The word vacation screams family road trips, honeymoons, and college spring breaks — all of which are spent with people you love.
But, as it turns out, 82 percent of women have taken a trip on their own, according to a recent survey.
Of course, when you’re traveling solo, making decisions that’ll help you stay safe is huge.
Here are some tips to do just that
Ease into it
Just because you want to take a trip on your own doesn’t mean you have to hop on a plane to another continent right away.
Maybe your first step is to head to a city you’ve previously been to with other people so that you’re already familiar with it.
Another option: Sign up on your own to go somewhere with a volunteer organization. It’ll be on you to make friends and get by, but you’ll be doing so with some company.
Have a game plan
You have to do your homework before any solo trip.
The beauty of the Internet is that even if a city is a couple time zones away, you can easily check out blogs and reviews about the local spots.
Take advantage because while it may sound romantic to arrive in a foreign country at 11 p.m. with nowhere to stay, meandering aimlessly through an unknown city in the dark is not a good idea.
Go ahead and be unapologetically selfish
Sit in a park for hours. Eat at five restaurants in one day. Skip the boring-sounding museum your grandma says you have to visit.
When you travel alone, one of the best parts is that you get to do exactly what you want to do.
So let yourself be a little greedy and don’t do anything just because you feel obligated to.
When in doubt, go conservative
Avoid wearing clothes that show off too much skin. This tip is especially important in more conservative countries, but it applies no matter where you’re headed.
Leave your expensive-looking jewelry at home, too.
Another smart move: Keep your fancy gadgets out of sight as might as possible. That way you’ll avoid any unwanted attention from thieves who might take your iPad as a sign that you have tons of money and other expensive things.
Remember, traveling alone doesn’t mean being alone
You actually tend to meet more people when you’re on your own.
If you get lost or you’re just bored, you have to talk to people — there’s really no other option.
By striking up a conversation with both locals and tourists, you’ll learn way more about the local culture — and maybe even make a new friend.
Stay in touch
Don’t fall off the grid the instant you leave home.
Social media makes communication easy, so take advantage of this excuse to Instagram like crazy!
That way if — heaven forbid — something does go wrong, your loved ones will (a) notice that you’ve gone
and (b) have a sense of what you’ve been up to beforehand.
