More Solo Travel Tips
If you want to read the other solo travel tips (which I recommend you do), you can check out parts one and two, or you can head to the main site at Traks&Paks.com.
If this happens to be your first time on this site, just know that you can read these posts in any order you choose.
The travel tips are broken up into different posts to make it easier for others to read instead of cramming them all into one giant post.
With that out of the way, we’ll start with the first tip!
Solo Travel Tips #7: Have a Backup Plan
This might seem like an obvious tip, but you would be surprised at how many people actually don’t plan on running into trouble while traveling.
I know it isn’t the most positive way to start a solo trip, but you would be wise to think about what to do in the event that things don’t go as you originally planned.
This could even be something seemingly trivial like flights getting cancelled or realizing you don’t like a destination as much as you thought you would.
I understand it’s difficult to think about that sort of thing without anxiety creeping up on you, or maybe you just don’t want to think negatively, but it’s still a good idea to think about it anyway.
Just like anything else, it should be a balance between planning, considering what the right move is, and being confident enough to take a couple chances here and there.
So plan ahead and put together a backup plan, but don’t overthink it.
Solo Travel Tips #8: Don’t Underestimate Street Smarts
When talking about being more “street smart,” it can be a vague concept.
You might be thinking, Well, what does that mean? Unfortunately, the answer to that isn’t so simple.
It can mean knowing what places you can go to and what places to avoid, or knowing how to talk to people and make connections.
Learning how to adapt and move in a way that won’t make you a target is also something that I consider to be part of what it means to be street smart when thinking about travel.
It isn’t complicated, but it’s one of those things you have to experience first-hand to really understand, and the only way to do that is to go out there and experience solo travel on your own.
If you consider yourself oblivious to this type of thing, just remember that being able to adapt plays a big role in being street smart.
Having street smarts can really come in handy when trying to navigate a brand new place. So don’t underestimate that type of knowledge, even if you’re a solo traveler with all the money and resources in the world.
If you decide to take on solo travel, make sure to keep this type of knowledge in the back of your mind if you want to be an effective solo traveler.
Solo Travel Tips #9: Start Meeting People as Soon as You Can
This one is a little harder to do, depending on the type of person you are.
Some people just naturally have that type of charm, which is probably one of the most ideal personality traits to have if you plan on being a solo traveler.
If you don’t, then you might want to consider putting more effort into doing this more often.
When you meet and befriend people, you can gather all sorts of information that can help you on your travels.
Not only that, but if you’re able to befriend certain people, they might be able to help you out of a tight spot if you ever find yourself in a not-so-ideal situation.
If you can turn this into a habit, solo travel will be much easier (and enjoyable) for you in general.
Solo Travel Tips #10: Work a Part-Time or Temp Job Abroad
Most solo travelers think about working a job as a way to make some extra money to fund their travels, but there are some pros to working a job that can benefit your travels that go beyond just saving travel money.
I’ve had multiple different jobs, and the one thing that I’ve noticed is that it’s a good way to meet the locals who know the area most.
When you work with someone for hours on end, it’s almost impossible not to form some type of relationship with them, even if it isn’t the most personal or ideal.
When this happens, you can gain information about where to go, what to do, places to avoid, and other information that you would have either never figured out on your own or would have taken you a lot of trial and error to figure out.
Another pro is that you might actually end up becoming good friends with some of the people you work with, and as stated in the last tip, this can make your travels much easier and potentially more interesting.
Using Jobs To Explore
If you decide to take a temp job, many of these types of jobs can take you to different places around the city, which can serve as a way for you to explore the area in a more low-key way.
Of course, there are the obvious downsides to working in a foreign country, like the language barrier, monotonous work, low pay, foreign laws, constant supervision, etc.
But the good news is that if you work as a temporary employee or part-time worker, you can focus more on finding new areas to explore and learning more about the area as a local employee.
This can give you a better understanding of what life is like for the average person in that country. Which would serve as a good way to learn how to adapt to the culture, which, in turn, would help you better relate to and befriend the locals in the area.
If you’re looking for a more “normal” way of trying to understand and adapt to the culture of a specific destination, working a part-time or temporary job can be a good way to experience the culture from the POV of an average citizen of that country.
If you want to check out more on solo travel visit the blog at traksandpaks.com.
