Tips for Solo Travellers

In this post, I will share some tips based on my experience of travelling solo.

Act confident! – If you are lost, pretend you know where you’re going! Don’t look lost in public instead, go into a café, restaurant or shop and search on Citymapper or Google Maps how to get to your destination.

I arrived in Venice by boat from Murano and had no clue where I was or how to get to Venezia Santa Lucia station. My data was not working properly, and I got caught in hailstone rain! 😠

I wandered off confidently expecting to see directions to the station and found a local supermarket with free Wi-Fi and figured where I was and how to get to the station using Google Maps.

Walking distance from the station, a university student from Milan asked me for directions in Italian and we walked together to the station.

If you act confident, people will think you are a local and you will blend in, just like I did.

TIP: When using Citymapper or Google Maps, rather than always having your phone out, plan your journey into sections! For instance, plan how many side roads must you cross before you turn left.

PLAN! PLAN! AND PLAN! – Do your research before travelling! I don’t necessarily mean having a day to day itinerary but research when museums are open and if they offer free entry on a certain day. Also, are you better off paying more to sleep in a hotel in the city centre or are you better off paying less for your hotel but paying more in transport costs which adds up (roughly) to the same price as sleeping in the city centre?

Inform your friends/family on your whereabouts! – Make a group chat or message your closest friends and update them often by telling them where you went, where you are and where you are going to. This is just a safety precaution should anything happen to you. This should also include texting the address of your accommodation (and maybe a picture of your Airbnb host) to your friends/family.

TIP: Snapchat users: share your location with close friends only.

Instagram users: avoid posting ‘live’ pictures, wait until you leave the area or you’re in your hotel to post them.

Have a backup phone. – I got TWO phones, one for ___ and one for the ___ 🎵

I bring two phones just as a precaution. If I lose my phone, I have another phone where I can contact friends and family. If my battery dies, I can use my other phone etc.

Download a transport and direction app. – I’ve used Citymapper in Milan, Berlin and Copenhagen. Citymapper is a useful app, helping you find the best way around a city with detailed instructions such as what stop to get off at, information on delays and expected arrival time.

Do NOT put your phone or wallet in your back pocket! – I see many people doing this, you become an easy target for pickpocketing. Perhaps you could invest in a cross-body bag or bum bag, it is fashionable and harder to pickpocket.

Beware of money grabbing opportunists! – You tend to find them in popular tourist attractions, ‘offering’ to take pictures, usually in exchange for money.

For example, they will dress up as cartoon mascots and if you or your children take a picture with them, they will expect you to pay.

TIP: If you want someone to take a picture of you, look around and ask anyone with a professional camera or ask two lovers to take a picture of you in exchange for taking a picture of them.

In two weeks, I will share my travel bucket list with you.

Until then, if you enjoyed this post, please share this with friends you know are interested or into travelling.

What safety precautions have you used when travelling?

To leave a comment, you will need to login/sign up and to be one of the firsts to read my blog posts, you will need to type your email in the 'Subscribe' section below.

If you have any questions, please do email me via the 'Contact Me' section or comment below. I make it a goal to reply to all my comments via email and DM’s within 24 hours.

Thank you for reading this, it means a lot!

Take care.

Ricardo