A solo travel plan is always a good idea to find serenity and solitude. However, the common fear of people’s reactions and loneliness can cancel anyone’s plan. Moreover, your personal safety is always at risk while travelling solo. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on the idea of travelling cities or countries alone or stop working on your social interactions.

There’s nothing wrong with searching on Google for queries like ‘where solo travellers should visit?’ But, your destination isn’t the only important thing that should define your safety. Hence, I’ll guide you through a few common solo travel mistakes that you should always avoid. So, let’s get started on 15 solo travel mistakes to avoid at any cost.

1 – Choosing a false Travel Agency

What if your flight gets cancelled at the last moment and now your travel company isn’t responding? That’s indeed the worst scenario for any solo traveller, and hence it becomes crucial to choose the right agency. A decent travel agency should be able to look after you despite the last-minute flight cancellation.

Moreover, if a rescheduling flight isn’t available, your travel company should be able to refund the flight ticket’s amount. Also, it’s always recommended to check if your flight booking is ATOL or ABTA certified or not.

For instance, Crystal Travel offers ABTA certified bookings with its great 24/7 customer support service. But, what does it mean? ABTA protection means that tourists get the holiday they paid for, and you’ve not mis-sold a holiday package.

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2 – Falling for Cheap Accommodations

I know that every solo traveller’s budget isn’t the same, and to save a few bucks, we can fall for some cheap and shady accommodations. In fact, such kinds of mistakes are perhaps the best examples of most common solo travel mistakes to avoid.

While sticking to your budget is a great idea in solo travelling, it doesn’t work the same for accommodations.

While travelling alone, one should always check if their hotel has 24/7 security features or not. Moreover, it’s always helpful if your hotel room offers a room to keep your valuable items safe.

3 – Going over budget every time!

As I mentioned earlier, it’s good to pay a little extra for nice and safe accommodation while travelling alone. However, spending too much on every small activity or transportation is a common mistake that you shouldn’t repeat.

Hence, it’s better to do some financial planning before packing your bags and departing for the airport. If you’re travelling to a whole other country, I’d advise you to always check the exchange rates and save extra cash for emergencies.

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4 – Roaming without medical insurance

We all know that accidents or mishaps can happen for anyone and anywhere. As a result, travelling without medical insurance is one of the few things you should avoid in solo travelling. So, make sure you have active medical insurance that can cover pretty much everything for you.

Apart from this, if there’s any change of plan, it’s always better to stay up-to-date with your family or friends.

5 – Overthinking about journey’s beginning and end

The first and the last day of your solo travel will always look more tempting and filled with excitement. However, planning too much for both days can leave you the most vulnerable. On your first day, you’re at a new place with loads of luggage too, and on the last, you’ll remain stressed about your train or flight timings.

So, make sure not to exhaust yourself too much and cram everything simultaneously. Even if you’ve missed some specific activity, you can always come back in the future.

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6 – Using public WiFis without VPN

While this mistake might sound uncommon, the chances of losing your data through public WiFis are always high. Remember that public WiFis are called public due to a reason. Risking your credit card information or getting your data stolen is the worst thing you can do to yourself.

Hence, make sure you’re using a VPN that can keep you safe from giving away your crucial information.

7 – Going too solo!

Solo travel for women is always a difficult subject, but it doesn’t mean they should stop travelling alone. But, paying a little more attention to your surroundings and informing someone from hotel staff about your today’s plans can make things easier.

For instance, if you’re visiting a nearby place that sounds interesting, make sure to mention it at the hotel’s front desk. While telling them straight might sound like a bad idea, you can always say it through a random, casual conversation.

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8 – Too much Intoxicated

Even if you drink regularly, it’s always better to keep tabs on your drinks while travelling solo. I’d recommend keeping it two drinks maximum and ensuring that you’re in full control over your body.

Remember, once you’ve lost your wits, you’ve become an easy target for thieves, scammers, etc.

9 – Being lousy about your safety

There’s nothing wrong with feeling excited about the new place and solo travel, but not taking security precautions isn’t good. For instance, if you’re going for a walk in an unknown neighbourhood, it’s never a good idea to keep using your earphones or headphones.

Moreover, you should never ignore more obvious precautions like locking your room and keeping your valuable items safe.

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10 – Picking unsafe places to visit for solo travel

Perhaps the most important thing about your solo travel is to choose only safe places to visit. To understand your destination and nearby areas much better, you can always rely on Google or Apple Maps.

Apart from this, despite choosing a safe place, it’s always better to reach before the dark and find your accommodation in daylight. To cover a few extra miles, you can also search about the political and historical scenarios.

11 – Looking lost and expensive

While it’s normal for every solo traveller to lose their tracks, it’s never a great idea to look completely lost or vulnerable. Hence, even if you cannot find a route, make sure you look confident enough while asking for support.

And if we’re talking about the looks, there’s no need to flash expensive jewellery or watches in a crowded area. By doing so, you’ll be gathering the attention of thieves or pickpockets only.

12 – Too Shy or Too Friendly

Indeed, the whole idea behind travelling solo is to work on your social skills and make new friends. But, that shouldn’t mean for you to become too friendly or too shy with a new acquaintance. Moreover, a solo journey should be about finding yourself first rather than knowing someone new.

Similarly, there’s no fun in being too shy for a casual conversation. If you feel hesitant, you can always start normally by asking for directions or the best restaurants in the nearby area.

13 – Expecting more and more!

If you’re an experienced traveller, you must already know that all travel days aren’t the same. Similarly, while travelling alone, it’s common to have high expectations from your holiday plans. However, not all journeys or plans can fulfil your high expectations.

Hence, while travelling to your destination, it’s always better to curb your expectations and accept each moment as it comes.

14 – You shouldn’t ask for help! 

Travelling alone is a brave step in the first place, but that doesn’t mean you should never ask for help. For instance, if one of your friends has already visited the destination, you can always ask them for recommendations or some assistance.

Moreover, you should always put your pride second in some scenarios and let the others help you. You can also check local government websites for travel advisories to stay one step ahead.

15 – Relying on certain gestures

While travelling to a non-English speaking country, one should never rely only on specific gestures and motions. A common gesture in your country may be offensive or rude in any other nation.

For instance, pointing somewhere with your index finger is a pretty common gesture. However, the Malaysian culture finds this gesture rude and prefers pointing two fingers. 

Lastly, you can always try and learn some basic communication words in the local language to keep your interactions friendly and inoffensive.

Summarising on solo travel mistakes to avoid

While going for solo travel on vacations, it almost becomes a responsibility to tease your friends sitting at home. Similarly, your safety is also a top priority which you should never ignore.

Once you’ve managed not to commit the mistakes mentioned above, you’re all set for an adventurous yet quite safe solo travel.