Travelling On Your Own

To some of you that might sound scary or not relevant at all. I was one of these persons before. Indeed I would always wait for school holidays and ask my friends or sister if they wanted to take a trip with me before planning anything.

That started to change when I first moved to Europe, and realized it was way easier to travel more often here than in Canada. Tickets are (much) cheaper, there are lots of low cost carriers, distances are shorter, etc. However, not that many people here travel as much as I wanted to travel back in the days.

I quickly realized that if I was going to wait to find a travel partner and rely on another person every time I wanted to do something, things would just never happen.

How to plan your yearly (solo) trip(s)?

Create a bucket list that includes all the places you want to visit.
Don't worry if it's long :) That's totally normal!
Tip: be precise, don't just write Brazil. Add cities, national parks, beaches, villages, etc.
Organize that bucket list by priority (eg. countries/regions you want to visit very soon vs. those you don't mind waiting a few years for).
Try to see if you can group destinations together (eg. visiting Brussels + Amsterdam on the same trip because they are geographically close).
Check your schedule for the year.
Do you work full-time, part-time? Is your schedule flexible? Do you have school holidays? Civic holidays? Can you work from remote areas?
Don't spend on unnecessary things.
If your priority is travelling, then you should cut on restaurants, nights out, drinks with friends, clothes shopping, etc. There are tons of alternatives to seeing your friends, you don't need to be spending 100 euros a week on restaurants.
Open a savings bank account and automatically transfer X amount of money every month that will be dedicated to travels.
If you know how to manage your finances well, subscribe to one credit card that offers travel benefits (eg. American Express + Airmiles, or American Express with Air France) and try to buy everything with that card to cumulate as many points as possible.
Subscribe to relevant newsletters.
For example, you can subscribe to The Discoverer to be inspired for travel destinations. You could also subscribe to hotel websites, or airplane websites (eg. booking.com, agoda.com, google flights, etc.)
Set up email notifications for specific destinations.
Some apps exist and can track cheap flights based on specific algorithms. For example, if you would like to visit Paris from Montreal, you could download the app Hopper, enter the itinerary, and subscribe to receive notifications when prices go down.
Set some yearly realistic goals.
For example : this year I want to go on 2 long trips + 5 long weekend trips.
Pick 3 countries that are at the top of your bucket list for those long trips, and start planning. If some friends are interested in going with you then that's good, if not you should still plan it!
Tip: be careful, "it's better to be alone than in bad company". If you wish to go to Central America to relax and stay in a resort, but your friend wants to wake up at 7am every morning and hike all day, travelling together might not be a great idea.

Lastly, always be ready to embrace spontaneous decisions. You never know, you might have a friend asking you to go on a weekend getaway. You might have a friend from abroad visiting you and wanting to explore certain areas of your country with you.

How to make sure you are safe when you travel by yourself?

This can be the scariest part when planning a trip, but I assure you that it is totally doable to travel by yourself, and I think everyone should do it at least once.

Read as much as you can about your destination (eg. its culture, its climate, its traditions, etc.) and also about where you are staying. Learn the names of the neighbourhoods that will be close to your hotel. List the places that should be avoided.
Always try to be surrounded with people.
When I travel by myself, I try to stay in hostels, or in a shared Airbnb apartment. These places offer group activities during the day, and you will never worry about being alone at night. Try to visit places where there will be people (eg. don't go into the deep jungle by yourself - common sense).
If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe travelling on your own, know that there are some travel websites that specialise in creating custom itineraries for solo travellers, families, and groups. You can specify all your requests, for example: having a private driver, having a tour guide at all times, etc. I personally used the Website Evaneos on my solo trip to Jordan, and that went super well. I had my private driver + guide during the day, and he would take me back to my hotel in the evening, which was full and super safe.
Never mention to a perfect stranger where you are staying or the fact that you are travelling alone.
If they ask about your hotel, you could say that you forgot the name, or just name an area. If they ask if you are travelling alone, you could always say no and say that the person you are travelling with (friend/lover/family member) stayed at the hotel, or went somewhere else for a short period of time.
Use your judgement and listen to your gut feelings. If something looks or feels weird, follow your intuition, and try to get out of that situation as fast as possible and in the smartest way possible.
Always be respectful of other people and environments. You're there to learn about other cultures. Always be open-minded.
Remember to disconnect from social media, and connect with new people while you're on your trip. Travelling solo is the best way to disconnect from your everyday life, to learn more about yourself, and to take a step back to analyze your life.