by Ellie Schneider

Created on: July 29, 2009   Last Updated: August 01, 2009

Traveling Alone: Tips for Traveling Alone

Traveling alone does not have to be a lonely experience. It can be the most exciting travel experience of your life. Here you can find solo travel tips that will help you make the best out of your individual traveling experience.

Before You Travel
Planning a vacation where you will be traveling alone is not much different from planning a family vacation. It is even easier because only one persons preferences and interests have to be taken in consideration. However, here are a few do's and don'ts for traveling alone.

Do your homework so you will have at least the basic knowledge of the area you are traveling to. Read about your destination; learn about its culture and what the area offers to tourists.

Do include in your plan going to tourist centers where you can meet other individual travelers like yourself. Even if you are not looking for traveling partners, it is always nice to share your experience and learn from others experience, and at the very least it can offer some company for a short while.

Don't include places described in guidebooks as the ultimate honeymoon getaway or the best place to travel with young children. You are most likely to feel awkward surrounded with honeymooners and or families.

Make sure to carry a book and a notebook. A notebook will allow you to write down all the different things you see and experience during your vacation. You will appreciate their company in airports, train stations, restaurants, etc.

You may think it will be cool to not make any plans for where to stay and just "wing it", but it is highly recommended that at least for the first night you should have a reservation someplace for the night. Landing in a foreign country is strange enough without having to wander around with your bags in search for accommodation.

Do prepare a basic schedule for the first days. You can always stray from it, but it will provide you with some peace of mind knowing what the activities for the first day or so will be.

While You Travel
So, you woke up in your hotel room, had coffee in the coffee shop that was highly recommended by the Lonely Planet, got lost while looking for the museum and when finally found it you discovered it is closed on Wednesdays. What is next?
One step at a time: start by talking with the hotel staff. Ask them for recommendations and guidance. If you are very nice, they might even take you to cool local hangouts that you will not find in a travelers handbook,

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