Travelling Alone 

With COVID-19 restrictions gradually easing, most of us have likely thought about where our first trip abroad is going to be. If you’ve been among the somewhat fortunate group of people who have managed to keep earning through the pandemic, travelling alone can be a great way to see the world on your own terms. 

I’m going to give you a few tips on travelling alone post-COVID, and how the Idyoma App can help. Don’t forget your mask!

4 Best Practices When Travelling Alone

• Learn To Say No

• Eat Big

• The Local Lingo

• Safety is #1

Travelling Alone: Learn to Say No

In countries where foreigners are marvelled at a little more than usual, the attention you may get when travelling alone can be a little intense. A useful tip is learning how to say no in the local language, along with the local nonverbal gesture for "no", which is often more effective.

It’s useful to have local help numbers such as the tourist police and your country’s embassy on speed dial. The likelihood of you needing any of these is scarce, but hey… better to be safe than sorry!

Travelling Alone: Eat Big

When travelling alone, living on fast-food might be a convenient thought. Go with what you know and all that? Wrong.

From personal experience I have always found that the fancier the restaurant, the nicer and more accommodating the staff are. So make sure you learn to say “I came to your restaurant especially - What would you recommend?” - in the local tongue. You’ll never fail to get a smile and fantastic service from then on. 

Waiters and restaurant staff are used to seeing nervous tourists, just relax!

Travelling Alone: Learn the Lingo

Making the effort to learn a few words and phrases before you go travelling alone can go a long way with the locals. Learning how to introduce yourself, start a rudimentary conversation, order a cerveza and count from 1–10 can make the world of difference.

The locals usually respond better to people who are making a genuine effort to communicate and immerse themselves in the culture, as opposed to feeling like their country is a one-stop-shop for instagrammers.

Travelling Alone: Safety Is #1

Travelling alone can be everything you want it to be, both rewarding and enlightening. However, being mindful of potentially dangerous situations, essentials of travel safety, places and people can not be a side-thought. 

Taking extra care in busy cities at night, watching your drinks, familiarising yourself with any local scams and no-go streets and alleyways are paramount. The hardest thing about travelling alone is having that initial confidence to take the leap to go in the first place.

Having taken that leap, you’ll quickly realise that all you need is a little local know-how, and the desire to explore. If you keep these best practices when travelling alone in mind, you’ll find that in the end, it’s an incredible, rewarding experience. 

What did you think of these 4 Best Practices When Travelling Alone? 

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