Things to Try Out Before You Become a Full-Time Solo Traveler

Solo travel isn’t for everyone. I said what I said!

I’m not here to tell you that you need to go travel the world alone. Some people just aren’t cut out for it or it’s not right for them for some reason, and that’s perfectly fine. All too often with the people I tell that I'm solo traveling the world, their response is something along the lines of "wow I could never do that myself." And maybe that's true, or maybe they just don't have the confidence.

If you are considering full-time solo travel and haven’t quite taken the plunge, here are some things you can try out first, in order of growing the courage to solo travel full-time (or not).

Take Yourself Out on a Solo Dinner Date

One of the biggest hangups for solo travel is getting over the fear of dining alone. I promise it’s not that bad!! I’ve actually gotten so used to it that dining with someone now feels a little strange.

In general, a lot of people in their everyday lives dine alone. Whether it's a work lunch break, or just simply going to grab food when no one is free, it's actually very common.

I think we get in our own heads a little too much with this one. No one at the restaurant you're going to is thinking "wow, what a loser, that person is dining alone." 

Bonus points if you put your phone in airplane mode and really embrace being alone without being on your phone the whole time! This will give you a whole new perspective on dining alone.

Explore Your Nearest City for a Day by Yourself

Treat a whole day as if you were exploring a new city, but try it out in your own city or town. You’d be surprised by what new things you find, and then you can go home and relax afterward.

Start by getting up and getting out of your house, then only go home at the end of the day. Likely when you're solo traveling, you aren't going home in the middle of the day, so stick to this in your plans to really get the solo traveling experience.

Plan some fun activities or go wherever the wind takes you. You’d be surprised by what new things you find, and then you can go home and relax afterward.

Go on a Solo Weekend Trip

Find somewhere a couple hours from home, book a room for a night or two, and spend a weekend testing out solo travel. Really put effort into not just making it a weekend alone somewhere and actually getting out and doing things.

If you're absolutely miserable and hate it, you can just pack up and head home since you will still be relatively close. But if you love it, then you you had a great weekend and now you're one step closer to determining if full-time solo travel is right for you.

Book a Solo Trip

Pick a faraway destination and go on a solo trip. I’d recommend at least 4-5 nights, but any amount of time is good. If you can go for longer, try more like 1-2 weeks. See what it’s like to have to make plans for an entire trip, what it’s like going places alone and doing activities alone. Try to make some friends. See what it's like dining out multiple times in a short period of time where you dine alone.

Now, this isn't a fool-proof method. You could do all these things and still figure out that full-time solo travel just isn't right for you. But hopefully doing these things inspires you to love time you spend on your own. And maybe it will lead to more solo traveling.

Have you tried any of these?!

And for my fellow solo travelers, what else would you add?!