If there’s one thing I’d recommend all my readers to experience in life, it’s solo traveling. I see many people struggling to go on long-awaited trips because they never manage to find anybody willing to accompany them on their adventures. As sad and disappointing as it may sound, it’s not necessarily bad. In fact, solo traveling has become one of my favorite things to do when I feel too worn out or unable to connect with myself.
Thanks to my personal experience as a traveler and adventurer, I can say that traveling on your own can be an incredible source of mental stimulation, self-confidence, and motivation. It’s because this process allows you to rediscover who you are and what you appreciate about life the most. Furthermore, the independence you feel while planning a solo trip, booking flights, catching buses, creating your itinerary, getting hotel rooms, trying out new food, and everything in between is just priceless.
With that said, you should know that waiting around for someone enthusiastic enough to travel the world with you isn’t a good idea. Whether you’re thinking about exploring Europe and its beauty or need a little road trip to another state to destress, my advice would be to pack those bags, book those flights, and be on your way because you only get one life. A solo trip requires as much planning and attention as any other trip.
In fact, you might need to stay a little more attentive and vigilant while packing for your solo trip because you’ll probably have nobody else helping you if you accidentally forget an essential item behind. I’ve created a long list of everything you’ll need to pack when going on a solo trip. Keeping reading on to find out what they are.
A Well-Insulated Water Bottle
One thing I’ve learned during long flights and even longer waiting hours is that hydration is key. The last thing you want to do is faint due to dehydration when traveling as a single, independent individual. While some airports and highways may give you access to clean drinking water, sometimes you may find yourself in a place where you’re thirsty but have no way to get a glass of water to keep you hydrated and energetic during your travels.
You may not find this item on other packing checklists online, but a large, well-insulated water bottle is a must for me whenever I’m packing to go on a solo trip. Today, you’ll find multiple water bottles known for keeping your water cold and fresh for up to 12 hours. All you need to do is purchase one of such bottles and keep it in your carry-on bag. This will make staying fresh easier, especially when driving for long hours or going on a solo adventure like hiking, mountain climbing, exploring, and more.
The best way to use your water bottle is by refilling it at every chance you get so that you never run out of clean drinking water at any point of your trip.
A Scarf With Secure Pockets
The idea of creating a packing checklist came to me when I looked at travel clothes and realized how essential pockets are. We don’t appreciate pockets as much as we should, especially when traveling alone. These small storage spaces can carry items of great significance. If you’re anxious about losing your documents, tickets, boarding passes, or passports at any point during your travels, it’s important to have a space that you can use to ensure that your documents are safely kept at all times.
Your bag’s pockets or the small pockets in your trousers can’t carry such items without compromising their accessibility. Therefore, a hack that I’ve tried to keep such items closer to me during my travels is wearing a scarf with multiple pockets. Travel-friendly brands and businesses continue to manufacture products that are incredibly innovative and functional for keeping essentials safe when you’re traveling all by yourself.
A pocketed scarf comes with multiple pockets on both ends, allowing you to easily store your passports and boarding passes and wear the fabric around your neck. Imagine making a fashion statement with your scarf without the fear of losing all your essentials. Sounds like the perfect deal to me!
Soft and Comfortable Sneakers
Running and walking at an unimaginably fast pace is a critical element of traveling solo. In fact, you might find yourself losing your breath running to catch flights and buses and making it to places on time without wasting your once-in-a-lifetime experience. As much as we want it to, this can’t be achieved in a pair of heels. Therefore, another essential item you’d always need on your travels is a pair of comfortable sneakers.
Sneakers aren’t only a fashionable footwear item. They keep your feet safe, warm, and always ready for a run when need be. Whether you’re going on a trip that requires a lot of walking without significant breaks or an adventure that involves climbing, hiking, running, or standing for long hours, you’ll ultimately thank your sneakers by the end of the day for keeping your feet comfortable and not giving you the pain or blisters that you would’ve gotten otherwise.
An Anti-Theft Backpack
Theft and burglary are always a problem we’re exposed to no matter where we go. Despite security measures put in place for tourists and vacationers, you never know when your belongings will disappear right from your bag without giving you a warning. This increases the need for travelers to care for themselves and their essentials throughout their travels.
A good way to ensure this is by purchasing an anti-theft backpack that can’t be accessed by third parties or broken into at any point. Anti-theft backpacks are made with a unique technology that requires you to unlock the bag with a passcode or a combination. This may slow down the process of finding the items you need. However, it’ll be worth protecting your essential items, including travel documents, tickets, electronic devices, itineraries, and more.
Today, airport shops and other travel brands continue to facilitate customers’ safety before, during, and after travels by manufacturing high-quality anti-theft backpacks. You can easily carry these bags into the airplane without them taking much space or creating a trouble on your flight. Furthermore, they’re incredibly easy to carry. You can either wear such a backpack on your back or use its handle to carry it with one hand.
A Warm Jacket
I have a weird habit of constantly checking the weather forecasts of the place I’m planning my trips to. While most of the updates I get are accurate, you never truly know when a random city’s weather will give up on you. It could rain, snow, or even get unimaginably warm in the most unexpected ways because of how unpredictable the weather is and how real climate change is.
While tackling the hot weather is still manageable in such circumstances, you’re never sure what to do when it gets chilly at night, and all you have is a slip dress on. Let me tell you that I’ve learned my fair share of lessons with my dressing choices in travel destinations. One of them is that you must take a warm jacket wherever you go. Even if you’re going to a warmer place like Mexico or Florida, I promise you that your jacket will save your trip multiple times.
It’ll be even better if you pack a warm and waterproof jacket to help you stay dry during heavy rains and snowfall.
A Power Bank for Electronic Devices
My biggest travel fear is losing my phone or having it run out of battery while stranded in a city or place where I don’t know the directions or language. This would heighten my anxiety levels by ten times, especially as a solo traveler. Electronic devices like your smartphone, laptop, or tablet are your greatest support and help when traveling alone.
They give you the directions you need to find the places you’re looking for, save your itinerary, hold soft copies of your tickets and passports, and have everything you’ve photographed during your travels. However, when the battery of either of these devices runs out, you may find yourself in a great amount of trouble. This can be easily be avoided if you have an external power source with you at all times.
I always encourage my readers to invest in a durable, portable, and high-quality power bank that they can instantly use to charge their electronic devices even when on the go. This is a convenient way of ensuring that all your devices are running properly when you’re out and about all by yourself.
A Mini First-Aid Kit
Accidents are unpredictable everywhere. Regardless of the safety measures you take, you can never tell what can happen next. The best thing to do when trying to avoid an accident or an injury while traveling is to keep a mini first-aid kit in your bag. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a massive first-aid box that could take up a lot of space.
While you can buy smaller versions of these kits, too, another way to go about it is by creating your own without spending money on it. Find a small box and store first-aid essentials like bandaids, painkillers, plaster, bandages, anti-septics, safety pins, and more. Make sure you safely store the kit in an accessible place in your luggage to get the items you’re looking for without struggling to find them during an emergency.
Reusable Tote Bags
Sustainability should always be a top priority, even when you’re treating yourself to a solo trip. A good way to get a headstart on this is by avoiding the use of disposable plastic bags and choosing reusable tote bags instead. Tote bags made of soft fabric are the perfect choice when trying to find an eco-friendlier way to shop around in a new city or country without adding to its waste.
Keep at least three foldable tote bags in your luggage when packing for your trip so you can use them instead of plastic bags during your travels.
Toiletries
Toiletries are tricky to keep in mind and understand when you’re trying to travel solo. However, they’re always important and can save you a lot of money in a new place. Try to avoid the mistake of packing large containers of shampoos and toothpaste and go for small plastic containers with minimal amounts of product.
This will save your baggage space and help you carry toiletries on your flight easily without the constant fear of spilling the products. Reading the airline company’s policy on packing and carrying toiletries can also significantly help in this process.
Passport and Documents
Your passport and documents are the key to your entry and exit into a new city or country. You may survive your trip without the other essentials I’ve listed above, but you can’t do so without your documentation. Therefore, remember to always double-check your bags to ensure that you have your documents with you at all times.
A Tripod
Lastly, one item that people barely talk about is a tripod. When traveling solo, you can struggle to find people who’d take incredibly stunning pictures of you. However, with a tripod by your side, you can take some of the most breathtaking photographs with maximum symmetry shot with a camera timer.
Getting ready for your next solo trip? Make sure you follow my blog at Irina Bukatik. I’m a writer, reader, adventurer, foodie, and traveler, always thrilled to share my life with my readers. Share your comments and concerns with me today!