Solo Travelling At 18 – From Someone Who’s Done It.

I set off for my first solo travelling trip at 18. To be honest I was a little too big for my boots and had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was I had a burning desire to travel and that was that. I booked a one-way flight and a couple of nights accommodation and I was on my way. I had read books and blog posts on “how to travel” and thought I was pretty well equipped to go it alone and have the time of my life!

My parents dropped me off at the airport I went through customs and waited in the terminal for my mammoth 22-hour flight (with a layover) to Bangkok. Just so you know with a long delay at cologne-bonn airport (thanks Eurowings) that soon turned into a 30-hour journey. Read my guide on saving money on flights, just remember it’s probably not a great idea to book a long haul with budget airlines! I like to use SkyTrax to check up on an airline I’ve never flown with.

Starting My Solo Travelling Trip.

So, boarding the plane fresh-faced and ready for an adventure I set off on the trip of a lifetime. Arriving in Bangkok and eventually finding my hotel room with no SIM card to access 4g (rookie error) the feelings of being ready for an adventure were diminishing quickly.

I checked in went to my room and collapsed onto the bed in a heap, I slept for about 10 hours and woke up at about 3 am local time. Jetlag was going to be an issue.

I spoke to nobody my first few days, regretting my decision to travel alone more and more by the minute. Anyone I did try and talk to didn’t seem to want a chat as they all had their own stuff going on. Feeling very disheartened I hid away in my A/C room browsing the web for almost a day waiting to check out and move into the super cheap FAN cooled (another mistake) dorm I had booked myself into.

Things started to look up once I arrived at the hostel (guide to hostels). But it was soon pretty clear that I had no idea how to travel. Even though I had read all the blog posts and books. The truth is you do need to learn how to travel. It’s not as simple as boarding a plane and going to a destination. You do need to have a plan in mind, you do need to have some social skills, and you do need to know what you are doing!

So enough of how much of a disaster my first few days as a solo traveller were, trust me there’s a lot more tragedy I don’t want to bore you with! Let’s talk about how you can travel successfully at 18.

Solo Travel Successfully At 18.

Now, some of you probably have all the skills and know-how to be able to travel alone at 18 just fine. But I didn’t, and I’m sure there are a lot of people just like me out there.

At 18 you are probably leaving home for the first time, possibly doing your own laundry for the first time too! So it can be pretty daunting the thought of going solo travelling. If I could go back in time and give myself some advice this is what I would tell myself…

What I Would Tell Myself Before Travelling Solo At 18.

1. Plan your trip – I don’t know if this was just me being an idiot and taking advice that id read too literally, which I defiantly did! But I didn’t plan a thing. Read any guide on the web and it will tell you not to plan your trip, “go with the flow” “be spontaneous”. That is very true you defiantly should! But have an idea of what you want to do, see and achieve from your trip. I literally had no idea what I wanted to do, or even what I should be doing. Don’t be like me, draw up a plan of what you want to do, and if you go off-route, who cares! Your obviously having fun!
2. Push yourself to meet people – I am kind of an introvert. Less so when I travel because you have to push yourself to meet people or you’re in for a lonely trip. I have a full guide on making new friends in hostels, but you really just need to strike up a conversation and make yourself available. My favourite part of travelling solo is meeting new people. Travelling solo is just boarding a plane on your own. It’s not about being alone the whole trip.
3. Don’t drink to excess – Although drinking can be a big part of solo travel, especially at 18, I really wish I didn’t drink as much as I did on my first trip. I think that alcohol should be used as a tool to lower inhibitions, meet more people and have fun. But drinking excessively is bad for your body, possibly endangers you and will wipe you out for the next day. Which is pretty counterintuitive if you want to see the country. Like I say, drink and party, but try not to drink excessively and ruin the next day and possibly put yourself in danger.
4. Stay in touch with your family – Pretty straightforward, call your parents once a week to check in. They are probably worried about you so you owe it to them to have a chat now and again. Tell them what you’ve been up to (the PG version) and just put their minds at ease.
5. Pack light – I can not emphasise how important it is to pack light when you are going solo travelling. It doesn’t matter if you are solo travelling at 18 or 45, always pack light! I made the mistake of buying a 70L backpack before my first backpacking trip. When you have 70L of space, you will no doubt fill it. You really don’t need all the gadgets and gizmos. My bag was full of things I didn’t use once on my whole trip. I even brought a compass with me! Seriously I’ve never used a compass in my life, just don’t get into the mindset of “what if I need it”. You almost certainly won’t and if you do, you’ll be able to buy it whilst you’re away. You can read my essential packing list here.
6. Keep your spending in check (but don’t be too frugal) – I’m a hardcore saver, I literally hate spending money, some people call it tight, I call it being careful. To be honest I wrote the brackets into the subheading in case you are like me. Another thing I hate is watching people piss money down the drain. And for some reason, 18-year-old solo travellers seem to love doing it. Keep to a budget and don’t blow your money on partying, spend it on experiences, you can party at home. For the people like me, again, spend your money on experiences. I had saved so hard to be able to afford my trip, once I was there I didn’t want to waste my money. But in order to have the trip of a lifetime, unfortunately, you do have to spend some hard-earned cash.
7. Be open to new things – You have to have an open mind to travel and have a real experience. I was not that open-minded and was nervous to try new things, but once I did I found so many new things that I loved! Eat the local cuisine, get out of your comfort zone and experience the culture…
8. Use your intuition (but don’t be paranoid) – You should always trust your intuition, but there’s a fine line between that and being paranoid. I was wary of everyone, I was always worried about being scammed and probably closed off a lot of interactions through paranoia. In reality, most people you meet are genuine and friendly. Just use your common sense and you’re going to have the time of your life!

Why You Should Travel Solo.

Solo travel is an amazing experience whatever age you are. But I would really recommend you to travel at 18 if you feel you are ready. I learned so much in a short space of time that I would have never learned living at home.

You will become super independent, you really have no choice. You will have to organise everything yourself keep your stomach full and do your own laundry, unless you don’t mind stinking out the dorm room. After your first solo trip at 18, you will be able to take care of yourself anywhere.

You will also gain amazing social skills. Almost every day you will be chatting with new people from different cultures and backgrounds and learning so much along the way. If you are an introvert you will soon be coming out of your shell. Once your out, it’s pretty hard to get back in. For extroverts, you’re in paradise anyway with brand new people to talk to every day. You will make lifelong friends while you travel solo, that’s almost guaranteed.

You will become a new wiser person. It’s literally impossible not to become wiser and more mature after solo travelling at 18. You will have experienced something not many people your age will have experienced, and it will no doubt make you a better person. You’ll have so many stories and probably a different perspective on life, I can’t recommend you to solo travel enough!

I also have an extensive guide on why you should travel solo you can read.

The Negatives Of Travelling Solo.

Negatives? Yeah, I’ll be honest it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Solo travel can be hard work, and not just when you are 18! You will probably have to deal with loneliness while solo travelling, you’re probably going to have to spend more money at some points than those travelling together and you may encounter points where you just wish you weren’t alone. But all in all the positives far outweigh the negatives, and the negatives all help towards personal growth!

Tips For Travelling Solo At 18.

• Have a rough plan to follow.
• Start with an easy destination.
• Do your homework.
• Don’t drink too much.
• Pack light.
• Push yourself to meet people.
• Challenge yourself.
• Make friends in hostels.
• Get an early start.
• Trust your intuition.

So Should You Travel Solo Or Not?

In short, defiantly! You will have an amazing time no matter if you’re an introvert or extrovert, male or female, old or young. Solo travel is an amazing, liberating experience and I believe everyone should do it at least once in their lives! You will learn so much, grow as a person and have the most incredible experience at the same time. Save money for travel and book your flights, you will not regret it!