How to Start Traveling Solo
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Have you ever thought, “I want to go to [insert awesome place here], but no one can go with me.”? If yes, trust me, you are not alone! You have at least one person (hi!) who has felt the exact same way. But here’s the thing….do you still want to go to that awesome place? Then do it! If you’ve been thinking about this, here are some tips on how to start traveling solo.
If you’re interested in traveling or exploring on your own, but don’t want to dive headfirst into the Solo Life, here are a few ideas to get your feet wet.
1. Local Solo Exploration
Pick a day or weekend trip close by for your first solo adventure. Are you close to a historic landmark or nature preserve? A cool museum? The biggest ball of yarn in the world? The options are limitless. We all have something interesting nearby to explore.
Since moving to the D.C. area 5 years ago, I really leaned into the local exploration. I’ve visited tons of museums, scoped out the best donut in D.C., and found some great hiking spots during my solo day trips in my new city.
Once you decide on something, then the planning can begin. Is it close enough for a day trip? Maybe you want to make a weekend of it. Cool! It’s YOUR trip, so you can do what you want (#1 perk of solo travel).
2. Add a Solo Addition to an Existing Trip
Whether a family vacation or a work trip, if you have the time, take a few extra days to branch out on your own.
I do this frequently with work trips, including Vegas, Chicago, and most recently Italy! Click here if you want to read more about my solo trip to Vegas and hiking through what I only assume Mars looks like!
This is an easy way to see something farther away without committing to a full trip on your own.
3. The Full Solo Life
Maybe you’re looking at options 1 and 2 and saying, I already do this. Then that’s great! You’ve been living the Solo Life and didn’t even know it!
So now you’re ready for a trip totally on your own. Again, it doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Visit a state you’ve always wanted to see. Maybe you love baseball, like me, and you want to see all the MLB stadiums (if you do this, can I come?). One of the best things about being a solo explorer is that you can pick anything. So think about it, come up with some ideas, and have fun.
4. Paying for the Solo Life
Now that you are ready to travel solo, or if your’e just looking to travel more, how do you pay for it? Well, if you’re anything like me, NOT at full price. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am as frugal as they come. I love, love, love a deal, and travel is no exception to this. If you want to save money while traveling, my #1 tip is to invest in a rewards credit card. I’ll go into this more in a future post, but I recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Whatever card you choose, make sure it gives you some awesome travel perks so you can go on even more adventures!
*Bonus option for the more adventurous:
Group travel companies for solo travelers. Yes, this really is a thing! Some genius person came up with the idea of creating travel excursions made up of strangers so that solo travelers don’t actually have to travel solo. There are tons of companies out there that do this, but here are few that look the best from my research (I haven’t had the chance to try any of these yet, so let me know if you do)!
If you’ve been thinking of solo travel, I hope these ideas have helped you to make a plan. Really any type of exploration on your own can be considered a solo trip or excursion. If any of these options helped or you tried your own solo trip, I’d love to hear how it went! Leave me a comment to share.
And if you want to learn about my first solo trip, click here!
8 Comments
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Sandra Joseph
Great tips…from a fellow solo traveler.
Jordan
Hi Sandra,
Thank you, especially from another solo traveler. I’d love to hear any other tips you may have!
Bindu
I read what i really wished to read since days, maybe years! I was hesitant even to know how’s it gonna be to lead a solo life.
But now Im really happy! Every sentence of yours reflected the desires of mine travelling alone. Im not going to push it anymore. Yes, im planning my first solo outing!
Thank you so much!
Dawn
I love this! Thank you for sharing! I am the world’s worst at doing things solo. I won’t go if someone doesn’t go with me. I need to branch out.
Jordan
Hi Dawn. I totally hear you! I’m glad my insights gave you some inspiration and I hope you’ll be able to explore solo soon. Let me know if you do get out on your own. I’d love to hear what you end up doing.
Lisa
Great blog! Great ideas! Excited to follow The Solo Life!
Jordan
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it!