How to Travel Solo for the First Time: The Honest Guide (Without Unnecessary Romanticism)

What nobody tells you before your first solo trip — from choosing your destination to the nights that feel long

Choose a solo-friendly destination, not the most impressive one

Your first solo trip isn't for going somewhere with no tourist infrastructure where you don't speak the language and transport is unpredictable. That comes later, once you know how it feels to be alone in an unfamiliar country. For your first: choose a destination with a good public transport network, hostels with active common areas and an established solo traveller community. Lisbon, Bangkok, Berlin, Medellín, Tokyo or Copenhagen are places where solo travellers are the norm, not the exception. Avoid the trap of going to a couples destination for your first solo trip — it's not the moment for 'romantic spots'.

Hostels are still the best way to meet people (with caveats)

If you're over 30 and have never stayed in a hostel, the idea might feel regressive. It isn't. The difference between a good hostel and a bad one is the common areas: bar, shared kitchen, organised activities. In a hostel with those three things, you meet people more easily than at any wedding. The key is filtering: read reviews specifically looking for comments about 'social atmosphere' and 'bar'. A hostel with bad beds but a good bar and people who go out together is worth more for a solo trip than one with luxury beds and absolute silence. If your budget allows, a private room in a hostel — not a hotel — gives you the best of both worlds.

Join a free walking tour on day one — always

The free walking tour is the most underrated tool for solo travellers. It's not actually free — you tip at the end, between €5 and €15 — but what you're buying is: city orientation in two hours, historical context told by someone who knows how to deliver it, and a group of eight to twenty people who are in exactly your situation (alone, first time in the city, keen to meet someone for a drink afterwards). In 80% of cases, the free walking tour ends with a beer with two or three people from the group. It's the most efficient way to break the ice of the first few days.

Safety: real fear vs imagined fear

Most fears about travelling solo are imagined fears, not statistical ones. The risk of experiencing a serious crime as a solo tourist in popular destinations is extremely low. The real risks are more mundane: pickpockets on public transport, taxi scams at airports, and leaving your phone on the bar table. Basic rules: use a crossbody bag or a backpack with zips facing inward on public transport, agree the taxi price before getting in (or use apps like Uber or Grab), keep your passport in the hotel safe. For connectivity, a local eSIM eliminates the need to connect to unknown public wifis. And travel insurance is not optional — a basic policy costs less than €2 a day and covers medical, cancellations and lost luggage.

Loneliness exists — and that's fine

Solo travel has parts Instagram doesn't show: Sunday nights in an unfamiliar city with no one to have dinner with, the moment of seeing something incredible with nobody to share it in that instant, or the evening when you simply don't feel like socialising and stay in the hostel without going out. All of that is part of the trip and doesn't mean something is going wrong. It means you're having a real experience instead of a group experience where someone always organises the plans. The trick for difficult nights: a downloaded book, series you had pending (with NordVPN if you're in Asia and your home catalogue isn't available), or simply going out for a walk with no destination — which in a new city is always a valid option.

The solo traveller budget: the single room is expensive, the rest isn't

The only real financial disadvantage of travelling solo is that you don't split accommodation. A double room for single use typically costs between 60 and 80% of a shared double — you pay almost the same for half the space. The solution is obvious: hostels (dorm bed or private hostel room) or platforms with per-person rather than per-room pricing. In everything else, solo travel can be cheaper: you eat where you want (no group consensus needed), you move at your own pace, and there's no pressure to take taxis when public transport works. For payments, a no-fee travel card makes a real difference on a long trip.

The apps that actually matter for solo travel

You don't need twelve travel apps. You need six: Google Maps downloaded offline (navigation without data), Duolingo or Google Translate (basic communication), Hostelworld or Booking (last-minute accommodation), Skyscanner or Kiwi (flights), iOverlander or Polarsteps (solo traveller community with location ratings), and WhatsApp (because that's where you'll arrange to meet the people you connect with). Add a local eSIM for data without depending on wifi on arrival day — the worst moment to be without connectivity is a new country's airport at 2am.