“I was sitting in the common area next to a guy from Nigeria and a guy from South America, and here I am from the UK. I thought to myself, imagine if everyone in the world stayed at a hostel and got to know each other like this. Think about how much more peaceful the world would be.”

***

I got a lot of wide-eyed, open-mouthed expressions when I told people that I’m going on a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia by myself.

“You’re seriously going by yourself?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Won’t you be lonely?”

It’s mostly the same questions. I admit it, I was terrified to go on my first solo trip to Sweden. But I wanted to challenge myself and see how I could handle certain situations…like losing my phone.

I find solo travel to be liberating. I can do what I want, when I want. And that’s something that I might not be able to do when traveling with other people.

So here I am on a solo trip around the world. And I haven’t felt alone once.

While the idea of traveling by yourself seems scary, it’s something that I encourage you to do at least once in your life. Even if it’s just a weekend trip to the Florida Keys. Here are 12 tips for traveling by yourself. It’s not as scary as it seems.

1. Stay in hostels

I’ve met more people from around the world during a one night stay at a hostel than I did living in NYC for 2 years. I look for hostels on Booking.com or Hostelworld.com. Read the reviews to see if where you’re staying is a social place. I usually book places that have a common area, like a pool, game room or bar.

Sit in the common area and say hi to the person next to you. It’s not weird, I promise. But be prepared to instantly forget their name (is that just me while meeting other people?), and if they seem cool, ask to add them on Facebook or Snapchat. You just made a new travel buddy.

2.Download travel apps

Don’t just throw yourself into the world cold turkey. Prepare yourself. Download offline maps(Ulmon), currency converter (Oanda), Hostelworld, Kayak, Tinder (it’s actually a great way to meet other travelers/get advice on an area), CamScanner (for passports & travel docs), Netflix (you’ll want this for train/plane/bus rides), Uber (it’s almost everywhere & will always be cheaper than a taxi), and Facebook Messenger.

I also recommend joining a Facebook group related to the place you might be traveling. For instance, I joined Southeast Asia Backpacking Alone and I got so many tips about where to go and what to do along the way.

3. Purchase a portable charger

This will save you during those long train/plane/bus rides. I actually use my portable charger rather than outlets because I like to sleep with my phone. You never know when mom will send you a pic of your cat.

You can find one on Amazon for $30.

4. Rent a moped whenever possible

I like to rely on myself rather than public transportation in a foreign city. Buses are slow, you might get on the wrong train, and taxis get expensive. If I know that I’ll be in one place for a week or 2, I’ll rent a moped. It’s just the most convenient way to get to McDonald’s at 4 am.

You can rent a moped in Southeast Asia for about $3-7 USD/day depending on the country. If you’re in Europe, it will be more like $15-30 USD/day, and you might need an International Driver’s License. I got mine at AAA for $20. Worth it.

5. Never let your bag out of sight

As a solo traveler, it’s tough to go to the beach by yourself. You don’t want to leave your bag on the beach, jump in the ocean and come back to nothing but your towel. Either don’t bring anything to the beach, or take your bag with you into the ocean. Pretend you’re doing an overhead squat by holding the bag above your head and dunk. Work those buns of steal.

6. Make friends with locals

This is the best way to see a place. I went surfing with some locals in Bali and got great travel tips from an Uber driver in Malaysia. Meeting locals is the best way to see a small town.

If you’re in a big city, I suggest taking a free walking tour. You’ll learn a ton about the area, meet other travelers, and get tips on what to do and where to go.

7. Don’t be scared to go to bars or restaurants alone

You shouldn’t be traveling by yourself if eating by yourself is something you dread.

8. Research how to get places before you leave wifi

You don’t want to be exploring a new city while your eyes are looking down at the map on your phone. Before you leave your room, have a general idea of where you want to go and what you want to see. I usually star places on Google maps so that I don’t forget.

Put your phone away, and start wandering. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you discover on your own.

9. Never take all of your money with you when you leave your room

Sometimes, shit happens and your Jackie Chan moves might fail you against a pickpocketer or a mugger. With the possibility that that might happen, don’t take your entire wallet with you when you leave your room.

10. Sometimes you might not want to talk to people & that’s totally okay

Believe it or not, you’re going to need “me” time when you solo travel. You’ll be doing so much exploring and meeting people that it gets exhausting. I find that every two weeks, I have a breaking point during my travels. I call it the two week slump. When that happens, I like to book a nice hotel for a night, take a hot shower (rare in hostels), jump under the covers and binge watch Netflix #treatyoself.

11. Don’t plan ahead

Just wing it. This is something I struggle with because I’m usually such a planner. But sometimes you meet people who you want to travel with or fall in love with a town or get inspiration to explore a place you’ve never heard of before. You have to leave your schedule open as a solo traveler. If I didn’t, I would have never explored Bali with some Kiwis.

12. Say yes to everything. Even if an Aussie asks to design each other’s tattoos

My best advice for solo travel is to embrace the unknown. Be open to meeting people. Immerse yourself in a foreign culture. Do things you’ve never done before. Say yes to everything. There’s no one holding you back but yourself.

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