In June I went on an amazing adventure to Peru – by myself.
Sure, I’ve traveled alone before, but normally to visit someone who already lived at or near my destination. This trip, however, was on my own.
A number of people in my life have made comments about how brave it was to travel alone, especially to another country. But really, with the right planning, anyone can do it! Here are some tips to help you plan a successful solo adventure!
1. Plan Ahead
When travelling by yourself, it is really important to have a plan. Now, don’t think for a second that I am recommending mapping out every moment of your adventure. There’s no fun in that! What I am recommending, though, is to give yourself a solid foundation. You obviously know when you’re arriving and when you’re leaving. Plan for any must see cities or sights, plan your lodging based on how much walking or driving you think is reasonable. Schedule any organized tours or activities that require advance planning, and take some time to learn about the area! If, like me, you want to go to Peru, it’s important to know that many of the bucketlist sights require that you buy your tickets months in advance (Inca Trail, Machu Picchu).
2. Get Recommendations
Do you know anyone who has been to the place you’re going? When I was planning my trip to Peru, I knew a friend had been very recently with his husband and his mom. They raved about their experience, so you can bet your ass I was all up in his business about where they went, what they did, and which companies they used. It turns out, recommendations (and warnings) are one of the best ways to make decisions for your trip. If someone you know had an amazing experience, chances are you can’t go wrong.
3. Read Reviews
Don’t know anyone who’s been there? No problem! There are plenty of online forums for reviews. Granted, I take a lot of what I read when it comes to restaurant and hotel reviews with a grain of salt. But if you read enough, you’ll absolutely get the feel for the the company your investigating. In fact, the group that was on my trek in Peru chose the same tour company I chose on a recommendation based on the company’s rave online reviews!
4. Buy Insurance
Let me be fully transparent here – in all the years I have been traveling, this trip to Peru is the first time I bought travel insurance. In my defense, I never really took the time to figure out what insurance actually covered. It turns out, depending on your insurance, you can be covered for canceled flights, illness, emergency transport, lost luggage – any number of things! Fortunately I didn’t have to use my insurance on my trip, but there were some people in my tour group who ended up ill, and I can imagine insurance would have come in handy for me if my experience had been the same.
5. Be Open
Finally, the most important tip I have to offer – BE OPEN! Be open to new experiences, new food, new people, new adventures. You’re traveling alone, for goodness sake! You’ve already likely crawled out of your comfort zone to take that step. Don’t stop there! If you’ve done a bit of planning, and you’ve made your big decisions based on recommendations and reviews, rest assured that you’ve put yourself in a position to experience what your destination has to offer!
Do you have an adventure coming up? Are you a seasoned solo traveler? I’d love to hear about your experiences!
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