Planning your first solo trip can feel really intimidating. But solo travel is such an incredible experience and I truly believe everyone should do it at least once in their life.

Solo travel has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, but I also understand that the thought of going somewhere alone can feel scary and overwhelming.

Before my first solo trip, I had no idea what to expect. I had all the same questions you’re probably asking yourself right now. What if I get lonely? What if something goes wrong? What if I don’t like it? What if I get bored?

Now, after five years of traveling solo, I’ve learned that most of the things I worried about before that first trip weren’t nearly as scary once I actually did them.

If you’re thinking about taking your first solo trip, here are seven things you need to know before your first solo trip.

1. Before Your First Solo Trip, Take a Practice Trip

If you’re already an experienced traveler and feel comfortable navigating airports, transportation, hotels and unfamiliar places, you may be perfectly ready to jump right into a bigger solo trip.

But if you don’t have a lot of travel experience yet, or the idea of being far from home by yourself makes you nervous, consider taking a small practice trip first.

Travel comes with its own stresses. Flights get delayed, plans change, you have to navigate unfamiliar places and sometimes you have to figure things out as you go. If all of that already feels new and overwhelming, adding the experience of being completely on your own can make your first big solo trip feel like an even bigger leap.

Instead, give yourself a low-stakes opportunity to practice traveling alone.

Take a day trip somewhere nearby. Spend a night in a city a couple of hours from home. Plan a weekend getaway somewhere you already feel relatively comfortable. The destination itself doesn’t really matter. The goal is to practice the things that might feel unfamiliar: going out to eat by yourself, navigating somewhere alone, staying in a hotel alone, making all of the decisions and figuring things out without someone else there.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that solo travel is a skill you build. And a practice trip gives you a chance to build that skill without also trying to navigate every other stress that can come with a big trip.

Think about it like learning to drive. You don’t just walk into the DMV and get handed a driver’s license. First, you get your permit, you practice and you slowly build the confidence to do it on your own. Solo travel can work the same way.

After having some practice, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to go it alone and when it’s time for your first real solo adventure, you’ll already have proof that you can do it. You’ve eaten alone, you’ve navigated somewhere unfamiliar, you’ve made the decisions and you’ve handled whatever came up.

And that little bit of confidence can make taking the bigger trip feel a whole lot less intimidating.

2. For Your First Solo Trip, Choose a Destination That Excites You

Your first solo trip should be somewhere that makes you genuinely excited to go, not somewhere you picked because the internet told you it’s the “perfect” destination for solo travelers.

Are there destinations that are easier for solo travel than others? Absolutely. But the most important thing is choosing a place that fits who you are as a traveler.

If there’s a bucket-list destination you’ve been dreaming about, start there. Being excited about where you’re going can make it much easier to push past some of the nerves that come with traveling alone for the first time.

If you don’t already have a destination in mind, think about what you actually enjoy doing when you travel.

Do you love hiking and being outdoors? Do you want to spend your days wandering museums and exploring historic cities? Would you rather relax on a beach with a good book?

There’s a great solo destination for every type of traveler.

What Makes a Good Destination for Your First Solo Trip?

Once you have a place in mind, do a little research before booking. Think about:

• How comfortable you feel with the destination
• How easy it is to get around without relying on someone else
• Whether there are plenty of things you genuinely want to do
• The safety situation for travelers
• Whether language or cultural differences are something you’re comfortable navigating

That doesn’t mean your first solo trip has to be somewhere completely effortless. It just means you should understand what you’re getting into.

My first solo trip was a road trip through northern Florida, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Looking back, I think it was the perfect first solo trip for me because it combined everything I already loved about travel: being outdoors, beautiful scenery, historic cities and friendly people.

I didn’t choose it because it was a viral solo travel destination. I chose it because I knew I’d have a good time doing things I already loved.

Choose a destination that feels like you.

3. Make a Plan, but Stay Flexible

One thing I’ve learned after years of traveling is that having a plan makes solo travel so much easier – especially your first solo trip.

I personally love planning my trips ahead of time. I like knowing where I’m staying, what I want to see, how I’m going to get there and what my options are each day.

That doesn’t mean I plan every single minute.

Some of the best travel moments happen when you leave room for the unexpected, so I always build flexibility into my itinerary.

But having a good foundation planned ahead of time means you don’t have to make every decision when you’re already tired, overwhelmed or standing in a new place trying to figure out what to do next.

And when you’re traveling solo, every decision is yours.

Before I leave, I like to have the big things figured out: where I’m staying, how I’m getting from place to place, any reservations I really need and the things I absolutely don’t want to miss.

I also like having backup options. If you’re plan includes something outdoors, have an inside option in case the weather changes. Have a few different restaurant options in case you can’t get into one. Have a backup museum in case it’s closed on the day you have free.

Having a few alternatives means you’re not stuck trying to problem-solve in a stressful moment.

The goal isn’t to plan away all the adventure. It’s to create enough structure that you can relax and actually enjoy it.

4. Your First Solo Trip Probably Won’t Be as Lonely as You Think

One of the biggest fears people have about solo travel is feeling lonely.

And I get it. If you’ve never spent a lot of time on your own, the idea of being somewhere new with no one you know can feel intimidating.

But something I’ve learned is that when you’re traveling alone, meeting people is actually much easier than you might expect.

When you’re not traveling with someone else, you’re naturally more open. You’re more likely to start a conversation, join a tour, ask someone where they’re from or say yes to an invitation.

I make friends on almost every solo trip I take.

Sometimes those friendships only last for a few hours on a tour, for a couple of days while our paths happen to overlap, or for years. Each new friendship or connection is meaningful in its own way.

There’s something really special about connecting with someone you probably never would have met otherwise and sharing a small part of your journey together. Some of my favorite travel memories have come from the people I’ve met along the way.

If you want to meet people while traveling solo, give yourself opportunities to do it. Some of the ways I meet people while solo traveling are:

• Join a walking tour. Book a small-group excursion
• Take a cooking class
• Sit somewhere you can actually talk to other people instead of disappearing into the corner of a restaurant
• Stay at a hostel

You don’t have to spend your entire trip making friends, either.

That’s one of my favorite things about solo travel: you get to decide. You can spend the afternoon exploring completely by yourself and then join a group for dinner or a tour that evening.

Solo travel doesn’t mean spending your entire trip alone. It means you get to choose when you want company and when you want time to yourself.

5. Solo Travel Isn’t as Scary as You Think

Safety is probably the biggest concern I hear from people who are considering solo travel, especially women who are thinking about traveling alone.

I completely understand that fear.

When you’ve never done something before, your brain naturally starts imagining all the things that could go wrong.

But after decades of traveling and five years of traveling solo, one thing I’ve learned is that the world is a lot less scary than we often imagine it to be.

That doesn’t mean every destination is perfectly safe. There are absolutely places and situations you should avoid, and researching your destination before you go is important.

But fear can also make us dramatically overestimate the danger of simply being somewhere unfamiliar.

I understand that even more now that my daughter is starting to travel on her own. Suddenly, I find my own brain imagining every possible bad thing that could happen to her. It’s terrifying.

And it’s also a pretty good reminder of how good our brains are at creating worst-case scenarios.

The challenge is keeping the reality of a place in the foreground of your thoughts rather than letting those imagined scenarios take over.

How I Think About Safety When Traveling Solo

I don’t believe being confident about solo travel means ignoring safety. It means being prepared without letting fear make every decision for you.

Before and during a trip, I pay attention to where I’m staying, research the areas I’ll be visiting, know how I’m getting around and avoid situations that make me uncomfortable.

Use common sense. Trust your instincts. Research your destination. And if something doesn’t feel right, leave.

You can take reasonable precautions without letting fear keep you from experiencing the world.

6. Things Will Go Wrong — and You’ll Figure Them Out

Here’s the thing about travel: something is going to go wrong eventually.

It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling alone or with other people. Your flight might get delayed. The weather might change. A restaurant you wanted to try might be closed. You might take a wrong turn or have to completely change your plans.

When you’re traveling solo, those moments can feel a little more intimidating because you’re the one who has to figure out what happens next.

But figuring it out is also one of the best parts.

Every time something unexpected happens and you solve the problem yourself, you get a little more confident.

You learn that a delayed flight is frustrating, but manageable. Getting turned around isn’t a disaster. Changing plans doesn’t mean the trip is ruined.

You have to be flexible and have a sense of humor about it. Not every problem needs to ruin your day.

In fact, some of my favorite travel memories have come from moments when things didn’t go according to plan. Those are often the moments when you discover something new, find a different path or realize you can handle more than you thought.

The goal isn’t to make sure nothing ever goes wrong.

It’s knowing that when something does, you’ll figure it out.

7. You Don’t Have to Feel Ready for Your First Solo Trip

If you’ve been thinking about taking your first solo trip, chances are you’re waiting for the moment when you finally feel ready.

I don’t think that moment really exists.

I definitely didn’t feel 100% ready before my first solo trip.

At some point, you have to decide that the excitement of experiencing something new is worth pushing through the fear.

Make the best plan you can. Prepare for the things you can anticipate. Give yourself permission to be nervous about the things you can’t.

And then do it scared.

The first solo trip can feel really hard going into it, but the confidence you build by learning to rely on yourself will carry you through that trip and stay with you long after you come home.

Ready to Plan Your First Solo Trip?

If you’ve made it this far and you’re thinking, “OK, maybe I actually could do this,” you don’t have to start by booking a flight halfway around the world.

Start with one decision.

Choose somewhere you’d genuinely like to visit. Decide how long you’re comfortable being away. Set a budget. Figure out how you’ll get there and where you’ll stay. Then start building a simple itinerary around the things you’re excited to experience.

You don’t need to have every detail figured out before you go. You just need enough of a plan to make that first step feel manageable.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s that solo travel isn’t about being fearless. It’s about learning to trust yourself.

I was the person asking all of these same questions before my first solo trip. I wondered if I would like it, if I would get lonely and if I could really do it on my own.

Taking that first trip showed me that I was more capable than I thought.

And I hope you give yourself the chance to discover that, too.