5 Essential Tips for First Time Solo Travellers

Travelling solo is often described as being one of the most liberating and amazing things a person can experience in their life. However, the idea of solo travelling can sound scary for some people, but fear not, here are 5 essential tips to make your trip much easier.

1. Start Small

If you aren’t used to being alone, some of the things you can do to build your courage and confidence is to take baby steps. This can be seeing a movie or going to eat at a restaurant alone, and gradually move to travelling solo for a day. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but over time you will learn to enjoy your own company and hopefully help you take the leap of faith to solo travel.

2. Pick The Right Destination

Every destination has its pros and cons, but if you don’t know where to go, one thing you can do is look up “best destinations for solo travellers.” or “safe destinations for solo travellers.” We recommend either Taiwan or Portugal, since they both are famous for travel safety and attract millions of visitors each year.

For solo travellers, we recommend booking a studio apartment such as the Olala Lin Studio apartment or the Olala Lisbon Oriente Suites. Our studios are spacious enough for one person and are typically larger than a traditional hotel room. At the same time, some of our studios are fully equipped everything you need including kitchen amenities, so you have the option to cook for yourself in your own way when you don’t feel like eating out.

3. Be Prepared

No matter how much you prepare, unexpected things can always happen. But the more you know, the more prepared you will feel and the less stressful your trip will become.

Always research the destination you are visiting such as the cultural norms, how to dress, transportation, etc.

Having travel insurance is highly recommended in case of an emergency. Especially now with the pandemic, keeping up to date with COVID-19 testing and vaccinations protocols should be done through the CDC.

When it comes to packing, consider the following:

First aid kit (bandaids, throat losenges, after bite, tweezers, ibuprofen).
Don’t forget to bring a portable charger!
Make sure you have clothes that you can layer and pack accordingly based on the weather and how long you are staying.

4. Safety First

A major concern people have before and while travelling is safety. Something to keep in mind is that anything can happen anywhere, regardless of whether the destination is safe or not. Therefore, it is good to know the dangers and how to avoid them if possible.

Avoid dressing up with too fancy goods.
Leave important valuable in a safety box in the hotel or apartment.
Research common tourist scams in the destination you are visiting.
Be aware of your surroundings and don’t be afraid to politely say no and leave when approached by strangers.

5. Join Activities/Tours

Tours are a great way to meet new people while exploring the city without the hassle of organizing where to go and what to see yourself. Usually tour guides also have the best recommendations, as they know the city really well.

We recommend Civitatis, as they are the leading website for guided tours.