6 tips for men traveling alone

Busy schedules and married friends, sometimes it’s hard to coordinate a vacation with people you know. Sometimes it’s just better going alone, then you have nobody to please but yourself. Unfortunately, not all of us are the social butterfly that can jump into any situation and make easy friends and be the life of a party. Sometimes traveling alone can feel like you are alone in a crowd. Here are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your trip when you are traveling alone. 

 

Remember you are not alone

Ok, yes, we know you are alone, but you really aren’t. There are many people traveling as well that are alone or are happy to make friends. You just have to keep your eyes open and make an introductory comment here and there. If someone at the hotel is talking about some attraction, you can always ask them their opinion, and then ask them where they are from. You will be quite surprised at how fast a conversation will open up a possible friendship.

Take a tour

One of the easiest ways to meet people when you travel is take a tour. It just doesn’t get easier than this. You are on a tour bus (probably) with a lot of other people that don’t really know that many people either. Almost all the other travelers are open to talking and making friends. You can compare trips, and things you have seen, or talk about where you have come from. It makes it very easy to get a conversation going. If you are still a bit shy, pick out the old folks, they are always happy to chat and it will get you warmed up. It will also show others that you are easy going and they will be more likely to chat. 

Pack light

This is one of the biggest mistakes any traveler makes, never mind a solo traveler. Pack light, you can get clothes washed when you are traveling, and you can buy anything you have forgotten as well. Most people take more than they need, and in fact, don’t even wear half the clothes they bring “in case”. Unless you are going for a long time, see if you can wean yourself down to a single carry-on bag, preferably a backpack, as that makes it much easier to be adaptable. Trying to move from place to place with a lot of luggage is a nightmare. Take a single small bag and you will never go back to checked bags again. As a bonus, it’s also cheaper on most airlines not to check a bag. 

Chat to locals

You don’t have to be a social master to chat to locals. You can just ask someone a simple question such as “Hi, I am visiting from x country, what would you suggest I see?” You might have to lead with a “Do you do speak English?” but, anything that gets the conversation going is good. 

Remember you are a victim

Just a fair word of warning when you travel, remember you are not home. You will not generally recognize bad situations as easily as when you are in your own environment. You are a tourist and generally very recognizable as such. You are prey for local bad guys, as they know all tourists are rich. You will also be leaving, so there is less chance of you fingering them for the crime. Our advice is stick with groups, don’t wander in any areas that you are alone, and be careful who you trust. If you can find a trustworthy local to make friends with, they are worth their weight in gold, as they will keep you away from all the places you should not go. 

Enjoy yourself

Most importantly, whether you are alone or not, just enjoy yourself. Do things you want to do and go places you want to see. Make memories. When you get back home, you want to make sure everyone gets jealous of all the things you did. Get out there and make some memories.

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