I still remember standing in arrivals hall at Lisbon airport completely alone. Phone sitting at 12% and genuinely zero clue how I was gonna get to my hostel. My hands were actually shaking a little, ngl.
That was three years ago. Now? Solo travel’s basically my favorite thing in the world. Funny how that works out.
If you’re staring down your first solo trip right now. Somewhere between excited and quietly panicking, I get it. I really do. This guide’s basically everything I wish someone had told me before that Lisbon trip, the practical stuff, the mistakes I made, and the tricks that actually work.
Before You Book: Mindset and Planning
Honestly the hardest part of solo travel is not the trip. It’s deciding to book it. From what I’ve seen overthinking kills solo trips than anything else does.
- Start with a beginner-friendly place. Somewhere with good English signs, easy transport, and decent tourism setup. Portugal, Japan and Canada were great starting points for me.
- Give yourself more time than you think you need. Rushing through five cities in seven days sounds good on paper… But it’s tiring doing it all solo.
- Loosely plan your first two days. Jet lag plus a new city is confusing enough without also worrying about where you’re gonna sleep. Book your first couple nights ahead then wing the rest.
- Tell someone your rough plan. A family member or friend should know roughly where you’ll be and when. Costs nothing, and it’s just smart.
- Accept you’ll feel awkward at first. Eating alone, asking for directions alone, it feels weird the first few times. But it stops feeling weird way faster than you’d think.
Money and Budgeting Tips
Money stress can honestly wreck an otherwise amazing trip, so getting this sorted early matters a lot.
- Get a card with no foreign transaction fees. This alone probably saved me like $200 on my first two-week trip. Do this before you even book anything else.
- Carry some local cash — not everywhere takes cards, especially markets and small cafes.
- Use a budgeting app, or honestly even just your notes app. Track what you are spending daily so you are not blindsided halfway through trip.
- Build in a buffer fund. Something always comes up. A missed train, A random rainstorm forcing you into a taxi, an emergency toothache (been there, done that). Aim for like 15-20% extra on top of whatever you’ve budgeted.
- Look into tipping culture ahead of time. It is different and getting it wrong can feel awkward or come off as rude.
Packing Smart for One
Nobody’s carrying your bag but you, so pack like it.
- Stick to one carry-on-sized bag if you can — mobility matters way more than having options
- Pack a portable charger and a universal adapter, non-negotiable, don’t skip this
- Bring a doorstop or a portable door lock, just for extra peace of mind in hostels
- Pack clothes that mix and match easily
- Always carry a printed copy of your important documents, separate from your phone
Don’t overpack “just in case” stuff. After doing this on a bunch of trips myself, I’ve realized like 80% of “just in case” items never actually get used.
Pack a small first-aid kit. Pain relievers, band aids, any personal meds all of that should be in your carry-on not checked luggage.
Safety Tips Every Beginner Needs
This is the section people ask me about the most understandably.
- Research neighborhoods before booking. Just googling “is area safe” plus your destination can save you a lot of trouble.
- Share your live location with someone you trust the most. Phones have this built in now. Cost nothing adds huge peace of mind.
- Trust your gut, always. If a situation feels off, leave. I’ve cut short dinners and walked out of sketchy-feeling bars more than once, no regrets.
- Avoid flashing valuables. Expensive cameras and jewelry make you target. Blend in where you can.
- Have offline maps downloaded. Google Maps lets you save maps for offline use — genuinely a lifesaver when you lose signal.
- Register with your embassy for longer trips. Many countries offer free traveler registration programs for exactly these situations.
Navigating Accommodation Alone
Where you stay honestly shapes the whole trip more than people think.
- Hostels aren’t for 20-somethings anymore. Loads of them have private rooms now, plus shared social spaces, kinda the best of both worlds if you want people around without actually sharing a room.
- Read recent reviews, not the star rating. Look for what other solo travelers say about safety and the staff there.
- Pick location over luxury on your first trip. A simple place in a central, walkable spot beats some fancy hotel stuck way out from everything.
Meeting People on the Road
This honestly surprised me the most about solo travel, you’re rarely actually alone unless you want to be.
- Say yes to group activities. Free walking tours, hostel dinners, day trips these are basically built in friend making machines.
- Use apps made for meeting other travelers. There’s stuff built specifically for solo travelers that connects you with people in the same city.
Quick story, on that same Lisbon trip, I joined a free walking tour on day one, purely out of boredom. Ended up grabbing dinner with three people from that tour and we ended up traveling together for the next four days. Didn’t plan single bit of it.
Staying Connected, Without Losing the Moment
- Grab a local SIM or eSIM the second you land. Staying connected matters a lot more when you’re solo — maps, translating stuff, checking in with people back home, all of it.
- Set some boundaries with your phone. It is tempting to try and document everything. But honestly my best solo travel memories are from the times I put the phone down and kinda forgot it existed for a bit.
Common Mistakes First Timers Make
- Overpacking their itinerary and leaving no downtime at all
- Not researching basic local customs or etiquette
- Skipping travel insurance to save a small amount upfront
- Being afraid to eat alone in restaurants ( nobody notices or cares)
- Not backing up important documents digitally
Final Thought
Your first solo trip won’t be perfect. And honestly? It’s not supposed to be. Mine had a missed train some kind of mix up at the hostel and this one awkward moment. Where I tried ordering food in my terrible broken Portuguese. But those are the stories I still tell people.
Solo travel teaches you how capable you really are, faster than pretty much anything else. So just book the trip. You’ll figure the rest out along the way — that’s kind of the whole point.
FAQ’s
Is solo travel safe for beginners?
Yeah, generally it is. Especially if you stick to beginner-friendly spots and cover the basics — look into your neighborhood beforehand, share your location with someone you trust, and just go with your gut. Million of people do this every year without a hitch.
What is a budget for solo travel?
Honestly, depends where you’re headed. Good rule of thumb: look up the average daily cost for that place, then add another 15-20% for whatever comes up out of nowhere. A budgeting app helps too, keeps you from getting blindsided near the end.
Will I get lonely traveling alone?
Less than you’d think, honestly. Hostels, walking tours and group stuff all of it puts you around other people. A lot of solo travelers end up meeting people, if they had a friend with them because you come off as more approachable and open to random plans.