Ten Tips for Traveling Solo
There’s a lot to recommend traveling alone. You go where you want, when you want and do what you want. There’s no group decisions or waiting
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu
around. It’s the ultimate freedom. On the other hand, extended solo travel can be lonely and sometimes dangerous.
Here are 10 tips to keep the solo traveler safe and happy:
- Travel light. Pack your bag and pick it up. Heavy, huh? Now dump the contents out and toss everything you don’t absolutely need in a separate pile. Try the picking up the bag with just the essentials — better, right? Remember, you can buy clothes and gear on the road, trade books and do without a lot of stuff. That goes for boards, too. Do you really need three boards, or can you get by with one?
- Cash up. Travel is less stressful with adequate funds. Figure out what your trip will realistically cost and add a 15 percent cash cushion on top of that. Extra money equals more options.
- Have a plan. Leave a rough itinerary with your parents or a trusted friend and check in at regular intervals.
- Be flexible. The plan isn’t written in stone; if you get a chance to crew on a sailboat, attend a wedding, or go off on a side trip with new friends, take it. Just let the folks at home know where you’re going.
- Trust your instincts. If some person or situation creeps you out, get out of there! You are responsible for your own safety.
- Talk to strangers. You didn’t travel halfway around the world to listen to your iPod; ask for directions from that cute girl at the bus stop, get recommendations for hotels or restaurants from people you meet along the way.
- Join groups. Take a vineyard tour, be the extra guy on a boat trip out to the reef, tag along on a museum tour.
- Get a job. Pick apples, help bring in the grape harvest or tend bar. The best way to get to know a place is to work there.
- Take precautions. Get your shots and take the malaria meds. Use bag checks and storage lockers for extra gear; take a padlock for your budget hotel room door. Make copies of your passport and travelers check numbers and leave them at home.
- Just go. There’s nothing stopping you. You can make money later, but you’ll never be able to buy the time back.