As you know, I embarked on my first international solo trip this year. But this wasn’t my first ever solo trip. Solo travel does not have to involve jumping on a plane abroad. And I took advantage of that. I travelled to quite a few places, solo, which were 3-5 hours away from me. Stayed over night and experienced the life in those local areas, to prepare me to travel abroad alone. It was scary either way, but each one was a step further than the other. So here is how I prepared myself to travel solo.
Number 1: Day trips
You have got to start off easy and small. Especially if you’re like me and you have limited funds, awareness and scare easily. None of those things have to stop you from travelling solo, you just need to work through each of them slowly, until you feel less scared (because we all do things scared, because we will never feel fully ready).
With day trips, start off familiar and then go further afield. My first day trip was to my nearest city. I had been there a couple of times, but not alone. And so, I hopped on a train and went shopping and treated myself to Nando’s. It was a 5-hour day out, I had fun, I enjoyed my food. And since it was familiar, I felt safe, and it wasn’t a huge task.
After that, I drove to a bigger city, Blackpool to be specific. I had a 3 attractions ticket, and went to the Tower, Sea Life and Madame Tussauds. I went to a restaurant that I knew, to keep the safety element. But I experienced something that is normally done with multiple people, by myself. This helped me feel less uncomfortable. I took my own selfies and people offered to take pictures of me (saving me the social interaction of course). This was a great experience, as Blackpool is a touristy place, so I got to experience being around a lot of people (preparing me for my trip to Naples).
Number 2: Overnight stays
These varied depending on my financial circumstances, because I was a beginner adult, still figuring out her finances. Sometimes, I went for two nights, others I went for one.
Now I can’t remember all the ones I did, but for my 24th birthday I booked an air bnb in Lincolnshire. An area I had never been to. The air bnb was perfect with its hot tub and sauna, and Lincoln had a lot to offer. To explore the city, I found a treasure map online, paid £5 to get access to it, and the treasure hunt took me round hotspots of the city. I got to learn a bit more of the history and get to know my way round. There was no real treasure at the end, just the completion of the trail and not getting lost. But it was perfect for me in a new place, trying to figure out how to get around it.
Treasure hunts like the one I did in Lincoln tend to be popular for cities, so if you are visiting a new place, I recommend just googling if there is one. It gives you something to do, it’s fun, it gets you outside and cheap. I don’t see any negatives really.
Number 3: Solo dates
I started these as a routine practise in 2024. Being alone shouldn’t limit you not going out for dinner. Yes, you can go with friends and on real dates, but when you’re solo travelling, will be going with someone? I thought so. So, go out for dinner. Dress up, make it a mini occasion and get used to sitting at the table in a public scene by yourself. You don’t need to make conversation with anyone (even better).
Thankfully, solo dates can be cheap or bougie depending on how you feel. I budget certain restaurants with a higher price tag, if their menu looks interesting. And if I have a cheaper place booked next month, I might go to two cheaper places in the same month (because why not?)
Number 4: Start planning for international
My last post is about this, and you can find that here. But just remember, you don’t need to have the money now, and you can still save for that big trip, whilst still doing solo dates and day trips. Maybe not on the overnight stays, but hey you can do whatever you want with your money and goals.
TL;DR
- I prepared for my first international solo trip, by doing small segments of a solo trip to build my confidence up.
- I went on day trips to get used to travelling around
- I went on overnight trips to get used to staying over in a new place
- I went on solo dates, to get used to doing activities and eating out, by myself in public
- You will never be ready, so do it scared. But these steps, mean there is less fear in the process.
