Summer is a prime time to travel to new places and have new experiences. Many students take summers abroad so they can get the study-abroad experience without having to sacrifice a semester or crucial classes at their home university. Others are taking on an internship in a new country or city. Some people might just be going on a solo vacation.
Traveling alone, especially if it’s for the first time, is a nervewracking experience. Flying is complicated, and navigating transfers, bus lines, security systems, and new countries and cities can be equal parts terrifying and exciting. Before you get ready to hop on a plane, train, or automobile, here are 8 tips for traveling alone.
1. Check Security Regulations Before You Leave
You do not want to get stuck in security for an extra hour because you didn’t realize you weren’t allowed to bring your shaving razor in your carryon. You may not have to go through security in every airport you traverse through, but it’s better to know the regulations for all of them so you don’t have any trouble.
2. Pack Smart
An important thing to remember is that you won’t have any access to the items in your checked baggage from the time you check in at your first airport to the time you arrive at your final destination, and you won’t be able to get at your carryon during a flight. Make sure to pack things you’ll need between flights, like a toothbrush or change of clothes, into your carryon, and anything you’ll need on the flight in a backpack or other smaller bag.
3. Try to Get Some Sleep… Before You Leave
It’s great to sleep on the plane, but if you’re like me, you might not be able to. You don’t want to arrive at your destination any more tired than you have to be.
4. Double Check Your Tickets
You don’t want to show up at Terminal A when you’re supposed to be at Terminal B, which is a half mile away, within five minutes.
5. Stay Hydrated
Mass transit is notoriously dry, but you don’t want to use the plane/bus/train bathroom any more than absolutely necessary.
6. Make Sure You Know How To Get To Your Hotel
Not just in theory, in practice. You don’t want to be wandering about a city you’ve never been in with 50lb of luggage.
7. Practice Your Crowd Navigating Face
To get through a crowd and look like I know where I’m going (even when I have no clue), which is important to stay safe in a strange city, I square my shoulders and look right through oncoming pedestrians, making them more likely to step out of my way as they think I don’t see them. I also never attempt to navigate in the middle of a sidewalk, stepping by a café or similar place to pull up Google Maps. Looking annoyed can mean no one bothering you.
8. Bring Local Currency
Not all shops take cards overseas. Make sure to bring at least $20 worth of foreign currency to get around the city you’ll be staying in or the airport you’re navigating through, in case of an emergency.
Traveling can have a lot of potential pitfalls, but it can also be a fun and enriching experience. Make sure to make the most of any trip you take this summer, and remember to stay safe and have fun!
