Over the past 15 years, I’ve travelled to over 35 countries across six continents. However, I have always travelled with someone else. I have taken plenty of flights alone, spent weekends in the UK by myself, and even lived apart from my husband while we were backpacking Australia, but I had never been on a solo trip abroad. Then in 2025 I separated from my husband Jon and lost my main travel companion. So, I decided it was time to push myself out of my comfort zone and finally experience what solo travel was really like. I booked a city break to Portugal and visited Lisbon and Porto. But even with all my travel experience, I was still nervous about setting off solo. To ease myself into it, I booked onto guided tours and stayed in hostel dorms so that I could meet people and feel less alone. And it worked. I had a wonderful time, met a great bunch of people, explored the sights and ate incredible food, all by myself.
If like me, you’ve always wanted to travel alone but don’t know where to start, then these solo travel tips for beginners will help you build confidence, overcome fear, and take that first exciting step into solo adventure.
1. Start Small
If you’re not used to spending time alone, the idea of travelling solo can feel overwhelming. Many of us are so used to always having company, whether that’s a partner to go on day trips with, a roommate to help with grocery shopping, or friends you meet for dinner. So, being alone can feel strange or intimidating.
If your goal is to travel abroad by yourself, but the thought still scares you, start small and build your confidence gradually. Begin with simple everyday activities on your own like grocery shopping or visiting a local café. Once that feels comfortable, try spending a full day by yourself, perhaps exploring a nearby town, going to the cinema, or taking a walk in a local park.
As your confidence grows, challenge yourself with bigger steps. Try camping in your local area for the night or book a solo staycation. Each small step will help you become more comfortable doing things independently, making the leap to solo travel abroad feel far less daunting.
Building up to it gradually is one of the best solo travel tips for beginners. It takes the pressure off, helps you develop trust in yourself, and shows you just how capable you really are when there’s no one else to rely on.
2. Do things alone while you are away
If you already feel comfortable doing things by yourself at home but are not quite ready for a full solo trip, then the next step would be to try and have moments alone when you are abroad with someone else. The next time you go on a trip with a friend or partner, make time to do a few activities alone. It could be something simple like going for breakfast by yourself, wandering through a local market, going to a grocery store or taking a short walk around the neighbourhood.
These little moments of independence help you get used to navigating a foreign country solo. They give you the chance to practise using the local currency, communicating in another language, or working out the public transport system. You will start to realise that you can manage just fine by yourself, while still having the comfort of knowing someone familiar is nearby if you need them. It’s a great way to build your confidence in a new country without feeling completely on your own.
3. Use a company to plan your trip
Don’t want to just dive straight into planning a big backpacking adventure on your own? Then let a travel company help. Whether it is arranging flights and accommodation through a travel agent, booking an all-inclusive holiday, or joining an organised group tour, using a company can take much of the stress out of your first solo trip.
I did this with my first few trips abroad. Even though I was travelling with my boyfriend, we were both nervous about organising everything and navigating a foreign country, so we decided to use travel companies to make things easier for us. Our first trip was an organised tour where all our transport, food and accommodation was included. On our second trip, we chose an all-inclusive package through a travel agent, and for our working holiday in Australia we used a company to help organise all our visas, flights, insurance and travel money for the trip. Having professionals take care of the logistics really helped us relax and focus on enjoying the experience.
Remember, relying on a company does not make you any less of a traveller. Instead, it is a great way to build up independence gradually when you are first travelling solo. Once you’ve gained more confidence, you can then start planning more of your own adventures yourself.
4. Stop caring what other people think
One of the most important solo travel tips for beginners is to stop worrying about what other people think. Whether it’s your parents telling you not to go because they think it’s unsafe or being worried about what strangers might think of you sitting alone in a café. You need to block out those thoughts and other people’s negative opinions and only focus on what you want to do.
If someone has a genuine concern for your safety, it is worth listening, but most of the time other people’s opinions come from their own fears or lack of experience. Remember, people who have never travelled solo often cannot understand the freedom and growth that comes with it.
And as for strangers judging you, don’t worry they are not. Most people are far too focused on their own lives to even notice. The next time you are out, look around, do you really pay much attention to someone eating alone or waiting for a bus by themselves? Probably not. Everyone is caught up in their own world.
So, stop worrying about what others might think and start focusing on what makes you happy. Confidence comes from within, and once you stop seeking approval, solo travel becomes so much more empowering and enjoyable.
5. Be safe and do your research
The world is a beautiful place with beautiful people and most of what you read in the media is hyped up. Sadly however, there are some genuinely dangerous places out there and travelling alone can put you at more risk.
To ensure you stay safe while solo travelling, it is important to do some research on the countries or areas you plan on travelling to. The best place to start is the FCDO website which gives an overview of every country and provides information on current threats, health and safety, scams, natural disasters and diseases (read our blog post for more information on the FCDO).
It is also a good idea to plan in advance how you will get from the airport to your accommodation. Sadly, there are a lot of scammers who prey on disorientated tourists at airports, so ensure you know where you are staying and how to get there. Once at your accommodation the staff should be able to give advice about how safe that particular area is.
When solo travelling, you don’t have anyone else to rely on, so ensure you have a contingency plan should any disasters happen. Think about what you will do if you need medical attention or lose your passport or if your bag gets stolen. Consider things like keeping your money in separate places, having emergency numbers written down in case your phone dies, and having a paper copy of your passport and driving licence. Being prepared before you travel can help reduce stress and worry when travelling alone.
6. Put yourself in situations where you can meet people
One common fear about travelling solo is that it will feel lonely or that you won’t make any friends. This is a completely normal concern, and it can be daunting at first to go out and meet new people in a foreign country. However, you can make it easier by putting yourself in situations where you have higher chance of meeting likeminded people. For example, consider staying in a hostel dorm instead of a hotel or booking a walking tour instead of sightseeing alone. Once you make that first connection, you’ll quickly realise that solo travel doesn’t have to mean being alone. You’ll have the freedom to explore on your own terms while still enjoying great company along the way.
Want more advice on making friends? Then read 20 tips for making friends while travelling.
7. Understand the challenges and embrace them
Travelling alone can be more of a challenge. From having no one to chat to during long journeys or watch your belongings when you go to the bathroom, to having to pay extra for private accommodation. Solo travel can test you both mentally and emotionally. But like any great adventure, it’s the times when we are challenged that define who we are and often result in the funniest stories. So, embrace the challenge as you never know where it might lead.
I hope these solo travel tips for beginners have helped you feel more confident about travelling alone and inspire you to take that first step. If you are setting off on your first solo adventure soon, then remember that you can do this, and it will change your life in more ways that you can even imagine.
