Solo travelling can be done in many different ways. There are people who’d rather just board a plane and wing it in destination, and there are people who’d rather have something more or less planned in advance. In my case, most of the time I have time limitations due to my job that force me to have to be pretty organised in order to get the best out of any country I visit, without travelling in a hurry, but not wasting time either. In this post, I’ll give you some tips to plan a solo travel step by step.

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I tend to plan trips that are between 10 and 15 days (but I always feel like it’s never enough time to do all the things I want!). So I need to prioritise visits, activities, etc., however, I always try to include a variety of things to do during my trips, like small hikes, architectural visits, natural wonders, cultural encounters, etc.

If you’d like to take your time to plan a trip by yourself, below are the steps I normally recommend taking:

Steps to plan a solo trip

1. Choose your destination and dates

This is crucial, as not all destinations fit all year. Imagine planning a trip to the desert in Egypt in the middle of summer (I can assure you you’re going to sweat!), or trying to see the Northern lights in Iceland when it’s never dark in summer 😉

2. Get your flights

Once you’ve chosen your dates and destination, it’s time to book your flights. I personally use Skyscanner, where you can introduce your dates, destination, add some filters and get all the options from most airlines.

3. Visa, travel insurance & relevant pre-departure information about your chosen destination

Now you’re really up for the trip! Now it’s time to review all the important information, like visa requirements to enter the country, renew your passport in case it’s expired or it has a validity of fewer than 6 months, and buy your travel insurance (very important, particularly due to the recent events).

Make sure to check as well if you need any mandatory vaccinations, the currency of the country in case you need to exchange money, the political situation of the country you’re travelling to… In summary, make sure you get a good understanding of everything important that might influence your trip.

4. Read travel guides and blogs

The fun part starts: read travel guides, online forums, travel blogs… Just get as much knowledge as you can find. This is very easy nowadays as there’s a lot of updated information online. The more you read, the clearer will be the image of the country and the options you’ll like to explore.

5. Draw your itinerary

Time to build the puzzle! Now you have in your mind all the main activities and places you want to explore, it’s important to work out the logistics of it, particularly about transportation options. Is it better to rent a car or travel by local transport? How long does it take from point 1 to point 2? Distances and infrastructures vary greatly depending on the country.

You should end up with a draft itinerary of where you’ll visit each of the days of your trip.

6. Find accommodations

Now it’s time to find accommodation. I’m a big fan of Booking mainly because of their free cancellation policy. I normally check multiple places and I tend to have something booked for each night as I can always cancel for free up to 24 hours in advance. It is very practical to help with decision fatigue while you’re at your destination.

7. Gastronomy

Probably because I love eating, but I normally research prior to going anywhere a few recommended restaurants. I normally use Tripadvisor to see the best-reviewed and tend to try typical restaurants serving traditional food, as I believe eating is another way of travelling!

And that’s a wrap!

Now you just have to pack your bags and get ready for an adventure! If you’ve followed those 7 steps you have probably learnt a lot about the destination you’re planning on visiting, and you’re equipped with a lot of information that’s going to help you during your trip. So now it’s just time to enjoy!