# Be open to meeting others when you want to, but don’t feel like you have to make friends wherever you go. Alone time is good time, too.

# Pack your brain. Keep your wits about you, pay attention to what’s going on and to the people around you, at all times.

# Pack light. It’s easier to keep an eye on your stuff if you don’t have as much of it to keep an eye on. Plus, it’s easier and less fatiguing to get around when you’ve had 3 hours of sleep, you just got off a 10-hour train ride, and you’re trying to schlep your stuff to a hostel in an unfamiliar town with no one around to help you. (We recommend backpacks for luggage, by the way.)

# If you get lonely, or feel a need to be around other people, remember that you aren’t the only solo traveler out there who’s feeling that way. You can always meet up with other travelers, and locals are often just as interested in meeting new people. Remember that other solo’ers will feel the same way you do sometimes, so can be natural travel companions.

# Pack securely. Remember to keep safe (preferably in a money belt worn around your waist at all times) what one of the founders of BootsnAll once called the “crown jewels of travel:” passport, all tickets and passes, and all money, credit cards, traveler’s cheques, etc., except for what you’re using that day.

# Being solo makes you easier to approach, and that goes for friendly locals and travelers, as well as for potential thieves and other tossers. Again, keep your wits about you. Leave situations that feel unsafe, and don’t be afraid to make a scene (especially women). Sometimes the extra attention is just what you need.

# Finally, and perhaps most important, don’t let people – friends, family, the latest scare headline – scare you into thinking you can’t do it. The world is a far safer place than any headline would ever dare let on, and thousands of travelers, both men and women of all ages and backgrounds, travel the world on their own every year. You can do it too.

Hi

# Asia Transpacific Journeys recommends guests traveling solo join up with small groups. Marilyn Downing Staff, founder and president of Asia Transpacific Journeys, has said that "traveling on a group program can provide another layer of support and assistance for all travelers, but for those going solo it also means joining others with whom you have a lot in common right off the bat."
# Destinations that are more exotic and remote may be difficult for men and women traveling alone. Solo vacations in off-the-beaten-path spots can involve logistical, cultural and language barriers. Small group programs and travel packages provide exactly the support for singles referred to by Ms. Downing Staff.
# The camaraderie and support of a small group, says Ms. Downing Staff, often leads to long lasting relationships within the travel group, and even with locals at the vacation destinations.
# Multiple luxury travel destinations in large countries like India and China typically involve two or more cross-country flights. A tip is to join up with a group with a travel package - this is easier than booking flights and other transportation alone.

Thanks

Hello
So when Meineke took an early retirement from her job, she came up with a plan, but no set itinerary. The only thing she knew is that she would fly to Paris, France, in September and return to the United States from Auckland, New Zealand, six months later. She would choose the rest of her route along the way. She would also travel alone.

“It was the trip of a lifetime. I would highly recommend it to anyone and I’d love to do it again,” Meineke said of the trip that began last fall and ended in March.

The journey took her from France, through Germany, Poland, Bosnia and Croatia to Turkey. From there, it was on to India, Dubai, and finally New Zealand. Along the way, Meineke made a startling discovery.

Advice to Solo Travelers

• Test traveling on your own. Before you take a big trip solo, drive 20 miles outside your home zone and go have lunch or see a movie.

• Your first trip solo might be going cross-country to see a friend, then exploring that friend’s city by yourself. You can branch out from there.

• If you don’t want to eat alone, go to the bar area of a restaurant. There are always other single people there who want to chat or you can talk with the bartender.

• In places where you’ll stand out, buy some local clothing when you get there so you can blend in a bit better.

• It’s important to have confidence. Consider a self-defense course that will help you hold yourself in a certain way.

Source: Beth Whitman, author of “Wanderlust and Lipstick”
Thanks

Hi

1) Asia Transpacific Journeys recommends guests traveling solo join up with small groups. Marilyn Downing Staff, founder and president of Asia Transpacific Journeys, has said that "traveling on a group program can provide another layer of support and assistance for all travelers, but for those going solo it also means joining others with whom you have a lot in common right off the bat."
2) Destinations that are more exotic and remote may be difficult for men and women traveling alone. Solo vacations in off-the-beaten-path spots can involve logistical, cultural and language barriers. Small group programs and travel packages provide exactly the support for singles referred to by Ms. Downing Staff.
3) The camaraderie and support of a small group, says Ms. Downing Staff, often leads to long lasting relationships within the travel group, and even with locals at the vacation destinations.
4) Multiple luxury travel destinations in large countries like India and China typically involve two or more cross-country flights. A tip is to join up with a group with a travel package - this is easier than booking flights and other transportation alone.

Thanks