30 of the Best Solo Travel Tips from Our Readers (June 2024)

Curated Wisdom from Our Community: Safety, Packing, and Practical Advice

Curated from our Facebook Group and Email Tips 

This month’s reader solo travel tips focus on safety, packing light, and practical travel strategies—perfect for avoiding those hefty checked bag fees. Compiled from inbound emails and our private Solo Travel Wisdom Facebook group, we’re excited to share these firsthand solo travel tips with you. These insights are designed to help you travel safely and smartly. If you have a solo travel tip to share, we’d love to hear from you! (You can do that here!)

Tip: You can download these tips as a PDF or print them using the icons above!

Solo travel tips: safety

1. Another woman traveller shared this tip with me. When you are lost and cannot find your way back to your hotel, go into the first hotel you pass and ask for directions. Hotel staff are generally familiar with the hotels in their community and should be able to give you good directions to yours. — Jackie H.

2. I get a business card with the name, address & local phone number of my hotel and tuck it in my purse. — Arlene P.

3. Copy your passport and put that copy in your luggage. — Terry S. [Take a copy of your passport] and email it to yourself so it’s on your phone – or just a picture. — Dorothy B.

4. A must-do is to get the business card of the hotel you are staying at, in each city. Present it to your taxi driver to make sure they know where to drive you, then get the card back. Lots of times they don’t speak English and you don’t speak their language. — Shirley J.

5. I always take a plastic envelope for paper copies of all my documents just in case something goes wrong with my phone, plus a few thank you cards and envelopes. As I use them they are replaced by receipts, brochures, postcards etc that I can stick into my journal. I also use Day One App to take a photo and make some notes as I go along, as reminders for when I get to the written journal. — Margaret B.

6. If you’re walking in a new place, use your phone for directions. You can change your Google map from driving to walking in order to reach your destinations. The walking maps will give you live views of your surroundings as well as the different terrains you might encounter! — Atonya C.

7. When I look for places in new cities, first I check the hostels, then the university and hospital websites for advice on where to stay. The universities and hospitals (especially teaching hospitals) are usually located in very walkable neighbourhoods that are well-appointed with good, quick, and easy food options and access to transportation. Use Google Maps to check out the area for shopping, food, transportation, and the specific areas you want to explore. — Diane E.

8. I lived in Japan for a year, a long time ago. Absolutely loved it. Don’t wear shoes inside homes (and many other places too), don’t blow your nose in public, and NEVER stick your chopsticks in your rice — it signifies death. — Mariellen W.

9. I found that a Bluetooth transmitter allows me to use my wireless noise-cancelling headphones on aeroplanes. I don’t have to use those lousy ones that the airlines give out now! — Kitty P.