The ultimate fear-busting toolkit for getting out there alone.
After a breakup, I spent years auditioning friends as travel companions, but never hit the right match. So in 2014, I took my first solo trip to the Galapagos Islands. So much went wrong: My flight was split into two smaller planes (weird, I know), my luggage got lost, and I got super seasick. But when I started to see those hurdles as part of the adventure, my real takeaway was the feeling of living in the moment—swimming with penguins, hiking across lava beds, and laughing with new friends over meals—all in a country where I didn’t know a soul. Since then, I’ve almost exclusively traveled solo, having hit six continents on my own.
Solo travel has experienced a renaissance: What was once viewed as something reserved for the few going on grand Eat, Pray, Love journeys is completely commonplace. Some are young travelers going abroad for the first time; others are seasoned globetrotters looking to add stamps to their already-full passport. And they have one thing in common: They’re traveling on their own terms. In fact, these days, one in four Americans is looking to plan a solo trip, according to an MMGY study.
Making the leap from group, family, or couple travel to going at it alone can be daunting. So we did the worrying for you by talking to solo-travel experts and travel insiders to bust the fears, break the stigmas, and give you the tools to see the world—exactly the way you want.
The big fear: Making plans on my own is stressful.
At heart, I’m a mix of two travelers that don’t exactly gel: I suffer from terrible FOMO and need to squeeze in everything, but I also stress out if anything goes off schedule. The result: planning my days can turn me into a major worrier. One hack? Pick a destination that calms you. Unwittingly for me, this was Estonia, where everything ran like clockwork and I was so blissed out by the final day that I found myself calmly sipping a coffee an hour before my train left cross town in Tartu, knowing I still had to pack and call a rideshare to the station.
How to work through it:
- Sign up for free walking tours. Elena Nikolova, who runs Muslim Travel Girl, said she “loves” the pay-as-you-wish tours in most major cities. “I usually book one on my first day to help me familiarize myself with the city and speak with a local about spots to avoid but also things to enjoy,” she said.
- Book the can’t-miss spots in advance. Blogger Lindsay Mukaddam of One Girl Wandering said she aims to always have one solid plan a day. “It could be tickets to a museum or show, a dinner reservation, or a tour that I’ve booked,” she said. “This way I have at least one reason to get out and about.”
- Lean into the spontaneous. “Mooch about and take your time getting to know a place. See what cafes, galleries, or unusual buildings call to you along the way,” said Radha Vyas, co-founder of the solo-travel company Flash Pack. And try to embrace that downtime. “Instead of trying to fill up every moment of your time abroad, settle a little in that in-between zone,” she added.
The big fear: Traveling alone is expensive.
No matter how you look at it, solo travel will be more expensive. Certain costs like cabs and hotel rooms that are usually split are suddenly all on you. But there are still some tricks of the trade to shave down the bill.
How to work through it:
- Look for rooms designated for solo travelers. “When I search for hotels, I always make sure to change the default of two people to one,” Mukaddam said. “There are many hotels outside the U.S. that have single rooms that are designed for solo travelers—this way I’m not being charged for a room that’s for two people.”
- Sign up for group solo travel. Vyas co-founded her company to solve this exact issue: Flash Pack is specifically made for solo travelers in their 30s and 40s looking to embark on group trip, from desert glamping in Jordan’s Wadi Rum to converted Land Rover suites in the Serengeti—all without the dreaded “singles supplement.” “By sharing a room with another like-minded solo traveler, you get to split the costs of some pretty fabulous boutique hotels that might otherwise be very expensive if you’re flying fully solo,” she said.
- Monitor prices and look for deals. Nikolova uses loyalty points, travels in the off-season, and flies budget airlines. She uses Google Flights’ tracker to make wise decisions about airfare and is strategic about where she cuts costs (on food, say) so she can spend more on safe accommodations. “If budget is an issue and you cannot afford brands or more central hotels, look at the hostels but book into single rooms,” she said.
The big fear: I’m nervous about my safety.
Above all fears, that nagging feeling of being responsible for your own safety in a place you’re unfamiliar with can be a major point of concern—but there are easy measures we can take to avoid unsafe environments.
How to work through it:
- Leave your itinerary with a trusted friend. “Let your family or a friend in on your exact itinerary—and if it changes, let them know,” Vyas said. She suggests checking in with them on a regular schedule, too. “With most iPhones, you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when you’re off the grid with no mobile and Wi-Fi coverage.”
- Utilize safety devices. Vyas is a fan of using a rubber door wedge in hotel rooms—“it’s so simple, yet so effective,” she said. She also uses the Original Defense Self Defense Siren for Women when walking around late at night.
- Don’t broadcast the fact that you’re alone. “Solo traveling is one of the best times to learn to lie a little,” Mukaddam said. “I have often said that my husband is here traveling for business and I’m tagging along to go sightseeing or you can say you’re on your way to meet up with friends or family.”
- Trust your gut. “You’re not being silly or foolish,” Mukaddam said. “If something seems off, immediately get to safety.”
The big fear: Staying in a hotel alone feels scary.
Image: AJ_Watt/Getty Images
The most vulnerable moments of our travels just might be when we’re trying to catch some shut-eye. After all, the last thing we want is any hint of anxiety to get in the way of a good night’s sleep, especially when it’s crucial to be well-rested and alert for our adventure the next day.
How to work through it:
- Keep up your at-home nighttime routine. “Things like having my favorite pajamas, my skincare routine, and using a white-noise app on my phone help me make a hotel room feel like home,” Mukaddam said. “I also like to keep my shoes, important documents, and things like medication in a spot together in case I need to exit my room quickly in an emergency.”
- Get to know the people in the hotel. “Make the most of opportunities to chat with people in your hotel, whether that’s the woman at reception or another solo traveler you met over breakfast,” Vyas said. She also suggested looking for hotels with lobbies or communal spaces specifically designed for connection.
- Use the staff as resources. Diamond Morris, the guest service manager at The Hoxton Downtown L.A., said that staff is there to help by accompanying guests to their rooms, if they’d like, or assigning them rooms that feel safer (say, closer to or further from the elevator). “If they start getting lonely, they can come down here, vibe with us for a little bit—we can give them our experiences and they can give us theirs,” Morris said.
The big fear: Dining solo feels awkward.
Image: restaurant d3sign/Getty Images
I remember the first time I went to a Manhattan restaurant on my own—I came up with a million excuses as to why I was by alone, even putting my coat on the opposite chair so it would look like someone had simply gone to the restroom. Reasonably or not, dining often feels like a group sport, but hey—solo travelers need to eat too, right?
How to work through it:
- Sit at the bar. “It’s the bartender’s duty to create an atmosphere,” said the actor and artist Mia Caporale, who bartends at The Hollywood Roosevelt’s Tropicana Bar. “If it’s the right bar for you, you’ll notice there’s an energy among guests where they exchange conversations, and it just happens naturally.” When Caporale traveling alone, she brings her digital sketchbook along to draw—which alone can spark conversation.
- Relish the moment. “Sometimes we’re so scared to be alone with our thoughts, but it is also liberating,” Nikolova said. The real truth? “Most of the people are probably not even paying attention to you.” she said.
- Buddy up. Getting through an entire meal alone can be tough. Mukaddam advises turning the meal into an experience: “Book a food tour or cooking class to meet some new foodie friends.” Alternatively, she suggests turning to apps like EatWith or looking for Meetup groups to find a seat at a table.
- Hit the right sort of places. Every city has spots that accommodate solo diners well; our solo-dining guides to London, Denver, and Chicago are a good place to start.
