How to prepare for your first single holiday
Lifestyle

How to prepare for your first single holiday

By Emmeline Peaches, 23.05.2022

Holidays are fantastic. Sun, sand and sea, or perhaps a city with loads of culture, or even frozen glaciers and ice hotels. The possibilities are absolutely endless and many amazing memories are forged on a holiday.

But the thing about those memories and experiences is that they’re typically shared with someone else.

For most individuals holidays start as a family affair before eventually becoming a recreational activity with friends or a partner as life goes on.

Solo travel, in comparison, might seem like a dark unknown. Travel is seen as so much a group event that the notion of the ‘lone wanderer’ often implies just that – a person who is, in some way, lonely.

As I’m sure you can guess, we tend to disagree.

Why Solo Travel Is (More Than) Fine

There are many reasons why travelling alone can be an incredibly beneficial and deeply enriching experience. The first of which being that it is a very personal experience, unique to you.

There is, after all, a big difference between being ‘lonely’ and being ‘alone’ or enjoying a solitary moment. The mere prospect of being able to enjoy a solitary moment on the beach, staring up at grandiose Renaissance architecture, or watching the Northern Lights glisten across an icy landscape is a notion so awe-inspiring that one might almost want to travel alone even if they’re not single!

Equally the thing about single life is that it allows us the space and self-focus to really get to know ourselves, what our values are, and what we consider to be our core purpose in life. Independent holidays do the same thing, offering up not just the space to explore but also a place to explore which serves as a catalyst for further introspection and self-care.

Oh and perhaps the best thing about solo travel? No bickering with others about where to eat or go on any given day. The sky is the limit.

But how does one prepare for solo travel? Here are a few of our key tips.

#1 Frame It Right

When considered in the way that we have presented in this article above, travelling as a single person is a grand and empowering experience. However, it can very easily feel like the lousiest, grimmest, and, yes, even loneliest experience if you feel the burden of travelling ‘alone’.

The counter is to shove conventional notions of needing a partner to travel out of your belief system and to, instead, embrace the sense of independent exploration that we presented above.

If this is a struggle for you then perhaps you’ll be reassured by the idea of safety in numbers; in a 2015 survey of 13,600 travellers a whopping 24% of those travelling were doing so solo. This is up significantly from just 15% in 2013.

It’s safe to say that society as a whole is ditching the idea that travel need be a group activity, so make sure you do too.

#2 Book The Right Trip For Your ‘Single’ Status

Though this article is about single travellers the idea of what a ‘single’ person wants from travel can be drastically different from one person to the next.

As such it will be important for you to consider just what you want out of your holiday as a single person and book your trip accordingly.

If you’re ‘single and ready to mingle’ then why not consider booking a holiday which ahs an element of dating to it?

Find yourself single and happy that way but would still like some platonic company? There are travel agents that arrange group trips for solo travellers, so that you can still adventure but also have a social network while doing so.

Or perhaps you’re a true independent in which case the sky is the limit in terms of travel options. This means it’s your choice if you go for a cruise, an all-expensive structured holiday, a semi-planned trip, or simply wander off the beaten tracks and see where life takes you.

#3 Pack, Pack, Then Pack Again

The one big downside to being a solo traveller is that you are responsible for all of your luggage and for all of the important things that you will need to remember on your trip.

This bit of advice, then, is all about making sure that your admin is up to scratch when it comes to holiday planning.

Don’t underestimate the fact that, as you’re travelling alone, you will be carrying everything you take with you and factor the weight of luggage in to your selection.

Make sure you have the key items, such as your passport, boarding pass, flight details, and local currency in place. Get your health insurance (if needed) and other travel card essentials in place.

If in doubt about anything then remember – just because you’re single doesn’t mean you’re alone. Have a trusted and organized member of your friend group or family help you pin the essentials down and double check things come the end.

Heck, write a last minute check list too so that you can be sure you have everything the moment before you walk out the door.

Don’t fret too much about any of this, though; You’re confident, capable, and have totally got this!

#4 Learn Key Phrases

We won’t dwell too much on this one, as it’s very much another ‘admin’ or ‘planning’ point but if you’re travelling to a country where the language is different then do be sure to learn some key phrases to help you get through any tricky moments.

Nowadays you can download some on to your phone and have them ready in real emergency situations but make sure that you also take a compact language book too. Tech can fail and Google Translate will only get you so far (especially if the mobile data or wifi is unreliable).

Safety above all things.

Aaaaand finally….

#5 Have Fun!

Obviously we can’t give specific advice on this one, as how you like to enjoy your time will be very personal. However, what we can say is that it’s very important that you give yourself the space and permission to have a really good time while travelling as a single person.

The first time travelling single can seem strange; you’re not used to being alone in any capacity while travelling outside of your comfort zone. But let us tell you know that there’s a lot of growth and thrills to be had from getting out of your comfort zone and truly seeing the world from a position of independent living.

Laugh, dance, socialize and, above all else, smile with sheer joy at the experiences that you are met with. Maybe you even meet a very hot stranger in the swimming pool. Want to know what that looks like? Check out this sexy porn for women video.

You never know, you may find yourself booking your next single vacation sooner than you’d planned!

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