Let’s make things clear: Just because you love traveling solo doesn’t mean you’re either a lonely and heartbroken soul or a total anti-social human being.
Most people travel solo on purpose because they crave the freedom associated with it. They want to have the chance to make their own itinerary, do crazy things on their own, and discover fascinating things about themselves and the world. Others travel alone because they have no choice but to do so since they have no one to invite.
Traveling solo is indeed rewarding – something every travel buff should experience every once in a while. However, it’s not fun all the time. We cannot deny the human nature of feeling bored, homesick, and anxious when you’re journeying on new territory with no familiar faces to share experiences with.
The good news is, there are tricks to beat the blues. Follow these 9 tips to enjoy your solo travel experiences when boredom, anxiety, and loneliness try to wear you down.
⦁ Create a detailed travel plan
Book hotel accommodations and tours in advance. List down the places you’d love to visit and make a rough itinerary. Do a quick research about the place you’re visiting: its activities available, business hours, rules and regulations, fees, nearby restaurants, and more.
Next to ensuring your vacation will be hassle-free and meaningful, having a detailed plan prepared also creates a sense of security.
⦁ Generate the perfect travel playlist
Listening to music is one of the best ways to pass the time. Calculate how long your travels will take then create a playlist on your phone to match that time-frame. This will not just put you in good food for the rest of the day – it will also save you from the external noises that cause added stress.
⦁ Talk to people, from fellow travelers to local servers
Just because you’re on your own doesn’t mean you’re alone – you are surrounded with people whom you may share interests with. Even introverts, like me, need to socialize when in unfamiliar territory.
You may meet people on organized tours, hotel buffet rooms, airplane, café, and market. Start with small talk. Asking about dining and attraction ideas in the country. Take an interest in other people’s stories. Who knows? You can meet new friends along the way.
⦁ Reach out to loved ones
We’re lucky enough to live in an era of smartphones and instant messaging apps. Whether you’re feeling homesick or getting anxious, hearing a familiar voice may help you settle any nerves that arise. Call your parents, friends, partner, sister, or any loved one via Skype, Messenger, or a quick international call.
⦁ Designate an emergency contact
For some, solo travel isn’t just boring. It could also give them anxiety. One of the smartest ways to ease anxiety is by designating an emergency contact whom you can share your general whereabouts each day. It can be your mom, your partner, or your best friend. This way, you know someone is looking out for you even if they’re miles away.
⦁ Take more travel pictures
No matter how beautiful your destination is, we often find our own fascination wearing off, especially when we’ve been staring at it for quite some time. Level up your sightseeing experience by taking photographs that look like the ones snagged from NatGeo.
Challenge yourself to be a pro photographer. You don’t have to buy a DSLR or mirrorless camera, although that’d be ideal for high-quality images. You may your camera phone or your Polaroid camera, for quick printing.
Take pictures of places, including the streets off the beaten path. Capture people and landscapes. Explore different angles. Using a tripod or selfie stick, take photos of yourself in the scenic location. You’ll appreciate the photos you took even more when you get home.
⦁ Discover new food
Bored? Go out of your comfortable hotel room and go on a gastronomic adventure. There’s nothing a plate of good food can’t fix.
We’re not talking about your go-to fast food. Research nearby restaurants, local markets, quaint cafés, bars, and other dining places where you can dig into authentic local cuisines you haven’t tried before. Walk around and try out what those quirky street food stalls have to offer.
⦁ Fuel your creativity
Do you love writing journals and creating poems? How about sketching? Travel like someone from the previous centuries and document your journey in a form of creative writing and sketching. Put everything on paper – the scenes that spark interest, the local food you try for the first time, the unique aroma in the marketplace, the sounds you hear in the plaza, and the surfaces you feel.
⦁ Learn the basics of foreign language
Traveling to a foreign country, where most locals don’t speak the universal language, can be nerve-racking. So take advantage of your downtime to learn the local lingo. You’ll instantly earn respect from locals if they hear you communicating using their mother tongue, no matter how broken they may sound.
⦁ Travel the old-fashioned way
Want to add a twist to your modern-day travels? Take inspiration from how your elders travel back then.
Take photos and look for photo centers to have them printed. Write “captions” at the back of the photos, then compile them in an album. Buy classic souvenirs like magnets and keychains. Send a post-card and letters to your loved ones too (because posting everything on social media is so predictable).
Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a lifestyle writer for Holiday Inn Parramatta Hotel, a green and family-friendly hotel, delivering top-class Parramatta accommodation in the heart of Western Sydney. Writing articles about travel, food, and lifestyle is one thing she finds enjoyable, next to petting her cat.
