I’ve been travelling solo for 21 years – seven things first-timers should know

I took my first solo trip in my early twenties. It began as a 12-month “round-the world” backpacking adventure across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I ended up extending it for another three months.

When I eventually returned home, my mum wrapped her arms around me and said: “Thank God that’s over. You’ve got it out of your system now.” 

But that 15-month trip proved to be the start of a semi-nomadic lifestyle.

I’ve spent much of the last 21 years travelling solo, whether that’s four-month backpacking expeditions in Asia or South America, stints living in Berlin, Lisbon, New York and Amsterdam, or travelling within the UK. As I write this, I’m about to start a solo trip that will take me through Latin America and the US.

I expect to meet more solo travellers this time, as it’s becoming an increasingly popular way to see the world. Hilton’s annual trends report found that 34 per cent of people surveyed were planning to take a solo break in 2025.

For those who are about to travel alone for the first time, here are seven things I learnt along the way.

You’ll need to gain independence

My first trip was a 21st birthday present from my parents. The three of us visited the now-defunct travel agent STA Travel to organise my trip.

After that, I spent hours every week trawling forums on a website called Gapyear.com. I made a friend, Allie, through the site and we spoke over the phone several times to plan our trip. We met up on our first night in Bangkok, and hung out again in Australia, where she eventually moved. 

Now I plan everything on my own, using newspaper websites, guidebooks, blogs and social media.

Solo travel is liberating, and it takes you out of your comfort zone far more than travelling with someone else. Whether losing my last bank card or getting ill while on my own, each travel hiccup I’ve overcome has made me more resilient.

Don’t do it all alone

There are plenty of ways to make friends while on a solo trip (Photo: Suzanne Bearne)

Travelling solo has led to so many more opportunities and connections than when I have travelled with friends or a partner. Instead of being engrossed in someone else, I smile at strangers and I am open to new connections.

I know people often find it easier to approach and connect with someone who’s on their own. When I joined a family taking a whitewater rafting trip in Argentina, for example, we gelled so well that they invited me to their home in Buenos Aires. Several weeks later, I enjoyed dinner in their apartment where we chatted about everything from religion to politics.

Over the years, I have met some of my best friends while travelling: Clare near a hotel in Bangkok; Katie on a pick-up truck in Ko Lanta; Niamh when she moved into my rental apartment in Sydney; Daphne outside a restaurant in Hanoi; and many others along the way.

From my experience of travelling alone, I’ve become more confident in approaching new people.

Pay for the required vaccines

It took me a while to learn this after not one, but two, rabies scares. The first was when I was bitten by a monkey in Bolivia, in 2011. What followed was a logistical nightmare of having a course of rabies vaccines on certain days over a month as I travelled through Bolivia and Argentina. I turned up to pharmacies in small towns only to find they didn’t have the vaccine. I would then have to travel hours back to the place I had just left.

The second time was in Yangon, in 2018, when I was bitten by a street dog that came running towards me one evening.

For my latest trip, I decided to avoid a third rabies story and invest in the jab. I may still need follow up doses if I’m bitten by a stray or wild animal, but the vaccine has put my mind at ease.

Stay in touch

Suzanne (left) has met lots of people while travelling by herself (Photo: Suzanne Bearne)

Twenty years ago, I kept people up to date by popping into internet cafes every few days or so to send emails. It could sometimes be a struggle to find a cafe, or I would have to wait in line in humid temperatures.

During a period in which I was travelling through small villages in Laos, it was around 10 days between my cafe stops. The next time I opened my inbox, I had a trail of worried emails from my family who were about to contact the Foreign Office. That was extreme, of course. Mostly, I’m a little nostalgic for the days without instant communication, when people wouldn’t be sucked into their phones.

Now, I instantly connect with friends and family through WhatsApp. Instead of swapping email addresses with fellow travellers, we add each other on Instagram.

Slow travel is the best

Suzanne has become used to long-distance overland travel (Photo: Suzanne Bearne)

Back in 2004, I would travel a lot overland and try to avoid domestic flights. I travelled from Bangkok to Singapore, and several years later, across Czechia and Poland by train. But that was mostly to save money. It wasn’t until 2018 that I started taking fewer flights to reduce my carbon footprint. By the time I started this trip, I hadn’t taken a flight in five years, instead travelling to, and on, the European continent by train. This time, I’ve decided to travel overland from Mexico to New York.

You’ll pack more than you need

I’m not sure why packing cubes have not become part of my backpacking lexicon until this year. They not only compress clothes, meaning I have more space, but also make it easier to work out where everything is. Saying that, I have not learnt the art of packing light. I switched from a 55 litre to 80-litre backpack, and I still need more space. And I have two extra bags on top of that.

But I’ve learnt to do without some non-essentials. I don’t carry hair straighteners or a bulky digital camera anymore, for example.

Always research prices

I always remember arriving at my hostel somewhere in Poland and the taxi driver charging about £30 for a 10-minute journey. He refused to give me my backpack from the boot of the car until I had paid up.

Now I check on the internet, or with residents and fellow travellers, for a correct or rough price before I jump in a taxi or tuk tuk, or join a tour.

The same applies to accommodation. Always check reviews on a few different sites and compare the price with similar properties in the area.