Is it normal to travel alone?

Yes! As I said above 75% of our travelers come alone and we are a group travel company. I've also spent countless nights in hostels all over the world connecting with other travelers who were there on their own. It's completely normal to not have friends that want to travel, have the time, the money, or maybe just don't want to visit the places you want to see. The great thing about solo travel is that with the right mindset you will easily meet other travelers during your trip who are eager to connect.

Traveling solo can be a bit nerve racking but I've put together this guide to help get you past that and focus on making lifelong memories.

When to Solo Travel & How to Spend Less

Traveling off-season is always going to give you the best deals on solo travel. Right now I’m writing in a beach house on the Atlantic Ocean, taking advantage of off-season prices.  I found a private cottage rental website by searching “vacation rentals” and the name of the town I was interested in. Traveling in “shoulder season” or “off-peak” allowed me to rent a house for a month for the same price they charge for just a week during the summer.

Traveling anywhere in the off-season helps you avoid the crowds as long as you don’t mind if the weather is less than ideal. Do your research and if you don’t care about a little rain or cooler temperatures, you might just have the place to yourself, which is especially helpful if you want to take photos with no tourists in them. Look for off-season solo travel deals! 

If you are traveling alone, you’ll also want to consider how easy it will be to meet people, if that's what you are looking to do. To avoid arriving somewhere only to find it a ghost town, I’d suggest “shoulder season”, or the time right before or after peak season.  In the United States, you might think of the month of June or after Labor Day for summer destinations. Other examples would be early December and April for winter destinations in North America. Places like Costa Rica and Mexico can be fantastic in late November and early April after the Easter holiday.

Solo Travel Safety

Safety in Groups

As you may have heard before, there is “strength in numbers”, which is why we believe that traveling in groups is the safest way to travel. Your group should be led by a guide who is experienced in the local region, should give you guidelines about the safety of the local area, knows where it is safe to go out at night, areas to avoid, and knows how to stay safe while doing outdoor activities. When you travel with a group, you are simply less vulnerable, and you’ll more easily be able to find a buddy if you want to break off from the group and explore on your own. 

Safety Tips Abroad

When traveling abroad, it’s a good idea to try and blend in and not look out of place.  Leave your flashy jewelry and expensive belongings at home, and any other valuables locked in the safe at your accommodations. You simply don’t want to be an easy target.  If you are carrying a camera, keep it hidden in your bag when possible.  Try not to walk around with a large bag that makes you look like a tourist waiting for a thief to take advantage of you. Remember--you have things that locals may not have the means to purchase.  Do your best to be aware just as you would in any major city at home.

Be sure to know what the local emergency numbers are, and have the name, phone number, and address of your hotel written down somewhere in case your phone battery dies. Have the phone number of the local embassy for your country with your important documents.

We highly recommend reading international travel alerts from the US State Department and that US citizens sign up for the Smart Traveler Program (STEP).