Tips for Traveling Alone
Congratulations! You have already taken the first step of being brave enough to travel alone. As you quite possibly know, many people are too frightened to even go to the movies alone, so going on a vacation by yourself is certainly an accomplishment. In order to have a safe and wonderful time, there are a few tips that you should follow.
Know the Language
In the event that you are traveling out of the country by yourself, make sure that you know at least some of the basics of the language. You will not have a friend, family member or partner with you to help out if you cannot communicate with the locals. You should know some basic words such as “food,” “water” and “bathroom.” It is also important that you know how to ask for help and to communicate any types of emergencies that you may be having.
Have a Plan
Traveling by yourself allows you to see whatever tourist attractions that you want and to eat at any restaurants that intrigue you. However, as with any vacation, it is not a bad idea to have some sort of plan as to where you are going to go. With traveling alone, you might become bored quickly or have a great deal of anxiety if you wind up with too much empty time. Be sure to bring a guide book with you, so that in your free time, you can check up on some other locations that you might want to visit.
Another positive of having an idea of where you will be visiting is that you can let people at home know where you are going. In the event that something happens to you, at least your family and friends will have some idea of where you should have been at that time.
Safety and Security
Be very careful when you are traveling alone. Make sure that the hotel in which you are staying is reputable and safe and that the hotel rooms have multiple locks on them. Do not open the door to strangers. Furthermore, if you notice anyone following you or anyone who seems suspicious, be very careful. That person might have figured out that you are staying by yourself. You should never be afraid to ask security personnel at a restaurant, hotel or tourist attraction to accompany you to your car or room. This fact is even more relevant when you are traveling by yourself. Additionally, provide the hotel management with some emergency contacts or have an emergency system in place in the event that some sort of crisis does occur. Keep close family members and friends on speed dial so that you can immediately contact them.
Know the Route
You will not have someone to read the road map to you or help you get through customs if you are traveling alone, so be sure to look into these situations before hand. A GPS with a loud and clear voice certainly assistance in road trips, and bringing a map of the airport with you is very helpful if you are traveling by air. If you do not already have a membership with the triple A, look into it now. Therefore, if you are traveling by car and the vehicle breaks down, triple A can send someone out to help you. You might even be able to get a hotel discount with your triple A card!
Most importantly, have fun! Who knows when you will have the opportunity to travel by yourself again? Take full advantage of this wonderful and freeing opportunity that so many people do not allow themselves to have.
Morgan Maltas writes about travel, safety & saving money at www.flowerdelivery.net.
