In this week’s video we dig into some of my favorite gems for overcoming the fear of traveling alone. Some of these tips sound strange at first but give it some time, they really do make a difference!

You can find the referenced video about making friends abroad here.

Go Grocery Shopping!

If you start to feel lonely, go grocery shopping! This is one of the strange tips that I alluded to earlier. Going grocery shopping helps overcome loneliness for three reasons:

  • You get to dive into the real culture of an area. This growth helps empower you!
  • If you buy groceries, you get to avoid awkward solo meals at restaurants. This also has the added bonus that it will save you money.
  • Going grocery shopping vastly increases your chances of meeting friendly locals.

Take a Lot of Photos, and Share Them Online

This tip may sound obvious but it is the second part of this trick that makes all of the difference.

  • Share your favorite photos with loved ones via social media. This will enable you to communicate your experiences in realtime and thus avoid loneliness.
  • The secondary effect of this is that you get a visual log of your journey so that you can relive it later. There are lots of special small moments that I have only remembered because I saw a photo of the experience later.

Book Twin Beds

This sounds strange at first but is quite helpful because it gives you a small area that you get to control when you feel out of control of the new world around you. Note: Getting two twin beds costs the same as getting one larger bed at most hotels.

  • The first bed is for sleeping on. Woah!
  • The second bed is for unpacking. Having a specific area which is completely under your control is a wonderful feeling when you don’t have control over anything else :-p

Push Yourself to Meet New People

Share Your Travel Plans With Someone Back Home

  • I use a service called TripIt to manage all of my travel plans. (I totally love it!)
  • Sharing your plans is beneficial for feeling like others are involved with your trip and for making sure loved ones can get ahold of you while you travel.

That is all of the tips I have but please feel free to share your own tips and insights below. I am looking forward to hearing from you!