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Planning Your First Solo Trip Overseas

The first time you go on a solo trip it feels stressful and even frightening. When you travel with somebody, you feel safer as there is a person you can rely on in an emergency. When you are alone far away from home, you have nobody to turn to. It can be scary but doesn’t need to be – once you get used to the situation, travelling solo can become an incredibly liberating and empowering activity. After reading this article, you will be able to plan your trip on your own and take everything into account to give yourself a time of your life without any worries!

1. Make a list of things you need

And make sure you really need them. Remember, there will be no one to help you carry your bags or keep an eye on them if you decide to walk around without them holding you down. You should take only what you absolutely cannot do without. If something can be bought on the place and the prices aren’t prohibitive, leave it out. Remember – you don’t need nearly as much as you are used to think. Use experts’ packing advice to minimize your luggage.

2.Book everything ahead of time

These days you can easily find the prices of all the facilities you may need, compare the offers, calculate how much it will cost and book them ahead of time, without leaving your home. Use this opportunity. Decide how long you will stay in each location and what you will need there. For example, let’s say you are going to Australia: you will need to book Brisbane international airport parking and accommodation in your city of arrival, car rental, seats in restaurants you want to visit, trips to other parts of the country. It may be wise to book a day tour on the day of arrival to a new town – it is an excellent way to explore a new place because your guide will tell you everything there is to know.

3. Arrange a check-in routine with somebody at home

Your family and friends are likely to feel a little nervous about you travelling to a foreign country alone, especially if you haven’t done it before. Sharing your itinerary and arranging a regular check-in (like a daily phone call or an email at a specified time) with some of them will do wonders to ease their tension. In addition to that, it will help you feel more confident as well.

4. Prepare funds in several forms

Keeping all your money in one place means inviting disaster. While carrying too much cash is never a wise decision, other methods of payment also have their deficiencies. For example, your credit or debit card can get damaged, lost or swallowed by an ATM, leaving you stranded without any means of obtaining money. Thus, make sure you always have several sources of money: credit and debit cards, traveller’s checks, prepaid cards and so on. And keep a small amount of cash somewhere on your person for emergencies.

5. Buy travel insurance before you go

If you cannot afford travel insurance, you cannot afford to travel, especially solo. Even if you believe yourself to be the healthiest and luckiest person on Earth, you can never know what may happen to you – and it is especially true for the situations in which you are alone and there is nobody to rely on.

6. Plan your budget

It is a wise thing to do when you travel in general, but especially so if you travel alone and only have your funds to borrow from. Think about everything you are likely to need when abroad, in addition to what you have already reserved. Food, entertainment, souvenirs, transportation – find out how much these things cost at your destination and try to calculate how much you are going to need for each of them. Asking people who recently returned from that location about prices and their expenses is also a good idea.

While the prospect of travelling abroad solo may look daunting, if you manage to overcome your initial reservations it can become a fantastic source of new experiences, emotions and self-confidence. So use these tips and make your next vacation a blast!

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