Being a solo traveller, and even more so, a solo hiker or backpacker can be an intimidating endeavor to undertake. I cannot emphasize enough the need to be comfortable when partaking in anything serious such as hiking or backpacking in the wilderness by yourself. The same goes for travelling as it’s just not worth it to feel overwhelmingly anxious to the extent that it outweighs the joy of travelling or trekking solo. The key is being able to mentally prepare.
I, too, have gone through anxiety over being alone on my travels or in the mountains in my prior travels/treks in the past 15 years. Despite being fully prepared, sometimes, the unexpected happens and the best you can do is to stay calm. That way you can assess your situation more clearly and decide on the most appropriate action. But before you even dive into going solo on an extended journey or trek, it’s important to take baby steps to get you to a point where solo hiking/travelling falls within your comfort zone. Here are some of my tips based on my own personal experience with hiking/trekking/travelling solo that will help prepare you mentally for the solo experience:
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Start small
If you are completely new to travelling or trekking solo, then start out with a day hike or day trip. Then, as you feel more comfortable with solitude and organizing the logistics of your hike or travel, you can build that up by adding more days, thereby transforming it into a weekend trip. There’s no reason to go extremely extravagant on your first time hiking or travelling solo.
Why would you want to spend so much money on a 4-week solo trip only to find out that you dread the experience of going alone? Avoid regrets and do a test run first. Start with a day or two, and then build up. This is a key exercise to mentally prepare yourself well ahead of the trip.
Study your itinerary
Sure, at some point you will want to be spontaneous. Book the flight and go. But to calm down that anxiety from going solo, it’s recommended that you do plenty of research on your destination or the trail you wish to hike. You can never have enough information, especially if the place you’re travelling to or hiking in is a first-time destination. Even with a place you have been to before, I would still recommend doing plenty of research because oftentimes when we go with people, we tend not to pay attention to the logistics the way we normally would when it’s only us that we have to rely upon for guidance.
Get advice and tips from others who have been to the trail or place you are eyeing
This is part of your research and process to mentally prepare. It’s crucial to take advantage of any resources that are out there for you to learn about the trail or place. For example, when I went to China, the resources for the trails in that country were hard to find because it was either the trails were still unknown to the western world or the blogs or information were written in Mandarin. However, still, I managed to find a few websites which turned out to be heaven-sent as they helped significantly in planning my trip. An equally better resource is, of course, an actual consultation with someone who had been to the trail or place of your choice. The advice given is usually invaluable as you won’t find such information online or anywhere else. Note that most people are more than happy to share their travel wisdom and experiences so there’s no reason to be shy.
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Learn to love yourself
Somewhere along the way on your trek, travel or both, you will get frustrated with yourself. You will make mistakes here and there. Before you venture out on your own, it is important to have a good grasp of self-love. By that, I mean, learn to be easy on yourself. Be forgiving of your mistakes and learn to go with the flow of life. Understand that mistakes are inevitable including yours, and that’s okay. In addition, loving yourself also means taking care of you. While on the trail or the road, eating healthy and maintaining a workout routine are critical.
Learn to smile and be friendly
This should really be a given even if you’re travelling with others. But in the world of solo trekking or travelling, a friendly demeanor can truly save you at times. A smile can easily attract the right stranger to help you with directions or a fellow hiker who can become your trail friend for days. At the same time, be mindful of the level of friendliness that you are exhibiting, especially if you are a female who finds herself interacting with a male. An appropriate level of friendliness is the key. Practice smiling and chatting with strangers in your daily life and you’ll soon make this a habit that will carry over to your solo adventure with ease.
Practice fine-tuning your intuition
Expect chats and interactions with strangers when you venture on your own. It’s part of the adventure, and in most instances, it’s really the highlight. Oftentimes, the people you strike a conversation within far-away places or in the middle of nowhere are exactly the ones that become your long-time friends. At the same time, learn to pay attention to your intuition. You have it for a reason. Your intuition is your imaginary friend – it knows better than you at times even though the actual circumstances in front of you may not clearly support the sense of danger that your intuition is warning you about. So, listen to that intuition the same way you listen to your body when you feel pain. It is nagging you for a reason. An important aspect of being able to properly mentally prepare yourself.
Disregard all the above preparation and go for it (assuming you keep an open mind)
Having said all the above tips, you can still opt to disregard them all and just take the leap into the abyss of solo travelling/trekking. By doing so, you will learn at a faster rate all the above. It’s a crash course that can potentially maximize the lessons learned in a little bit harder way. As long as you are aware of the risks, then, sure, why not just go for it all at once?
So, there you have it. This list is just a start. Preparing your mind for that solo adventure is as important, if not more, as the things you put in your backpack. So, take the time to prep!
Brown Gal Trekker (Marinel de Jesus) is a nomad at heart who survives the mountains to write about them.
She launched her social enterprise, Peak Explorations, in 2016 to market lesser-known mountain regions globally as trekking destinations with a focus on solo travellers while supporting local sustainable tourism.
Along with her blog, Brown Gal Trekker, Peak Explorations aims to promote women and diversity in the outdoors.
- Marinel de Jesushttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/marinel-de-jesus/
- Marinel de Jesushttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/marinel-de-jesus/
- Marinel de Jesushttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/marinel-de-jesus/
- Marinel de Jesushttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/marinel-de-jesus/
I’m an avid solo traveller, however, when hiking by myself, I make sure that someone has an idea where I went – and I possibly have a reliable mobile connection….other then that, I think that people shouldn’t be afraid of staying by themselves on a solo trip since usually you get to meet many fellow travellers. Alone doesn’t mean lonely – at all! On the other hand, you shouldn’t count on running into people you can join – at some destinations it’s not that easy and you shouldn’t expect others to be your class clown.
Just roll with the punches 🙂
Great article! I’ve always wanted to do a solo travel but never have. I’m excited to use these tips one day!
Your post is very inspiring to me specially. I have not traveled solo till now and the problem is that I am not mentally prepared. As you have suggested, start with a small trip which I liked. The ‘Just do it’ approach is also good without thinking too much. Believing in intuition is a great advice because there are no specific rules of do’s and don’ts.
Well said – it’s exactly the way to go.
You know, it is funny coz I never really had to think so much before I took my solo trips. It was always a sense of adventure and never once did I hesitate. However, I guess for someone who is starting out new and has some misgivings, these steps should help. Well captured.
Yes, women have varying degrees of comfort level as I came to find out more by teaching Solo Travel 101. It’s great you never had to worry about that as that’s a rare thing.
I did a lot of small trips before I went on my 6 week long solo trip. That is why I love your tip on starting small. It definitely helps. I always trust my intuition and it has saved me from a lot of mistakes on my solo trips. Love all these tips and a smile is always handy for solo travelers like us.
Thanks- glad you took the same steps I noted on the article.
Very helpful tips! I’ve never travelled solo. Thinking about solo travelling scares the hell out of me. But after reading your inspiring post, I think I must try this at least once. 🙂
Yes, just take baby steps 🙂
These are such empowering tips. It can be very intimidating to travel alone, especially as a woman, and I think starting small is a great way to start!
I really agree with all of these tips. My first solo adventure was filled with so much planning, but it still didn’t feel like enough! This is even more true on hiking and adventure excursions, where the risk of injury or getting completely lost is higher than when you’re wandering a city. I’ve never really considered doing a big hiking or camping trip alone before, but now I’m kind of motivated to start building up the skills like you suggested and give it a try in the future!
I normally travel to cities and populated areas as a solo traveler, so can visit a 7 eleven for food etc… For your kind of travel there is an element of survival which you need and I can imagine you need to prepare differently than I do! I can imagine when you were trekking in China how difficult it was not understanding the language or being able to read it. I struggled just to take a taxi there! I can imagine how valuable the small pieces of information you found were to you surviving on your trek. Eating healthy and traveling is something I really need to work on!
We easily forget about the self care part but it’s highly relevant because when you get sick, it’s a major challenge when traveling alone. It’s best to preventive from the start.
I like to think I’m a brave traveller by going solo on some trips, but this is on a whole different level. I can’t imagine going on a hiking trip alone, and having no-one in the wilderness to rely upon! Still, Marinel has covered some great tips, especially about trusting your intuition. I can totally relate to this when travelling, and at home too. It’s always important to love yourself, at home and away 🙂
Glad you related to the information. The intuition is something you can’t do without whether you’re traveling or not. That’s the beauty of solo travel – skills you learn carry over to daily life.
I have a lot of friends who are into solo travel lately. I am inspired by them and would love to try it out for myself soon! I guess I can start with your tips here!
These are great tips as I am just getting into camping so I will bookmark this before my next big trip.
These are all great tips for those wanting to travel on an adventure solo. I used to pack up and go on adventures when I was younger and had the money for traveling but never left the U.S. before. You should always make sure someone knows your every move though when you are going solo. Thanks for sharing the information.
Thanks – yes informing loved ones should be part of the routine – so there’s peace of mind on both ends.
Thanks for the ideas! I never thought about going solo but hey, that would sure be nice : )
I have traveled solo many times and I think this is great advice, not only for first-time solo travelers, but for experienced ones as well. Sometimes I don’t follow all of these tips, but I think some of my solo adventures would’ve been better if I had.
Those are good things for going solo. I am not sure that would be my cup of tea. I have traveled solo but ended in places where I knew people who were there.
Honestly this is an experience my soul does need.
I agree 100%.
Wow, what beautiful photos from your journeys! I’m a very anxious person, so I don’t know if solo travel is in my future, but good for you!
I know people who have taken small steps to travel solo while dealing with anxiety. It requires a bit more work but it can be done.
How awesome! You are so brave and may you continue to have safe travels!
Thanks!
I’m planning a solo trip to Boston this spring. At first, I was really nervous to travel alone since I’ve never done that before. After talking to my friends who’ve been on plenty of solo trips before, I think it will be very cathartic and fun!
Awesome – I’m sure it’ll be fun – baby steps!
Lovely tips here. I plan to go on a solo trip soon. Maybe for a weekend or so. Think I would need the break.
The internet is full of posts about practical things to do before your first solo trip and they always forget the importance of being mentally ready! So thank you so much for filling this gap 🙂
Glad to have filled the gap! I agree there are tons of great tips on solo traveling!
These are such great tips! I love the idea of solo travel (and envy that my mama does it so well) but I’m always so nervous to actually give it a try. I love your idea of starting small with a dayhike and then a weekend hike, and building your way up!
These are great trips!! I haven’t taken a solo trip just yet, but would. Although I think I’m still too scared to do a backpacking trip on my own. I know I’d weird myself out in a tent hearing all the noises outside, haha! Love your photos and attitude.
Yes, backpacking in the wilderness is an advance way to go solo. There is a set of skills to learn so yes it makes sense to have a heightened sense of fear over it but when you get to do it, it’s quite a life changing moment.
These are wonderful tips for solo travel! Traveling is such an amazing experience and sometimes it’s blissful to just be on your own.
I wish there were more great places to hike around here. With all the farmland, everything is so flat!
Great tips for starting out – I love the idea about starting small and leading up to bigger trips. And learning to love yourself and enjoy your own company is so important, a little bit of self belief/reliance can be such a mental boost!
I agree with your tips! Start small is the basic step! Once you get used to it, you can gradually increase your travel goals.
Thanks!
I agree with all the points mentioned here. The most important – loving yourself and taking small trips. I have travelled solo and know the hard emotions of being alone. But in the end, it teaches a lot. Nice Read.
Thanks – glad you found the information useful.
Love these tips, I personally try to start small and get advice from the one who have actually tripped those places earlier. They come really handy.
Since having kids, I don’t think I’ve taken any solo adventures. I used to love the ability to change my plans at will, spending time where I was engaged and skipping the places I found less interesting. Reading through your tips is making me yearn for hitting the open road solo.
These are fabulous solo traveling tips that really make a lot of sense to give a person the confidence! Thanks for sharing:)
Thanks! Glad you found them useful.
Thanks this is really helpful tips, I’ve never been solo traveling before bc I think I’m too scared.
That’s why taking baby steps can be the key to getting there. Follow your intuition from the start and you should be ok.
I love your last tip, that would totally be the one I would follow. I think it’s so brave to travel solo but also so exciting!