Solo trip for women: tips for vacation alone

From mountain hike to India to a silent retirement in Bali, I had the chance to travel solo several times in the last decade.

Over the years, I found that the mixture of visits with independent trips helps me to make the most of my trips.

Meeting people is at the top of my priority list, as I feel safe when I travel. Here are some tips for making both.

In the southern state of Kerala, India, I stayed in Soul and Surf, a guest house in the city of Varkala who specializes in yoga lessons and surf lessons. While on the field of the station on a grassy cliff, I lazy in bikini among mainly Western tourists. But in the center of the small town, I wore long dresses or pants and I made sure to cover my legs and my shoulders.

Local populations dress modestly, and it was important for me to respect this: I also felt that I would be less likely to draw unwanted attention.

Kerala has the reputation of being more relaxed than other parts of India, but I am still covered. Following local customs is a good way to integrate into any destination.

When I travel for myself, I aim for a mixture of organized visits and solo explorations. During a trip to Vietnam, I joined a tourist visit to the Mekong Delta, a network of rivers and islands at the southern tip of the country.

While the tour was undeniably touristy, I had the chance to chat with others and hear their stories. We had evenings for ourselves and I liked swimming alone at the hotel swimming pool and eating street dishes for dinner alone.

After the tour, I liked to do my own thing on Phu Quoc, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. I enjoyed myself to wake up solo and be able to choose exactly what I wanted to do every day.

I mixed tours with solo trips during my trip to Kerala too. After a few days near the beach, I joined a trek organized Western Ghâts in the city of the Munnar hill, hiking through tea plantations, cardamom fields and tropical forests, where we had to leave the beaten track so as not to disturb the wild elephants of the region.

I took yoga lessons alone in Las Vegas, the Spanish island of Mallorca and the tourist state of Goa, India.

A retreat at Villa de Zoysa, a family estate in southern Sri Lanka, launched my love of yoga, and that helped me find the community when I travel alone. For those who are not fans, language and dance lessons could also work.

While the cat in Mallorca in Mallorca joined the courses in Bini Balance, managed by the instructor of Yoga Cristina Moragues. She invited me to join a retirement in the nearby Tramuntana Serra mountain range that crosses the center of the island.

In Goa, I approached tourists who were walking on Patnem Beach, wearing yoga carpets. They invited me to join a class, and we have become vacation friends, making a boat trip to neighboring beaches and spending the evening together in a silent nightclub.

Dinner alone can feel exposed, so I often look for restaurants where there are seats at the bar.

During a solo trip to New Orleans to see Beyonce occurring during her Renaissance tour in 2023, I had a brunch in Willa Jean in the central city district of the city. I sat down at the bar, enjoying the lawyer toast and a Paloma cocktail, while chatting with a private reaction company operator and an LVMH frame, who were both in town for business.

In Bearcat, also in the CBD, there is a large menu with breakfast classics alongside the crab and lobster specials, and I found the bar a good way to take the buzzing atmosphere.

Call me the old school, but I like an appropriate travel guide.

I find endless online criticisms for tedious hotel or restaurant recommendations and I count rather on books “Lonely Planet” or “Gross Guide”. It also seems safer – I am less likely to have my phone in my hand by scrolling through an unknown street. In addition, it means that I am looking for more and that I can take more from my environment.

Guided walking visits are also a great way to explore a city without your nose in your phone. I made a foot visit to Ho Chi Minh Ville with Guruwalk, which takes place on a paid base.

Hotels that offer activities can create an easy solo trip. Red Mountain Resort in UTAH offers packages including group guided hikes, courses such as Pilates, physical form and meditation. During my stay, I found that these activities facilitated the meeting with other travelers.

Meanwhile, the British vacation company Neilson includes activities such as cycling, tennis lessons, paddle board and sailing on vacation, and its social dining table can be a friendly place for solo travelers. Traveling during school terms increases your chances of meeting other people who are on vacation alone – and it is also cheaper.

Some activities also attract solo travelers. In Indonesia, I stayed in Bali Silent Retreat, where most of the guests were traveling solo. Not to speak for a few days was liberating. However, if silence is too much, retirement offers short trips to a hot source nearby, where speech is authorized.

Traveling for yourself can feel extremely liberating. That said, I take some safety precautions.

Before leaving, I leave a detailed route with my family, including the telephone numbers of tourist guides and taxi companies that I use, as well as my travel insurance information.

If you are an American citizen, you can record trips abroad with the registration for government intelligent travelers so that you can be contacted in an emergency. There is no similar system in the United Kingdom, but the government publishes a list of English-speaking doctors around the world.

I reserve most of my transfers, my accommodation and my upcoming visits, although I try to leave a certain flexibility so that I can also be spontaneous.

When I am on the move, I carry a transverse handbag and avoid keeping valuables in my pockets. I always carry a spare credit card and additional money, which I leave in the hotel safe. When I travel by train or a rickshaw in India, I wore a silver belt under my pants. The inhabitants advised me not to walk alone late at night in New Orleans, and I made sure to book and wait for taxis inside rather than in the street.

When I told my friends that I traveled to myself in India, some said they were concerned about my security. But I found that when people approached me, they usually wanted to practice their English.

In Bali, on the other hand, traveling around the island is simple via Gojek and Grab driving applications.

Regarding accommodation, I avoid the rooms on the floor. I also use all the locks on the doors, So that someone with a key cannot enter the room while I sleep.

And, I ask for advice from the local population, as well as other tourists, in areas to avoid or the tour operators they recommend.

Finally, my best advice: trust your intuition. If a person, a situation or a place does not feel safe, let or ask for help.