Solo Travel: Tips for Traveling Alone

Solo travel is more transformative than the Instagram version suggests: you make every decision yourself, meet more people because you are approachable, and learn that your own company is better than you feared. The loneliness worry rarely materializes since hostels, walking tours, and group activities hand you a social crew fast. The real challenge is often finding time to be alone.

• Why it is worth it. You make every decision yourself and grow in ways group travel never forces, which is exactly why so many travelers do a solo trip and never look back.
• You meet more people, not fewer. Solo travelers are approachable in a way couples and groups are not; hostels, free walking tours, and cooking classes are the fastest way to build a travel crew.
• Safety is manageable. The precautions are simple and specific to going alone, and knowing them removes most of the worry before you leave.
• Practical tips make it easier. Pick smaller social hostels, skip the single supplement, and normalize eating alone at counter seats and street stalls.
• Be honest about your temperament. Deep introverts may find hostel culture draining; start with a short trip somewhere easy before committing to months away.

See also our safety guide and solo female guide.

You eat when you want, go where you want, change plans without negotiating. You meet more people because you’re approachable in a way that couples and groups aren’t. You learn to trust your judgment because there’s nobody else to defer to. And you discover that your own company is better than you thought.

The honest downsides

Meals alone get old (bring a book or embrace the counter seat), you can’t share costs as easily, there’s nobody to watch your bag while you use the bathroom, and some experiences (boat trips, car rentals) are priced per group, not per person.

The “but won’t I be lonely?” question has a simple answer: only if you want to be.

Where you’ll meet people

Hostels (the social infrastructure of solo travel - common rooms, bar nights, group dinners), free walking tours (instant group of fellow travelers), cooking classes and group activities, co-working spaces (for digital nomads), apps like Couchsurfing Hangouts and Meetup, overnight buses and trains (captive audience), and simply sitting at a bar or cafe with an open posture.

The paradox

Solo travelers almost never spend as much time alone as they expected. The bigger challenge is finding time for actual solitude amidst the social whirl of hostel life.

The basics

Share your itinerary with someone at home. Check in regularly. Trust your gut - if a situation feels wrong, leave. Don’t tell strangers where you’re staying or that you’re alone (say “my friend is meeting me later”).

At night

Avoid walking alone in unfamiliar areas after dark. Use ride-hailing apps. Be cautious with alcohol - being drunk and alone in an unfamiliar city is genuinely risky.

The reassuring truth

Millions of people travel solo every year and the vast majority have zero safety incidents beyond the occasional petty theft. The world is far safer than the news makes it look. See our safety guide for more detail.

• Restaurants: Counter seats, street food, and market food halls are solo-friendly. Bring a book or your phone - there’s no shame in it. In many cultures, eating alone is completely normal.
• Photos: Ask other travelers or use a timer/tripod mount. GorillaPod works for phone photography. Or just… don’t worry about having photos of yourself.
• Single supplements: Hotels often charge a “single supplement” for solo travelers. Hostels don’t. Airbnb doesn’t. Guesthouses usually don’t. Budget travel is easier solo than it looks.
• Table for one: Some restaurants in Asia give solo diners a smaller portion at a lower price (especially at buffets and set menus). This is a feature, not a bug.

Mostly, yes - but be honest with yourself. If you’re deeply introverted and the idea of making small talk with strangers sounds exhausting, solo hostel culture might drain you. Private rooms and solo hiking might be more your speed.

If you have severe anxiety about being alone, solo travel can be either therapeutic or overwhelming depending on your mindset and preparation. Start with a short solo trip to a familiar-feeling destination (Western Europe, Australia, Japan) before committing to six months in Southeast Asia.