Traveling Alone, Even When It Wasn't the Plan

How to Prepare Well

Let's be honest: very few of us ever consciously decided to travel alone. It usually just happens. Your best friend can't get time off, your family has other plans, and the colleague who always wanted to come along "some day" turns out not to be on your wavelength after all.

So what now? Staying home isn't an option. You want to get out there, see new things, taste new things.

When no one comes along: your options

You can browse travel blogs and online communities to find like-minded people. You can book a retreat, although that often costs more than the budget you had in mind. And even there, the question remains: will the other participants actually be your kind of people?

In the end, there's one honest answer: I love to travel. And if no one around me can come along right now, then I'll simply go alone.

Why preparation counts double when you travel alone

When you travel as a couple or in a group, there's always someone who thinks along with you, translates, or is simply there. On your own, that safety net is missing. Unexpected situations hit you directly, and you have to handle them yourself.

That's why research matters even more on a solo trip than on any other kind of travel. Especially when it's not a package holiday, but a new city, a new landscape, a new country.

Your pre-departure checklist

Get informed first, then pack

• Read up and pack a travel guide. The better you know your destination, the more confidently you'll move around.
• Check the language. Will English get you by, or only the local language? Learning a few phrases beforehand opens a lot of doors.
• Note down your embassy and consulate. Keep the address and emergency number on your phone and on paper.
• Check your phone. Does roaming work at your destination? Is a local SIM or an eSIM worth it?
• Someone at home knows where you are. Share your route and accommodation with a person you trust.
• Insurance and travel advice. International travel insurance is strongly recommended. Before long-haul trips, it's also worth booking an appointment with your doctor.

Your luggage: honestly thought through

• What do you really need, and can you carry it on your own?
• Is it within the airline's weight allowance?
• Is it suited to the climate at your destination?
• Besides cosmetics and toiletries, pack a small first aid kit and your personal medication and supplements. Even if you rarely need anything at home: on the road you're on your own, and some things aren't easy to find abroad.

What can throw you off rhythm on the road

Anyone who has traveled far will recognize most of these. When you're alone, they just weigh more, because no one shares the day with you.

• Climate change. You board the plane in winter and step off in midsummer, or the other way around.
• New food. The street food was delicious. Still, the next morning you don't quite feel like yourself, and the excursion you planned is waiting.
• Time difference. After a long-haul flight, your day-night rhythm is all over the place. Tip: a stopover splits the time difference into two stages. It often takes about a day to adjust to each hour of time difference, so depending on the distance, it can be several days before you're fully back in tune.
• Insect bites. They don't just steal your sleep at night, they're a nuisance during the day too.
• Too much sun. A long day at the beach or the market, and you've had more sun than you planned.
• Air conditioning. In the hotel room it's set to arctic, and you can't turn it down.
• Long flights. Twelve hours in the cabin, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of strangers, dry air included.

When news knocks you off balance

And then there are the moments that have nothing to do with climate or food. A message from home, from friends, from family, or your own situation, that leaves you speechless at first.

Traveling alone, you don't have a travel partner's shoulder in that moment. All the better if you know beforehand who you can call, and how to give yourself space in a moment like that. If you're aware of such situations in advance, you won't face them completely unprepared.

A small companion for your luggage

For many of these moments, we created the Nomad Secrets S.O.S. Travel Companion: a slim metal case holding 14 vibrational combinations, each named after a typical travel situation. From Jet Lag Balance through After Sun and After Bite to Rescue Plus, for the moments when news knocks you off balance.

No liquids, only sucrose pellets. Vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free. It fits in any jacket pocket and travels easily in your carry-on, as an addition to your first aid kit, not a replacement for it.

Discover the S.O.S. Travel Companion

One hour, one sheet of paper

Before your trip, take some time on purpose. Sit down, grab a sheet of paper and write your to-do list. Everything you've read above belongs on it. Work through it point by point before you leave. Well informed and organized, traveling alone becomes a lot more relaxed.

All that's left is to wish you a good, no, an exciting trip. And above all, lots of joy discovering new cultures, new countries and new surroundings.

Note: The S.O.S. Travel Companion is not a medicinal product. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Its effects have not been scientifically proven. If you have any health concerns, always consult a doctor.