Tips for the first time solo traveller
Guest Post from Luna Anderson
Travelling solo for the first time?
I receive a great deal of queries about how exactly I start preparing for journeys, what are the essential things to do in advance and also how I find out the best places to go. Therefore I thought that I would come up with some fundamental ideas to assist any solo traveller planning on ‘taking the leap’ for the time – things that will help you feel more confident and prepared.
Arriving at your chosen destination
I highly suggest you have your ‘next steps’ upon arrival all mapped out. The airport part is simple – just follow the signs to customs, baggage claim, passport control, and exit!
Understandably, it’s often at that first moment you arrive that you begin to feel anxious. You may have travelled a considerable distance already, you may be exhausted, somewhat disorientated. You therefore want to understand which town or city you are heading to and how you will get there before you get arrive.
Cash
Of course, you are likely to need money to pay for public transportation as soon as you get there. It’s unlikely you will be able to purchase a ticket using a travel money card if that’s how you have decided to control your spending, so cash it is! To avoid that frantic search for an ATM as soon as you arrive, it’s wise to sort out some foreign money at home before you leave.
I always stay away from withdrawing money from the airport ATMs due to the fact that they usually have higher charges.
Mobile Phones
Everyone is different, with different budgets and varying needs when it comes to wanting to keep in touch with folks back home. For me personally, I do not bother with having my Smartphone on roaming when I’m travelling solo.
Since I am travelling alone, I do not have to be in continuous connection with anyone – in fact, that is half the point! Therefore, I keep my Smartphone on the flight mode the whole time and depend on GPS and free Wi-Fi.
Choosing where to stay
If you haven’t arranged this up front before you leave; as as a first time solo traveller, it would probably be a good idea to; I highly suggest finding somewhere within walking range of the city centre if you possibly can. This has the advantage of being reachable easily from the flight terminal, and also this implies that you can hit the ground running – step onto the doorstep and begin sightseeing! I am a big lover of walking all over a city to get a feel for it. It is the most effective way.
If you are more of a backpacker and want to explore the wilderness, just make sure you prepare all necessary gear such as a like tent, sleeping bag, first aid kit… in advance. And knowing how to stay warm in a tent is important when the cold night comes.
Security & Safety
Here are a few of my easy tips to stay risk-free while you are on your exciting solo journey:
– It is usually a toss-up for me whether I keep my belongings in the hotel or hostel safe or take them with me whenever I am out and about. You will find pros and cons to both, so my best tip is simply not to take anything that you cannot afford to replace or lose.
– Make use of a money belt under the clothes; honestly, that is quite a risk-free choice. However – ensure you don’t keep all your cash in the money belt. Nothing will scream ‘tourist’ more than a person standing at a counter searching under their shirt to grab the wallet – don’t single yourself out as a potential victim.
– Try not to look excessively like a ‘traveller’. Needless to say, the moment you begin taking pictures you are likely to look much less like a local, however you can at least make an effort to look confident as if you know exactly where you are and what you are doing.
– Stay away from standing on the street corner and looking lost with your head buried in a huge paper map. Make use of a map on your phone; it is considerably more skillful. And move away from crowds of people if you have lost your bearings – take a seat on the park bench, have some water, take in the views as you collect yourself.
– You should stay alert but not weirded out. Get familiar with your surroundings, know where your belongings are all times, don’t leave your stuff with strangers (it’s easy to get over-familar with new friends when travellig), be sensible.
– Make sure you have travel insurance. I can’t stress this enough. You do not need to have the most high-priced plan, yet make sure that you may have yourself insured for the things which are very important. Sspend a little bit of your time on any comparison website, and go through the terms and conditions.
Author Bio:
I’m Luna and I’m the founder of HikerTrack a blog about outdoor activities. In my blog, I want to show you the endless possibilities of this world and open your mind to experience over possession. It might be the best fit for you who are looking for inspiration to start travelling or practical tips on the go.
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/customer/www/lifesgreatadventures.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/multimag-theme/includes/single/post-tags-categories.php on line 7
