Maddie Around the World

So you want to take a solo trip, congratulations! My first international solo trip was a giant leap of faith that gave me so much confidence and changed my view of the world. I learned so much and have now been on multiple international solo trips! This article is a complete guide of everything I wish I had known while planning my first international solo trip.

Contents:

1. Choosing the Right Country for Your First International Solo Trip
2. Taking Baby Steps to Your First International Solo Trip
3. How to Find the Right Hostel for You
4. Don’t Plan Everything
5. What to Know Before You Go
6. Figuring Out How to Get Around
7. How to Make Friends While Solo Traveling
8. Key Takeaways
9. Important Links

Choosing the Right Country for Your First International Solo Trip

There are a few things to consider when picking the destination for your first international solo trip. Here are a few tips to make you feel more comfortable.

Pick a Country That Speaks the Same Language as You

Picking a country that speaks the same language as you is the easiest way to make yourself feel more comfortable. This way, you can read the street signs, easily order food, and ask essentially anyone for help if you get lost. I did my first international solo trip in New Zealand and Australia, and the English made me feel so much more confident!

Pick a Country That You’ve Been to Before

If you are new to traveling, another helpful tip is to pick a new city in a country you’ve been to before, a city you’ve been to but loved, or a similar country to a country you’ve been to. Since you have already successfully navigated around this country, you will feel much more comfortable doing it alone.

If you are a more advanced traveler and feel very comfortable, try visiting a more underrated destination in an area you have visited before! Check out the 9 Best Hidden Gems in Europe by Off the Beaten Travel for some inspiration!

Taking Baby Steps to Your First International Solo Trip

If you feel nervous or unsettled about flying across the world alone, don’t worry! You can build up to it with baby steps. Two things you can do to prepare yourself are to take a short solo weekend trip in your area, go to restaurants alone, or start with a group trip.

Take a Short Solo Trip Nearby

If it intimidates you to be alone for an extended period, I recommend taking a short overnight trip alone. This can even be an hour away from your house, but it will give you a better sense of being alone. Being comfortable alone takes practice, so don’t be afraid to take baby steps!

Go Out to Dinner Alone

After talking to travelers, one of the most intimidating things about solo travel is sitting to eat at a restaurant alone. The easy part about solving this is that you have restaurants near you now. Grab a journal or a good book and head to a restaurant near you. You’ll realize it isn’t as scary as it seems (and no one really cares about what you are doing.)

Go on a Group Trip

There are a ton of options for group trips. Many of these group trips are made up of solo travelers, so you are still going on a solo trip, but everything is planned out for you. You are guaranteed to meet a bunch of new people as well. Some companies you can check out are Contiki, EF Ultimate, and FTLO.

Keep in mind that these types of trips are typically much more expensive than if you went by yourself. If you are traveling on a budget, a good rule of thumb is to only go on one of these trips if you are going to an area that you are very unfamiliar with, an area that is hard to get around or feel like it may be safer as a solo woman. If you have more money to spend on travel, this is a perfect first step towards a completely solo trip!

I went on a five-day group trip in the middle of my first international solo trip. I wanted to travel around an area of New Zealand that was a little bit more remote and didn’t have consistent public transportation, so this was the best solution for me. My trip was with Wild Kiwi and I had a great experience!

I was a little nervous about getting lonely on my first international solo trip, so scheduling this right in the middle made me much more comfortable with the idea. My trip was a great mix of independent planning and group environments!

How to Find the Right Hostel For You

It can be intimidating to stay in a hostel if you have never done it before. Sleeping in a room with strangers sounds scary, but I promise you it is much better than it seems. You could even meet some of your best friends in a hostel!

If you aren’t familiar, a hostel is an accommodation where you book a bed instead of an entire room. This means that you are sharing a room with other people. There are female-only dorms as well as mixed dorms. Some hostels offer male-only dorms as well. However, this is not as common.

When staying in a hostel, keep in mind that there are many different types, including party hostels, pod hotels, and more laid-back hostels. It is necessary to thoroughly read the description and reviews to figure out what type of hostel you are booking. Party hostels can be extremely loud, and you won’t get much sleep, so stay away from these if you want to relax and get up early!

To learn more about hostels, check out my article, “How to Choose Your First Hostel.”

Don’t Plan Everything

It is important when solo traveling to not book every single second of your itinerary with activities. It is great if you even have some flexibility on when you can go to your next town. You may get to your destination and get amazing recommendations from locals, discover a new area that you want to explore or meet other travelers who you want to hang out with.

The amazing part about solo traveling is that you can do whatever you want. Give yourself some flexibility to discover things once you get there!

What to Know Before You Go

Although you definitely shouldn’t plan everything, there are some things you must learn about before you get there. At the bare minimum, this is what you should research:

Transportation Options

You should what types of transportation options are available between certain destinations. You should also check how often they run! When I was in New Zealand, I wanted to go to a more remote town, the bus only came a few times a week! Make sure you know what the options are so you don’t get stranded somewhere.

The Emergency Number

Make note of the emergency service numbers in other countries. It is better to know it in advance in the case of an emergency! HERE is a full list of fire, police, and ambulance numbers in different countries.

Currency

It’s always good to research if a country uses mostly cash or has accessible credit card readers. ATM fees are usually higher at airports and this way you can plan how much cash you need and research the best ways to get it!

Local Language

I always recommend learning a few greetings and phrases in the local language. If you are going somewhere very touristy they will likely speak English, but people always appreciate the effort!

Data Options

Make sure to look into your cell phone provider’s international data plan. I have Verizon and with the $10 a day plan, it adds up! You can usually get a SIM card at the airport upon arrival in a new country, but it’s always good to look at different options. I have used the App Airolo in the past for eSims and have had a great experience!

Figuring Out How to Get Around

Figuring out how to get around in another country can be intimidating, especially if you are from an area that doesn’t have good public transportation. Luckily, many countries and bigger cities have great transportation options that allow you to get to your next destination seamlessly! These resources always allow me to figure out my transportation with ease.

Apple Maps

Don’t come for me, I love Apple Maps. Everyone tells me to use Google Maps or Waze but Apple Maps has never failed me. There is a feature on Apple Maps that shows you the public transportation schedule (buses and trains) and has been very helpful. When navigating the metro, it shows you exactly which signs to follow and is extremely accurate.

To get to this feature, click the first drop down and click “transit.” This usually defaults to “drive.”

I do have other GPS apps downloaded just in case. Apple Maps also does not work in every single country. However, it hasn’t been a problem in a majority of the countries I’ve been to.

Google Maps has a similar feature for public transportation that you can use if that’s your preference. You can also download maps on Google Maps to use without data. This is extremely helpful on your first international solo trip!

Rome2Rio

When booking transportation between cities, check out Rome2Rio! There is both an app and a website. This allows you to type in two destinations and it will show you the cost for every potential option. The options even include things like taxis and renting a car. This will help you decide if you want to take a train, bus, flight, etc.

Rome2Rio is also a great tool to use if you are getting in a taxi. Taxi drivers will often overcharge tourists, and by checking the cost on Rome2Rio, you will know the range before getting in and can negotiate with your driver if they are trying to scam you.

Pro Tip! Always ask your driver the cost before they start driving. Sometimes, they will make up a price after driving to your destination, forcing you to pay. If you agree on the price beforehand, you are more likely to get the best deal. They may also have a meter installed, which means the price will be accurate. Make sure they turn it on if they say that’s how they charge!

Booking Flights

Before you book your flights, be sure to check out my article, “How to Find Cheap Plane Tickets in 2023” to make sure you are getting the best deal!

Flix Bus

Flix Bus is a website where you can book bus tickets. You can purchase tickets here for trips in many different countries. It is typically a great option for budget travelers and is a legitimate way of purchasing tickets.

How to Make Friends While Solo Traveling

First of all, I want to start by saying it’s okay if you don’t want to make friends while solo traveling. One of the best parts of being solo is doing whatever you want whenever you want! Sometimes when solo traveling, I just want to relax, explore, and enjoy the much-needed alone time.

On the other hand, when I’m looking to make friends, these are great resources!

Going Solo App

The Going Solo app is an app created by a female solo traveler! It is a great way to see what other solo travelers are around you. On this app, you can create and join group chats with other travelers to make plans. It has an awesome feature where you can also put in the dates you will be somewhere in the future, and join group chats based on that! This is a great way to get to know people before your trip. It has a profile grid similar to Instagram where you can share photos of your travels.

Hostel Events

Many hostels offer group events, whether they be a bar crawl, a tour of the city, a volleyball game, etc. These are a great way to meet other travelers. Be sure to ask your hostel when you are checking in if they have events like these.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! It can be intimidating to meet new people while traveling. Just keep in mind that you are across the world where no one knows you!

Key Takeaways

1. Choose a country that you’ve been to before or that speaks the same language as you for your first international solo trip.
2. Practice baby steps before going on your first international solo trip by taking a short solo trip nearby, going out to dinner alone, or going on a group trip.
3. Use Hostelworld and Booking.com to find and book a hostel.
4. Don’t plan everything!
5. Research the transportation options, the emergency number, the currency, the local language, and the date options before you go on your first international solo trip .
6. Use Apple Maps, Rome2Rio, and Flix Bus to figure out how to get around.
7. Use Going Solo and check out hostel events to make friends!

Important Links

1. Group Trips: Contiki, EF Ultimate, and FTLO
2. Group trips in New Zealand and Australia: Wild Kiwi
3. Hostelworld
4. Booking.com
5. How to Choose Your First Hostel
6. Emergency numbers in other countries
7. Buy eSims at Airalo
8. Rome2Rio to book transportation
9. How to Find Cheap Plane Tickets in 2023
10. Flix Bus
11. Going Solo App
12. Use Bluehost to start your own travel blog!