If you’ve ever been travelling with the friend who is forever losing their things and making you retrace your steps, or getting blind drunk so that you’re needing to look after them all night, or just complaining about every little hiccup along the way, chances are you have considered a solo travelling jaunt.
Last month, I ventured out on a solo trip. My reasons were simple, I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, plus I wanted to relax and have some time out.
Here are some lessons learnt from going it solo:
1. Look like you know where you’re going
Nothing attracts unwanted attention like someone looking a little dazed and confused. Want to be surrounded by shady characters offering everything from illicit substances to a room at their relatives guest house? Simply stand on the street corner, guidebook in hand looking a little lost.
If you do need to consult the guidebook, solo travellers should do so discreetly. Duck in to a cafe and peruse the pages of your chosen guide over a cup of coffee or map out your journey prior to leaving your hotel room. Even if you do find yourself lost, walking like someone on a mission can at least give the impression that you have somewhere to go and thus not make it so obvious you’re a tourist. Opting to avoid bum bags or touristy t-shirts can also help downplay the tourist factor (not to mention doing wonders for your style).
2. Always have a book on hand
If you have travelled in a pair or groups in the past, the biggest difference you may notice when you take off solo is that it can be a little harder to kill time when faced with travelling’s inevitable delays. Whether its a stopover at an airport, waiting for the bus that never comes or being stuck in a cafe for hours while waiting for the monsoonal rain to at least ease off enough to be able to see where you’re walking (a recent experience for me), when travelling with others it is easy to whittle away this time with mindless chit chat.
But travelling solo doesn’t have to mean boredom when such delays occur. Why not use such down times as an opportunity to conquer those books you’ve had on your to-read list for a while? Not a reader? Take along an ipod with some interesting podcasts (and music of course), or exercise your mind with some a soduku or crossword book. To embrace real minimalism you could use the opportunity to learn the art of meditation.
3. If you haven’t been to your destination before, do your homework.
While it can be a bit of an adventure to arrive in a foreign city late at night with no plans and the world at your feet, if you don’t know some simple facts about your destination like what area of the city is best for late night hotel check-ins or what the big scams are to look out for, you could find yourself in an interesting situation to say the least.
A few years ago on a late night arrival at Bangkok airport (just missing the last bus into town) my budget hotel options were looking pretty slim. I thought I had found a bargain when I stumbled upon an extraordinarily cheap little guest house that was still taking guests in the early hours of the morning. I ignored confused looks at check-in but begun feeling suspicious when I was kept awake with certain sounds all night. It didn’t take too long to figure out what was going on but waking up in the morning and noticing that the ‘guest house’ was named the Pleasure Hotel confirmed what was now painfully obvious - I had stayed in a brothel. While it makes a good travellers tale, I could have had a far less ‘interrupted’ night’s sleep if I’d done a little research first.
There is way too much information out there to turn up anywhere in the world without having at least some idea what you’re in for. You don’t have to follow the popular guidebook’s itineraries (some of the most interesting places I have discovered in any city were stumbled upon and not listed in any guidebook) but some understanding of customs, laws, transport, cuisine and the layout of a city can be a great asset for any solo traveller.
4. Pack light
Tim Ferris writes a great post on this here. I must admit though, as much as I advocate travelling light and not that I am a complete fashionista, but I do like travelling with more than two different outfits so my bag weighs a little bit more than Tim’s. However, I do believe you can travel light and still travel with style. In fact, on my last trip I experimented with travelling with hand luggage only while still trying to maximize the ’style’ of my travelling wardrobe, but I’ll go into that more in an upcoming post (as promised).
The reason behind this point is quite practical. Apart from saving your shoulders, this can be very helpful for the simple things like going to the bathroom at the airport (as you can’t ask your friend to watch your bags while you duck into the bathroom).
5. Be friendly
The old adage rings true for solo travelling - you do sow what you reap. If you are friendly to fellow travellers and locals, you are much more likely to receive kindness in return if you do need a helping hand.
Too many times I have witnessed a traveller behaving badly towards the locals and then expect assistance if they lose a bag, miss a bus etc. What goes around comes around.
I experienced this recently when I was on an island that had limited and expensive internet access and I had a fair bit of online work to do. I had been frequenting a more expensive cafe to make use of their free wifi and had befriended one of the cafe workers. A few times we had great chats about her family, what she did and didn’t like about her job etc. After a few days she allowed me to use the wifi even if I only bought a water (the policy was that you had a to buy a more expensive meal to score the free wifi) and a few days after that even let me in a local secret about where you could score some free wifi access. Just like your mother used to tell you - a little bit of kindness goes a long way.
And a few points just for women:
7. Have a shotgun wedding
In many cultures, single and married women are treated quite differently. When solo travelling it can save some hassle to have a wedding ring on your finger (in fact in a really sticky situation before I have found having a make believe husband who ’should be here soon’ is enough to get your out of trouble). It mightn’t be fair and it might seem a bit archaic but in certain countries it might save you enough trouble to make it worth your while.
9. Watch your drinks
This point is relevant for both sexes but for female solo travellers in particular it is well worth it to keep a keen eye on your drinks.
Back in the good old days, a man offering to buy you a drink was just a nice bonus for a solo female traveller (as long as there isn’t too much expectation attached to that drink). But in these modern times a free drink can mean something way more sinister so without becoming suspicious of everyone you meet, it can be worth keeping one eye on your drink (even if the other eye is checking out the talent).
Want to read more? Check out these solo travel links:
Last Carriage
Vagabonding
Solo Travel Blog
What are your solo travelling tips? If you have some hints worth sharing or have a story from the road, add it in the comments… we’d love to hear from you.
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