For some time now, solo travel has been on everyone’s radar and is gaining newfound popularity in the Arab world. Everyone’s been hopping on the trend, including influencers like Egyptian Narihan Nazab, who’s been hitting up different parts of Europe.
In the Arab world, solo travel, especially for young women, was not even conceivable in the past, but now it is becoming more of a reality. With a boost in travel safety and a more globalized world, parents and families have become more lenient with travel in general.
To hop on the trend yourself, through some digging and research, we created a special guide to help you take on solo traveling with ease, with a big focus on Euro trips, trips to Bali, and trips to New Zealand, seeing as they are three of the most popular destinations for solo travelers:
The Planning Stage
The planning process is probably the most important part of solo travel, as once that is done, everything else will fall into place.
As you will be traveling solo, the planning process will be easier because you will decide everything from accommodation to transportation without reaching a unanimous decision with an entire group.
For each of the planning stages, we’ve got you covered with tips and tricks for different destinations to make the trip as simple as possible:
1-Picking Destinations
This section is important as it determines how your entire trip will go about:
Euro Trip: If it is a Euro trip, you need to know your destinations and route. Let’s say you want to travel to Barcelona, Capri, Sicily, and Paris. The best route would be to travel from Paris to Barcelona, then to Rome, then to Capri and Sicily.
Bali: Even if you are going to an island like Bali, it is no small space. That very island is separated into different regions offering different experiences. There’s the north, south, east, and west, each boasting different localities.
If you head to the north, there’s Lovina Beach, where you can snorkel, dive, and take boat rides to enjoy some dolphin watching. Down south, all the action is. We are talking about all the popular beaches like Seminyak, Legian, Jimbaran, Kuta, Nusa Dua, and Uluwatu.
New Zealand: Just as with Bali, New Zealand isn’t merely this big chunk of land. The island is divided into the north and south islands, which are both divided into 16 distinct regions. In the south, you have to hit up Queenstown, home to Lake Wakatipu, Skippers Canyon, and more, a literal nature’s haven.
Then, in the north, there’s Auckland, a city lover’s dream. It’s home to the iconic Sky Tower, which offers gorgeous views of Viaduct Harbour, as well as cool museums like the Museum of Transport and Technology.
These two examples give you a glimpse of what is expected when picking out your destinations.
2-Accommodation
When it comes to accommodation, it is one of those aspects of travel you want to get out of the way of, especially as it can be one of the priciest aspects of the trip. To make it as affordable as possible, here are some tips and tricks:
Consider a Hostel: You can use many platforms to find reasonable hostels around the world. One of the most popular options is known as Hostelworld, known as “the world’s leading hostel-focused online booking platform.”
We recommend booking a private room in the hostel for added safety. Not everyone would be comfortable with a dorm room, but if you are, it allows for newfound friendships and the opportunity to meet tons of people from around the world.
Overnight Transport: For added affordability, if you are on a Euro trip, instead of booking a room in a hostel, you can book overnight transport, like a train, for example. That way, you can sleep on the way to your destination without having to worry about accommodation costs.
Keep Budget For Airbnb or Hotel Stay: The trip doesn’t have to be all about hostels and overnight trips. You can also keep a backup budget on the side so that when you tire of hostels, you can book an Airbnb or hotel for one or two nights instead.
According to research done by CIA Landlords, the cheapest Airbnb listings are in Bogota, Colombia ($260.65 per week), followed by Ankara, Turkey ($275.10 per week) then Riga, Latvia ($441.61 per week).
3-Transportation
When it comes to transportation, you won’t just need to plan on how to reach the country itself, but also how to move around within the cities you will hit up. We have some tips for moving around the cities themselves:
Euro Trip: One of the best ways to move around the country is by train. To make your life easier, you can get the Eurail pass, which permits you to travel through 33 European countries by train. You can get a 15-day pass for 360 dollars and get to travel to 33 countries with ease.
Bali Trip: Again, don’t underestimate Bali; it is a big island, covering 5,780 km² of land. That means you really need to figure out how you’ll move around the island. One of the go-to options for many travelers is taking the bus.
Buses connect most Balinese towns, and a cool way to get around is to take the Kura-Kura, a tourist-class bus service that has several routes in the south leading up to Ubud. A seven-day pass that gives unlimited travel on all lines costs less than US$18. To get to the north, we recommend booking a taxi.
New Zealand Trip: Just as with Bali, New Zealand is a big island, and not just that, it is, at the end of the day, made up of two islands that cover 268,021 km² of land. Just as with Bali, we again recommend going for buses to get around. These can be booked in advance and are reasonably affordable.
One recommended option is InterCity, the only national bus company offering flexible passes and movement within New Zealand.
4-Events & Festivals
One of the biggest parts of any trip is all the activities you’ll get to do in the different countries you’ll visit. A lot of times, the whole reason for the trip is to attend a specific festival or event, so in many ways, many people plan their entire trip around that.
Our biggest recommendation is to pre-book any popular activities, events, or festivals as early as possible, as they book out very fast. To help you out, we have some cool events you can check out in Europe, Bali, and New Zealand, including the Amsterdam Dance Event, the Ultra Beach Bali, and Auckland’s Pasifika Festival.
Cultural Aspects To Be Ready For
On any trip, when visiting a new country, you will be exposed to a world governed by a completely different culture and way of life. That is why it is important to be prepared before you arrive to avoid upsetting the locals, getting sick, or getting put into awkward situations. These are a few tips we have for you before you head to any of the 3 destinations:
The Tipping Whirlpool of Europe
Seeing how Europe is massive, with 50 countries dotting the continent, tipping culture can be quite daunting and confusing because each country approaches it in a different way. For example, it isn’t customary to tip in Germany, but it is customary in Poland. So, we recommend doing your research before visiting these countries.
Avoiding The Dreaded “Bali Belly”
Unfortunately, many people who visit Bali suffer from what is known as the “Bali Belly,” which is basically an upset stomach or traveler’s diarrhea caused by not being used to the food in the country. Seeing how it is a common scenario to avoid it, we recommend taking probiotics two weeks before you go.
Don’t Bring Cash To Auckland
New Zealand’s Auckland is a city where no one uses cash. It is all about credit and debit cards and even contactless payment everywhere you go.
Safety
Traveling to any country alone means that you have to keep an active eye on your safety. Some things you must keep an eye out for include theft and general safety. So with that, here are some general tips to stay safe during your upcoming travels:
Padlock on Luggage
Having a padlock on your luggage can be useful when you travel alone because it will help protect your luggage from pickpockets and your roommates if you are staying in a hostel. It is merely a way to add that extra layer of security during your travels.
Share Your Location
Beyond taking care of your belongings, you can feel safe during your travels by sharing your live location with friends and family at home and even any friend or relative you know of in the country you are traveling in. That way, they will know if you are in trouble.
Using this guide, you can plan your upcoming solo trip while saving money and staying safe.