You finally found the courage to plan a solo trip, but then you realize you have no idea what you’re doing (we’ve all been there on our first solo trip). You realize that without having to negotiate with other people for what to do, you have no idea what you want out of trip. What do I even want to do with my time? What would be my ideal trip?
Don’t worry, we got you.
We break down how to plan and get the most out of your solo trip based on your solo travel style
The Spontaneous Traveler
Do you shy away from committing to plans?
Do you like to the fly by the seat of your pants and see where the day takes you?
Do your friends know you as the person that would jump on the train to Philly to see a concert?
Do you love to wander into small shops and local restaurants without checking them out on Yelp first?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you are a spontaneous traveler.
Here’s how to plan your ideal trip:
Go to Cities
Especially major cities in Asia and Europe, you can get away with planning less because there are so many options at your disposal. You’ll have countless restaurants, nightlife, museums, and art galleries that you can bop in and out of at your leisure. You can also spend your days wandering the streets and seeing what you run into — Tokyo is one of the best cities for this.
Take Advantage of Last Minute Deals
Travel Zoo and Travel Pirates, two companies specializing in flash sales {think a getaway to Punta Cana for $168}, are a gold mine for spontaneous travelers. Also keep an eye out for JetBlue flight flash sales that often feature one-way domestic flights for under $100.
Another great tool if you’re looking to explore all your flight options is Skyscanner. You can search for the cheapest flights for an entire month or for the entire year. You can also enter a specific location or search the entire world for the cheapest flights for the time period of your choosing. For the spontaneous traveler, this may be your new travel addiction.
Invest in Renting a WIFI Hotspot or SIM Cards
Although I always recommend not relying on WIFI when traveling abroad, if you intend to do little planning for a trip it is crucial to have access to the internet both for looking up things to do as well as keeping yourself safe. While traveling to a new country without a plan can be exciting, without as much research, you aren’t as informed about the safety and culture so it’s crucial to have a working phone in case you get into a dangerous situation.
Stay in Hostels
Even if you can afford to stay in nicer accommodations, I would recommend staying in a hostel to meet other travelers. Find a hostel that has a large communal area to hang out in or that serves food onsite so you can easily make new friends. Other travelers are great resources for ideas for things to do that you may not have thought of or places to avoid. You may end up meeting people to travel with on your journey and without set plans, you are free to pivot and join them.
The Travel Planner
Do you make detailed itineraries for trips {maybe down to the hour}?
Do you research everything you want to see and do in advance?
Do you book everything possible before you land and leave nothing up to chance?
Do you watch an extensive amount of videos and look up images of everything you want to see and do?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you are a travel planner.
Here’s How To Make the Most of Your Trip:
Figure Out What Style of Trip You Want Before You Start Researching
Do you want a relaxing vacation laying on the beach or do you want to be trekking through the rainforest? Do you want to be in the heart of a bustling city or relaxing in a hammock enjoying the view on top of a mountain?
Figuring out the style of the trip you want before you start planning allows you to narrow your focus to find activities that will create that style of trip. If you start randomly researching whatever you find interesting, you may end up creating a trip where you are running around a city site-seeing when you really wanted to also spend time in nature.
Make Your Own Pre-Vetted Yelp With Google Maps
Google Maps has the fun feature called MyMaps, where you can create specific points of interest on a map and add in descriptions, color-coded icons for different categories, and even add multiple layers (just in case you want to make a Plan B itinerary). It’s a great way to have all the possible things you want to do that you’ve pre-researched at your fingertips. That way if you get to a location and are hungry, you can pull out your pre-created map and see if any of the places you researched are nearby.
Start with Booking Hotels/Flights First
I always feel committed to a trip and less stressed once I book my flights and hotels. These are the two major anchors of any trip and once you have them secured, you can breathe easy that the hardest part is over. As the trip gets closer, then you can start planning out specific things you want to do and tours/activities that you want to book.
Research People That Took a Similar Solo Trip
Hearing first hand-accounts from people that have already taken the trip that you are planning will give you more insight into what you are getting yourself into. It will help flesh out a mental picture of what your trip will be like. Oftentimes these travelers will have ideas about what not to miss, what to avoid, and any other relevant information that will help you get the most of out of your experience.
The Experimental Traveler
Do you love trying new things?
Do you crave experiences within a new surrounding?
Do you have no preference on what you do, you just want do it all?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you are an experimental traveler.
Here’s How To Make the Most of Your Trip:
Seek Out Major Cities
Major cities have a constant stream of fun and interesting things to do to satisfy the dynamic city dwellers. Whether you want to go to a museum, see an improv show, go to an art gallery, or go bar hopping, you can find it all in a city. Not only will you find more new and unique experiences in a city, you’ll also find there is a never-ending supply of new things to do.
Research Travel Guides Made by Locals
To get the most out of your trip and have the most new experiences, look into guides made my locals. They will have an insider perspective on what things are worth going to and what are worth skipping so you can make the most out of your limited time.
Blend Elements of Planning and Spontaneity
With your goal of getting the most new experiences, there needs to be elements of planning and elements of seeing where the wind takes you.
Book your flight in advance and the first hotel you plan to stay at, but leave the rest of the lodging until you get to your destination. This will allow you to get a feel for your first destination and adjust accordingly if you find another location where there is more to do. You can easily get last minute lodging at hostelworld or booking.com.
Research what things you absolutely must do and book them in advance. Also have a list of things that you may want to do depending on time but that you don’t book in advance. This allows you to prioritize the experiences that are most important to you while also giving you the ability to be flexible with your future plans.
Thanks for reading!
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By Cait Saizan Chizoba Anyaoha
What travel type are you? Tag us on IG @travsolo on your solo adventure.