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Discover the world through solo travel

Welcome to my solo travel blog

Welcome to Tom Solo Travels: honest guides for solo adventurers

Hey! I’m Tom Lejava – a solo travel content creator with a passion for exploring the world, one destination at a time. Over the past six years I’ve had the privilege of visiting more than 20 countries solo.

Here you’ll find honest hotel reviews written from a solo traveller’s perspective, detailed destination guides and itineraries (Thailand, Portugal, Spain and more), practical advice for planning your first solo trip, and a free Solo Travel Budget Calculator to work out what your own adventure will really cost.

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Latest Solo Travel Blogs

What Solo Travel Has Taught Me About the World
My Experience Staying at Axel Hotel Valencia
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Hotel & Accommodation Reviews

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My Experience Staying at Axel Hotel Valencia
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The Stay Chaweng Beach Resort, Koh Samui – An Honest 3-Night Review
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Hotel Review: My 6-Night Stay at The Log Hotel by Piamonte Hotels in Porto
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Hotel Review: Hotel Vilnia, Vilnius – An Elegant Stay with a Few Unexpected Twists
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This Hidden Gem in Lyon Has a Private Jacuzzi – But There’s One Strange Flaw!
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Hotel Review: A 4-Star Stay at Axel Hotel Barcelona: How It Outshone Axel Berlin
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Travel Guides

Where should you go next?

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Discover Travel Resources

Frequently Asked Questions about Solo Travelling

Solo travel is safe for most people in most destinations when you take sensible precautions. After 20+ countries solo, my core rules are:

  • Research neighbourhoods before booking,
  • Share your itinerary with someone back home,
  • Keep digital and physical copies of key documents,
  • Trust your instincts.

Destinations like Thailand, Portugal and Spain are particularly welcoming and easy for first-time solo travellers.

It depends heavily on the region and your style. Southeast Asia can be done comfortably on a modest daily budget, while Western Europe costs more. The biggest single cost for solo travellers is accommodation, since you can’t split a room – which is why I review hotels and hostels specifically from a solo perspective. (Check out my Solo Travel Budget Calculator to calculate how much you will need to solo travel to different places)

For a first solo trip I recommend somewhere safe, social and easy to navigate. Thailand (especially Koh Samui) is my top pick for first-timers — it’s safe, sociable and beginner-friendly. In Europe, cities like Porto and Valencia are walkable, affordable and friendly to people travelling alone.

Start with the destination and length of stay, then lock accommodation in a central, well-reviewed area, then build a loose day-by-day plan rather than over-scheduling.

It’s far less lonely than people expect. Hostels, walking tours, group activities and social hotels make it easy to meet other travellers, and solo travel pushes you to connect in ways you wouldn’t in a group. It’s also taught me more about myself and the world than any group trip ever did.

Tom Solo Travels is a solo travel blog by Tom Lejava featuring destination guides, day-by-day itineraries, honest hotel reviews written from a solo traveller’s perspective, and practical budgeting tools – including a free Solo Travel Budget Calculator that is super easy to use.

Solo travel usually costs a little more per person than group travel, and the main reason is accommodation – you carry the full cost of a room instead of splitting it. The upside is you control everything else: where you eat, what you skip, and how fast you move, which often saves more than the room premium costs you. To keep it down I look for hostels or guesthouses with private rooms, travel in shoulder season, and book tours that don’t charge a single supplement
The biggest savings in solo travel come from three choices: where you go, where you sleep, and how you eat. Budget-friendly regions like Southeast Asia stretch your money far further than Western Europe, staying in hostels or guesthouses cuts the cost that hits solo travellers hardest, and eating where locals eat keeps your daily spend low without missing out. In Thailand, I averaged around £30 a day by going to local street food places, 7Elevens, etc. I also built a free Solo Travel Budget Calculator to help you estimate your own costs before you go.
Meeting people while travelling solo is far easier than most people expect – you just have to put yourself in the right places. Hotels with common areas, free walking tours, group day trips and local social nights are where I’ve met most of the people I’ve ended up travelling with. The truth is that being on your own makes you far more approachable, and more likely to start a conversation, than you’d ever be in a group. I use Viator or Get Your Guide to book activities / excursions which helps with meeting new people as well
A bit of loneliness is normal on a solo trip, and it usually passes quickly once you settle into a rhythm and meet a few people. What helps me most is staying somewhere social for the first few nights in a new place, keeping light contact with home without being glued to my phone, and saying yes to invitations even when I’m tired. Over time, the quiet moments become something I look forward to rather than dread.
The most common first-time solo travel mistakes are over-packing, over-planning, and booking too much too far ahead – something I am still guilty of doing to this day. Beginners often cram their itinerary so tightly there’s no room for the spontaneous moments that make solo travel special. Other frequent slip-ups: not booking the first night’s accommodation in advance, skipping travel insurance, and keeping all their cash and cards in one place. When I started travelling, one of the things that I used to do (and still do sometimes) is overpacking clothes as I like to be prepared for any situation. Trust me, you don’t as many clothes as you think.
Yes – travel insurance matters even more when you’re solo, because there’s no one with you to step in if something goes wrong. Good cover should include medical treatment, emergency evacuation and trip cancellation, plus your gear if you carry a camera or laptop. It’s the one cost I’d never cut, no matter how tight the budget.
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