Is this your first time traveling solo?

Plan your solo travel

Research the area where you will be staying.

Lets say that you are going to a small town. Get a map of the town, go on Google and check out their maps. Find out where the parks are and what the general layout of the area looks like.

Research the best place to stay within your budget. This may be a hotel , B&B or Airbnb.

Try to find out where the safest places are. This can be a bit of a challenge because no one very describes their hotel as “It’s in the middle of the most dangerous area of our city but you will love it!” Read reviews and do the best decision you can with your information. Go on Facebook travel groups and ask questions.

Research the coffee houses, restaurants, tourist offices, doctors, special shops and supermarkets. You want to have a few places that you can go to when you arrive and then you can also ask people to suggest places for you.

Check out A guide for solo travel over 50.

Solo travel and hobbies

Photography and Sketching are great travel hobbies.

Do you have a hobby? Photography is a great hobby because you can do it anywhere and all the time. You will always be busy and if you ever feel uncomfortable being alone you can spend time reviewing your images.

The other good travel hobby is sketching. Take a notebook and a few pens and pencil and you will have the best time recording your trip. I have seen people sketching inside trains, museums and coffee shops. I have done that myself.

There are other hobbies like hiking and gardening that can help you plan a trip around those interests.

Solo travel and meeting people

Workshops and activities are the best way to meet people. Before traveling to a place check out if there are any fun classes that relate to your hobbies and interests.

If you like to photograph look for photo-walks and if you love cooking look for those workshops. You may even want to do a trip that is around photography and cooking classes. It will still be a solo trip and you will be around people who love to do that. Or just look for a 3 day workshop and spend the rest of the time traveling.

I went to Ludlow a few years back and found out about a garden tour and joined it. I thought that it would be a great way to know more about the city, it’s neighbourhoods and maybe even meet some people.

Garden tours, architectural tours and art chats are the best way to know a town and chat with people

I had such a good time during the garden tour in Ludlow. I went to places that I would not have gone as a tourist and I met a group of lovely ladies that belong to the WI and who invited me out on some of their outings and to a lovely event. It changed my trip and my outlook of the area.

When you arrive go to the tourist office to get general information and find out about local activities. The library may have information to. Check out if there are any Meet-Up groups in the area.

Airbnb has something called experiences and you can book them before you go!

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