Is this your first time traveling solo?

Plan your solo travel

Research the area where you will be staying.

Let’s say that you are going to a small town.

Get a map of the town and find out where the parks are and the general layout of the area.

Research the best place to stay within your budget. This may be a hotel, B&B, or Airbnb.

Try to find out where the safest places are. This can be a challenge because no one describes their hotel as “It’s in the middle of the most dangerous area of our city, but you will love it!”

Read reviews and make the best decision you can with your information. Go on Facebook travel groups and ask questions.

Research the coffee houses, restaurants, tourist offices, doctors, special shops, and supermarkets. You feel a lot more comfortable when you know about the place you are going to.

Make a few plans before you travel but plan for spontaneity as well.

Check out A guide for solo travel over 50.

Solo travel and hobbies

Photography and Sketching are great travel hobbies.

Do you have a hobby? Get one and take it on the road!

Photography is a great hobby because you can do it anywhere and all the time.

Join photo walks and meet locals, or go off on your own. Look for galleries that are showing local photographers. Join workshops during your trips.

Sketching and “watercoloring” are also fantastic travel hobbies. Take a notebook, a few pens, brushes, and paints, and you will have the best time recording your trip. I have seen people sketching inside trains, museums, and coffee shops.

I take my sketchbook and pens everywhere.

There are other hobbies like hiking, cooking, sports, and gardening that you can do when you travel- or you can plan your trip around your hobbies. Many possibilities.

Hobbies will make your solo trips more fun, you might meet interesting people, and you won’t feel lonely.

Solo travel and meeting people

Workshops, short tours, and activities are the best ways to meet people. 

 I have planned many trips around photography and cooking classes. It such a fun way to learn more about what you love, be around people and get to know a new culture.

Gardening and traveling

I went to Ludlow, UK, a few years back, found out about a garden tour, and joined it.

I thought that it would be a great way to know more about the city and its neighborhoods and maybe even meet some people. But I was more focused on getting to know this charming city.

Who knew the gardening tour would shape my whole month in Ludlow?

I went to places I would not have gone as a tourist, and I met a group of lovely ladies who belong to the WI and invited me out to some of their events. They were all so welcoming.

Arriving alone

• When you arrive go to the tourist office to get general information and find out about local activities.
• Don’t skip the library because they always have some kind of information.
• Check out if there are any Meet-Up groups in the area.
• Airbnb has something called experiences and you can book them before you go!
• Join a tour or go solo with a local guide: 

With Locals

Tours by Locals

• Search for foodie restaurants or stalls in the markets and around town.

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Updated January 2025