The idea of booking a solo trip can be exciting — but also a little scary. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your very first solo adventure or your fifth; every trip comes with its own question marks.
Sometimes we wonder if traveling alone will feel lonely without friends or family. Other times, we worry about safety, costs, or the endless planning. But deep down, we do dream about it. We scroll through social media, see someone exploring a new city, and feel that spark — I should go there as well.
Then, reality chimes in with excuses:
“I’ll go when I have more money.”
“I’ll wait until a friend joins.”
“I’ll book it after this busy month.”
But once you finally decide to go for it, the planning can actually feel empowering. This post aims give you the motivation and make the process easier — and help you find peace of mind while planning your solo journey.
How Do I Pick My Destination as a Solo Traveller?
Whether you want to travel and do not know where to start, or have that one country you want to visit, or cannot pick between multiple ones, one thing to make sure should be to ask ourselves why?
Ask Yourself: Why Do I Want to Travel?
- Do we want to move away from our current environment?
- Do we want to feel free?
- Do we want to be in a place where we do not even speak the language to just feel no responsibility and get a breath of fresh air?
- Maybe we are curious about the culture of the country and want to see with our own eyes.
- Or we just want to travel and don’t even know why.
All of these reasons are valid enough to go book that trip, and I will list some reasons for you.
Time Passes Anyway
The time just goes on no matter what you do now, tomorrow, or next week, but your wishes and desires still wait to be actualized.
You can postpone the trip to next year, after you retire, or when you have more money. But that wish will always be inside of you, waiting as time passes, and you will have more and more wishes.
I believe in this life you should treat yourself as you are your favorite person and make those wishes come true. You do not have to do it all at once — just take even the smallest step towards your wishes.
Things Change With Time
Another reason is that when you want to visit a certain country, the culture, monuments, everything can change in time.
For example, when I went to Paris, Notre Dame was under construction because of the fire that happened, so at that time I couldn’t visit it. I’m not saying we have any control over what happens, and this is just a tiny example that things you wish to see could eventually change in time.
So give yourself that dream come true.
What If Finances Aren’t Enough?
About the finances not being enough, I completely understand this issue, but you can still:
- book ahead of time with flights and accommodations
- go in a non-touristic season when accommodations and flights are cheaper
Just to make that wish of yours come true.
Be the Genie That Grants Your Wishes
So be the genie that grants your wishes and give yourself that wish to go on your solo trip, whether it’s the first one or the 10th one.
Safety First Especially on a Solo Trip
Before choosing a destination, always do a quick Google search and check a few Reddit threads to see what other solo travelers say about it. Read personal stories — not just official travel advisories — to get a realistic picture.
I recommend checking multiple sources and comparing experiences. If most travelers say the area feels safe, you’ll gain confidence and travel with a calmer mind.
I also use chatgpt to save a bit of time when researching but I would not take its word as 100% correct and also check real people’s experiences on top of that.
The Two Big Things to Book First for your Solo Trip
The first two things to check off your list are flights and accommodation.
For flights, I usually start with Google Flights — it’s great for comparing prices across different airlines and travel sites. Once I find a good deal, I double-check it on platforms like Kiwi.com or MyTrip to see if it’s listed cheaper elsewhere.
For accommodation, Booking.com is still my go-to. Look for places with solid reviews from solo travelers, and make sure it’s located in a safe and well-connected neighborhood. I go for places with a rating above 8+ and make sure it has at least 5 reviews, and I go through the reviews to get an idea of my future accommodation experience.
Try to Budget by Researching Deep
Take some time to understand how much things cost in your destination — transportation, food, attractions, and day trips. Sometimes we underestimate how affordable a place can be once we actually look into it.
Cooking at home could be a big money saver. Also, using public transport when going to places.
Sometimes we book away from the city center to book a more affordable trip, but always make sure to research the cost of public transport as well, because if you need to use more than one form of transportation to get to the city center every day, that cost can build up easily to be equal or more than the cost of accommodation that was in the city center.
This happened to me in Stockholm, Sweden. I booked an accommodation that was 1 hour 15 minutes from the city center. And I would use 2–3 different ways of transportation to get to the center — first a bus, then a train, and then the metro.
And I realized this cost me more in a week than just staying in the center. Also, it was not time efficient as well.
Final Words
Each person has their own reasons to travel to another country — what is your reasoning? Let me know in the comments. I hope this post inspires you to bring that wish of travelling to life!
