Am I Ready to Travel Alone?

I’m hearing some women tell other women, it’s the BEST thing. And maybe some men hear it too? I don’t know. What I can tell you is traveling solo is not for everyone, all the time! It’s good to ask yourself, am I ready to travel alone?

I’ve traveled solo as well as with friends and family. Overall, I prefer traveling with one or two friends who have a similar traveling style. However, I love to travel so much that I’m also okay with going solo when the situation arises.

I’ve traveled solo on a few different trips and for different trip lengths and here are some considerations and tips before your embark on your first solo trip!

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Do I Enjoy Doing Things Alone Sometimes?

I say sometimes, because sharing moments with friends or family is so wonderful! However, it’s a great place to start to begin answering the question, am I ready to travel alone? If you can’t or don’t prefer to do anything solo, then solo travel is really not for you.

I would say I’m an ambivert. Doing things alone and with people both bring me joy and it’s something I prefer balancing. However, I know very strong extroverts and I can’t imagine they would ever enjoy solo travel. Could they do it? Sure! But would they enjoy it? Nah

The first time I went to the beach alone was such a lightbulb moment. I LOVE the beach! And realizing I could just go by myself seems so silly to me now. Of course I can just go! Yet I had never gone by myself! I’m a full grown adult now realizing I can go to the beach alone.

That day that happened long ago turned into years and years of going to the beach solo. I even paddle board in the ocean solo (I have my limits, my phone with me and someone always has my location). The solo beach days for me racked up the confidence that if I want to do something I can and will! And I don’t have to wait for friend schedules to align to enjoy time at my favorite place.

Am I Ready to Face My Thoughts and Fears?

This sounds deep, but go with me. When you are alone, your thoughts are the main source of company. Yes, you can drown them out the same you do in life. Be on your phone. Watch TV. Read a book. Judge others. However you like to avoid your inner world.

When you travel solo and are alone for longer periods of time, your inner world will catch up with you. This is a good thing! And it’s an uncomfortable and sometimes very hard thing.

It’s so easy in our busy lives to never slow down enough to hear our own thoughts. Or confront our own feelings. To ponder life’s questions or tragedies. Being alone long enough will bring things to the surface.

The only trip I truly felt alone was when I went to Tulum solo. Though it wasn’t the destination. It was me. I had been feeling lonely for a while and I was aware of it. On top of that, it was a birthday trip and birthdays can be more emotional for me. Another year single.

Since then, I have taken more solo trips and they were great! Was I still single? Yes. But I was also grateful. Grateful for life, family, friends, the ability to travel. Grateful to God for more things than you would want to read. That gratitude didn’t stop from feeling lonely at times, but I didn’t unravel either.

Whatever your emotional state is when you start your trip will only intensify during your solo travels!

Whatever your emotional state is when you start your trip will only intensify during your solo travels! Travels can be an amazing time of rest and rejuvenation, but when traveling solo it can also be a catalyst or an awakening. And that can be very uncomfortable.

Traveling solo isn’t always a happy and fun experience. It can definitely be worth it, but you need to know you there’s hills and valleys in life regardless of what you do.

Do I Want to REALLY Want to Go?

Traveling solo for me has more to do with wanting to travel and not always having a friend free to travel with me. The same way the beach happened. I couldn’t sort out schedules and I love the beach and always really want to go! So I went. And I loved it!

I’ve traveled to a conference in NYC solo before and loved it. Since I really wanted to go, I went. And I really want to travel and sometimes friends can’t make it, but I go!

If there is something you want to do bad enough, will you do it? Or will you wait? Does an activity, event, or location draw you to the point that you would do it alone? Or do care more about having people do it with you. There’s no right or wrong answer, just what is true for you!

I want to see the world! And if some of that has to be solo, then so be it. If your desire to travel isn’t intense enough, that’s okay! It’s a good thing to consider when sorting out, am I ready to travel alone? Or perhaps a more accurate question, do I want to travel alone?

Am I Ready to Travel Alone? Ways to Test it Out!

Now that you’ve contemplated some questions, test it out! When doing something new and alone, it’s normal to feel anxiety. And yes, travel anxiety can be a thing whether you travel solo or with a group! One easy way forward is to make small steps and challenge yourself in a safe way.

So here are a few ways you can test whether solo travel will work for you!

Start Local

It seems so easy to get into a routine of work, weekend, repeat. We have our schedules and rarely step out of them. And if we do, we don’t step out alone. Well, stepping out alone is exactly what I’m suggesting.

Take yourself for lunch or coffee. Go to a movie. Walk around a cute neighboring town through a tourist lens. Do something mildly uncomfortable, but do it alone. Staying close to home keeps things familiar enough so it doesn’t feel like a massive jump. Yet doing it alone will feel a little challenging.

Another benefit to starting local is you know the safe areas. You have friends or family close if you do need them and you feel more empowered should something not go as planned.

Short Trip

Now that local is checked off, try a weekend trip. Whether that’s a city, a beach vacation, or time in the mountains. Pick something you would enjoy, that fits into your budget, and most importantly you feel safe enough to do. You don’t want to ignore your gut, but feeling a little uncomfortable is normal. More on this later.

Even a short trip to somewhere you’ve been before with friends or family would work! You already know the area, but going there solo will give you a different experience.

Arrive Early to a Trip

If you are planning a trip with friends or family and want to see what it’s like to travel solo, arrive early! I recently arrived early to Mexico City while my siblings arrived later in the day. I ubered, walked around, and ate lunch by myself.

I’m good with traveling alone so it didn’t feel like a big deal to me, but it can be a super useful and easy test! Whether it’s a day or a few, you can get a feel for what traveling alone will be like.

International Trip

Assuming this is the ultimate goal, an international trip is next! The good news is you have a ton of options! The bad news is you have a ton of options (decision fatigue anyone?). If you already have a place in mind, start researching it. Watch videos, social media posts, etc. It can help build confidence if you know about your destination.

Consider any language barriers. I’ve traveled to places like Panama and Mexico and I don’t speak Spanish (though my four years in high school is really coming back to me with Duolingo). I managed both locations just fine, but if that makes you nervous pick somewhere they speak the same language.

Safety is a huge factor when traveling internationally and yes, I think many places in the world are safe for solo female travel. However, for your first trip, YOU need to feel safe. Not just someone else telling you. Check the US travel advisory website to see the country’s ranking. Any place rated a 1 is considered safe and you are simply advised to use your common sense like you would normally.

If you’ve successfully tested out traveling alone already, this won’t be that different. However, as with any muscle the more you exercise and challenge it the more it will grow.

Considerations to Make When Traveling Solo

Gut Instincts versus Fear

It can be difficult to decipher between fear and your gut instincts. Before you travel solo you want to start paying attention to the difference.

Traveling alone can feel scary. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone. However, our gut instincts (and fear when it’s for a real reason) help to keep us safe!

With so much fear being served to us constantly from our parents, friends, social media, and news, it can be hard to know if the fear I’m feeling is real or made up. That’s why I think it’s good to start local and take steps toward the bigger trips so you can strengthen this muscle.

Your gut instincts are useful and important! Yet when you are fearful, it’s easy to project those fears onto situations that are actually neutral. As you make steps toward more solo activities, keep this concept in your mind so you can learn to tell the difference.

Identifying situations where real fear exists is important! Where your gut instincts are speaking to you! It’s so important not to override those moments. We can all feel anxious or nervous at times, but that is different than a sense deep down that something isn’t right.

Safety Ratings | US Travel Advisory

I already touched on this a little, but as you’re starting out you want to feel confident. While I think a lack of safety is blown way out of proportion in a lot of countries, for your first trip or two, I’d recommend sticking to countries that are generally considered safe.

Additionally, touristy countries or areas tend to be looked after better especially if tourism is a big industry for that country. Generally if you stick to more a more common tourist path, you should be good.

The US Travel Advisory is a good place to start. If a country is rated “one: exercise normal precautions” then it’s a good destination to consider! If the country is rated a three or four, you might not want to make that your first solo trip!

Traveling Solo Safety Considerations

Generally, as women we are naturally aware we need to keep our wits about us. I’ve heard some stories where men are lured with dating apps and robbed. So overall, regardless of your gender, stay smart!

I’m not a partier which makes it easy for me to not be out late drinking. If you are traveling alone, I recommend you stay sober. Try not to be out super late. If you do go out, make sure you are taking all safety precautions.

Again, your gut instincts are important so don’t ignore them! Drinking too much can dull your senses, so be smart.

Traveling solo as a woman, I’ve found locals show concern for my safety and I always appreciate it. So if a local is offering advice, make note of it. Again, you don’t need to accept the advice, but it’s worth at least considering. As an example, while in Fiji, the taxi driver dropped me off in downtown Nadi and gave me advice on places to avoid. While I don’t think I was in any true danger, I listened and stayed on the main road.

Travel Insurance

I don’t always buy travel insurance, but I did for my two weeks in Fiji! Since I was going solo and it was clear across the world from where I live, I decided travel insurance would make sense!

You can use VisitorsCoverage Travel insurance or Insubuy to shop around for travel insurance. If you plan to do sporty adventures, ensure they are covered. For instance, I knew I was going to do a bull shark dive in Fiji, so I made sure that scuba diving was covered!

Overall, adding travel insurance can offer some extra peace of mind at a reasonable price! As a bonus, they often include trip protection of some kind as well!

Stay Connected

This may not always be easy, depending where you go, but do your best to keep at least one person updated on your whereabouts. Whether you share your location, send texts, whatsapp messages, post on social media or all of the above, it’s important at least one person know your whereabouts.

Staying connected is also courteous so your friends and family don’t worry. If you are not sure how much service you will have, give someone your basic itinerary and check in when you can.

You can also consider buying a SIM card in the country you are traveling. However, I typically just rely on Wi-Fi when I travel.

However you go about it, it’s a good preemptive safety measure for at least one person to know where you are!

Day Tours

I’m a fan of day tours for some destinations whether I travel solo or not. However, when solo it can ease some anxiety to see what you want to see without having to sort the details and feel safer going in a group. A group tour will also give you a chance to meet new people and possibly make a friend!

My two favorite sites for booking tours are linked below. If you don’t want to book a tour, it’s certainly not required, but you can also look at where tours stop to gather ideas!

Viator Shop

Get Your Guide

Travel Anxiety

I touched on trusting your gut, which if you’ve been around long enough you have situations where you trusted it and ignored it. While learning the difference can help alleviate some travel anxiety, you should consider other habits in your life that cause anxiety.

For me, if I’m on social media too much I feel more anxious. What you watch or listen to will impact your emotional state. If you are feeling anxious about your trip, I recommend turning off that true crime podcast and taking a break from social media. Consider what shows you are watching as well and get outside more! Once you’ve turned off the noise of life, then check in with yourself.

Even Seasoned Travellers Get Anxious in a Variety of Ways

I researched Fiji and decided to move forward with it. There were women who traveled to Fiji solo, so I felt confident I would be fine. I also read about people backpacking the Yasawa Islands, so I felt like Fiji could more affordable than I thought!

However, once I booked my plane ticket I started battling buyer’s remorse. My anxiety about the trip came out more with a feeling that I might regret this destination. I had never really experienced anxiety about a trip in this way before. In the end, it was one of my favorite trips!

I’ve also been nervous about trips I’ve planned with friends. There are so many fearful stories that come at us through various means that it’s normal to feel anxious. Everyone is different and will need to work through their anxious thoughts in their own ways.

I think learning the difference between a true internal siren and anxious thoughts is important. While I’m not in your head or someone who has had your experiences, I can’t tell the difference for you, but I can let you know it’s normal to be nervous. I’ve travelled a lot and I still get nervous sometimes.

Think of Times You’ve Felt Pressure and Overcame It

If you played sports, think back to a time of high pressure. For me, I can remember taking penalty kicks at the end of a soccer game and walking to the spot. I could focus on the pressure I felt, the parents, my coach and teammates expectations. I could focus on making a mistake and failing. Or I could tune all that out and focus on the task in front of me. I’ve practiced this and I’ve been here before!

Maybe you’re not an athlete, but you’ve had times when you felt pressure and anxiety but overcame it. If nothing comes to mind, think back to the times you tested out travelling solo! Did you feel a little nervous before your day trip? Was that weekend trip causing anxiety, but then you went and loved it?

Stay Present

I have a hard time staying present, but often our anxiety is related to future events. Things that are not a reality! They haven’t happened! We expend all this energy worrying about a possibility.

Yes, you should research your destination. You should be wise and diligent with your preparation, but once you’ve done all that don’t focus on a future that hasn’t happened. Come back to the present. If there’s a real issue, a clearer mind and heart will recognize it better than an anxious mind and heart. And if you’re someone who needs to talk things out, then do it. Or journal if that helps. Regardless, do your best to stay present.

Am I Ready to Travel Alone?

Well, I hope you feel more empowered to answer the question, am I ready to travel alone? You might not feel ready yet and that’s okay! Or you may be an extrovert and never want to travel alone and that’s okay too!

I’ve had some great trips solo, but I love having a friend or two with me! It adds to the experience if I get to share it with someone, but if it comes down to a solo trip or no trip, I’d choose the solo trip!

Regardless of what you have decided is right for you, I hope you have an amazing time on your next set of travels!