travelling alone - for the girls 🩷🎀

I’ve been travelling alone since I was 17 and have since solo travelled across Europe, Canada and the US. So I think through MANY experiences I’m somewhat qualified to write this. I’m going to structure this into two main sections, the first, my thoughts on solo travelling, a split between the pros and the cons and the second half on some advice and things I would tell younger or even older women looking to do some solo travelling.

here is why I solo travel

My view on solo travelling has changed a lot over the many adventures I have been on. When I was younger, it was exciting and preferred, I saw it as a way to prove my independence and show myself that I didn’t need anyone. I think after “proving“ that to myself, my perspective on solo travelling has changed a lot, now it’s more out of necessity. I told myself I never wanted to wait for other people to be fully on board to experience life. While living in Europe, for example, there aren’t many people who I can convince to spontaneously take a $20 bus to Norway with me 5 hrs from when I bought the tickets and hostel, so I just took it upon myself to experience Europe/Sweden alone. If I hadn’t made that decision then none of the amazing places and experiences I have would have happened.

very flattering photo of me in Norway walking to my hostel lol

Okay now the good stuff: The pros

Many many positive things come from travelling alone. You learn so much about yourself, you’re constantly challenged and need to think fast on your feet, you learn to trust your gut, learn how to make friends and gain a lot of confidence. I’m also a little insane, I love waking up early and jamming in as much travel as possible. You will never see me sitting by the beach all day when I’m travelling. I’m likely hoping from a museum to an art gallery to a walking tour or a food tour lol I’ve literally done it all (I maximize the free stuff/the student card). All this to say, when I travel alone, I can control the pace, do what I want, move fast and see a lot. There aren’t a lot of people I’ve met who travel like this (besides my parents who are equally crazy, if not worse lol).

I’ve noticed my sense of direction has become amazing because when travelling alone I’m constantly relying on myself to figure out where I need to go, when I need to get to certain places, etc. (more on this in the advice section). I’m very confident that you could put me almost anywhere in the world alone and I could figure my way around and make local friends (emphasis on the almost lol).

The less glamorous side: The cons

This first one isn’t really a con more of a statement but I’ve realized it takes a person with specific traits to be able to travel alone. I don’t think it’s made for everyone (which is totally okay). You have to be fearless, you cannot be the paranoid type and also you have to trust yourself. A lot of people have told me travelling the places I have alone is risky and nerve-racking for them to even hear about. I don’t get scared like this though. ofc I’m not blind to what they’re saying but when you’ve travelled alone enough you start to really trust your instincts and you learn things like to always search up the safe areas of the cities or not so safe areas, not to travel when its dark (if you can help it), if you feel like a situation if off get yourself out of it and don’t care what you have to do to make that happen, etc.

Okay now for the actual cons, the first con that I feel as I get older is just wanting to share these experiences with people I love. I often miss my friends and family and I often FaceTime them when I’m at a cafe or walking around a city, wishing they were here to experience the moments with me. I think the most fun I’ve had travelling was with a friend in Paris and being able to stay out late until 4 am making friends essentially everywhere we went. This is something I would never do alone and I don’t suggest doing it alone, even when I meet local friends. This led me to a pretty big realization for me, life is only as good as the people you have in it.

Also, something else I hate about travelling alone is it can sometimes be stressful, especially on the days you’re hoping between trains and buses. I remember one time my plan landed in Copenhagen and it was on the complete opposite side of the airport (no joke a 20 walk) to the train station and I had to go through customs because I was coming from a different country. Anyways, my plane was delayed and I RANNN through the airport, got to customs out of breath lol and then ran to the train station with 1 min to spare (this was one of the last trains for the day and the other one was a few hrs away lol). So all of this to say, travelling can be stressful. (also I almost got fined that day by the Swedish government but that story is for another day lol)

You’re constantly relying on your own judgement, like for example figuring out when you should leave where you’re at to get to the airport or train station, etc. And another thing is if you’re late then you’re alone and have to figure out an alternative yourself which can be scary sometimes.

solo travelling in Switzerland. got to whip out my french skills on this trip too lol

The advice

Baby steps!!! 17 year old Brooke would have rolled her eyes lol. Don’t throw yourself into travelling Europe alone when you’re 16/17. The first trip I did alone was to Montreal and I took a train there. Travelling in a country so foreign from your own, where information is in a different language and everyone speaks a different language is a different beast so be careful. The first time I left Copenhagen everything was in Danish and all the instructions were in Danish/Swedish, that was stressful lol but I’ve become so used to nothing being in English when I travel. Also, bonus if you speak the language I was flying in France no problem lol.

17 year old me travelling alone for the first time lol.

TRUST YOUR GUT NO ONE ELSE!! Dude if I could go back and tell 18-year-old Brooke one thing I would say don’t be so goddamn trusting. I’m not saying be paranoid, actually very much the opposite, I’m just saying never assume people have the best intentions. Your gut never lies, especially when you’re travelling alone.

Pick where you stay wisely. I suggest staying in a hotel NOT a hostel when you’re alone, just spend the extra money. I stayed alone in a hostel in Norway and it was fine but I would never do it again. I barely slept the whole night because I was paranoid someone was going to steal my computer and clothes. If you do stay in a hostel, stay in one that has split rooms for men and women, be very careful to stay in one with a mix of genders, I do not suggest that.

Making friends is easy! I just speak to people and 7 times out of 10 I get their numbers and we keep in touch or in some cases meet up at a cafe or get drinks if I get good vibes from them. Also if you’re scared to talk to people, idk what’s the worst that can happen they give you a dirty look and ignore you and you’re embarrassed for like 5 seconds, not the end of the world and this has happened to me.

Make sure you keep a phone charger on you all the time and also make sure you have data wherever you’re travelling to. Data is important in case you need to find where you’re at or call someone. So my strategy is I usually look at the directions and can, for the most part, count the number of turns and then secure my phone somewhere and walk like I’m a local and then will look at the directions when I’m stopped at a crosswalk or something. but if you’re constantly looking at your phone and look confused about where you’re going, you’ll stick out, you don’t want this. It’s not good to stand out lol. I will say though something I’ve noticed about myself is I tend to have a weirdly good sense of direction, even when I’m travelling when it is dark I’m always able to find my way around a city, I would say if you’re a frequent solo traveller this is definitely worth getting better at.

I have so many stories and pieces of advice so if you want more msg me! I’m always open to chatting and being helpful. :)