Solo Travel Tips for Your First Trip Abroad

Evening along the Douro River in Porto, Portugal.

This is a retrospective list of travel tips I wish someone had told me before I planned and departed for my first solo trip abroad to Portugal in November 2025. I think the one item for you to bold, read, and let sink deep into your heart is the first on the list of “What to Do”: actually do it.

The others are helpful advice that definitely soothed, inspired, and calmed me in preparation for my journey. And if you are prone to anxiety and overthinking like me (and maybe even a bit of a perfectionist), then this article is definitely for you.

Also, as a travel marketing professional for a travel company, I definitely have some pointers for you on planning your journey to ensure you actually enjoy it.

But first—and most importantly—definitely, absolutely do it.

Solo Travel Tips: What to Do

Actually do it.

This is the thing. Stop second-guessing and worrying. Just do it. Book the flight. Make it nonrefundable to force yourself to commit. And then plan it and get excited about it.

Next year becomes five years, and five years becomes twenty. You only have now, and you will always have reasons why now doesn’t work—so make it happen. Now.

Plan it.

The sooner, the better. Once the flight is booked, start planning the trip. I love planning trips—and it was still difficult for me. If you’re not a planner, consider a travel advisor. There are extra costs attached to that route, but depending on the travel company or advisor, it might be worth it for your budget, especially if you hate planning.

If you love planning trips and have the time, it’s totally worth it and can be even more rewarding to see your specially crafted itinerary turn into a reality. But I repeat—start planning immediately. Why? Because you’ll soon discover there’s so much you want to do, and you only have a week or ten days.

And do not, I repeat, do NOT make the mistake of booking anything on the first day you arrive in a location or the following morning. Travel delays happen. Jet lag happens. Give yourself a grace period of a half day and night to adjust into the next morning.

Same with the day before departure—give yourself flexibility to return to a favorite location, shop, relax, and pack before leaving the following day. Save the 12-hour day trips for the middle of the trip.

Research the location.

Solo travel + information read and noted ahead of time = a lot less anxiety and nerves.

Research where you want to stay and why, and then book the hotel. That’s also why planning as soon as possible is important: securing the ideal stay in the ideal location once you’ve had time to do some research.

Also read about customs, clothing norms, food, and the language. If you need prescriptions ahead of your trip, make sure you’ve got that doctor’s appointment locked in. Download Duolingo and start prepping ahead of time to get familiar with key phrases to make your journey easier.

Check whether they have Uber or an Uber alternative (like Bolt). Will you need public transportation? What does that require? If certain attire is necessary, budget for it and start putting together a packing list of what you already have and what you need to purchase ahead of time.

This is a lifesaver—and it also prevents you from spending a lot of money quickly to make up for lost time right before you depart. When you have several months to prepare, you can budget, look for deals, and pack much more effectively and sanely.

Research, research, research. It can be tedious—and if you’re a bit of a nerd like me, actually enjoyable—but it’s essential.

Don’t skimp on where you stay.

Cut costs elsewhere, but don’t go cheap here. Trust me.

After booking a hostel in Lisbon without access to my own private bathroom, thinking at the time that it was worth saving the money because, really, how much time am I spending in my hotel room anyway?—I quickly learned otherwise.

When you’re solo traveling and need a place to decompress and destress, that’s your hotel. That’s your home base. Make it a place you’ll love. Seriously. I don’t care if it’s “only where you sleep.” It’s where you retreat after a day of fun—and yes, stress—because traveling by yourself is absolutely rewarding, but it is stressful. A good stress, but still stress.

For me, at 36 years old, that wasn’t a hostel with 21-year-olds and free spirits drifting in and out with duffle bags. It was a four-star hotel with a restaurant, a bar, and my own shower and toilet.

So when I booked that hostel to save €200, I actually cost myself €250 and switched to a four-star hotel down the road, spending an extra €400. So €650 later—lesson learned.

Expect anxiety and nerves.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go.

You will be anxious. You will question whether you should go. You will be afraid it might be terrible and that everything could go wrong.

If you’ve followed the other prep steps on this list, you will be fine. You will have moments of anxiety, and then you’ll bounce back. You’ll have a safe, clean hotel room to retreat to. You’ll have a planned itinerary and information for the local embassy or police station. You’ll have anti-anxiety medication if needed. You’ll be set.

And always remember—if you need to fly home for any emergency situation or reason, do it. Don’t feel bad. Have that backup plan if you need it, but trust me—you won’t.

I was there, with terrible anxiety and sleep insomnia right before I left for my solo journey, terrified it would be horrible. It wasn’t. I managed. I prepared. And I had a great time—even if I had to moderate some activities while in-destination to cope.

If you have anxiety, don’t let that stop you. Prepare, take care of yourself ahead of time, and have backup plans.

Say hell yes to travel insurance.

This is non-negotiable. Don’t cringe or whine about the cost. A couple hundred bucks is worth it for peace of mind in a worst-case scenario.

There are plenty of affordable and reasonable plans that offer solid coverage—and your current credit cards might even include travel insurance. Double-check before booking to see which cards cover what.

An easy way to research this? ChatGPT, instead of endlessly scrolling through credit card or insurance websites.

Solo Travel Tips: What Not to Do

Overplan your itinerary or your days.

I touched on this above, but it’s worth repeating: do NOT overplan, especially with nonrefundable tours.

I love planning—and I’ll admit, I take it too far sometimes. I definitely fell into that trap with my first solo journey. The fear of being bored and alone overrode common sense and reasonable energy levels.

Plan one main attraction per day, maybe a dinner reservation or nighttime activity. You don’t want to rush around stressed—you want the time (and energy) to enjoy your experience.

Force yourself to keep going.

If you need a break, take it. If you need to sleep in, sleep in. If you cancel a tour to chill at a café and people-watch—do it.

You aren’t missing anything. What you will miss out on is enjoying your trip if you stress yourself out trying to do everything because “you’re there and it must be worth it.”

Get that mindset out of your head. Be flexible with your emotions and your energy—things you can’t fully predict while planning. Your itinerary is a guide, not an unbreakable rule.

Be embarrassed to take selfies or videos.

You are a tourist. Embrace it.

You want memories, and you’re traveling alone—so yes, embrace the selfie. Become one with the selfie. Don’t give a shit what people think about the person taking photos of themselves, tripod or not.

You’re not there to impress anyone. You’re there to have a fantastic time. If that little “oh no, I’m embarrassed” voice pops up, shake it the fuck off and take the photo.

Do it for me, for every time I wished I took a picture instead of caring what nameless strangers thought (which decreased the longer I was in destination, but I still missed some good moments because of this RIDICULOUS, but very human, fear).

Feel like you need to see everything.

You won’t. It’s impossible.

Pick five main things you absolutely want to see and plan around those. Everything else is optional. Give yourself and your itinerary room to breathe.

If you find you have extra time, keep a few backup ideas—or better yet, ask a local. Stay open to spontaneity. Some of the best things in life happen unplanned.

Nickel and dime yourself.

You’re on vacation, in a new and incredible destination.

I’m not saying book the $1,000-a-night room, but I am saying don’t obsess over every dollar of credit card debt you might have when you get home. Enjoy yourself—reasonably.

Say yes to the fancy dinner. And if a cashmere coat is woven right in front of your face (just kidding—but also, if that happens, buy it).

Money comes and goes. This trip will be worth it.

Worry about workouts or food.

Chill.

It’s okay to gain a pound or two. It’s okay to skip the three-mile morning runs or HIIT classes. Even if you travel for a month, you will not suddenly fall apart or gain ten pounds.

Your habits will be there when you get home. Let this part of your life pause so you can be fully present for the adventure.

Eat the pastry. Eat the pasta. Drink the wine if that’s your thing. Do it. And stop stressing about calories.

So if everything else falls away—or if you only read the first paragraph—the most important part of this article is simple:

Book the damn trip and do it.

Alone. Free. Unburdened.

Prepare. Go. Enjoy.

And don’t count the calories.