Solo Traveling 101

Throughout my total of four months abroad, I have been on a variety of solo trips. These have varied from little day trips, full weekends, and even just hanging out for a few hours waiting for friends to arrive in the new country. It's definitely been a whole new experience, but I wanted to make this post to ease some nerves, give some advice, and just general information on what it's like solo traveling!

I originally decided to begin solo traveling because all of my friends had class, and I was left with full free days with nothing to do. It was easy for me to feel anxious while just sitting around while everyone was busy or traveling. It honestly made me pretty restless, which was the primary reason why I decided to start traveling solo (that along with wanting to do things that no one wanted to do/had time for). I was definitely nervous at first; traveling fully by yourself in a whole different country that doesn't really speak the same language as you is scary. It took me a few days to fully work up the guts to purchase train tickets to Marrakesh. A big part of it is trusting the process, your gut, and knowing general information as to where you are going. I always looked up good solo traveling recommendations, which led to many different rabbit holes about different places around the globe. Obviously, my solo trips were to safe locations, and I always looked through social media and articles to see if I could handle the crime that was going on in the area. Most places will always have at least one negative review; compared to the United States, most places are generally at the same level or safer than most places I have lived in America.

My very first trip fully by myself was two nights in Marrakesh, the most touristy destination in Morocco. I chose this location because it had the highest percentage of English speakers and the most activities to do (which meant more chances to meet people). For my first trip back in January, I was still pretty type A and planned my itinerary beforehand using the app getyourguide. I used this to book all my guided tours and fun activities like buggy rides and hot air balloon rides. I also used the app Hostelworld to book cheap accommodations. I used this for all my solo traveling because it was the easiest way to make friends! It’s super user friendly and I like how you can filter it to see which ones have deals like welcome night discounts and free breakfast or towels. In the first hour at my hostel in Marrakesh, I not only made friends with the kid who was working there, but also two of the travelers. Most of them were from various parts of the globe including Egypt, the UK, Germany and Norway. I feel like this is always one of the main concerns with solo traveling; however, all the hostels I have experienced in Morocco are extremely easygoing and welcoming. This is not the case though for every hostel, I would definitely check the reviews before booking a place! Most of the time it is just small talk conversations, always including the same basic questions like “Where are you from?”. If you do want to make plans further than just casual hostel conversation, you do have to put yourself out there, due to most people already having an idea of day-to-day plans or their own friends. This is something I didn't figure out until the end of my abroad term. Worst case scenario they say no and you don't ever see them again! Best case scenario, you become more go with the flow and make some new lifelong friends as I did. That's the one real lesson I learned from solo traveling, going with the flow and saying yolo! You will never see these people again; so put yourself out there and do it with no regrets :)

Some of my other solo travels have been to Brussels, Belgium, Tangier, Morocco and Mar

sielle, France with smaller day trips to Madrid, Porto and Paris. I have indeed loved all these stops but there are definitely different groups of travelers in different locations. I would recommend looking at the different hostels to see if the vibe is what you are looking for. Due to such a large variety of hostel types in large cities, some can feel more hotel-ish while others feel more like a small community. Others will have daily events, and others will be more for people just passing through. The more you travel, the easier it will be to start having preferences. Overtime, I figured out I definitely prefer hostels with free breakfast, curtained beds instead of typical bunkbeds and walking distance to lots of the main activities in the cities.

Overall, solo traveling is so good for self discovery and self growth. You wont just learn how to navigate obstacles and tough situations solo, but you will learn how to be comfortable doing normal everyday things by yourself even if its just “grabbing dinner” while also learning to be more spontaneous with random new friends. Post-abroad, I would of never been comfortable doing as many things solo as I do now. Its easy to look back and be proud of what I did, which helps motivate me to continue to grow confidence in terms of my independence and continue to try new things no matter how small!

First friend I made solo traveling! Our tour guide insisted to take our picture at one of our tour stops.

Friends I made during my hot air balloon ride in Marrakesh!

First time asking a stranger to take my picture. I was definitely scared of them running off with it!

Solo food tour of London's Chinatown!