Solo Travel Basics: Answers to the Questions Everyone Asks

I frequently do interviews with journalists looking for information about solo travel. They're usually looking for solo travel basics. They all have similar questions and are looking for simple, clear answers.

They want to know about solo travel safety, tips for eating alone, how to plan, and what to pack. They also are curious about how I started to travel alone and why I started Solo Traveler.

I've answered all these questions in detail throughout our site, but perhaps a concise post on the basics of solo travel is a good idea. So here are my answers to the standard questions I receive on an almost weekly basis.

There is also great information from a discussion about this on our Facebook page. See below.

Solo Travel Basics: The FAQs

1. When did you first start traveling solo? How has it changed your life? I traveled solo a few times in my twenties but it was in my late forties, after my husband passed away, that I began traveling solo almost exclusively. And now, despite having a new husband, I continue to travel solo because it continues to be rewarding on so many levels. It has made me stronger and more confident. And, because every aspect of any trip is planned and lived by me alone, my travel memories are clearer and richer than when I have traveled with others. Truly, I could get lazy when traveling with others and, therefore, not be as present. There's no chance of that when traveling solo.
2. What are some benefits of solo traveling vs traveling with others? I really enjoy meeting people, both locals and other travelers, and I meet more people solo than I ever have with a travel companion. But there's more. I have the option of spending my travel budget as I like. I'm one who prefers to travel cheap so that I can travel more. Not everyone agrees with me. I can also change directions on a dime – stay longer, move on sooner – because it's all up to me and I love that flexibility. Read Why Travel Solo? 15 Reasons Going Alone Makes Travel Better.
3. Solo travel can be daunting. How can first-timers get confident quickly? Solo travel is a confidence booster but you have to actually travel alone for it to happen. So how do you develop confidence before you go? I have a few suggestions.
   • Find your cheerleader. When you tell people about your trip, who is excited about it? Spend as much time as you can with them as they will be encouraging.
   • Stop watching crime shows. They are not representative of the dangers in the world and can cause undue anxiety. Leave them alone.
   • Plan how you will stay in touch with home. The fact that you are connected will build your confidence from the start.
   • Find a local contact. Chances are, someone you know knows someone where you're going. Get six degrees of separation working for you.
   • Find out if there is a Greeter program in your destination. Local greeters connect you with a local.
   • Choose a destination based on your experience with travel generally. If you have limited experience, start small and relatively local. Go where the language and customs are familiar and get used to navigating a new place. If you have travel experience, perhaps try a destination where English can be easily found and then branch out from there. Most places are solo-friendly.
   • Finally, be patient with yourself. Take your time. Pamper yourself. You'll find your way. Read Travel Solo for the First Time: Complete Guide for Newbies and Feeling Overwhelmed? How to Conquer First-Day Solo Travel Anxiety.
4. Are group tours a good idea when traveling solo? Group tours have many benefits for solo travelers. If you're concerned about being alone, about your safety, or simply don't have the time to plan your travels, tours are great options. Choose your tour and the company will take care of the rest. Solo travel basics sorted! A tour is also a good idea if you want to go to a destination that you consider challenging. You can start with the tour and stay longer once you've been introduced to the culture and how it works. Group tours are also good for breaking up long trips. If you're on your own for a month or more, you may want to include a tour so that you have company for a while and you can relax while someone else manages the details. More and more companies are recognizing and serving solo travelers. Read Why Group Tours Are Great For Solo Travelers: When It’s the Right Choice and How to Choose a Tour for Solo Travelers: Top Tips for Savings and Fun.

7. How can people be confident traveling at night alone? Before you make a final decision on where to go at night, check with a local to confirm that it is safe. If you're going to the theater, you're okay. But if you're going to an underground jazz bar, you'll want to get this confirmation. Solo travel basics include planning for how you'll get there and get home. Getting home after dark is likely the more important. If you're going to a bar, stay sober, make friends with your server and let them know that you're alone (they'll have your back), and don’t forget to keep money in more than one place on your person. Read What to Do at Night When Traveling Alone – 13 Great Options and Night Safety for Solo Travelers: How to Have Fun and Be Safe.
8. How can you look confident without actually feeling it? First, know that you are amazing. You're strong and independent. Smile. Walk with your head up and shoulders back. Look alert. Stand strong. All this will translate into you feeling confident as well. Read Solo Travel Safety: How to be Strong, Capable and Safe.
9. What are your favorite destinations?
   1. I love mountains so Patagonia, Austria, western Canada, even the Lake District of the UK have been wonderful destinations.
   2. My favorite city. This is the difficult question that people like to ask. I would have to say New York because I return there again and again and still find it interesting. But I find that most cities are interesting. I often say that I’ve never met a destination I didn’t like. For New York, read: Solo on a Budget in New York City: 50+ Tips to Make NYC Affordable.

10. Anything you would advise women traveling alone? First, read our posts on Solo Female Travel. My number one tip is to stay in public. It's one of the most important solo travel basics. Don't go out of the public sphere with someone you've known only a short time. This is very important. In a different culture, while traveling and feeling quite liberated, one can make errors in judgment. If an error is made in a public space you will have the protection of other people around you. In private, you won't. I think it's important to keep priorities in perspective. They are:
    1. Your body
    2. Your documents
    3. Your money
    4. Your stuff
11. Your key lessons learned from traveling the world? Most people are good, generous, and caring. It’s a big, wonderful world.

Questions and Answers from the Solo Traveler Community

We asked members of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook about the questions they get asked about solo travel. Their answers are below but I love this response to all the standard questions.

Read all the comments here.

Solo Travel Basics: The Question of Safety

• Jan – Touch wood, I’ve never had a scary moment in all my traveling alone. But I am very careful with organizing my travel: daytime arrivals; careful checking of hotel locations; always, always being early to airports and stations; leaving jewellery at home; keeping my own phone sim so family at home can stalk me on Find my Friend; having several ways to get money; checking popular scams in various places. For example, when someone asked me if I’d dropped a ring or to sign a petition in Paris, it was a fierce “No”.
• Cynthia – They ask: “Aren’t you scared?” I answer, “Yes, I am sometimes and I go anyway.”
• Evelyn – Interestingly, almost the only people who ask me if I’m scared are Americans at home. I think people in most other countries I’ve been to don’t experience fear of an attack on their person so it doesn’t occur to them to ask if I’m afraid. (To be fair, I haven’t travelled in the Americas except the US and Canada, and I occasionally have been afraid in some places in the US).
• Isabelle – “Aren't you scared?” I always answer, “Scared of what?”
• Therese – I point out that the US is more dangerous than most other countries.
• Karen – Mostly, people ask if I’m afraid, as an African-American woman traveling alone. I’m from Oakland, California.

Real Solo Travelers Answer the Question of Loneliness

• Theresa – “Aren't you lonely?” To which I respond, “Sometimes, but it's worth it.”
• Kim – Occasionally I hear “Oh I could never do that! Too lonely/depressing!” Usually in a somewhat smug/tragic way from a coupled person. I think it's a bit offensive but personally I think it's a bit sad that someone would never do something on their own (these are fully grown adults) Also, since at some point in their lives many now-coupled people will be single or alone due to death, separation, or illness, what would they do? Never travel again? Lonely and depressing is sitting at home wishing you were seeing the world!
• Magnus – People don't understand that meeting new people is easier when you travel alone.
• Ella – I find it tedious being told I’m “brave” simply to travel or go to a restaurant or hotel alone. Also when asked if I get lonely, nothing could be further from the truth. I encounter and get to chat with far more people than a lot of couples I see sitting in silence but unable to get up and wander off and speak with someone else. I just love having my own itinerary and the freedom to move on if somewhere isn’t as expected.

The Question of a Partner or, Most Often, Husband

• Tracey – “Your husband doesn’t go with you?” No, we’re not joined at the hip.
• Julie – Years ago I did an adventure trip through Turkey. In our group was a Finnish milkmaid whose small town had a ritual where they make fun of those who reach an early-20s birthday without marrying. Her birthday was coming up so she took the trip to get away from this so-called tradition. Needless to say our group made her birthday more positive than it would have been at home. (What a horrible tradition, in my opinion.)
• Julie – I got hit with the question of a husband in the United States. I always explain that it is going to take a lot more grace for some poor schmuck to have to live with me than it takes for me to live without a man (because they always assume everyone wants a cross gender partner).
• Ella – I’m often asked if I think I might meet a new man. Many people just don’t realise when your husband dies it is not like losing a slipper where you need to find a new one to make up a pair again.

Solo Travel Basics: Eating Alone

• Rohanna – I don't understand. I live alone. Of course I'm eating by myself. All the time. I get around it by saying someone is joining me but I'll order while I wait. Lol! I've never been challenged. Some places are starting to embrace solo travelers and have created communal tables. I always enjoy meeting people when eating out. It’s such a great way to expand your view of the world. Hopefully more places will embrace this to reduce the “stigma” of eating alone.
• Danette – As for dining alone, I usually opt to eat at the bar if given a choice, where most are singles!
• Audrey – I think it's being “out” eating – it's a societal thing. Crazy, really. Why can't solo travelers be given the best table in the place, not the dingiest, which sometimes happens!

Some of the more humorous questions and answers

• Lala – I received a question from the TSA: “Are you sure you are traveling alone?” My Answer: “I'm sure I would know if I have someone with me.”
• Anne-Marie – I’ve gotten, “Is that motorcycle yours?” No…I just stole it and rode it 8000 miles around the continent in the last month. “Isn’t it too heavy?” No. I ride it, I don’t have to carry it. In India last summer: ”How old are you? Old women don’t ride motorcycles here!” I’m 63.

Gaby sums it up here:

“I think the more you travel on your own, the more you want to be the only one creating the itinerary, and to pursue what is interesting to you, be able to linger as long as you want, and be able to move on when you want. I’ve traveled with so many friends over 40 years, that it is just pure freedom to travel solo.