Boarding the plane to go to another country alone is often an emotional experience: there is excitement, anxiety, anticipation.
It can also be totally distressing.
When Angie Orth made the bold choice to quit her job and embark on a year-long solo trip around the world in 2011, friends and family warned her of safety concerns. “Everyone was horrified,” the Florida native told USA TODAY. “Fear was all I heard.”
Orth, then based in New York, began her 12-country solo trip in Fiji before traveling to New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia. She then traveled across Europe, including Greece, Spain and England, and stopped in Turkey and Egypt before ending in Kenya and South Africa.
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Travel hasn't always been easy. At times, Orth said she survived “barely.” Orth was in Egypt during the Arab Spring, got incredibly ill in Thailand and had a cycling accident in Bali. She was also robbed of 400 euros. “I was in Greece for half an hour and I had already been robbed,” she said.
Still, for Orth, the solo trip was priceless. “It’s a confidence that I don’t think there’s any other way to gain that confidence than by traveling solo,” she said, referring to the problem-solving that inherently comes with travel on your own. Then there is also the compassion that one acquires by meeting and discovering other cultures.
Today more than ever, more and more people are deciding to forgo their travel companion and set off on their trip alone. Searches for solo vacation packages on Google have increased by more than 200% in the last 90 days, starting February 2.
Increased connectivity on our phones makes us feel safer, and social media shows that more people – especially women – are traveling alone around the world.
“Women don't wait for permission or their 401(k) to mature. If my husband doesn't want to go, fine. Women are more confident,” said Orth, who is also the author of the upcoming book “Flirting with Disaster,” which chronicles her year-long solo journey.
Here's everything you need to know about solo travel.
How to travel alone safely
Safety is always a priority when traveling, and it is especially important for solo travelers who need to look out for themselves.
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“Isn’t it fun to meet someone at a hostel and say yes, let’s go hiking right now?” It’s fun, but it’s risky,” Orth said. “It’s about balancing things and doing ridiculous research.”
▶ Start your research by going to Department of State website to see if there are any travel advisories for the destination you are interested in. These advisories are based on changing conditions and also inform you about the specific region you are visiting.
For the most direct updates, subscribe to Smart Traveler Registration Program (STEP), a free service that sends you the most recent destination information. It can also help you connect to the nearest US embassy and consulate if you're traveling and something were to happen.
▶ One thing Orth always looks for is “destination plus scams” to see what she should watch out for when she is in that location. Many European cities are known for petty theft, such as pickpocketing at popular tourist spots like the Trevi Fountain or on public transportation.
When researching, it can feel like information overload. “There is so much information now that you could read 1,000 reviews and get so many conflicting sources of information,” Orth added. “It’s difficult to wade through all of this and find reliable sources.”
▶ To help you sort it all out, Orth recommends reaching out to others who have traveled to your ideal destination. She also recommended cleaning up your feed and only following travel content creators who “give you the good and the bad.”
“You don’t want the shiny, shiny, oh, it’s so magical because traveling isn’t always that magical,” she said.
▶ At your destination, you will also need at least a basic understanding of the language used there. “Translation plays an important role in security, you just need to be aware of your surroundings,” said Craig Ewher, Google communications manager for search.
In addition to direct translation between 133 languages, the Google Translate app offers pronunciation help – “such a lifesaver,” according to Rose Yao, vice president of product management at Google. You can also take a photo of a menu and have it translated in real time.
The Google app also has a feature called Lens that allows users to search using an image of something like a sign. “You would be surprised what you can do in Lens: menus, what is this building or what is this statue,” Yao said. You can also capture a screenshot of your social media feed and then Google it to incorporate into your travel plans.
Staying healthy while traveling
▶ To protect yourself and others from preventable illnesses when exploring new places, research recommended vaccines for the countries you plan to visit. THE Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention The website is a good place to start, with detailed travel health advisories and recommended vaccines and medications displayed in one place.
The CDC website also offers advice for travelers on managing non-preventable illnesses, such as avoiding insect bites to reduce the risk of contracting illnesses such as dengue or Zika.
▶ As a general rule, you should give yourself at least a month before you travel to get everything you need from your doctor. And if you're not sure who to contact, the CDC can help you find a clinical Also.
Orth recommends asking a doctor to help you put together a medical kit containing some essentials and medications, such as for food poisoning. “It's helpful to have certain things on hand so you don't end up on an isolated island and no one knows what you're talking about,” she said.
▶ As you make the big purchases for your trip, don't forget about travel insurance for the unexpected. Orth said she never travels without this layer of protection and uses a service called MetJet, which provides its members with protection as well as emergency and medical transportation around the world. Travel insurance not only helped cover her medical expenses related to her bicycle collision, but also replaced her camera, which was broken in the accident.
Learn more:Best travel insurance
What are the most popular destinations for solo travel?
According to Google, the most searched destinations for American solo travelers are:
- London
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Porto Rico
- Italy
Tips for solo travelers
- The Google app's AI generative search lets you “ask very detailed questions like you would with a friend,” Yao said. “Ask what’s off the beaten path, what’s not crowded. When is the ideal time to visit the Louvre if it is not too crowded?
- For your first solo trip, you can start small and dip your toes in the solo travel pool. “Start with an easier destination, something more familiar where you speak the language or don't need to fly very far,” Orth said. “A lot of people see travel and Eat, Pray, Love content creators trekking in Borneo to make it count, but that’s not the case.”
- It won't always be rainbows and butterflies, despite what you see on social media. Expect decision fatigue from having to make many micro-decisions, like whether that taxi driver seems safe. “I think it probably hits women a lot harder than men because we never think about our safety, and that's the case whether we're going to Target in our hometown or getting on a plane to an island isolated,” Orth said.
- Create an itinerary for yourself with at least one thing planned each day, so you don't feel aimless while still maintaining room for flexibility, said Pietrowski, U.S. brand director at GetYourGuide, a travel experiences marketplace. travel, where every company listed is thoroughly vetted. It can be as casual as wanting to eat at a certain restaurant for dinner or more intensive like a full-day excursion. (On that note, be sure to read the fine print and know the cancellation policies for your excursions.)
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
