Traveling alone to any attraction spots can be quite an adventure and challenging for most travelers accustomed to traveling with people. This can be a wonderful opportunity to see a city in a new way and meet new people; you get to decide on your time and schedule without worrying about someone’s else’s, plus you can easily get that one last seat on a plane or the tour bus without thinking about a partner.
You can also travel light and easy and without arguments between couples that often tend to ruin trips.
Traveling solo is an opportunity to take risks as an adventurer but the travel industry is generally set up for people traveling in pairs or groups and let’s be honest traveling with a companion is a lot of fun because there you have someone to share your experiences, it’s easier and cheaper to get a better deal on package tours, hotels, and hostels. However, with any decision in life such as traveling to that new tourist spot, there are going to be advantages and disadvantages especially when it comes to traveling alone, so it is up to you to weigh the pros and cons and decide on which path is better for you.
The Trip Advisor forum is helpful for solo travelers who need to find out experiences of other people who have traveled to the same tourist destinations and the travel channel is a great way to find out information about countries, their terrain, and tourist attraction spots which are necessary to know as you are embarking on that solo trip.
However traveling alone can have some frustrating problems and so I thought to share three of the most frustrating problems and my solutions to fix them.
Problem number #1: paying more than necessary.
This is more common when visiting that tourist attraction for the first time, and as a solo traveler, there are people that would like to rip you off like cab drivers, tour cruises, and packages intended for couples at discounted rates.
This can be quite frustrating and annoying to think that the travel industry has more packages for couples to tourist attractions than one person plus there are cab drivers or tourist guides who would want to rip you off because you are alone. This can be too much to bear, there’s safety in numbers, and so most people are bound to take advantage of you being a solo traveler.
Solution: proper preparation and planning can make a huge difference.
Doing your research on time to find out how to get to tourist attractions at a cheaper solo rate will help you. Visiting sites like Trip Advisor and watching travel channel can help you in making more informed planning and preparation decisions about the easiest routes in getting to places faster.
You can check for cheaper tour guides, and cruises for solo travelers online and find easier directions to the destinations you are headed to and the average costs. Learn or have a small book of the common written languages of the area so that you can communicate to the locals in the area and ask questions if you are not sure of anything, it never hurts to ask.
Haggle prices with cabs if necessary or if you are not sure of the price, and you don’t want to be ripped off by them. Good research, planning, and preparation before that trip can make your trip much easier.
Problem #2: Getting sick while you’re on holiday.
This can dampen your mood when you are on a holiday visiting various tourist attractions however, sometimes due to the stress of traveling, the long hours and stopovers, change of flights or buses and lack of sleep, rest or food, it might likely come down to a breakdown of the immune system due to exhaustion.
In times like this, it is often sad enough being alone and having to take care of yourself in a strange country, and you might wish you had a familiar companion to help you. This can also put a stop to your adventure plans when you realize you are too sick to go anywhere which can also be quite boring.
Solution:Take it slow and take care of yourself.
In holidays where I have fallen ill, most times strangers have turned to friends and have helped, and this may happen to you too, but the best bet in such scenarios is to take care of yourself by taking it slow, resting and sleeping when necessary and by eating right.
According to Trip Advisor, it is often advisable to take a basic medical kit when traveling and of course arrange travel insurance for major emergencies as this can come in handy. When traveling, you may get little travel aches and pains and the occasional cold. Find a company or comfort to get you going and find out chemists where you can get treatments for a little cost. The most important solution is to take it slow and take it easy on yourself.
Problem #3: letting your fear of others rule.
When traveling solo, we try to be careful of others which should be so but allowing that to turn to fear can be a problem. Traveling alone is often a wonderful way to learn how to cope with major and minor difficulties.
Solution: make friends and talk to people.
What’s the point of traveling solo if you don’t get to make new friends? Try to make new friends on your way to those tourist attraction spots and chat with the locals. Be friendly with people in your hotel or hostels so that you don’t end up thinking too much or having a boring stay.
This is a time to mix up with people instead of being afraid of them, I have gone to so many places alone and have ended up making good friends that have lasted for years, this will make your journey more interesting and memorable. Traveling solo forces you to reach out to people to learn from them and talk to them. It might be scary because they are strangers but strangers often turn to friends and are often worth the risk.
Also, Read
- Common Mistakes to Avoid When Traveling Abroad
- 20 Cheapest Exotic Countries to travel
- 70 Packing Advice for Travelers
Traveling alone is worth the risk and brings experiences that you share with others. It also makes you a more confident traveler because you know what to do in a similar situation in another journey to various tourist attractions.
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