Flying solo: Tips for travelling alone

Travelling alone is an excellent experience. When going solo, one is able to enjoy more freedom, unconstrained by the opinions or preferences of anyone else. It’s also an opportunity to grow and be forced out one’s comfort zone, with the added chance of self-discovery and a lot of time for introspection. Those who have never taken a solo trip, may find the idea intimidating – this is a short list of tips to help solo travellers make the most of the experience.

Make a list

When travelling alone, one has the flexibility to go anywhere at any time. Since nobody wants to miss any of the great attractions, it’s a good idea to create a list of the best places and then enjoy ticking them off during the visit. For example,if you are visiting Singapore, it will be endlessly rewarding to create a list of top-rated places, such as the Singapore Flyer, Universal Studios Singapore and Merlion Park.

Plan for downtime and waiting

When travelling alone, there are likely to be moments of loneliness and boredom. Such moments can be filled in a variety of ways – a book is always a great way to escape a queue, headphones are a must for the perfect playlist to accompany the trip, and there are always online games to play.

Thorough research

There are many online forums available to help with planning a trip, and Reddit is among the best. Once one has decide on a destination, the next step is to search for the city’s subreddit, where locals can be asked for tips on hidden gems. Anyone travelling on their own should make a point of finding out how safe the place is, and locals will be able to offer advice on how to avoid any common scams or dangerous areas in the region. The local culture may also be quite different from home, so it might be worth learning what the residents would consider a faux pas!

Conclusion

We all need to take solo trips every now and then. Such experiences can help us grow as human beings and force us to face certain fears. There are many great places to visit solo, and nowadays in many cases distance does not have to be a deciding factor. With these tips in mind, all that’s left to do is make the most of an amazing trip.

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