Solo Backpacking Around the World
Some of us may love the idea, others loathe it – but whichever side of the fence you are on, there can be some fantastic benefits to be traveling alone. You get to be selfish for once, and do exactly what you want to do without thinking about anyone else. You can also meet some great people, whom you may have never had the chance to meet before.
The list goes on for all the benefits and enjoyment you can get from traveling abroad “on your tod”. But there are also some very important safety aspects that you should take into consideration when traveling alone – and our top 5 safety tips when traveling alone will set you off in the right direction:
1. Stay Connected/ Update People
The number one tip that any solo traveler should follow is to make sure they update friends and family on their whereabouts. With social media these days, checking in regularly on Facebook or platforms like Foursquare will just indicate to your loved ones of where you are and what you are doing. It is even a good idea to email or Skype them once in a while to let them know what your plans are – that way they have an idea of what you are planning to do. If you want to really embrace technology, iPhones have an application called “Find My Friends” which uses the GPS device in your phone to pinpoint your location. You can set this up with your family so that they are the only ones who will see your location, and it will automatically share your location as you move around. If you are traveling alone, it could be a lifesaver in case something does happen.
2. Do Your Research
No matter where you are going in the world, you should always make sure you do your research in advance to find out all you can about a place. Lonely planet guide books are an excellent option, but you can also get most things now online for free through sites like TripAdvisor or simply using the power of Google. You can find out what places to head to, what places you should avoid and any other things you should know before you arrive. This will help you be more prepared and arrive with some knowledge of your surroundings and what you want to do.
3. Plan Your Accommodation in Advance
While it can be fun to sometimes just move from place to place as you feel like it, when you are traveling alone this can lead to problems if you end up in a location that is not the most ideal. By planning in advance, you can do all your research about a location and what area/type of accommodation you will want to stay in. Nothing is worse than arriving somewhere and having to just take the nearest place as you have no idea what else is available – this could get you in trouble.
4. Avoid Heavy Drinking
OK, this could kill your fun a little – but you should avoid very heavy drinking or even mixing of drinks. Getting drunk, or even light-headed in a foreign country can be disorienting enough, but it also makes you very easy prey to be attacked. If possible also try to stick to wine and beer if you are going to drink, as often mixer drinks can have very different alcohol quantities in many developing countries, whereas most beer and wine is the same as back home.
5. Keep Important Documents in a Safe Place
When you are traveling alone, you cannot rely on anyone else to do things for you. So always make sure you keep all your important documents safe and with you at all times. The most important documents are your ID (typically this will be your passport), a credit card to get money if you need to urgently, health insurance ID card and important contact numbers. We also highly recommend that before you travel you make copies of all these documents and add them to a service like Dropbox. They will be available to you anywhere in the world if you need a copy by logging into the website so it can be a great backup!
By keeping your wits about you, traveling alone can be an excellent experience but you just need to be prepared and take some extra precautions that you might not have to if you would be traveling in a group. If you have any other tips, please add them in the comments!
Category: Student Travel
