How To Choose Your First Solo Travel Destination

If you decided that you want to try traveling alone for the first time ever, choosing a destination is your first step. However, a destination can either make or break the entire experience. This article covers the main points you need to consider before choosing the destination for your first-ever solo trip.

Your Budget

One of the first things to consider when choosing a travel destination for a solo trip is a budget. While traveling solo gives you a lot of freedom, it also means a bit higher travel costs since you do not have anyone to share the expenses with. Considering all these points, the cost of traveling solo depends on a lot of factors, such as your travel style, the length of the trip, and the destination you wish to visit.

The best starting point is to decide how much money you can dedicate to this trip. Once you have a clear number in mind, then you can start researching travel costs in different destinations. However, it is important to note that further destinations do not equal higher costs. One of the best examples of that is the Southeast Asia region. It might be more expensive to fly there than to Europe, but combined expenses could be lower compared to the same amount of time spent in Europe because of low accommodation, transport, and food costs.

Your Interests

One of the best things about solo travel is that it allows you to be a little selfish. This means that you have a unique opportunity to create the itinerary that you enjoy and do the things that truly excite you without any compromises.

This is why it is important to consider your interests, hobbies, and even bucket list items when choosing a destination. For this, write down a list of things you want to see or do while on your trip and then see which destination is the best for those activities. For example, if you love hiking and food, maybe Italy could be a perfect option for you. Want to learn how to scuba dive? Look no further than Thailand or Australia.

Climate and Weather

Climate and the season change could be one of the deciding factors in choosing between a few destinations. First, you need to consider the weather and climate that you enjoy and can easily travel within. If you aren’t a big fan of cold, maybe Scandinavian countries during the wintertime aren’t such a good idea for your solo trip. On the other hand, if you cannot stand the heat, you might want to stay away from Spain and other Southern destinations during the months of July and August.

Also, some destinations have different periods of the year that you would want to avoid, for example, monsoon seasons. No matter how cheap the plane tickets might be, the middle of the wet season in Vietnam is probably not the best idea.

Check the Level of Safety

It is essential that you check the political situation at the destination of your choice. You probably should avoid countries that are at war or are experiencing any kind of political unrest for your own safety, even if they still allow tourists to enter. Asides from the red-marked zones on the map, you should also consider the crime rates, recent attacks on tourists, or any other safety concerns, especially if you are a woman wanting to go solo.

Of course, the danger is a relative and subjective term, so whether the destination is deemed ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ is questionable. While you shouldn’t feel discouraged to visit more controversial and more ‘unsafe’ destinations such as Colombia, Indonesia, or Pakistan, it is probably smarter to leave those destinations for the future when you become a more experienced solo traveler and you will know what to do in different situations.

Familiarity with the Destination

If you are feeling a bit scared or stressed about traveling alone for the first time, you should start slowly and choose a destination that is relatively similar (but still foreign in some sense) to your own home country and will give you some familiar comfort. Solo traveling isn’t for everyone, so the best way to test it out is to go somewhere closer to home or with a similar culture, or cuisine.

If you live in Europe, you are lucky to have a plethora of choices for your first solo destination. Plus, most of the countries in Europe have a familiar level of safety, cuisine, and weather. However, if you live in a country like the US where it takes a long time to travel from one side to another, then you can try to travel domestically for your first trip to test out solo travel. Traveling domestically is as much traveling as it is when you do cross a border.

Photo: Peera_stockfoto/shutterstock

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