Planning your first solo trip? Here are seven tips to make it even better;

Travelling alone or solo trip has the potential to change: Consider the autobiographies “Eat, Pray, Love” or “Wild.” However, you don’t need to walk 1,100 miles or round the world to understand why some people decide to do it alone.

It may be as enticing as a tropical breeze to have the flexibility to travel at your own leisure and be open to making connections with individuals you encounter along the route. However, travelling alone may be intimidating as well, particularly when issues emerge. Naturally, solitary travellers must also keep a few safety precautions in mind.

So, are you prepared to plan your first adventure? Here’s how to maximise its benefits.

Start off simple

Keep your first journey straightforward, said Carolyn Ray, the owner of the website JourneyWoman and a veteran solo traveller who has been to more than 40 nations. She suggests choosing a location in your own nation or at the very least where people speak your language to help you get over your anxiety. Additionally, select lodgings with public areas where you may socialise and that are convenient to the attractions you wish to visit.

Use Your One Power

Solo diners without reservations may sometimes get a spot at the bar at even the trendiest eateries. And by purchasing only one ticket immediately before the performance begins, singles can frequently score inexpensive seats at plays and events, according to Kat Fleischman, 36, an American public relations specialist who has been travelling alone abroad since she was 18. She also suggests that guests ask hotels about single-occupancy discounts. In amusement parks, solo travellers might join singles lines that move more quickly, filling any gaps left by groups. There are a few attractions with single queues at each of Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Six Flags Magic Mountain outside Los Angeles, and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Attend group events

websites like Fun and Meetup JetSetter can facilitate conversation with others who have similar interests to yours. A simple online search can turn up a variety of results: On the website Eatwith, you can schedule meals together residents and other tourists. Join a local organisation that organises hikes, such as Alaska Outdoors in Anchorage, to meet other nature enthusiasts. Use websites like Pickleball NSW in Australia’s New South Wales to locate new locations where you may engage in your favourite pastimes. Facebook communities for expats, like Spain’s Expats of Malaga community, may provide local guidance and connections.

A few guesthouses and hostels also plan excursions. You could find yourself attending a drag performance, a dancing club, a singalong, or a kayaking instruction. For instance, the hotel operator Selina provides workplace areas and group excursions in more than 100 sites worldwide, including Peru, Israel, and Thailand.

Talk to the Locals

Sit at the bar if you are dining alone since you are more likely to start a conversation there. One tactic was to “sit with an English-language book to attract other English speakers,” as advised by Ray. Take the standard precautions, of course, including meeting in a public area and letting people know where you’re going and who you’ll be seeing. Some dating apps offer “friend” settings that lone travellers may utilise.

Don't Overshare, and Use a Financial 'Safe Word'

Don’t accept invites, give out personal information, or leave your possessions with someone you just met. Along with a loud key chain alarm, Ray advised bringing a rubber doorstop to offer an added measure of security to your hotel or Airbnb accommodation.

Fleischman suggests that if you’re lost, enter a café or business rather than waiting to check your phone out on the sidewalk. And when you’re on the move, use your headphones to listen to directions from mapping applications rather than checking your route on your phone.

Create a phrase that only you and a select group of family members and friends at home understand so that if you are truly in trouble and in need of money, they will be able to tell it’s not a thief impersonating you. A digital copy of your itinerary, health or travel insurance paperwork, and passport should also be sent to those folks. Using a mobile app, you could also wish to let them know where you are.

Leave Space for Spontaneity

“Some of the most memorable experiences during your solo travels can result from stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unusual,” Ray added. Create plans that you have the option of changing.

Keep a Journal

According to Ray, solo travel is an opportunity to “foster and cultivate your own sense of empowerment,” and it will be easier to grasp what you’ve learned if you keep a record of your objectives, obstacles, and victories in writing, audio, or video form.