Solo travel can be one of the most invigorating experiences, and be one of the best investments you can make in yourself. I’ve spent quite a substantial amount of time on my own on the road, and it certainly presents its own challenges but the rewards far surpass these.
My first piece of advice when traveling alone is to have a pretty rigorous plan. This will help keep you safe because you can let people know where you are at all times, but it also means that you always have somewhere to look forward. A risk when traveling alone is that you’re less motivated to get out and see things, having a plan will mean that there’s always something to do, and you won’t feel you lack someone else pulling you around or suggesting locations to see.
Having said that, a great benefit of traveling alone for me has been the time for self-reflection and really appreciating and taking in where I am at any given moment. Not having someone to be distracted by means I notice more of what I’m seeing, and appreciate things in a different way. I find that I immerse myself in a local culture or environment much better when I don’t have anyone else to be concerned about or social with.
You meet people much easier in places like hostels when you’re traveling alone as well. People are more likely to include you in their social circles when it looks as though you’re there on your own – one of the great benefits of hostel culture.
A lot of the safety concerns on traveling alone, particularly if you’re female, go without saying, so I won’t get into them here. Just be cautious and don’t step too far out of your comfort zone when you’re alone.
Otherwise, I’d say make sure you journal and take lots of selfies of you in all the great places you travel to!