People have one of three reactions when I tell them that I am an avid solo traveler:

“That’s so cool, I wish I was brave enough to do that.”

“You travel alone? Isn’t that dangerous? What if something happens, you’ll have no one to fall back on?”

“I love traveling alone; it’s the best isn’t it?”

First off, anyone can travel alone with proper planning and the proper mindset.

Second, most cities in the U.S are more dangerous than large cities abroad-we’ll get into that in detail later. Third, having people around in a crisis can actually make it more difficult to be decisive and take action quickly.

So now that we’ve debunked those myths, if you are afraid to travel alone, what is holding you back?

Let’s take a deep dive into it and talk about some strategies to overcome these hurtles so you too can be that cool girl that travels abroad.

You Are Afraid of Being Alone

“But isn’t traveling alone boring without anyone to talk to? Don’t you get lonely?”

Let me ask you this, when was the last time you spent a significant amount of time alone? I cherish the time I spend by myself. It’s a moment to reconnect and meet different versions of yourself, which is crucial in maintaining a balanced life.

Concerns about being bored or lonely often stem from a fear of spending time alone. You’re worried everyone is going to think to themselves “That girl is by herself, what a loser”. Or “What am I going to do with no one to talk to, stay on my phone the whole trip?”

Why not give it a try and see if that’s true.

Start with something small like going to a concert, comedy show, or new restaurant alone to build up confidence. You’ll quickly realize no one actually cares or pays attention that you are by yourself {oftentimes there will be other people riding solo there too}. You may find that a minute to yourself can be a nice change of pace. Once you are more comfortable with your new solo status, take a weekend trip to Boston, Philadelphia or neighboring towns. Considering treating yourself to a staycation and take a local trip to the Bronx, Coney Island or Long Island.

“Okay, I’m comfortable doing things alone, but I don’t want an entire week alone. I’m not the kind of person that is outgoing and can make friends easily”.

You definitely can! It just takes some practice and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Try going to a networking event in your niche; it’s a great way to meet new connections and to practice introducing yourself to new people.

Does the idea of attending a networking event make you cringe?

First, try a less intimidating space, like a concert or comedy show and make a goal for yourself to talk to at least five people. Build up to talking to more people and attending a networking event solo. This will give you the confidence to approach people at your hostel or out and about while you are abroad.

“But I’m going to a country where no speaks English, won’t that automatically isolate me?”

Spend some time before your trip learning some basic phrases of the local language. You could even look up a local language meet up where you can practice your conversational skills before you go. Keep in mind that there are other travelers in the same boat as you, so definitely seek out hostels and other places where you can meet more people speaking the same language.

You Won’t Have Anyone to Fall Back On If You Get Into a Sticky Situation

This was one of my biggest fears that deterred me from traveling abroad.

Four years ago, I found myself in Beijing with a friend of mine. As my first trip outside of the country I was beyond excited. The first morning I woke up at 6am ready to hit the streets but my friend was less than thrilled. She wanted to spend the day in the hotel room playing video games and grab dinner later on at night {true story}. So I was faced with a dilemma — venture out into this foreign city alone, risking getting lost or maybe being kidnapped or play it safe and stay in the hotel room with my friend.

I chose the former — so I grabbed a business card of the hotel I was staying at and departed for the subway. My phone didn’t work in Beijing {I didn’t know anything about SIM cards at the time} so I wrote down directions/addresses on a piece of paper. And you know what happened? I had a really awesome day.

I ended up exploring an outdoor art gallery, visiting a museum dedicated to the afterlife, and wandering through the night markets. Traveling alone in a foreign country was nothing like I expected it to be. It was liberating to walk the streets of Beijing alone. I felt so connected to the world around me — I vividly remember standing in the middle of a busy shopping district soaking in the energy from the crowds passing by. That trip gave me the confidence to take my first solo trip to Thailand the following year and it was the beginning of my solo traveling lifestyle.

You will may run into situations that feel unsafe, you may lose your passport or your phone but all of these things are manageable with proper planning. The reality is these things can happen even if you are with other people — it’s just overcoming the mindset that you can’t do it. But guess what, you definitely can!

Don’t believe me? Test it out.

Try spending a day in your local city without your phone (or turn it off) to test your ability to think on your feet. You’ll be surprised at how well you cope. Or if you are feeling brave, take an improv class (UCB and Magnet Theater offer free courses) to help you get used to dealing with the unexpected.

“But isn’t it dangerous to travel alone as a woman?”

Safety is relative. Detroit has a higher crime and murder rate than any city in Colombia. If you always listen to your gut reaction, you will more times than not steer yourself out of dangerous situations. That being said, you still need to take some precautions, especially as a woman traveling alone such as not going out at night alone. Make sure to research online other solo travelers that have gone to your destination to see what their experiences were. Also look into safety, crime rates, and travel adversaries on the Bureau of Consular Affairs before you choose a destination.

You’ve Never Planned a Trip Before and You’re Worried About the Logistics of Traveling Abroad

One easy way to combat this is to keep things simple and do as much planning in advance as possible. Stick to visiting one city and book one hostel in advance as a home base, which will keep the logistics simple. Research things you want to do (Nomadness Travel Tribe, Nomadic Matt and The Blonde Abroad are great travel blogs for solo female travelers) and create a loose itinerary. That way when you get there, you don’t get as overwhelmed. As you get more solo trips under your belt, you can start adding on multiple cities /countries to your trip and plan less of the trip in advance. Especially as you start meeting people traveling, you are going to want to keep your plans loose to switch gears based on other traveler’s recommendations and travel plans.

A lot of the nitty gritty logistics pieces you can easily knock out in advance. Make sure to renew your passport (or get one) well in advance, even if you do not have a trip in mind yet. It takes about 30 days for this process and there are some countries that won’t accept a passport that expires within 30 days of entry.

Start to think about how you want to use your phone abroad. You can either get SIM cards (for unlocked phones) for each of the countries you are traveling to, you can rent a mobile WiFI device, or you can purely rely on local Wifi. Think about how much you are willing to spend on having access to a phone and research how reliable the Wifi connection is in the country you are traveling to. For example, most public places in Thailand have Wifi so you can easily get by. Conversely in Iceland, not only is there no Wifi on the Ring Road, it is a necessity for emergencies to have a working cellphone.

You may want to invest in a new backpack or set of luggage for your solo adventures. This should be done to gradually put your mindset in a closer position to travel alone. Consider what you’ll need to bring with you. I would also highly recommend getting quick-drying towels and clothing so can you wash them while you are on your trip to avoid over packing.

In life you may not have everything figured out, but as long as you are taking the steps needed to prepare and visualize yourself traveling alone, you will eventually go.

You Don’t Know Where You Want To Go Or Where To Go As a Solo Female Traveler

First, brainstorm any countries or regions of the world that you want to visit. If you don’t have a specific country or region in mind, start with thinking about what kind of trip you want. Do you want to be in a city, in a rural area, or a balance of both? Do you want a trip that’s active, adventurous, relaxing, or something in between?

Once you figure out what you want out of your solo adventure, research the best cities to visit as a solo female traveler.

One major thing to consider while doing this is your budget. Traveling to South America or Asia is going to be cheaper than going to Europe. But Europe is easier to navigate as more people speak English. You’ll also want to consider the season you are traveling in — you’ll want to avoid visiting parts of Asia during monsoon season or during the summer so make sure to look into the best travel times for your destination.

One you have a location picked, now is the fun part! Start to visualize what it is going to be like traveling alone to your destination. Better yet create a Pinterest board of all the places and things you want to do to get yourself pumped up for your trip.

Your Friends/Family Think It’s a Bad Idea

When I decided to take a last minute trip to Colombia, almost everyone I know thought I was crazy. “Isn’t it really dangerous?” “Isn’t there a massive drug problem and lots of kidnappings?”

While your friends and family have your best interests at heart, these concerns are really projections of their own fears with traveling alone. Many people also make assumptions about a location based on movies, tv shows, outdated or biased information so make sure to seek out people –whether virtually or that you may know, that have been to your destination as a solo traveler.

Share what you find with your friends/family along with your itinerary to make them more comfortable with your plans. Without meaning to, people around you can often hold you back from venturing out of your own comfort zone. You have to trust and take a chance on yourself. You never know where it may lead you.

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