How to Start Solo Traveling
One of the topics I get asked most about is solo travel. Solo traveling as a woman can be intimidating, but it is also one of the most empowering experiences. Here, I’ll give you a few tips on how to start traveling by yourself and hopefully inspire you to go on your own solo adventure.
Canyonlands National Park solo trip
Solo travel is definitely something I’ve been working on overtime, continuously growing and pushing my comfort levels on each of my adventures. I don’t always travel alone, but I also don’t always have someone to travel with. My first solo trip was in 2016 when I jumped on an Amtrak from Chicago, IL to Flagstaff, AZ and explored Arizona for a week by myself (read about my trip here: Amtrak’s Southwest Chief: Chicago to Flagstaff & 5 Days Solo in Arizona). I then took a couple solo trips to Iceland in 2018 and 2019, and I now have been regularly traveling solo for the past two years!
A few years ago I wouldn’t even go on a short solo hike or camp alone, and now this past summer, I completed a 2-week, 260-mile solo backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail. It definitely takes practice to get more comfortable with traveling alone, but the most important thing is to just go out there and try it.
Here is how my solo travel has progressed over the last several years (everyone’s own experiences and progression will look different! This is just my personal experience based on how my comfort levels have evolved):
2016: I took my first major solo trip to Arizona. I stayed in hotels every night, but I didn’t go on a hike longer than 2 miles. I did go on a group tour through Antelope Canyon (more on group trips below!).
2017: Solo day trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California, I didn’t go on any hikes longer than 1-2 miles.
2018: First major international trip to Iceland for 3 weeks. I stayed in hostels and went on group tours.
2019: Second solo trip to Iceland, also stayed in hostels and went on group tours. Also, in 2019 I started hiking by myself more, but never did any hikes longer than 5 miles.
2020: First solo camping trip in March. I then started going on more solo car camping and hiking trips in the fall to northern Wisconsin and the North Shore of Minnesota.
2021: In January 2021, I went on my first 7+ mile solo hike. I then went on a 2-week solo camping road trip through Utah’s National parks, Nevada, Death Valley National Park, and Arizona. On that trip, I solo hiked to the bottom and back of the Grand Canyon, which, at that time, was the longest solo hike I had done at 14.3 miles. Other solo trips in 2021 so far include: Grand Teton National Park, camping and hiking in Idaho, spring Utah trip to Moab, lots of Colorado camping and hiking weekend trips, and my first solo backpacking trip when I thru-hiked the John Muir Trail.
Solo camping and hiking trip to Idaho in May 2021
To help you start out, here are some of my tips on how to start solo traveling based on my own experiences:
TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING
My #1 tip is to tell someone where you are, what your plans are, and what your tentative timeline is (parents, a friend, family, partner, or whoever makes most sense to you!)
Bryce Canyon National Park on a 2-week solo trip I took in January 2021
START SMALL
Going on an overseas trip as your first solo trip might be a bit overwhelming (but if you’re up for it, do it!) If you’re looking to start out on a smaller trip, I recommend going somewhere near home or a place you’re comfortable with or have been to before. This makes it so you’re close to home if you need anything or want to cut the trip short, and it also makes the whole experience more comfortable if you’ve visited before so you know the area! Your first solo trip doesn’t have to be an overnight trip, either. Maybe it’s just a day trip to a city or local park, that’s totally okay. On your first few solo adventures, it’s all about building confidence in yourself and your ability to travel alone.
My first solo camping trip was at a campground I had camped at before and was only 40 minutes away from my apartment (Devil’s Lake State Park). It was just a single-night trip and I even had my dog with me. It wasn’t the biggest adventure, but I was so proud of myself for completing my first night camping alone. It was a great first step for me to get more into solo traveling as it helped me grow my confidence in myself and my ability to travel alone.
When I lived in Wisconsin, I would go on short solo hikes in local state parks (Devil’s Lake State Park pictured here)
GO ON A GROUP TOUR
Going on a group tour might sound counter to solo traveling, but group tours are a great way to go on adventures when you’re traveling by yourself. One of my first major solo trips was a trip to Iceland in February/March 2018. I spent 3-weeks in Iceland by myself, but I participated in a photography workshop and went on a couple group tours to see some of the most beautiful spots in Iceland. Since it was one of my first major solo trips, I was nervous about renting a car and driving around Iceland in winter by myself, so I opted to go on group tours instead. This was great because I didn’t have to worry about renting a car, driving rules in Iceland, what to do if I got stuck in snow or got a flat-tire, or trying to put together my own itinerary to see everything. Plus, the tour guides usually have a lot of local information and cool stories to share with you. Some companies I’ve personally used to book group tours are GetYourGuide and Viator.
One of the stops on a group tour I went on in Iceland was at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon pictured here
DON’T SHARE TOO MUCH WITH STRANGERS
If you end up talking to strangers on your solo trip, I recommend not mentioning right away (or at all) that you are traveling alone. I also recommend not telling strangers where you’re going next or staying the night. I like to use the classic, “I’m not really sure where I’m going next, we’ll see!” line. Most of the time people are probably just being friendly, but for me personally, I find this is a good safety measure and makes me feel better and more secure when traveling alone.
While hiking the John Muir Trial, I chose not to tell others where I was camping or was extremely vague about it (honestly, half the time I didn’t know where I would be camping anyways!)
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
I can’t emphasize this point enough. If something doesn’t feel right, move on or go somewhere else. If something is bothering you or just feels wrong, whether it be at a particular hiking location or camping spot, you probably aren’t going to enjoy it or have a good night’s rest if your gut is telling you something isn’t quite right. There is no shame in cancelling or changing your plans if you don’t feel safe. I’ve changed camping locations, modified a hike, or straight up didn’t stop at a particular spot due to some gut feeling I had.
(Solo Utah trip, January 2021) On my first attempt at finding this location, my gut told me something didn’t feel quite right, so I tried again another day.
CARRY AN EMERGENCY/GPS LOCATION DEVICE
(This is optional, but I highly recommend if hiking, camping, or backpacking.) I carry a Garmin InReach Mini with me, which my boyfriend and family can use to track my location. It also has an SOS feature to use if you are in an emergency situation. I primarily carry an emergency/GPS location device while hiking or backpacking to track my location, but also for when I camp at night if I’m camping in a location that doesn’t have service so I can ‘ping’ my location and let my family know where I am staying for the night. Carrying this honestly calms a lot of my fears about solo travel and also reassures my family. Some other options include the Spot X, Spot Gen4, ZOLEO Satellite Communicator, and Garmin inReach Explorer+. In cases when you are exploring a city and always have cellphone service, the “Find My” app on iPhone is great for letting your family know your location (but don’t rely on this app if you do go somewhere without service!)
My first solo backpacking night ever on Day 1 of the John Muir Trail in August 2021
EMBRACE THE SOLITUDE
Embrace being by yourself! Take the time to reflect and think. Traveling solo is a super empowering experience because there’s no one to fall back on. It is a chance to for you to make your own decisions, learn where you can push your own boundaries, dictate your own schedule, discover your own adventures, and really get to know more about yourself.
One of the lakes I stopped at on my solo thru-hike of the John Muir Trail
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