At the beginning of the year my friend Belle told us she was going to spend the summer traveling all over Europe. Terrific! Who are you going with? No one. Aacckkk. Are you sure that’s a good idea? Four months on her own in strange countries is daunting for any solo traveler, let alone Belle who only just turned 21 and had never left the small town where she grew up. Of course–after all was said and done– she had a fabulous time! Leave it to a 21-year old to have such confidence (and naivety perhaps?)
Belle’s advice for solo travel: Believe it’s all going to work out. Trust that humans are good, and they are going to help you if you need something. At the same time you have to be incredibly paranoid and ready for action. Sounds like sage advice. Let’s break it down though, shall we?
Get used to being alone. When you’re still in your hometown, go out to dinner or go shopping by yourself. It’s less alarming to test the waters in a comfortable setting. While you are on these outings, force yourself to strike up conversations with strangers to see what it feels like.
If you really want to test yourself, take a short local trip alone. If you live in Los Angeles, drive up the coast to Santa Barbara and spend the night there alone. Ease yourself into traveling by yourself, so it feels less daunting. It can already be unnerving to travel somewhere foreign, so if you are also nervous about the idea of traveling alone, it will only add to your anxiety. Lessen this possible concern by venturing out alone to nearby places.
Make some contacts in your destination before you leave. Join traveler forums and offer to meet up with someone headed to your destination. My friend, Belle, plays an unusual sport and she contacted the local teams in each city she was going to visit to see if they’d be practicing. While she wasn’t always able to join them in practice, most were welcoming, and they offered her places to stay or to meet up for dinner. If you have a hobby or interest, check out clubs in the region you’re headed to before you leave and reach out!
Safety is key. Stay in an area of the city that is known to be safe.
Always look as though you know where you’re headed, and move with the determination that you are trying to get somewhere on time. In other words, look at the map before you hit the streets. Pulling out a map or looking around in a confused manner will peg you as a foreigner and make you a target for unsavory characters. If you need to ask for directions, preface your question with “I’m late to meet my husband/fiancé/boyfriend at (wherever you need directions to)”, so that you’ve made it known that someone will be looking for you if you don’t show up soon.
Learn local customs. Learn the local etiquette. There are some places where women should make sure they are covered up and dressed modestly. Take your clothing cues from the women you see. Some places you should be sure not to drink alcohol in public. There are other areas where women and men should not shake hands. See, it’s not only the local language you need to learn, but also the local customs.
Download some of the terrific apps out there. TripAdvisor has a great app with an offline map. This enables you to use a map to get around a strange city without having to burn cellphone minutes or use your data plan. They also have reviews for sights and restaurants. The app even offers guided walks around each city, so you can see sights and learn information as you go.
EmergenSee app allows you to transmit video, audio & GPS at the click of a button so that in an emergency selected family and/or friends can see, hear and track what’s going on. They can alert police if you can’t.
All in all, before you travel the world alone, roam the World Wide Web. Let technology be your traveling partner. Also – follow Belle’s last piece of advice: practice your thug walk.
Heidi Nazarudin is a blogger at Heidi & Co. She grew up in NYC, Kuala Lumpur, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, before settling in Santa Monica. After graduating college, she took a job in investment banking, and by 27 she was the youngest VP, managing 150 people, and making more money than she knew what to do with. Then, she had a nervous breakdown, and realized it wasn’t worth it. She is now the co-founder and President of Blogger Babes and writes fabulous travel guides.
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