Solo travel & staying safe

Many solo travelers enjoy

• Freedom to change plans at any time
• Meeting locals and other travelers more easily
• Proving to themselves they can handle it
• Quiet time to think and reflect

The CDC suggests sharing your itinerary and lodging details with friends or family, agreeing on regular check-ins, and giving trusted people copies of your passport and key documents.

Set up

• A daily check-in message time
• A plan for what they should do if you miss it
• Emergency numbers saved for where you are
• Your phone charged, with a backup battery

The CDC notes that travelers may not have friends or family nearby to help in an emergency, and that travelling with a companion when possible lowers the risk of crime.

The CDC suggests

• Avoid flashy clothes and valuables
• Choose rooms off the ground floor and away from stairs, and lock windows and doors
• Limit travel at night, or go with a companion
• Use only recommended, safe local transport
• Vary your routines

Every choice is yours on a solo trip, from where to eat to what to do when plans change. That freedom can also be tiring. Keeping a simple plan for each day, with one or two must-dos, can ease decision fatigue.

Ideas

• Eat at a counter or communal table
• Join a walking tour, cooking class or day trip
• Stay somewhere with shared spaces
• Visit a place of worship, park run or library event
• Volunteer for a day

Ideas

• Bring something that reminds you of home
• Keep a travel journal to “talk” through your day
• Schedule calls at a time that suits both time zones
• Share photos and small moments, not just highlights

The CDC notes that frequent travel is among the most stressful kinds. Repeated nights in hotels, early flights and missed family events can add up to tiredness and loneliness.

What helps

• Get outside in daylight each day
• Keep a simple routine: same wake time, a walk, a proper meal
• Talk to your employer if travel is affecting your health
• Video-call family at a regular time

The CDC says learning about your destination’s culture, language and health and safety risks ahead of time reduces stress. Cleveland Clinic adds that learning local customs can ease social worry.

Ideas

• Know what’s different about food, money and transport
• Learn a few phrases: hello, please, thank you, help
• Read about local manners: tipping, greetings, dress
• Watch a film or read a book set in the place

The CDC suggests

• Enough sleep and good food
• Going easy on alcohol
• Regular exercise
• Relaxation such as meditation or yoga

Studying, working or living abroad for months brings a deeper kind of culture shock, and often a “reverse culture shock” when you return home. The CDC says symptoms that last more than 12 months may need a professional’s assessment.

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free U.S. State Department service at step.state.gov. You get safety, security and health alerts from the local U.S. embassy, and it helps the embassy find you in an emergency such as unrest, a natural disaster or a family emergency.

U.S. travel advisories use a scale from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel). The State Department’s country pages also describe typical scams and other crimes.

Laws and attitudes vary a lot between countries. The CDC notes that more than 60 jurisdictions criminalize consensual same-sex relations, and many don’t recognize same-sex marriage. LGBTQ+ travelers can check the State Department’s Human Rights Report for their destination before they go.

Drug laws can also be very strict in some countries.

The CDC suggests buying travel health insurance, because U.S. government insurance and Medicare or Medicaid usually won’t pay for care abroad.

The CDC suggests

• Buy travel health insurance
• Enroll in STEP to get safety alerts
• Give trusted people copies of your passport, visas and insurance cards
• Share your itinerary with family or friends

The CDC suggests

• Avoid motorbikes; if you must ride, wear a good helmet
• Choose taxis with seat belts and sit in the back
• Never drink and drive, or ride with an impaired driver
• Take extra care on unfamiliar roads, especially at night
• Wear a seat belt in every seat

The CDC suggests

• Avoid boats with untrained or impaired operators
• Don’t swim alone or in unfamiliar water
• Watch for rip currents
• Wear a properly fitted lifejacket on boats

Steps

1. Get to a safe place
2. Call local emergency services if anyone is hurt or in danger
3. Contact local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
4. Tell your check-in person what happened

If you are robbed, hand over valuables rather than resist.

The State Department can

• Contact your family and friends
• Explain the local justice process
• Help find doctors and share lists of local lawyers
• Help replace a stolen passport

It can’t investigate crimes, prosecute anyone or give legal advice.

If you can’t reach the nearest embassy, call Overseas Citizens Services: 1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. or Canada, or +1-202-501-4444 from anywhere else.

After a frightening event, it’s common to feel shaky, on edge or numb for a while. The CDC notes that stress reactions often start within days and ease within a month, but some show up weeks, months or even years later.

What helps

• Be with people you trust
• Keep basic routines: sleep, food, gentle movement
• Let yourself talk about it when you’re ready
• Tell your clinical provider about the trip if you struggle afterwards