5 Tips for Women Traveling Alone to Help You Enjoy It

Have you ever traveled on your own?

Have you ever intentionally booked a trip that was just for yours truly?

I know. Traveling alone can be a daunting experience, especially if you’ve never done it.

But it can also be incredibly rewarding. It can be an opportunity for growth and discovery – especially discovery about yourself.

If it’s something you haven’t done but are curious to try, keep reading because I have 5 tips for women traveling alone to help you enjoy the experience.

But first, I want to share a little bit more about why I love to travel alone.

Why I Travel Alone

Because I work in television, a career that often involves travel, I became used to traveling on my own right out of college. But since I was always traveling ‘for work’, it never felt that scary or intimidating. If I ended up eating dinner in a restaurant alone, or on a half-day tour of a city by myself, and people asked why I was alone, I could fall back on the excuse that I was ‘traveling for work’.

Related: That Time I Spent a Week Living in a Cave in the Australian Outback for Work

But as an avid traveler, I knew that I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and truly travel on my own. Not because of work. Because I wanted to do it for me.

One of the first solo trips I took was to Croatia. I had spent two and a half weeks with friends exploring the Dalmatian coast, but when they all headed back home, I still had a few days left to explore.

At first, I was really nervous. What am I going to do with all of this time alone? Will I get bored? Lonely? Or will I not want to go out and explore the way I would with friends because I’d feel intimidated of making a mistake or getting lost? So many of these negative thoughts swirled around in my head.

But like most new things in life, I knew that I wouldn’t shake all these thoughts and feelings unless I got out there and did the thing that was making me so anxious in the first place. I had to face my fears.

And so I booked a bus ticket, said goodbye to my friends and headed down the coast from Split to Zadar.

Now, when I look back on those few days that I traveled alone, I consider it a rite of passage. It’s not that traveling in Croatia was a scary and super challenging proposition which thereafter gave me bragging rights. Because it wasn’t.

It’s that I learned that I can do this. I can be comfortable with myself and travel the world on my own, meeting new people and making new friends, while looking out for my safety and wellbeing.

And I also learned that sometimes, I will be in a beautiful place and feel lonely, and that’s okay. Because not every day of traveling alone will be sunshine and rainbows, and it’s not meant to be.

It’s those moments in particular, when I felt homesick or just a bit down, that I learned the most about myself. I learned how to be ok with being uncomfortable, bored, and sad. And I ultimately knew that despite my fears, I had courage in my heart – enough to take that leap and travel solo again.

So personally, I feel that the benefits of traveling solo far outweigh the negatives.

If you’ve never traveled alone but are considering giving it a try, I want to share 5 tips with you that that will help you feel more confident and secure. And most of all, these tips will allow you to ENJOY your trip and maximize the experience.

So are you ready to pack your bags?

5 Tips for Women Traveling Alone

Related: A Day in Doha: What to Do (And Why You Should Purposely Book a Layover Here)

1. Connect with People Online Before Your Trip

One of my top tips for women traveling alone is to connect with people online before you travel. There are so many great online women’s groups now that can be a great resource for you as you plan your trip. Wanderful, a community for women travelers, has an international presence and plans monthly events in cities all over the world. There are also Facebook groups like Women Who Travel, Girls Love Travel, and The Solo Female Traveler Network. You can often get great travel advice from locals in these groups, and potentially make plans to meet people in real life in the cities you’re traveling to.

2. Sign Up for a Walking Tour

Whenever I travel alone, I sign up for a walking tour. Why? First, because it’s a great way to get your bearings of a place, especially if you haven’t been there before. Secondly, typically the tour guide is local and I find some of the best travel recommendations I’ve ever received come from locals. In addition, you never know who you might meet on the tour. It’s so great when you can swap travel tips and recommendations with other likeminded people. And last, the tours themselves are often very informative and give you an in-depth history and context of the place you are visiting.

3. Sit at the Bar for Dinner

Sitting alone for a meal seems to be one of the biggest stressors for people traveling alone. Maybe it’s the feeling of vulnerability that people hate, especially when you’re sitting at a table and feel like all eyes are on you. If this does make you extremely uncomfortable, my suggestion is to sit at the bar for your meal instead. It’s much less awkward to eat your meal there and usually, the bartenders or staff working behind the bar are happy to strike up a conversation with you. And remember, it’s fine if you want to bring a book to read while you’re eating dinner alone. There’s no shame in that!

4. People Watch and Be in the Moment

Another tip for women traveling alone is to people watch. It’s seriously one of my favorite things to do. I’ll plonk myself down at a café, order a coffee or a glass of wine, and watch everyday life whizz past me. I love seeing how people live in other cities and countries and this is a great way to observe cultural nuances. Doing something like this also keeps you in the present moment. When we’re in the present moment, we’re more mindful, and our senses are heightened. This can all lead to a more memorable and pleasant experience. So make sure to add people watching to your list the next time you travel alone!

5. Write in Your Journal

Traveling alone can bring up many emotions. That’s why I think it’s great to write it all down in your journal. If you’re having a bit of a tough time, it’s also a helpful way to calm yourself down. The act of writing down your concerns and feelings allows us to empty our mind and clear out our head. And journaling is still a good idea even if you’re having the time of your life. When you travel alone, it’s a journey of self-discovery. It’s important to also document the incredible highs you might be feeling, so you can look back on the trip and remember all of the emotions you felt.

Are You Ready to Travel Alone?

I hope these 5 tips for women traveling alone are useful to you and will help you enjoy your trip. And if you haven’t ventured out yet solo, I hope this post inspires you to travel on your own.

I promise you, it is an experience worth trying at least once in your life.

Now I’d love to hear from you. What are your travel tips and recommendations for women traveling alone, to ensure they enjoy the trip? What are the things you do when you’re on a solo trip that make it a positive and rewarding experience?

Please leave a comment below and happy travels!