The Ultimate Guide to Taking Your First Solo Trip: Everything You Need to Know

Have you ever caught yourself dreaming about taking a solo trip… only to immediately talk yourself out of it? Worries about safety, loneliness, or simply not knowing where to start can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already juggling work, life, and limited time off.

I remember boarding the plane for my very first solo trip, heart racing, wondering if I’d made a huge mistake. But by the end of that journey, I came home with something I hadn’t expected at all... confidence, clarity, and a deep trust in myself.

In this episode of Tourist to Traveller, I’m sharing everything I wish I’d known before taking that first leap. If solo travel has been quietly calling you, this episode is designed to help you feel prepared, supported, and genuinely excited to start planning.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to choose the right solo travel style for your personality and confidence level
• Beginner-friendly destinations that make first-time solo travel easier
• Practical flight and accommodation tips to reduce stress
• How to make friends while travelling alone 
• Solo travel safety tips that build confidence, not fear
• Why solo travel is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself

Helpful Resources & Links

• Related blog post: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Your First Solo Trip

Connect & Explore

Find destination guides, travel planning resources and more at touristtotraveller.com, and follow along on Instagram @_touristtotraveller for behind-the-scenes planning and future travel inspiration. 

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Welcome to the Tourist to Traveller Podcast, the show that helps you go beyond the guidebook and turn your bucket list dreams into real adventures. I'm Tahnee, a travel blogger, podcaster, and everyday explorer who's been ticking off epic destinations for over 20 years while balancing a 9 to 5. Each week I'll bring you inspiring stories, destination deep dives, and practical tips to help you plan smarter, travel deeper, and capture those unforgettable moments along the way. So, grab your passport, pack your curiosity, and let's get started. If you've ever found yourself scrolling through flights late at night, dreaming about traveling solo, and then immediately talking yourself out of it, this episode is for you. I still remember my first solo trip. Standing at the airport gate, heart racing, wondering if I'd made a huge mistake. But by the end of that trip, I came home with more confidence, clarity, and belief in myself than I ever expected. Today I'm breaking down everything you need to know to take your first solo trip without the overwhelm. We'll talk about choosing the right travel style, picking a destination that feels safe and exciting, how to plan in a way that feels supportive, and how to actually enjoy solo travel rather than just survive it. Think of this as a voice note from a well-traveled friend who's been exactly where you are and knows what's on the other side. There are so many appeals to solo travel. Knowing that you don't have to wait until friends or family have the time and budget to travel where you want to travel, knowing that you can choose the exact adventure that you want to have. You are in full control and have no limitations. Oh, it is so freeing. But if the thought of solo travel feels big and scary for you, that's because it is, especially the first time. There are often concerns around the safety, loneliness. Do you have the confidence? And what if something goes wrong? The excitement that we have around solo travel, knowing that you get to make every single decision, can also be seen as daunting because you have to make every decision. Because you're traveling on your own, everything is on you, which is super exciting, but can be super scary the first time round. The thing is, what I see is most people never get past these fears. And years and years later, they look at other people's travels, mine especially, and they say, Oh, I wish I could do that, but it's too late. I never did. I think we need to start normalizing this fear and hesitation and start to think about, well, what happens if you don't take the step? Look, solo travel is not for everyone, and that's okay, but my goal with this episode is to help you not to live with regret. Now, I'll be completely honest, my first solo trip kind of came about by accident. It wasn't planned at all. I was traveling to London to stay with a friend who was living there at the time. And then I was traveling to Vegas to meet up with other friends for a milestone birthday. And when I traveled to London to meet up with my friend, the moment that I landed was when I felt the fear hit me for the first time. I hadn't seen this as solo travel because I was going to meet someone. But the moment I landed, I had all the fears that people have around solo travel when I realised that I hadn't really thought through how am I getting from the airport to my friend's house? Um, what currency do I need? You know, all these things that I hadn't considered on my journey just to get to my friend's place. But you know what? I was young, I was very excited to be in London for the first time, and I couldn't wait to catch up with my friend. So why did this become solo travel? Well, my friend was excited to see me, but she was actually quite unwell at the time, and day after day she was actually getting worse. And you know how when you feel just really crappy and really yucky, you don't really want to be around other people, you don't want to entertain, um, you just want to be in your own comforts, and that's kind of how she felt. Now they were staying in a small flat in London, and I can't remember exactly where I was sleeping within their flat, but it was small, we were in close proximity, and because she was unwell, we kind of made the decision that, you know, I was I was staying with them for a few nights, but I was actually, I ended up doing most of that trip alone. Completely unplanned. So I had a little bit of guidance from my friend around where to go and what to see, but a lot of this was on me. So I was really thrown in the deep end when it came to solo travel. So when I started venturing out, uh, because it was London, I don't think I had many fears around my own personal safety. I think if my first trip had been in another country, that might have been the case. But it was more around, you know, how do I actually get through my day? Because I didn't have a local sim, so I was disconnected from the world. Um, and I just had to problem solve to get through. And after my experience here, I yes, I wish that I could have experienced London with my friend, but I actually really loved it. And, you know, I had this sense of adventure that seemed to grow every day. So by the time I got to Vegas to see my friends, um, I was really not concerned at all about having to do anything on my own. My next experience with solo travel was one that was planned. So here I traveled to Sri Lanka and I spent a week at a yoga retreat. And the only reason I went here was to support a friend who was running the retreat. And then I was going to do, I think it was about a week of solo travel in Sri Lanka. Now I didn't really know if it would be solo at the time because my friend was there and I met people there. But after the retreat, we all kind of worked out what we wanted to see in the country, and my um my interest just didn't really align with the rest of the group. So for me, that then turned into me traveling solo over the next week. So I took off to Ella in Sri Lanka solo. I was definitely more nervous here. I didn't speak the language, I was rapidly learning the culture, but to be honest, I didn't know a huge amount about it. And because it was a last-minute solo travel experience, I hadn't thoroughly planned what I was going to do in Ella. Also, I should note, at the yoga retreat, we were really encouraged to disconnect. So there was very limited Wi-Fi available for certain hours of the day only in one area of this retreat. So you couldn't really do any planning. I just had to book a driver, rock up, and work it all out from there. The biggest thing that I found here was planning out my itinerary every day and waking up a lot of the time without a plan. The start of the day for me, every day felt the hardest. But once I was going, once I knew what the first thing was I was going to do, everything else just kind of fell in place. Now I'll save you all the details around my trip to Sri Lanka. There were ups, there were downs, um, there were definitely some key learning moments here. But for me, at the end of the trip, I just felt so capable of traveling anywhere on my own. And it really unlocked something in me because I no longer felt the need to wait for friends or family or, you know, anyone to travel with. Because that had been something that has held me back for many years. I would have traveled way sooner and way more often had I been able to solo travel. Because I had a lot of friends who wanted to travel with me, but they didn't have the budget or our destinations didn't align. And it can be very restrictive relying on other people. So today I'm going to cover my tips to planning your first solo trip in the hopes that you can turn your fear into excitement. Excitement to take on your first adventure and just unlock the world of travel. First of all, you need to choose your travel style. Now, traveling solo doesn't have to mean traveling alone. And that's something that a lot of people don't realize. There are actually many options here. First of all, yes, of course, you have independent solo travel. And a lot of people really love this, but it's not for everyone. If you're traveling completely on your own, you have the freedom and the personal space to do anything you want to do on your trip. You are in full control around where you go, how long you spend in each destination, where you eat, where you sleep, how you travel. It is all down to you. And this is incredibly empowering, but can get lonely at times, especially if you don't love your own company. There are definitely more planning requirements and more safety considerations if you are going down the independent travel route. The second option is to join a group trip as a solo traveler. There are so many different group travel companies out there that are actually specifically for solo travelers. This is perfect if the idea of solo travel excites you, but the idea of planning the entire thing yourself doesn't. Not only with a group trip do you have the whole thing planned out. Look, planning isn't for everyone. I'm obsessed with it. But sometimes, depending on what stage of life I'm in, I might be too stressed or overwhelmed or time poor to actually fully plan out a trip. And this is where group trips really come in handy. Because for a lot of group trips, all you need to do is show up. The company does the work for you. Um, they've planned everything the itinerary, the food, the accommodation, everything is covered and usually included in your fee. Um, often flights aren't included, but most of the things are catered and all taken care of. The key benefit here is you're gaining instant travel companions. At the start of the trip, they will be complete strangers. But in my experience, by the end of group trips, I've made multiple friends. Some of those people I've stayed connected with for years. If you choose the right group trip as well, you can also save quite a bit of money. One thing to note here is the pricing structure of group trips. Some will allow you to travel solo, but to share a room with another solo traveler to keep costs down, where they'll also usually offer you an option to have your own room at a much higher cost. So it's important to know the bedding configuration and how that will impact you as a solo traveler. If you're open to sharing a room and if that's an option with the pro with the company that you're going with, that's fantastic. However, if it's not an option or something that you're not comfortable with, you will be paying more as a solo traveler. And when I say more, I'm talking about more than people who might be bunking together. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're paying more than traveling independently. So if you want to get out and start traveling, but you don't have friends or family to travel with you, and you're keen to do solo travel, but you're really nervous about it, especially your first time, this is the perfect first step for a lot of people. Personally, I have experienced both, especially in my Sri Lanka experience, where for the first half of my trip, I was at a yoga retreat traveling with a group, everything was organized, I connected with people that I'm still connected with today. And then the last half of my trip, I traveled solo and I experienced so much empowerment and personal growth within that period of time. Next, you want to choose the right travel destination. If this is your first solo trip, I highly recommend choosing somewhere that is solo travel friendly and known for being just that. Think about places where you don't necessarily have a language barrier. There are low crime rates, they are livable cities, walkable cities, and quite safe neighborhoods. These are ideal for first-time solo travelers. There are so many great options out there, but I want to take you through what I think are the best solo travel destinations for beginners. Let's start off with England. Yes, because this was my accidental first solo travel experience. But if I could choose anywhere, I would probably go back there again if I had my time over. It is very easy to travel around solo, and I'm from Australia. It felt very similar to Melbourne, Australia for me. The city itself is really walkable. Um, people there are quite friendly. The public transport felt so easy to use. There's fantastic history, museums, uh, there is plenty of crazy cafes for you to chill out in and make some friends. Or you could get out of London and also check out the countryside. London also has so many international travelers who are in the exact position that you were in. So would I choose London again as a first solo travel experience? Absolutely, yes. Second on my list is Bali in Indonesia, and yes, I know I said uh ideally somewhere where you don't have a language barrier, but in Bali, most of the locals speak English incredibly well, and Bali is very much known for its retreats and culture and nature, stunning beaches, and the locals there are so friendly. In Bali, you will find a really strong solo travel scene. There are digital nomads from all around the world residing in Bali. So, once again, there are so many people that will be there who are in the same position as you and traveling alone. It really is the perfect mixture of adventure and relaxation. It's cheap, there's great accommodation, and it's really easy to get around Bali. Not only that, but it's really easy to travel to other islands around Indonesia from there as a bit of a home base. Next up is New Zealand. This might not feel like an obvious choice for a lot of people, but New Zealand is known as one of the safest, most livable countries in the world. So, regardless of where you are, it may take a little bit longer than it does for us here in Australia to travel over to New Zealand, but it is such a great combination of adventure and nature. And I also think that New Zealand is a bit of an up-and-coming foodie destination. It feels quiet, spacious, even though it's small, but also so incredibly safe. Also, the locals are very welcoming. My next pick is Italy. Now, I haven't actually done Italy solo, but I have been there. And it's it's also just so easily set up for solo travel from the history to the food to the culture. Uh, it's so easy to get around. The public transport is great, and most of the cities in Italy are just so walkable, so it's a great choice. And finally, Japan. Japan is one of the top choices for solo travelers. Once again, easy to get around, fantastic public transport, outstanding food and nightlife scene, and also known for incredibly friendly locals. Are you seeing a bit of a theme here? There are so many more places, but those are my top five. Uh, if you are considering solo traveling for the first time, I'm keen to find out where are you looking to go? Now, of course, your first trip is going to start with your first solo travel flight. So let's go through some tips on how to manage your transit as a solo traveler. Once you've landed on your destination, it's time to book your flight. And here are some of my top tips for flying as a solo traveler. First of all, I suggest opting for direct flights. Direct flights give you less time in transit, less time interacting with other people on the ground in different airports. Uh, layovers can be lengthy and stressful. Uh, and also there are more chances of delays and cancellations if you have layovers. So I do recommend, if possible, opt for direct flights. I recommend arriving during the day. Now, it might seem obvious as to why I recommend you arriving during the day. And yes, it is for safety reasons. Arriving in daylight, typically people feel so much more comfortable regardless of the destination. Finding uh whether it's a bus or a shuttle or a taxi is going to feel less stressful. And then arriving at your accommodation, going in, checking in, and also just getting to know your local surrounding areas is going to be so much easier in the daylight. And finally, I recommend organizing your transfers in advance. It's one of the most initial stressful barriers that people have to face when they're traveling. You get off the flight really excited, but then it dawns on you that you need to get to your accommodation and you may not have worked out exactly how to do that. And that might often mean haggling with the locals, not knowing what you should be paying, not knowing a legitimate taxi versus a local who might be scamming you. For safety reasons, I recommend traveling solo that you organize your transfers in advance. You might be able to do this through your accommodation or by booking a reputable shuttle service. If you're not sure, simply ask your accommodation what they would recommend and how much you should pay. Now let's talk through where to stay as a solo traveler, and there are some great options here. And I want to start off with hostels. I know, I know hostels are not for everyone, and they're not for me in my current phase of life. I feel like I've kind of moved past that, but it's actually a really great option for solo travel, especially if you are someone who feels that you might get lonely. You're gonna meet so many people in hostels, and a lot of them are solo traveling just like you. You'll often run into them in the common areas of the hostel, and they are often also looking for someone to chat with, to go to a cafe with or a bar or you know, share the expense of a driver for the day. It's so easy to make friends in a hostel. Also, I want to get rid of the stereotype that hostels are only for young people. Uh, yes, I will say that they are full of mostly people in their 20s. However, it is not just people in their 20s. Next is boutique hotels and guest houses that are run by locals. Reason being, often within these areas, you still have a balance of social interaction. But if they're run by locals, they can give you really great local recommendations. They can also connect you with people that they know in terms of drivers, or they might send you up the road to a restaurant that's owned by their friend, or they might book. Your next sort of accommodation with a friend who is in, you know, the place you're traveling to next. Just having those local connections go so far. Next, you've got Airbnbs and private rentals, which are really great if you're looking for privacy, but you want a bit more of a local experience. I traveled this way mostly when I was in Greece and Rome. And everywhere that we stayed, you really felt that you were living there like a local. And I loved that. However, I am personally less likely to book private accommodation as a solo traveler purely for the safety aspects. And finally, you have trusted hotel chains. If already you're feeling overwhelmed by, you know, all of these new things that you have to do on your own in a solo journey. It's gonna really help you with peace of mind and that sense of familiarity, I'm great with words today, um, can just really help to settle your nerves in your new destination. Now I want to give you a couple of hot tips. Things that I personally do, regardless of whether I'm traveling solo or not, but I do definitely, definitely recommend if you are traveling solo. The first one is to always read the reviews. If you're booking on platforms like Booking.com or Expedia, always, always, always read the reviews for your accommodation because the photos show you one thing, but they might not be reality. You want to know things that suggest that the images you're seeing are a true representation of the accommodation, and you also want to look out for any concerns around safety. Even if there's only a few reviews that might have safety concerns, take them seriously. The second thing that I do is I go onto Google Maps using Street View and I have a look at, first of all, the accommodation itself to make sure that it matches what I'm seeing in the in the accommodation listing. And I want to see the local area to know that it feels and looks to be safe. The cool thing about Street View is that you can, you know, walk up and down those streets and have a look around so you can get a feel for the neighborhood. So uh that is something that I do everywhere, and it has saved me from what could have been some terrible accommodation choices. Let's move on to sightseeing and exploring. And personally, for me, this is the most exciting part of travel. You get to do all of this, you get to choose every aspect of this yourself and travel the exact way that you want to travel. My first recommendation is to join a walking tour. These are available in most major cities, and a lot of them are either free or work off a uh a tipping or a donation system where you essentially pay what you feel the tour was worth at the end of the tour. I have I've barely done or heard of any walking tours that have had negative reviews. They're usually with locals, and you get to find the local knowledge that you wouldn't get to have otherwise. Not only do you get to understand the local area, you learn about the history, they'll often point out, you know, best places to eat, to drink, to stay, where to shop. Um, they give some really great recommendations and you have an opportunity to pick their brain, if the tour is small enough, of course, and just ask them questions. So often they are free and a really great way to get to know the local area and the locals. You might also meet a couple of travelers along the way. Next tip is to try a cooking class. Once again, a great opportunity to meet other travelers. You get to fully immerse in the culture by eating the food and learning how to cook it, and you're interacting with locals. Next is to go on day trips. So getting out of the city for a day trip that is organized rather than completely solo can be really great. So you might join a day tour, a group day tour. Um, the great thing is that it's organized so you don't have to stress about the day. You can just show up and you're going to meet fellow travelers. The next tip is to visit cafes and bars. It can be really tempting when traveling solo to order in, to order room service or to order Uber Eats, to order in and just stay in the comfort of your room while you're eating dinner. And look, you can do that occasionally, but I highly recommend getting out and about. There are so many people who are nervous about eating alone, and so many people who never do it or think that it's a bit of a, I don't know, almost sad thing to do. I've never felt that way and I don't really understand that mentality. For me, it's always been the opposite. I love the people watching aspect of it. And for me, it's really relaxing just to go to a cafe or a bar or a restaurant and just sit there and, you know, drink my coffee or eat my meal on my own and just look around and watch the world go by. I secretly love it. The only way, though, to benefit from this is to put your phone down, lift your head up and look around. You get to understand a lot about the culture while you're traveling by doing this. You get to see how people are interacting, you know, what are their social interactions, what are the family dynamics like? Uh, and you'll often meet people through this experience. You're not going to meet people sitting on your own at a cafe with your head in your phone. I understand the temptation if it's got really great Wi-Fi and you've got some planning to do, that is a different story. But if you can, pop the phone down, lift your head, and just be present and in the moment. And the final one here is to embrace spontaneity. We can plan every day perfectly, but you have if you have spontaneous opportunities that come up to, you know, go and travel with the two friendly girls that you met at the hostel, uh, or if you've been invited to experience something with locals, uh, or you had a recommendation that was to do something that you hadn't planned on doing and didn't necessarily fit into your itinerary. I think sometimes the best travel experiences are the spontaneous ones. So it can be definitely more nerve-wracking traveling solo to drop everything to do things. I always want to make sure that um safety comes first. So use your best judgment here, but be open to spontaneity on your trip. One of the biggest things that people are nervous about with their first trip is getting lonely. I'm in a lot of travel Facebook communities, and I often hear of people's first concerns around their first trips, and I also hear people who might be a few days into their first solo journey who are thinking about going home because they're lonely. I get it, it can be a real concern, but there are also some great ways to meet people while you're traveling. Starting off by staying in social accommodation, such as hostels or co-living spaces, because you are naturally going to meet people in hostels. Second is to use meetup and Facebook groups. You can join community Facebook groups, and there's actually a lot specifically for travelers or for solo travelers, especially when you're looking at some of the major cities. So you can actually find people there who want to do something who also don't have anyone to chat to. Of course, make sure you're safe. Do something in daylight hours where there's other people around, but it's a great way to meet people. Next is join group tours and activities. So these are organized group tours. You can go through platforms such as Get Your Guide. And some great options here could be food tours, hiking trips, surf lessons, cooking classes. It's a great way to make new friendships. The next one is a bit left afield, but strangely it's worked for me more than once, and that is offer to take a photo. If you see people at a beautiful destination, uh, let's say it's a it's a couple or it might be a couple of friends, or you're just walking past them, you might just offer to take their photo. Now, often when you do this, they'll offer to take your photo in return, which is great when you're solo traveling and you don't have a photographer with you. But also it opens up conversation. So the cool thing about this is that you, yes, it might be with locals, but it's probably going to be with fellow travelers. And if you find people who appear to be traveling solo, chances are you're helping you by talking to them, you're helping them to make a friend as well. So it benefits you and it benefits them. Plus, you might get some amazing photos. And finally, be open and start conversations. So, once again, get your head out of your phone, look up, and just start chatting with people. Even just simply asking them or a simple hi, where are you from, can potentially lead to a great conversation. All right, let's get into the really big topic here, and that is safety. Tips for you to feel confident and secure. This is often the biggest concern for people doing their first solo trip, but by having the right knowledge and strategies, you can set yourself up for a much safer and enjoyable adventure. So here is how to protect yourself whilst you are enjoying your trip. First of all, share your itinerary. You always want to make sure that you let a trusted friend or family member or partner know what your itinerary is, where are you going and when, um, how frequently you're going to check in with them or they can check in with you. And it might also be worth sharing your location with someone. Now, I never do this, I never share my location with anyone, except for if I'm concerned about my own personal safety whilst solo traveling. Second one is to trust your gut. Now, regardless of the situation, if it doesn't feel right to you, step away from that situation. Trust your gut. There are things that you're picking up on that you might not be able to make sense of, but this is about listening to your intuition and kind of reading the room. Trust your gut. Next is stay connected. This is a lesson that I have been terrible at learning, but it's an important one. So I'm going to tell you, and that is to consider getting an eSIM or a local SIM so you can remain connected while you are solo traveling. So that if you need help, you can reach out to help immediately. Next is to stay within well-lit areas. This is where that Google Maps street view really comes in handy. Now, especially at night, I recommend sticking with well-populated, well-wit, well-lit areas that are known for being relatively safe. Stay sober and drink responsibly. So many things can happen if you are heavily intoxicated, let alone someone potentially spiking your drink. So be careful with who you drink around. Drink responsibly and stay sober as much as you can. This doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a cocktail or two by the pool, but just be smart about it. Use travel apps. There are so many that will help you as a solo traveler, especially maps like uh apps like Google Maps. Downloading an offline Google Map for your destination means that you can always see where you are when you need to find your way. Uh, apps like WhatsApp, Uber, Google Translate if you are in a non-English speaking country or you don't know the local language, and also currency exchange apps. They just make solo travel so much smoother. Next is to avoid telling strangers that you're traveling alone. Not everyone has the best intentions, and it's just some information that most people don't need to know. If you're not sure, just saying that you're waiting on a friend or a family member. And finally, it can be helpful to learn some basic local phrases. Yes, uh, a hello, a thank you, a goodbye can be really handy. But phrases such as I need assistance or could you please help me can also be really beneficial. So those are my top tips to help you to plan your first solo travel experience. But before we wrap up, I also really want to emphasize the life-changing benefits of solo travel. Starting off with the confidence that you are going to gain whilst traveling solo. You really become a master problem solver. You get really good at thinking on your feet, and you will come back full of confidence. Secondly, there is no need to wait. You don't need to wait for other people to be ready to travel. You can do this on your own when you are ready. Third is that most people learn how to enjoy their own company. So solo travel doesn't have to mean that you are lonely. It might just help you understand what truly makes you happy. Fourth is you'll meet some incredible people. And yes, this can lead to lifelong memories, but also you might you might make some friends who are like-minded that you can actually travel with in the future. Five, you will have total freedom to do what you want, when you want, and how you want to do it. You get to do everything on your terms, and that's pretty cool. And finally, you'll become more resourceful. So those problem-solving skills that I was talking about, they're gonna become second nature while you're solo traveling, and this is really just going to help you to become more independent. If there's one thing I hope you take away from this episode, is that you don't need to feel fearless to travel solo. You just need to feel supported. Your first solo trip doesn't have to be extreme or complicated or perfectly planned. It just needs to feel right for you. And I promise the version of you that comes home from that trip will thank you for being brave enough to start. If you're ready to turn this idea into an actual plan, check out my ultimate guide to taking your first solo trip. Everything you need to know. I'll link it in the show notes. Alright, take a breath, trust yourself, and start planning that first solo trip. I will see you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning in to the Tourist to Traveller Podcast. I hope today's episode has inspired you to travel more authentically and plan your next adventure with confidence. Don't forget to head to touristtotraveller.com for today's show notes, resources, and free guides to help you plan like a pro. And if you love this episode, please hit subscribe and leave a review. It helps more travelers like you discover the show. Until our next adventure. Go beyond the tourist track and level up your travel experiences.