1. Decide what type of travel you prioritize
When deciding to travel internationally, it’s crucial to understand why and what you aim to gain from the experience. Whether it’s exploring nature, discovering new cities, immersing in different cultures, or embarking on a big adventure, prioritizing your preferences helps narrow down both the destination and activities. While there will be overlap, identifying the primary purpose ensures a fulfilling journey.
For me: Being a nature and adventure enthusiast, I often choose countries based on activities such as hiking or diving (Nepal, Peru, Thailand, etc.). Also, opting for countries more “off-the-beaten-path” (Laos, Ecuador, Cambodia, etc.) to add an element of novelty to my experiences.
2. Choose a country based on seasons, entry requirements, and safety
After selecting countries aligning with your type of travel preferences, you can narrow down further by checking entry and exit requirements, prevailing season during your visit, and safety considerations.
Understanding a country’s season is crucial as it impacts the weather and therefore your planned activities. For example, monsoon season in Nepal, between June and September, often means heavy rain and snow, meaning a lot of treks are closed that time of year. Winter in Ecuador means the coastal region will be cloudy and rainy.
Many countries have requirements of entry, such as visas, that can either be applied to on arrival or must be acquired before you land in the country. Included in that are rules to passport expiration dates, there are many countries that require at least 6 months until your passport expires and will turn you back at customs. Vaccination requirements either to enter the country or to return to your home country also must be accounted for. I was required to receive the yellow fever vaccine when I went to South America to re-enter the United States after.
If you are taking or require medication, double check the legality of that medication in the other countries. If it is considered illegal but is a necessity to you, find a different country to travel to, it is not worth the risk.
Consider the safety aspect of the country by researching crime levels in your chosen destination from other travelers and trustworthy government websites. While crime exists everywhere, it is better for solo female travelers to be well-informed of what type of crime may be prevalent and how to combat that or try a lower-crime rate area/destination for a first trip.
For me: While I don’t let safety concerns deter me, I make informed decisions based on the crime information I find. For example, I didn’t wander too close to Ecuador’s border with Columbia due to a recent murder in the area. Also, there is no shame in skipping areas because you’re not quite comfortable yet! My first trip fully in Peru, I decided I wasn’t comfortable in Lima, I grew up in a small town not a city, so I just skipped it for peace of mind!
3. Use social media & blogs to research activities to do
Chances are no matter what country you are looking at, there is someone who has already been there and documented their experience. Search for blogs and social media posts using keywords related to your preferred activities. For example, best hikes, adventure activities, off-the-beaten-path, or unknown secrets of a destination.
Create a list of standout activities (with pictures) and map their locations in the country. This process helps prioritize your interests and ensures you make the most of your time. Prioritization is key, considering vast differences in country sizes and the mapping allows you to see a realistic view of what you can accomplish with the time you have.
For me: I organize my findings in a document, mapping out travel times between locations, especially considering public transport. I then make a slideshow of the activities I am prioritizing in the regions/cities with pictures so I can continue to narrow down until I have the right number of activities.
A little tip I have is for long transportation routes, for some countries using an overnight bus is the best way to maximize use of your time and to save on a night of accommodation.
4. Be self-aware & overestiamte timing when building an itinerary
With your activities in mind, craft a basic itinerary based on your available time. Prioritize essential activities and plan for unexpected changes, considering factors like weather conditions. Dive deeper into activity details, including opening and closing times, the need for reservations, and permit requirements.
In the United States for example, there are many bucket list trails such as Half Dome or Kalalau Trail that require permits, or you cannot enter. These can open anywhere from a 6 month-ahead lottery to 90 days and often sell out in minutes. Planning ahead allows you the chance to do these as there are no more walk in options!
Making a slideshow with each slide as one day is a good way to balance the itinerary. Make sure you’re planning not only involves travel time but also activities that may have rules such as not being able to fly until 18 hours after scuba diving. My personal preference is to put the most important activities first, in the situation of cancellations or bad weather, I have the chance to reschedule those over less prioritized ones.
Avoid overpacking the itinerary, leaving room for relaxation, time to freely explore and overestimating travel and activity times. Always assume something will take more time than you originally think it well, as that is super common during travel. Also, leaving a day to freely explore allows you to ask opinions of people in hostels and hotels, as well as to dive into unexpected adventures. You can list a few options with opening and closing times, so you aren’t fully clueless but exploring is part of the fun!
Being self-aware of your physical and mental limits is crucial for your safety and other people. Research activities such as hiking or diving far before engaging in them. Many hikes require a certain level of experience that should not be overlooked. Watching videos and reading reviews of other people doing it and talking about it, is a great way to determine if you should. Being overly cautious can save your life as well as the rescuers who must go out if you get in trouble.
For me: I like to make a slideshow with all the details I need for my itinerary, leaving days open with suggestions, and then printing it and bringing it with me. I’ve traveled a lot without really any planning which was fun but also meant I missed a lot of cool opportunities because I didn’t know about getting a permit or a cool activity that would take more time than I had!
5. Don’t forget accommodations, SIM cards, currency, and travel insurance!
Now that you have your itinerary, you can choose accommodations! Hostels can be an excellent choice, and one I personally recommend, for solo travelers. They offer community and safety in numbers. For other women, many hostels offer gender specific rooms as well as mixed rooms if that would make you feel better! Hostels can really help alleviate the loneliness of solo travel, often offer cool tours and night out groups, as well as recommendations from staff and other travelers on the best things to do near there.
Some hostel booking sites also allow you to see demographics of people who stay there. You can select a hostel that has people coming from countries who speak languages you’re familiar with to help you feel more comfortable!
Research SIM cards for your phone ahead of time as well. It will help if you have an idea of where to get them, what plan will be the best for your location in the country, and the how much data you might need for the time you are there. Often when you buy the SIM card, the people will swap for you right there and what it does is gives you a local phone number for that country, allowing you to use your phone at any time there is service to text, call, or google search without the need for WIFI.
Knowing this information ahead of time, will allow a more seamless transition into the country. My fiancé and I went to Vietnam and bought a random plan/card at the airport. Later we completely ran out of data when it was really needed and we spent half a day getting to the industrial part of the city to get our hands on a new one!
Familiarize yourself with the local currency (how much should a water cost in the local currency) to get an idea of how much you should be paying for things. Know the rate conversions for your currency to the local currency as well to help price items and if you need to exchange your currency you know about what you should be receiving back.
I’ve never ordered currency before a trip, but some people have recommended to do that through your bank. Just doing research on where to get the best conversion rates in the country you are going to will help, some say the airport, some say other areas in the city. I often convert some of my currency at the airport to get a taxi ride and for any other needs, then I find an ATM to pull out more.
On that note, ATMs can be hacked or have attachments to steal your information. For that same reason make sure you use a credit card for other purchases so you can catch someone charging things before you lose money. As for the debit card, make sure only some money is in your debit account, therefore if you are hacked, you will not lose all of your savings. You can transfer from savings to checking accounts as needed. Lastly, I suggest keeping plenty of cash hidden in different areas of your backpack, hostel locker, and clothing on you (shoes, hats, etc.)
I’ll go more in depth with this in a later post about safety!
Make sure to notify your bank about travel plans to prevent any issues with your credit card. Especially if you switch your SIM card, they will not be able to reach you on your new local number.
Travel insurance, especially medical coverage is essential, and make sure it caters to any adventure activities you plan to undertake. Many personal insurances do not cover you abroad and if they do also leave out certain activities – many do not cover your choice to zipline, skydive, scuba dive, etc. Scuba divers often need specific diving insurance to cover incidents that result in use of a decompression chamber. Another focus is any emergency services in remote regions are often not covered, such as a helicopter evacuation from a trek in Nepal.
For me: Before I traveled with my fiancé, I went to 7 countries and never got a SIM card. I really didn’t understand or investigate how it worked, and that made it incredibly difficult and unsafe to be stuck with not contacts or way to search easily where to go. It was super easy to do in Vietnam when my fiancé and I did it. I regret the huge struggle to find WIFI and getting lost in cities with paper maps because I didn’t have service to find my way back to the hostel!
Another safety thing with cash, is that I sewed an inside the pants pocket around my belt loop to store extra cash that would be hard for pickpockets to get to. I highly recommend adding hidden pockets to bags, hats, even storing some money in your shoes to be safe and prepared!
6. Research cultural expectations and local laws
Respect for local cultures and adherence to local laws are paramount. Research the cultural expectation and local laws in advance to avoid unintentional offenses or legal issues! Embrace the differences and be mindful and excited about experiencing a different way of life! These can be simple differences such as taking your shoes off outside or learning how hospitality works in that area. Local laws can vary a lot, it is illegal to chew or import chewing gum to Singapore, so be aware!
Always keep in mind, these are DIFFERENT cultures with very DIFFERENT ideas. If you are fully against a cultural norm (such as needing to cover up as a woman) then don’t go to that country. People have different beliefs of how things are and should be and those don’t always align with what you believe. You are going to another country so respect its rules and norms, even if they aren’t yours.
Learn some basic terms in the local language to show respect and interest. You don’t have to be perfect but from what I’ve seen, taking an interest in language tends to make people thrilled, especially lesser-known languages like Thai or Vietnamese. Numbers can help a lot when it comes to bargaining as well.
It is important to remember that you are on your vacation but the people around you live there and are trying to go about their day-by-day. Weird I have to say this, but you and your vacation are not more important than the people living there, be respectful and enjoy your time!
For me: Just simple research of cultural etiquette and local laws will give you what you need to know! I tend to write customs and common phrases with pronunciation down on a small index card to help me remember.
7. Set daily spend limits to help stay on track of budget
Determine your overall budget and allocate amounts for day-to-day expenses and significant excursions. For shorter trips, about 2 to 3 weeks, I tend to plan things out a lot more, booking accommodations/transportation and bigger excursions ahead of time. Leaving me just to allocate food, souvenirs, and small activities amounts for the day-to-day.
On longer trips, like many of my college trips that lasted 3 months, you may be taking it completely clueless day-by-day. The best way to manage budget then is to allocate a daily amount including accommodation costs and then having a lump sum for big activities that you track how much is left as you go.
If you are paying mostly in cash, you can separate it in different areas of your bag or with clips to easily track how much is left for the daily amount.
For me: I have always traveled as frugally as possible due to a college kid budget. I’ve never been great about budgeting daily amounts but kept track in my head how much I had left in my account. I often skip lunch, get accommodation that has breakfast as part of it, and only pay for dinner and maybe snacks. I do a lot of excursions by myself without a tour to save on the money (though it can be a bigger headache than it’s worth).