10 Tips to Let Go, Stay Safe and Bring Home a Carry-on Full of Stories

Traveling on your own is always such a thrill. There is something so empowering about embarking on a new adventure by yourself, with no one to intervene in any of your plans.  If, like many people, you’re not the type to take part in a large tour group, and instead thrive on walking through unknown streets and asking locals where to eat, you know what a gripping sensation that can be (the fun, go-it-alone mindset also has the feel of a soothing self-esteem booster). Let’s face it, however: in between the good times, loneliness will occasionally make itself felt.

It does not have to be that way, though: if you have a “vagabond attitude” that is equal parts adventurous and commonsense, you will end up with a huge vault full of travel stories to share; while following your intuition is important for your safety, remember also that travel is about letting go and fully immersing yourself in a new environment.

To ensure a fantastic solo trip, here are 10 things to try so that you can come home with your own treasure chest of new stories to share:

1. Create a loose itinerary, or none at all. You will run into a million and one things during the course of a few hours. Let time tell.  You may end up doing something fascinating that you want to spend your whole day enjoying, or meet the love of your life.  Allow time for randomness and spontaneity; don’t let an itinerary restrict your time management.

2. Stay in a hotel with a real sense of community or, if it appeals to you, in a hostel. Many people get the wrong impression about hostels.  I’ve stayed in more nice hostels than I have hotels, and I always meet amazing people.  Hostels will also usually organize social gatherings for guests and help with coordinating activities.

3. Opt for communal tables when eating at restaurants. You always meet other solo travelers, interesting locals and people up for mingling.

4. Take a tour with a guide separately from the point of interest you want to see. (Always be sure they have a tour guide certification or identification card from their city or country. This ensures they are legitimate. It is illegal to take tours from individuals without their license.)  Sometimes they charge a lower rate for personal tours — but if not, grab a few other lone travelers to tag along with you. Having a tour guide automatically gives you your own personal photographer and a conversation pal with whom you can discuss activities, restaurants and  sights.

5. Put your guidebook down. Although guidebooks such as The Lonely Planet are full of gems in every country, from shopping to culturally-oriented activities, nothing is better (trust me!)  than what the locals recommend. Get lost and find yourself again in an architecturally-rich temple or quirky boutique shop.

6. Use your camera wisely.  Storytelling – having great tales to tell weeks and even years later — stems from taking in every sense of your experience.  Don’t miss out on your journey by taking a hundred photos, but in the end liking only about a dozen of them.  In other words, try and avoid taking photos of every sight; experiencing everything chiefly through a lens can be a  regret when you get home.  Keep photo-taking to just the “wow” factors of your trip (and of course every flawless outfit you wear!).

7. Get up early. You may think you’ve seen it all in the first few days, but you most definitely haven’t. Remember, you never know when your next travel opportunity could arise. It may never come again, or you may be fortunate enough to travel plenty of times in your life. At any rate, take every minute you can to discover something new.

8. Learn some of the local language. Although English is spoken in almost every country as a second or third language, learning the local idiom is a great learning opportunity — and locals often appreciate foreigners giving it a try. You can usually find key words and phrases in the back of guidebooks, or on free language apps for your smartphone.

9. Write!  I carry a notebook everywhere I go. You never know when you may feel inspired, or hear something you don’t want to forget.  It’s also really nice to look back and read everything you’d written down while abroad. Traveling really does help heal the soul.

10. Take a chance. Always trust your gut, and never push yourself to do something “just because.” But if it does feel right, it may just be the moment you’ve been waiting for to add to your memory bank: from hopping on the back of a motorbike, to seeing a temple in the mountains of Udaipur, to sleeping on a guesthouse roof in a small village in Ghana, these are indelible images that you will recall many years later in a rocking chair.  When it feels right, your intuition will tell you — so go for it!

Traveling alone shouldn’t be spent worrying about your safety. Be a smart traveler, but remind yourself why you left home in search of adventure in the first place. Let your senses take over, and reel in every part of your experience.  It’s very simple: the last thing you want is to come home with an SD card full of “selfies,” and little else.  Add memories to your mind, not just an electronic device.