Let’s talk about the best tips for women traveling solo. Solo travel is intriguing to many of us. But there are so many questions. How do I even plan a solo trip? Is it safe? Where do I go for a solo vacation? Will I be lonely? We have collected the 10 best tips for women traveling solo.
10 Best Tips For Women Traveling Solo
1. How Do I Tell My Loved Ones?
Mom and dad will always be worried about their little girl, no matter if said little girl is 18 or 40. At some point, you will have to sit them down and have a conversation about solo travel. Make sure you are well prepared. Research your destination. Have statistics at hand. Anticipate their questions, and prepare your answers. If your parents, or whichever loved one you have this conversation with, see that you are not potentially getting yourself into trouble by poor preparation, they’ll be much more likely to be excited for you! If you need more tips on how to talk to your parents about successful solo travel for women, click here.
2. Will I Be Lonely?
Maybe, but you don’t have to be! Sure, the introverts among us will savor that alone time. But even for them, solo travel can get lonely at times. Maybe it’s enough for you to reconnect with your family via phone and the internet. Plenty of hotels, hostels, cafes or restaurants offer free Wi-Fi that’s fast enough for a video call.
However, making friends on vacation can make for successful solo travel for women. If the prospect of somehow managing to meet complete strangers seems daunting to you, click here to read Sophia’s 5 tips against travel loneliness!
You can, of course, always join a tour! They come in all shapes and sizes: single travel tours 50+, tours in the age groups 18-27, active tours, relaxed tours, anything you can think of!
3. How Can I Be Safe?
As a woman traveling alone, safety is naturally always a concern, which is why it’s important to read all of these tips for women traveling solo. Successful solo travel for women can be incredibly empowering, so let’s address your concerns about safety. Before you book, do your research.
If this is your first solo trip, you may want to choose a destination where you speak and understand the language. If you need something or anything happens and you need help, you will be able to communicate.
Research
Do some general research about the city or area you are planning to travel to. Governments usually provide websites with great information about any country. You can find out if your government considers it ‘safe’ to travel to said location, which vaccinations you may need, and tells you about common scams you might encounter. Read more about how to travel safe as a woman here.
Know How To Defend Yourself
One last thing: make sure you know how to defend yourself if necessary. Click here and learn about the three best tips for self-defense for woman.
4. Self-Care
It’s easy to go on vacation and forget all about self-care in your excitement. But no matter where you are and what you do, self-care needs to be a top priority. This starts with small things like using sun blocker. If you forget and get a massive sunburn, it’s not just terribly unhealthy, but it’s painful and sure to ruin a few of those precious vacation days.
Bring Your Meds
One of the most important tips for women traveling solo is to remember are medications. If you are on any kind of prescription, make sure you take along an appropriate amount of it so you don’t run out and end up scrambling to get more. This could present a serious problem if you go abroad and needs to be avoided under all circumstances.
With this in mind, build a self-care toolkit before you leave. Need inspiration on how to do that? Click here!
5. Sleeping At The airport
Successful solo travel means being prepared for whatever your trip throws at you. You may find yourself having to sleep at the airport. While that’s not exactly a desirable situation, there are tips and tricks on how to make it a good experience. Sophia collected all the tidbits you need to know. Click here to learn all about sleeping at the airport.
6. Your First Flight
This may not just be your first time traveling alone, but also your first flight. That will greatly add to the excitement and nervousness. Airports are big, noisy and can be quite confusing if you aren’t used to them. Here are some tips and tricks for the airport portion of your successful solo travel adventure.
7. Solo Road Trip
Are you planning a solo road trip and looking for the best tips for women traveling solo on the road? There are many challenges when it comes to road trips. Besides long hours of driving, there may be other things that make solo road trips hard for you. Be inspired by Danielle, who suffers from neurodivergence and yet embarked on her first solo road trip! Kearstin went roadtripping through Ireland and had 10 days of fun.
Be sure to pack all the essentials and head on out! If you are new to road trips, start small. Go to a city a few hours away instead of driving across the country. Remember to eat healthy and practice self-care.
8. Journey By Train
Train rides are a great way to travel! You don’t have to concentrate on driving and instead get to take in the sights. You will to your destination quickly and not be interrupted by traffic. If you want to explore Europe, traveling by train is a great option. Sophia took an Interrail trip around the Mediterranean and highly recommends this.
9. Successful Solo Travel For Women
You may still be wondering: to travel solo, or not to travel solo? If you aren’t sure if you should take the plunge, click here and read Hannah’s reasoning on why you indeed should travel solo.
Solo travel is a chance for personal growth, and even healing. You get to make your own schedule, and you aren’t accountable to anyone. You will be able to explore beyond your boundaries and maybe even change your whole outlook on life. You can learn so much about yourself and how much you are capable off on a successful solo travel adventure.
10. Other Tips And Tricks
These are just some tricks and tips for women traveling solo. The great solo travelers from the Girls Who Travel community have so much excellent advice for you, we can hardly fit it in one article.
If you are still struggling with the decision, read Marta’s four reason on why you should take the plunge.
Malak has been traveling solo for some time, and she offers 7 essential solo travel tips that will help you with successful solo travel for women!
Nicola recognizes that solo travel for women can be intimidating, and collected 30 tips that will guarantee success!
Jenny grew up in Germany. All she ever wanted out of life was to leave and have adventures. Jenny always traveled as much as the budget would allow, and when she met her husband traveling became a full-time thing. You can follow Jenny on her blog and Facebook.
