How to plan your first solo trip without feeling overwhelmed

Hey girl! Thinking about taking your first solo trip? Let’s plan it together. 💖

By Valeria · August 2026

I still remember how nervous I was before my first solo trip. I had SO many questions.

Where it started

Aruba, my first trip alone

I chose it for a very simple reason: I had already been there several times. I knew the island and roughly how everything worked. Traveling there alone still felt like a huge step, but the destination itself did not feel completely unfamiliar.

Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I could have made. I came home realizing I was much more capable than I thought, and the thing I had been so nervous about became something I completely fell in love with.

So if you are sitting there thinking, I really want to travel solo, but I have absolutely no idea where to start, this guide is for you.

Let’s walk through it together. 💕

There is so much pressure to make your first solo trip a huge, life changing adventure. Honestly? It doesn´t have to be. It can be somewhere close to home, somewhere you have visited before, somewhere you speak the language. It can even feel almost too easy.

Before booking, check the official entry requirements for your destination and any transit countries. Make sure your passport meets their validity rules and check whether you need a visa or travel authorisation. The requirements depend on your passport and itinerary.

When I chose Aruba, I was not trying to prove anything. I wanted somewhere I already knew and loved so I could focus on getting comfortable with traveling alone.

Sometimes a destination looks incredible on Instagram, until you realize you would need to rent a car, drive for six hours and find a ferry that only leaves every second Tuesday. 😂 Maybe save that one for trip number two.

Val's tip 💡

Your first solo trip doesn´t need to be the most adventurous trip of your life. Pick somewhere that excites you but feels manageable. You can always get more adventurous on trip number two. 😉

Nothing kills the excitement faster than realizing halfway through that you have somehow spent your entire budget on flights and a very pretty hotel room. 😂 Before I book anything, I get a rough idea of what the whole trip will cost. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just realistic.

That last one is important. Not because something terrible is going to happen, but because travel is travel. A train gets cancelled. Your luggage is delayed. You fall in love with a destination and decide to stay another night. Having a little extra set aside makes those moments much less stressful.

Val's tip 💡

Decide what you care about most before you start spending. Maybe you’re happy somewhere simple so you can spend on experiences. Or maybe the hotel IS the experience. Spend on what makes the trip feel special to you.

When I travel alone, accommodation is what I research the most. Not because I need somewhere luxurious. I need somewhere that makes the trip EASY. A gorgeous hotel an hour outside the city looks amazing online, but if you need taxis every night and worry about getting back, it’s not such a bargain.

If I am traveling solo, I personally do not like being the experiment. 😂 If a place has no reviews yet, I will usually choose somewhere else.

Val's tip 💡

Open Google Maps before booking and look around. Check the closest transport stop, what’s nearby, and the walking route. “Centrally located” can still mean the most inconvenient little corner imaginable.

When you’re nervous about traveling alone, planning every second can make you feel safer. I totally understand it. You think:

But one of the best things about traveling solo is being able to change your mind.

Choose a few things you really don’t want to miss, maybe one major activity per day, and build the rest of the trip around them. Then leave space.

Val's tip 💡

Don’t schedule every hour because you’re scared of being alone with yourself. Leave space. Some of my favourite travel memories came from things that were never part of the plan.

The first few hours can be when the nerves suddenly appear.

And suddenly you’re thinking, why did I not just stay home with Netflix? 😂 So make your arrival as simple as possible.

Save your confirmation on your phone and screenshot anything important. Download your destination in Google Maps before you leave, where offline maps are available. You can view the downloaded map without a connection, and driving navigation can work within that area. Walking, cycling and public transport directions need internet, so save your arrival instructions separately too.

Val's tip 💡

Your arrival day is not wasted time. It’s your chance to settle in and make yourself feel comfortable. Give yourself that time.

Don’t put pressure on yourself. If you meet people, amazing! If you spend a day completely alone and LOVE it, that´s also amazing. That is the beauty of solo travel: you get to choose.

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You don’t need to travel terrified of everything that could possibly go wrong. That would make traveling miserable. But being prepared for a few basic situations gives you peace of mind.

Trust your instincts

If something feels wrong, leave. You don’t need to prove the situation is dangerous. You don’t need to be polite. You don’t owe a stranger an explanation. You can simply say:

Later, somewhere safe and comfortable, you can decide whether you were being extra cautious or whether your intuition was completely right. Either way, you listened to yourself. That matters.

Val's tip 💡

Preparation should make you feel MORE relaxed, not more scared. Have a backup plan. Then stop thinking about everything that could go wrong and enjoy your trip.

What if I suddenly become the kind of person who wears a different outfit for breakfast, lunch and dinner? It could happen. 😂 But carrying an enormous suitcase through train stations, cobblestone streets and three flights of stairs will cure your overpacking habit VERY quickly.

Some of my favourite travel memories came from moments I could never have planned anyway. And if doing everything completely alone still feels like a lot? That´s okay too. There is more than one way to start traveling.

And maybe one day you’ll look back at that girl who was terrified before her first solo trip and think: Wow. Look at everything she did after that.