Essential Tips for Traveling Alone

When you volunteer on a United Planet Quest, chances are you’re going to be doing some solo travel. In this post, Raquel Wilbun reflects on the experiences she’s had traveling alone, and leaves you with some great tips for staying safe and enjoying your solo journey!

Traveling alone is sometimes hard to describe. It’s like you’ve dropped off the face of the earth and landed in a whole new one. You see the beauty of the world through only your eyes and take away only what you feel. Sometimes you’ll meet individuals similar to you and other times you won’t. If you are traveling abroad alone, you most likely will run into people who are drastically different.

But for some strange reason, you’ll seem to handle these moments and interact with these people in a way that you never would have if you had traveled in a group. When you’re alone, you have only your thoughts to influence your decisions, making any experience you have uniquely your own. A large part of your journey is discovering who you are as a traveler. It’s up to you to decide how to spend your time, your money, and your experiences while traveling alone.

During my semester studying abroad in Australia, I traveled to the Gold Coast, Coles Bay, and Hobart all by myself, where I backpacked, did a bike tour, and got to experience the best nightlife of the country. Most of my time was spent doing what I wanted, eating what I wanted, and accomplishing personal goals. I had the time to meditate, pray and reflect according to my time schedule and activity plan.

For me, traveling alone was calming. I personally have always had temporary locations of living, so airports, bus stations, and train platforms are welcomed distractions. I like the sounds of moving people and the feeling of moving vehicles. Not to mention I’ve always been an individual. I like listening to my iPod as unknown landscapes and cities flow by my seat window. But most importantly, I like what I like. In group settings there is a constant competition of what activities to choose, where to go, and where to stay. I like doing what me, myself, and I want to do without the added pressure of a group opinion.

I completely accredit my success traveling alone to my sense of safety. I knew that with every new place came new unknowns. For every trip, tour, or hike I took, I made sure it was safe, affordable, and worth whatever risk I was creating. You don’t have to live on the edge to have a good time. In fact, you should still take the same precautions you would take in any unfamiliar place or big city. The main key is to always pay attention to your surroundings and be smart about where you go, what you do, and who you do things with.

Although books, movies, and television have opened our eyes to traveling all over the world, they are often a glamorized version of the real thing. However, you can still have a fantastic experience as long as you listen to your common sense and take a few precautions. Here are some tips for any one wanting to travel abroad alone.

• Always look up how the country you travel to treats foreigners and people of a different skin color or religion.
• (If you’re female) ALWAYS research how they treat women.
• Respect the culture around you without bringing too much attention to yourself. This means you don’t always have to wear the traditional dress or ask to see traditions and customs you’ve read or heard about. Don’t assume that everyone in a particular country will know about or take part in a particular custom.
• Always have a reliable mode of communication. Even if it’s just a disposable phone.
• Know your surroundings well and watch how you get to and from places, so you always know how to get home.
• Try your best to avoid traveling places at night. Daylight brings more people and more clarity.
• Be careful who you ask for help. Try your best to only trust people you know and have previously had interactions with.

My most crucial piece of advice to individuals traveling alone is it’s better to be safe than sorry. Yes, your trip is your own personal adventure, but do not to venture into a foreign country without caution. When in doubt, follow your gut. If an alleyway looks creepy and too dark, avoid it. If somebody touches you or talks to you the wrong way, make a quick exit. If you feel like you ate something bad or you’ve gotten sick, head for a hospital, a hotel, or your country embassy. You would much rather an awkward or costly situation than a life-threatening one.

Trust me when I say that traveling alone can be the best experience of your life. Whether it’s bungee jumping in New Zealand or backpacking through Europe, there are no limits to what you can do. Stay safe, be careful, and remember the world is your oyster.