Why I Travel Alone + My Tips for the Perfect Solo Trip

During the first weekend of my study abroad in London, I travelled with a group of 5 other girls to Edinburgh, Scotland. Unfortunately, things seemed to constantly go wrong. This was partly due to our failure to adequately prepare. For example, the first morning, we tried to use our tickets for an Edinburgh Castle tour at the castle itself. If we had read our emails, we would’ve known that we were meant to meet the tour guide outside of a Café Nero. We eventually tracked down the tour guide, 10 minutes late, angry at each other, and exposed as clueless Americans to our tour group. 

Travelling in groups facilitates this collective unpreparedness because each individual traveller assumes that someone else must have done some planning ahead and therefore underprepares. In contrast, when travelling alone, you have full responsibility over the experience. Because you know there is no one else to rely on when solo, you are more likely to adequately prepare for your trip.

Unfortunately, the people I travelled with also had different priorities for the trip than I did. I found myself feeling like I had wasted money on the trip, since we were not doing what I wanted with our time. While I wanted to take in the history and culture of the city, my friends were more interested in binge drinking and taking Instagram photos that would make them look well-travelled. 

The apex of my frustration occurred when I was jolted awake by the sound of the Airbnb’s buzzer at 3:30A.M. Two of my friends had gone clubbing all night, and couldn’t seem to figure out how to open a door without my help. Had I travelled on my own, I would have had a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep and seen all of the sights that I desired. 

After this experience, I have vowed to not travel in large groups anymore. While large groups can be beneficial for some, I found that I preferred having more control over my experiences. After this trip, I have travelled on my own to Brighton, several cities in Kent, and Cork, Ireland. I also have future trips planned to the Cotswolds, Lincoln, and Manchester. Here are some tips on how to travel on your own, primarily based on my experience travelling through Kent. 

My Tips for Travelling Alone

1. Start Small

I would suggest against your first solo travelling experience being a flight to a foreign country where you know little about the language or culture. To prepare, you need some experience with being alone for extended periods of time, relying on yourself, and shorter day trips. Personally, I had gone on long bike rides by myself and had travelled several hours to hike state parks on my own. These experiences gave me the confidence and experience that I needed to do a more substantial trip on my own.  

Without this background, you will likely run into some issues. A lot of people that I know would never eat alone in a restaurant or take a tour where most of the other people are couples. However, these experiences are vital to travelling alone. By gaining some experience, you provide yourself with the confidence to do these uncomfortable things and get the full experience out of your trip. 

2. Provide Yourself with Some Structure, But Also Allow for Spontaneity 

When I took my Kent trip, I booked a ticket from London to Canterbury and from Folkestone to London, but did not advance book the in-between tickets from Canterbury to Dover and Dover to Folkestone. This decision allowed me to have a loose structure to my day but also spend as much time as I desired in each area. However, do make sure to study bus and train schedules to ensure that transportation between your desired areas at your desired times will be possible. You don’t want to get stranded in a remote area. 

I also researched the area, making lists of places I felt I needed to go and places that I thought could be interesting if I had extra time. I made a google maps folder of these places, and had a rough mental outline of my itinerary for the day. However, I wasn’t strict; I allowed myself to get distracted, find things I hadn’t researched, abandon my loose plan. I find that mixing a plan with spontaneity allows for the greatest level of satisfaction during trips.

3. Stay Safe

While I was on this trip, my phone died. In retrospect, I was putting myself in danger by allowing this to happen. As a solo traveller, some essential items are backpack locks, a portable phone charger, a physical map, and cash. You also need to stay alert and aware of your surroundings and protect valuable items. If you are staying somewhere overnight, make sure that the place is well vetted. Don’t stay at a cheap hostel with bad reviews or in a remote area just because you’ll be saving money. Also, make sure to let people know that you’re travelling and where you are staying. Finally, I would suggest not staying out late or drinking a lot. By doing this, you are making yourself vulnerable and jeopardising your safety. 

4.  Do What You Want

The biggest perk of travelling alone is not being controlled by others. So, if there’s somewhere iconic in the place you’re travelling, but you don’t really care for it, don’t feel pressured to visit it. When I was in Canterbury, I opted to do a putting tour rather than visit the famous cathedral. Although the cathedral is renowned and top ranked in guides for visitors, I didn’t care to visit it, so I didn’t. Take advantage of being on your own and do what will make you the happiest and make your experience more rewarding.