Have you ever gone on a Trip by yourself? Taken a solo Vacation to a place of your own choosing?

Whether you took a road trip when you were in your 20s, or even tacked a couple bleisure days onto a business trip, there’s something to be said about going out by yourself for a little while. Even if you’ve been married for 20 years, it’s okay to take a solo vacation for a day or two. It can be the refresher you all need to recharge your batteries.

So the next time you’re going to be on the road by yourself, whether it’s a business trip, a real vacation, or a bleisure trip (business + leisure — tacking a free day or two onto a business trip), here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Share your itinerary with someone

Make sure you share your plans with a family member or friend so someone knows where you’re heading and when you’re supposed to return. If nothing else, you want someone who knows what’s going on in case you need help.

You should also give them physical copies of your travel documents, like a photocopy of your passport, any prescriptions, and your emergency contact list. Make sure this person is your ICE(In Case of Emergency) contact on your phone.

2. Now is your chance to do something you love

Maybe you like to go shopping instead of hitting the beach, or you’d rather go to a museum than the theme parks. Or you like to get up early and get started rather than staying out late. Or you’d rather burn the midnight oil and go see some shows or concerts and sleep in the next morning. This is your chance to do all that!

It’s also a chance to do some of those attractions that may have seemed too expensive when there were four or five of you: go on a hot air balloon ride or helicopter tour. Or spend an entire day at the museum, or ride the same theme park ride over and over. And if you’d rather just sit and read for a few hours in an Independent Coffee Shop without anyone tugging on your arm saying they want to go, this is your time.

This can be true for restaurants. If you normally don’t get to eat Chinese food, or someone doesn’t want pizza two days in a row, you get to eat whatever and whenever you want on a solo vacation.

3. Schedule time with friends on a solo vacation

You can also visit friends on your solo vacation, especially if they live in a different city. But don’t feel like you need to spend every minute with them. You can avoid awkwardness if you pre-schedule your meals together or get together for coffee, rather than offering a vague time like “we could hang out in the afternoon.”

This lets you stick to your own vacation schedule, see your own sights, and you don’t have to take someone else’s preferences and wishes into account: This is one of the best reasons for a solo vacation, isn’t it?

If you don’t know anyone in that city, you could always meet new people. There are plenty of “how to travel by yourself” articles that encourage us to “Meet new people!” One benefit of traveling alone is to be able to see the world the way you want to, and that includes meeting people. Locals will always be the best source of information, and the people you meet could be some of the best memories of the trip. Just remember to keep safe (see #5).

4. Ask friends and locals for recommendations

Depending on where you’re heading on your solo vacation, you may know some people who have been there before. If you need some recommendations for fun things to do, great restaurants, or attractions to see, ask friends and colleagues for recommendations. They can share some of their favorites and suggest ideas you hadn’t thought of.

You could also visit an independent local coffee shop (not big chain coffee) and sit at the community table or near other people. Introduce yourself and ask them for advice on things to do and places to eat. The fact that they’re at an independent coffee shop means they probably care about shopping and eating local, and they’ll know a lot of the city’s hidden gems. Or, just ask one of the baristas when they’re not too busy.

If all else fails, look for people online who live in the city you’re visiting (most cities have a Facebook group of some sort), and ask them for recommendations. Or see if the city has an alt-weekly newspaper or website. Most of these places do an annual Best Of competition where people vote on their favorite restaurants, music venues, theater productions and so on.

Local establishments are favorites among the locals for a reason. The tourists’ restaurants are fine, but they don’t give you a real sense of what the city is like. Find out from the locals where to find the best of your favorite foods, or check out a site like Yelp.

5. Be safe!

You can be safe even on a solo vacation without hiding out in your hotel room. There are a few ways to do that, such as not sharing travel updates on social media while you’re actually on your trip. You don’t want to let people know you’re traveling alone. If you want so share your solo vacation with your friends, wait until you get home. Then you can say “This is where I was,” rather than “This is where I am at the moment.”

Also, be careful about your transportation. Take only licensed taxis and buses, or if you do ride-sharing, be sure you have the right car before you climb in.

Finally, don’t overindulge. You can enjoy a drink or two, but don’t go overboard. Chat with the bartender or server so they can monitor your situation. And consider leaving a note in your hotel room or Airbnb that says where you’re going and when you think you’ll be back.

Have you taken a solo vacation? What did you think? Would you do it again? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook page, or on our Twitter stream. You can also find us on our Instagram page at @TravelproIntl.

Photo credit: Jeevan (Pixabay, Creative Commons 0)

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