Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to learn simple tips to overcome fear of solo travel in a new city. Or a new country.
For example, let me pick on a city I’ve never been to – Mexico City, Mexico. I have been to other places around Mexico, so the country is not new to me, but Mexico City will be a new experience. I’m confident about returning to travel in Mexico, but now I want to discover a place that is new to me.
Hypothetically speaking, of course…. Ha ha! Maybe!
I could have just as easily used Istanbul as an example. I’ve never been to Istanbul, or anywhere else in Turkey.
But I’m getting off track.
Fear of solo travel
Long time readers know that I retired in 2023 to become your favorite nomad. I am a traveller and I travel alone. Solo female travel. Yes, that’s a thing. And a hashtag. #solofemaletravel
It’s my time to shine and discover amazing places in this world. If I was fearful, I’d be missing out on a lot of great travel. As a solo nomad I must have the courage to conquer my fears.
Let me give you a real life example this time and not a hypothetical situation.
One of my friends wants to visit England. A trip to England is her dream vacation. She wants to visit the town where her father came from and see London and other parts of the country. On the same trip, she also wants to visit France, specifically Paris. She has never been to either country.
She was planning a trip to England and France with a friend. That friend has a boyfriend and although they are still talking about travel to Europe, he will be joining them, making my friend feel like a third wheel. Then they postponed that trip so the lovebirds could take a different vacation.
So I threw it out at her – why don’t you just go alone?
“Oh, I could never do that,” she said. “I’m not like you.”
There are many women out there who are fearful of travelling solo. And there’s no need for that. Missing out on things you want to do and see just because you don’t want to go alone? I can’t imagine that.
A homeowner from a recent housesit who travelled to Paris stated the obvious: Why don’t you go with her?
Hmmm… I’d never thought of that because I like to travel solo. But I did bring it up to my friend. I told her if she wants to travel to England and France I will go with her. If that happens I will stay longer in Europe when she goes home. She has a house and she lives there. I’m a nomad and I can live anywhere.
Fear of solo travel
Some people like my friend struggle with a fear of solo travel.
I’m here to tell you there’s a big wide world out there waiting for you to discover it and if you wait for a travel buddy, you might never get off the ground.
Travelling solo after divorce is something many women have to adjust to. The built in travelling companion is no longer there. Of course the good news is that when we travel solo we go where we want to go, see the attractions that interest us, eat at restaurants that we want to try the food at, and decide when we’re ready to call it a night.
For me it wasn’t such a big deal. I’ve traveled alone before and I can do it again!
My first solo trip was a flight from London to Vancouver when I was 14. The biggest memory of that flight was I bought The Exorcist at the airport, a book my mother would not allow me to read. Why the hell not? I was going into Grade 10, old enough to choose my own reading material. I read it on the flight back to Canada, and finished the book before we landed.
No problem!
My first real adventure at solo travel was when I was 20. I traveled to England, backpacked around Scotland, and then flew to Madrid where I worked as an au pair for a few months. And in my 20s I had many other solo travel opportunities, both by air and car. An epic California road trip in my late 20s was one of my favorite trips.
Generally speaking, I have no fear of solo travel, but I am cautious when traveling to new places. Here are my simple tips to boost your confidence and enjoy your trip in a new city. I hope my tips will give you the courage to travel solo. Don’t let fear hold you back! Remember that hashtag you want to use? #solofemaletravel
A language you know
Something that holds a lot of people back from visiting interesting countries is not speaking the language.
It’s a valid fear. It’s scary being unable to communicate whether it’s checking into a hotel, eating in a restaurant, tracking down missing luggage, or filing a police report that your phone has been stolen.
If you are just beginning to be a solo traveler, choose a destination where you speak the language. Seeing as how I speak English, and most of my readers do too, I would say choose a location in Canada or the USA. These are shorter flights or manageable road trips in the car.
If you’re like my friend and dying to see England, then anywhere in the United Kingdom would be a good choice. The flight is longer, but you will hit the ground speaking English with everyone. Let’s not forget taking a longer flight to another English speaking destination – Australia.
Arrive in daytime
My next tip is to arrive at your destination in daylight hours. This is something I always do, one of my safety precautions. The only exception would be if someone is meeting me at the airport, then a flight that arrives in the evening would be acceptable.
But really, I don’t want to be figuring my way around an unknown city after it’s gotten dark outside.
There are very few places in the world where I would be comfortable landing at night when I’m traveling alone. And I pretty much always travel alone! The one city that I would be OK arriving at night is Las Vegas. From the airport I would take a shuttle or Uber to my hotel. People are moving around that town at all hours, so a flight arriving at 11pm or 1am would not faze me.
I would also be comfortable arriving in London, England at night. Though I’d want to arrive before 9pm. Same thing with Madrid, Spain, but only if there were no other earlier arrival options.
Even if it means paying a few more bucks for the flight, take the one that arrives at least a couple of hours before it gets dark.
Hotels with 24 hour reception
Another safety tip is that I choose hotels with 24 hour reception.
Yeah – just in case that flight is delayed! If I’m going to arrive late, there is no point in choosing a hotel where check in ends at 10 or 11pm. A reception area that is always staffed is a safety feature I always look for.
Especially if I’m arriving in a new city.
It’s worth it to me to pay a bit more money for a hotel that is staffed 24/7.
Hotel location
Something that’s a little harder to do in a new to me area is choosing a hotel that is in a good location. If I’ve never been to a city before, I have no way of knowing what is a good neighborhood or a seedy neighborhood.
The best way to do this is to look for reviews on Booking dot com, Expedia, or TripAdvisor. It’s a possibility that I won’t book the hotel through one of these platforms. Sometimes the hotels offer better rates if you book with them directly. Or perks like free breakfast.
But darned tooting I’ll be checking out the reviews on hotel booking sites to see what other travellers have to say! I am looking for reviews that say the hotel is in a good location, walking distance to attractions or public transit.
I’m also looking for hotels that have a rating of at least 8 out of 10 on these sites. That’s not to say I won’t look at hotels in the 7 range, because sometimes there’s just nothing else affordable or available or that’s an average rating for that country. Western travellers rating hotels in developing nations have different standards. I looked at a hotel in Mexico and a reviewer gave it a low rating because they couldn’t get ice cubes. There you go.
English speaking staff
When I’m traveling in countries where I don’t speak the language, I’ll look for hotels that have English speaking staff. Booking and Expedia will list the languages spoken.
When I did my Big Eurail Adventure in the summer of 2024, I only chose hotels that showed English speaking staff.
If you are new to solo travel, I recommend you also do this. Even if it means spending a bit more money than you’d like, it’s better to find a hotel where staff can assist you in English. Especially if something has gone wrong. Or even for little things like restaurant recommendations.
And most importantly, asking the staff if the area around the hotel is safe to walk around at night. If you’re heading out to a restaurant for dinner, you want to make sure you get back safely.
Taxi or public transit?
If I’m arriving by plane in a new city, I will look for safe, recommended hotel shuttles or the airport’s official taxi. Uber and Lyft are not always available in other countries, especially small towns. Again, I will do a little research. If I can find an airport shuttle that drops off at several hotels for $5 or $10 versus spending $30 or more on a taxi, that’s what I’ll do.
There are hotels that provide a shuttle service for their guests, whether it’s complimentary or an extra fee. These are hotels to seriously consider. Even if it’s only for one night. The problem I find with hotels offering shuttles is that they’re close to the airport and possibly inconvenient to get into the city you want to explore.
And the other thing is, just because the listing on Booking or Expedia says the hotel offers a shuttle, that’s not always true. It is best to contact the hotel and ask. I nearly discounted a Radisson Hotel near Gatwick Airport because I wasn’t sure how to get there. I sent them an email and they emailed me back a schedule for a shuttle bus that included their hotel on the rounds. Sold!
What about buses, subways, and trains? Public transit is usually the cheapest option to get to the hotel. A taxi might cost $30 to the hotel and a bus or bus/subway/walk combo might cost a buck or two. I could go out for a nice meal on the money saved!
However, we’re talking about arriving in an unknown city. Public transit might be cheaper, but it will probably take longer, not to mention inconvenient for handling luggage or standing on a train wearing a backpack. Public transit could leave you open to theft. You’re distracted hanging on to your rolling suitcase and a pickpocket steals your phone.
If there’s a shuttle, I’ll take that first. If not, I’ll take a taxi. My safety and the safety of my stuff are more important than saving money getting to my hotel.
Simple tips to overcome fear of solo travel in a new city
Let’s do a quick round up of my travel tips when I’m going to a new location. If you’re new to solo travel, these tips will help you travel alone with more confidence.
1. Choose a country where you know the language. You don’t have to be fluent but you should be comfortable using a translator app on your phone.
2. If you are travelling to another country where you don’t know the language, choose a hotel where English is spoken.
3. Arrive in daytime. Unknown locations can be scary when it gets dark outside.
4. Choose a hotel with 24 hour reception. Just in case you arrive late or have an emergency, you can get staff assistance at all hours.
5. Before reserving a room, check hotel reviews online to make sure they are in a good, safe location.
6. Spend the extra money and take a taxi or shuttle to the hotel instead of taking public transit.
Follow these tips and you will feel less anxious when you arrive in a new destination. You can’t put a price on your safety and the security of your belongings. You don’t have to book the most expensive hotel in town, but you don’t want the cheapest hotel either. Choose a good location near tourist attractions and dining and shopping where there are a lot of people around.
These are a few steps you can take to ease your anxiety over solo travel and I hope you’ll get out there and explore the world!
Travelling alone can be scary, but my tips will help you get off to a good start at enjoying this new city.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on June 12, 2025.
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