Before I left, a few people asked me, “What do you hope to gain from this trip?”. Honestly, just completing this trip seemed like a big accomplishment (I would have never imagined doing something like this a few years back). I didn’t expect some Eat Pray Love sort of self discovery … but of course I’d take some Love if it came along ;) and Eat, hah, that’s inevitable! Anyways, here are the lessons I learned:
1. Figure out all directions beforehand
For me, the biggest stress of travelling is getting from point A to B. So before I left, I figured out how to get to hostels, airports, and bus/train stations. Not only did I write down the directions, I also took screenshots of the maps. My whole trip ended up being stress free.
2. If you don’t like being alone, you don’t have to be alone
If you are on the extrovert side of the spectrum, like me, and truly dislike being alone, you will find the confidence you need to go and make friends. Yes, there were times where I felt awkward putting myself out there, but for the most part it was easy breezy beautiful meeting new people. In many places I’d wake up expecting to spend the day alone, but then I’d be invited to join someone else’s plans or someone would ask if they could tag along with my plans. So many people are in the same boat as you!
3. Sometimes you just need to be spontaneous and change your plans
In Barcelona, I was set to leave after 5 nights. On the last night I was too sad to leave the city and all my new friends, so I made an impulsive decision to skip my nonrefundable train ticket to Madrid and stay an extra two nights. I am still so happy with this decision. Yes, it cost me money to get another train ticket (and pay for the two nights I missed in Madrid), but it was 100% worth it.
4. Mixed dorms are generally more social
Other than in Galway, the female-only hostel rooms that I stayed in were extremely quiet and anti-social. My presumption is that many girls who select female-only rooms tend to be more reserved/shy (though this could just be my experience). That being said, a benefit of a female-only room is: if you have a crush on a guy in your hostel, he wont have to see you in all your no-makeup/drool-while-you-sleep glory! ;)
5. Free hostel dinners and free pub-crawls are key
As mentioned in pretty much every post as of late, look for hostels that offer free dinners. The nightly dinner works like magic when it comes to making friends at your hostel. Bonus if there are pub crawls after dinner, nothing like alcohol to officiate your friendships! (Drink responsibly folks).
6. If you go out at night, have a “designated buddy”
As lame as a “designated buddy” sounds, the reality is when you are a girl you should not be walking home alone in the middle of the night in a foreign city. Even if this means staying out a little longer when you are tired and ready to sleep, better safe than sorry. Just find someone you trust and lookout for each other.
7. Couldn’t be bothered with social media
You’d think I’d be all about constantly posting to Instagram, making everyone back home “jealous” of me … but to be honest I hardly wanted to touch my phone. I truly wanted to live in the moment and be present. The technology detox was nice.
8. You will suffer from exhaustion. Take a night or day off just to relax.
This hit me hard in Madrid. When you are touring cities all day and going out nearly every night, you are prone to be hit hard with exhaustion as well. Take care of yourself! When I arrived in Portugal I knew I needed a break, so I skipped the hostel dinner and went straight to bed, knowing that if I met cool people I’d probably be staying up late with them. The next day, after a good rest, I started socializing.
9. Always keep a litre (or more) of water by your bed
Stay hydrated! Whether you are roaming a city all day, drinking with friends, suffering from a traveler’s cold, or dealing with the summer heat, always keep lots of water by your bed. Load up that hydration station! You will be so grateful when you wake up in the middle of the night an have that glorious bottle of water next to you.
10. Keep in touch with the people you meet
When you travel you meet like-minded people from around the world, and many of these connections turn into great friendships, so it’d be silly not to keep in touch. I’ve been really lucky with some of the connections I’ve made abroad. Yes, I suck at keeping in touch on a regular basis, but when I meet up with my long distance friends, it’s like no time has passed.
11. Finally, travelling solo is not that big of a deal
Leaving home, I felt like a noble hero for going on this big adventure by myself. No one could believe that I’d do something like this. To them, it seemed scary (and probably unappealing) to travel solo. During my trip I never felt scared or uncomfortable. Plus, when you meet so many people doing the same thing as you (and sometimes for much longer), you realize your experience isn’t this rare gem. It’s actually quite common!
————————————————–
I’d love to hear any lessons that you learned traveling solo! If you haven’t traveled alone before, I hope this makes it seem less daunting!
Eat, love and travel….:) All the best
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha yes!
LikeLike
Loved your journey! Thanks for sharing! It’s true too. Solo is not a big deal and the adventure is amazing! I’ve done 2 international Solos. The first was camping and I loved it hut the 2nd was hostel and it was even better! The next will be taking the good that I learned and incorporating that! I can’t wait!
LikeLike
Sounds like you had an amazing month! I’ve done my fair share of solo traveling; you’ve hit the key points that I’ve thought of, but I would add staying safe as well. In terms of keeping your wits about your surroundings in reputably dangerous cities (e.g. Marseille) and knowing what to do if something bad were to happen. Good thoughts, otherwise, and I hope to see more travel posts from you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s true. I guess I felt confident in every place but in Spain I knew a lot of people who’d been pick-pocketed, so I always had my hand over the zipper of my crossbody purse when walking in crowds!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad your month of traveling was such a success! I definitely agree about having good directions everywhere you are staying, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, and same! That’s why I made sure not to be in that situation alone
LikeLike
Great advice, totally agree on all points with the exception of #8. I’ll have to try biking as a hangover remedy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great lessons and a great adventure! I can’t wait to see what you do next.
LikeLike
This has definitely made the prospect of travelling solo so much less daunting- thank you! I will be bearing this advice in mind over the next year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad to hear! :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sound advice there, when I travelled solo (and even when I travel with others) I also find it handy to have contact numbers/email addresses for hostels too so I can always contact them if I get lost en route/will be late!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s true! I printed out all that information and kept it with me
LikeLike
I love your tip about printing your directions ahead of time! I didn’t do this in Thailand and was horrified when everything was in another language and I didn’t get any cell service X_X Definitely a good tip to keep in mind for any traveler!
And I love the rest of the post too. Sounds like you had a great time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no! That would have been scary.
And thank you, I had such a great time :)
LikeLike
Very cool! Glad to know you were safe. If I may, I’d add one more “lesson”: stay in touch with the people you met!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such an important point!
LikeLike
That’s so inspiring! :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! This is very inspiring. It’s easy to base our travel plans and even day-to-day decisions on others’ thoughts and opinions. This is such an encouragement to “do you” and find your own adventure! Do you have any tips for safety?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! You just reminded me of a lesson I should have added (about having a designated buddy when you go out at night) I also brought a cross body purse and always kept my hand over the zipper when we were around lots of people to avoid pick pocketing. I felt very safe on my trip so other than common sense safety tips those would be the main ones :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I look forward to reading more posts. Happy blogging!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are even bags designed for travel that are strong enough to withstand someone grabbing or trying to cut the strap. And a lot of them have features to lock the zippers.
LikeLike
I love your article!!! I’m wanting to book my first solo trip this November and I’m so excited/nervous. Your blog has definitely made me feel a bit better :)))
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I’m so glad, you are going to have an incredible time :)
LikeLike
This was honestly quite helpful. I’ve been wanting to do a solo trip for a while! Hopefully I can do that in the near future.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m happy I could help! You will have a great time whenever you go :)
LikeLike
Hey Samantha!
First of all, I love this latest post! I’ve always been a little nervous traveling by myself, but this post makes me want to try it! I also wanted you to know that I really have enjoyed reading your blog. I nominated your blog for the Sunshine Blogger Awards so others can see how inspiring your blog is! You can check out the details here: https://mytablesofcontent.wordpress.com/2016/07/30/the-sunshine-blogger-awards/
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow thank you so much Megan! I will definitely check it out :)
LikeLike
Sounds like good advice. I travel full time alone. As my travel involves house sitting challenges can come in unexpected ways. But then they can be wonderful opportunities for growth and evolution. Its good to get lost sometimes. Thanks for liking my blog
LikeLike
Your blog is beautiful! Thank you so much for following mine :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Marisa :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a great month – where’s next?!
LikeLiked by 1 person
London! :)
LikeLike
Ah, knowing directions ahead of time. I always think I’ll do this, then I never do. Great tips!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha as long as you can manage without them!
LikeLike
I’m so happy I read this, I’ve got plans for future travel in California and although our approaches to traveling are different I feel so much relief knowing you’ve confirmed a lot for me, thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad to hear that! Thank you :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
This post inspires me to travel more! thanks for sharing :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad! Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Samantha, you are so brave! I get nervous even traveling with family or close friends. I love this, you are an inspiration!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I’m sure you’ll get less nervous each time you travel, I sure did!
LikeLike
Great advice. I’ve always enjoyed solo travel, but I learned most of my lessons before the Internet was available. Nice to have you sharing your discoveries, to help others along the way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t imagine doing a trip like this without the help of the internet!! Good for you :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting articles! I did my solo traveling to Bali last year, and the best part of it I get to know more local peoples, talk to them befriend with then. While traveling with friends usually you’re to busy with our own group and not paying enough attention to the interesting locals ;)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love meeting locals! But I suppose the friends I made in the hostels weren’t necessarily locals (though the hostel workers sometimes were) but at least I got to befriend people form around the world :)
LikeLike
For sure the hardest part of traveling alone for me is not knowing where I’m going. Getting lost is stressful even if you have a buddy. If you’re by yourself, it’s disastrous. Good tips about figuring out directions beforehand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed! Still stressful even if you aren’t alone. It’s led to arguements with me and my friends sometimes lol
LikeLike
I absolutely love love your blog, your adventures and advice! So inspiring! I love traveling solo myself and your stories make me even more excited for my upcoming adventures!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! Glad to hear you love solo travel as well :)
LikeLike
Great posts and stories . Enjoyed reading them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
Wonderful! My 20-something daughter is a big traveler and spent a bit of time solo in Europe. I heard a lot of the same things from her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great! :)
LikeLike
sounds fabulous
LikeLike
Great advice, and so true for any traveler! Spontaneity and no need for social media truly resonated with me. Keeping your mind open and less phone checking add to the experience of traveling…
LikeLike
All female dorm??? I haven’t seen that in my results yet. Interesting but I did stay in an all girls dorm but that was college. Great points, Samantha. Thanks for stopping by :)
LikeLike
So inspiring! I’m trying to get the confidence to travel solo in 2017 and go to Salzburg and/or Iceland. Thanks for the tips!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad I can help! You won’t regret it, it’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had
LikeLiked by 1 person
I found I met more people travelling solo then at any time. So much so that in South America, India and Ethiopia I was rarely on my own.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s wonderful isn’t it! :)
LikeLike
It is! it is true freedom with no compromise. The amount of times I have changed my plans is high and they were tge best decisions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would love to try this out one day! Though I might settle to go for a solo trip on cheaper countries to save on money. Haha. I’m in my early twenties and saving could quite be a challenge. Still, I feel you when you said that going away for solo is already an accomplishment in itself. Great post!! I’ll be sure to follow you and keep myself updated of your future travels! Cheers!
LikeLike