get sick from overdoing it tomorrow!
Book ahead of time in the high season. The period around holidays is usually the busiest and when accommodations are most booked up. Look up holidays online - each place has their own holidays! For example, Chinese New Year is a busy (and fun & festive!) time in Malaysia, which has a large Chinese population. At the same time...
No plan is often the best plan. For longer trips, book your first few nights and nothing more! When I was preparing for my solo Southeast Asia trip, this is the advice I got from everyone I talked to. I was initially super hesitant about not having a plan, but it ended up being a true BLESSING. It was so liberating to get to decide how long I wanted to spend in each place once I was already there. Plus, you’ll meet locals and seasoned travelers who know the best spots - ask them about their favorite places! I visited a small island in Sumatra, Indonesia (which I learned about through SCUBA divers I met in Malaysia) and ended up staying for 4 months to study SCUBA! This was an incredible, completely life-changing experience that couldn’t have happened had I planned everything out ahead of time! Another great thing about not having a plan is that you can hop onto other people’s plans (with their consent, of course - you don’t want to be that person). This means less planning for you and guaranteed socialization!
Try out a new activity. It can be a great way to challenge yourself and find community! I tried SCUBA diving for the first time in Southeast Asia and immediately formed friendships with super funky, cool divers who supported me to tackle my fears and earn my dive certifications. The dive community is kind of small - I actually ended up running into some of the same people in different dive shops in SEA! I know there are plenty of other activities you can find with communities like that, too. If you don’t have as much time, trying something for just a few hours can be fun and social also! I love taking cooking classes in new places - I took one in Bali where I met a woman I ended up traveling with for weeks afterward!
Travel Facebook groups rock! If you’re woman-identifying, check out Girls Love Travel (GLT) and Female Solo Travel | Women Group Travel. Both are closed groups, so you have to request to join. GLT is HUGE - as of Nov. 2018, they’ve got nearly 700,000 members, which can make it a great resource - I like to type prospective destinations in the search bar and see what pops up. Thanks to GLT members’ suggestions, I’ve found great hostels, visited awesome sights, and learned about things to avoid. But GLT’s enormity can mean that it’s easy to get a bit lost in the group. Some posts in there garner hundreds of comments. GLT also has TONS of sub-groups - I like Mixtries (for Women of Color and allies). Among others, GLT also has ones for moms, people who want to discuss love, book-lovers, queer folx, and travelers over 35! The Female Solo Travel group I use a bit less, although it is smaller and therefore feels a bit more of a community than the main GLT group. I’m sure there are other groups, as well - comment below if you have any favorites!
Get a SIM card. Nowadays, you can find them in p much any airport, though it’s often cheaper to get them once you’re in the city. Don’t purchase a plan from your home country - generally that will be super expensive. At the beginning of my trip to Southeast Asia, I was really nervous something would happen to me so I downloaded Find My Friends on my phone and made sure to update my family every time I moved to a new place. I stopped doing that after awhile (and, *gasp,* lived to tell the tale!!), but it did make me feel better to have someone know where I was, just in case.
Click “RESERVE” and fucking GO! I was supes nervous to travel alone in Asia - I was practically shitting myself in the weeks leading up to the trip. Even within the first few days, I met incredible people who taught me a lot about travel, and a week or two into it, I started to feel totally ok with moving around on my own. There’s nothing that will fully prepare you for what you’ll experience - you just have to go for it, and you’ll learn and grow (and have a kickass time!) as you go along. You are more resilient and more adaptable than you think. Please reach out to me if you need support. :) I’m rooting for you!