Planning a solo trip abroad doesn’t need to be overwhelming. After six years of solo travel across 20+ countries, I’ve worked out a process that takes the guesswork out of it, and gives you the confidence to actually book the trip, not just think about it.
Whether this is your first time travelling alone or you’re looking to sharpen your planning routine, here’s exactly how I do it.
1. Start With Your Why (Then Pick a Destination)
Before you open a single flight comparison site, ask yourself what you actually want from this trip. Culture? Adventure? Rest? City life? Nature?
Your answer should drive your destination, not the other way around. Too many first-time solo travellers pick a place because it looks good on Instagram, then realise it doesn’t suit the kind of trip they wanted.
If this is your first solo trip abroad, lean towards destinations that are beginner-friendly: good infrastructure, English widely spoken, and a welcoming atmosphere for solo travellers.
I’ve put together a full breakdown of the best destinations for first-time solo travellers if you’re still weighing up your options.
Read: Where Should I Travel Solo for the First Time? Top Easy Destinations
2. Set a Realistic Budget Before You Book Anything
Solo travel has one unavoidable downside: you’re paying for everything yourself. No splitting hotel rooms, no shared taxis. That makes budgeting even more important.
Before you commit to anything, build a rough daily budget for your destination. Factor in:
- Accommodation (per night, solo room or private hostel bed)
- Food (street food vs. sit-down meals vs. self-catering)
- Transport (local and between cities)
- Activities and entrance fees
- A 15–20% buffer for the unexpected
Tools I use: Google Flights for fare tracking, Skyscanner for flexibility on dates, and Booking.com for accommodation filters.
Don’t forget one-off costs either: visas, travel insurance, airport transfers, and any vaccinations required. These get overlooked constantly and can add £100–300 to your trip before you’ve even left.
3. Book Your Flights and First Night’s Accommodation First
Here’s a mistake I see often: people try to plan everything before booking anything, then end up not going at all.
The moment you book your flights and your first night’s accommodation, the trip becomes real. Everything else (excursions, other hotels, day trips) can be sorted along the way.
For the first night specifically, I always book somewhere with clear check-in instructions, good recent reviews, and a central location. Arriving in a new country solo for the first time is disorienting enough without also having to navigate a complicated check-in.
I document every hotel I’ve stayed in across my solo travels so you can see exactly what you’re getting before you book.
Browse: Hotel Reviews for Solo Travellers
4. Build a Loose Itinerary, Not a Rigid Schedule
There’s a balance to get right here. No plan at all leads to wasted days and decision fatigue. An over-planned trip removes the spontaneity that makes solo travel special.
My approach: identify 3–5 things I definitely want to do or see, then leave the rest flexible. That way I always have a direction, but I’m never locked in.
Use Google Maps to pin places of interest before you go. Having them saved offline means you’re not burning data trying to find things on the fly.
What to include in your itinerary:
- Non-negotiable sights or experiences
- Neighbourhood you’re staying in (so you can walk and explore easily)
- Nearest transport hubs
- A backup plan for bad weather days
- At least one half-day kept completely free
One thing I’ve learned: the best moments of solo travel rarely come from the planned stuff. They come from what happens when you’re wandering without a destination.
5. Sort Travel Insurance Before Anything Else
This is non-negotiable. Travelling solo means there’s no one else to help you if things go wrong: missed flights, medical issues, lost luggage, or trip cancellations.
When you’re travelling alone, even a minor mishap can escalate quickly if you’re not covered. A single night in a hospital abroad without insurance can cost thousands.
Get insurance sorted before you pay for anything else. It should be the first thing you book after deciding on your destination. Read the policy properly. Pay attention to the medical coverage limits, adventure activity exclusions, and what counts as a valid claim.
6. Research Safety, But Don’t Let It Rule You
Safety research is part of good trip planning. Knowing which neighbourhoods to avoid after dark, which scams are common in your destination, and how local emergency services work is just practical.
But there’s a line between being informed and letting fear talk you out of going. Solo travel, done with basic awareness, is far safer than most people assume.
The basics I always do before a trip:
- Check your government’s travel advisory for the destination
- Research the most common tourist scams (a quick Google search does this)
- Save the local emergency number in your phone
- Share your itinerary with someone at home
- Keep digital copies of your passport, insurance, and booking confirmations
- Download offline maps before you land
Trust your instincts when you’re there. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. You don’t owe anyone your time or your presence.
7. Pack Light. Seriously.
Solo travel and heavy luggage are a bad combination. You’re carrying everything yourself, through airports, up stairs, across cobbled streets. Every extra kilo is a problem you created before you even left home.
My rule: lay everything out, then put half of it back. You’ll use less than you think, and you can almost always buy anything you’ve forgotten locally.
Carry-on only where possible. It saves money on baggage fees, speeds up every airport transition, and means you can move freely from the moment you land.
8. Learn a Little About Where You’re Going
You don’t need to be an expert on every destination you visit. But a basic understanding of local customs, tipping culture, transport systems, and any cultural sensitivities goes a long way, both practically and in terms of how you’re received as a visitor.
I always read a solid destination guide before I travel. It saves time on the ground and means I’m not figuring out how the metro system works while dragging a bag through a busy station.
I’ve covered a range of destinations in depth, here are a few to get you started:
- The Complete Guide to Vilnius, an underrated solo travel gem in Eastern Europe
- The Complete Guide to London, a great first international city for solo travellers
- Top 12 Things to Do in Bangkok, one of the best cities in the world for solo travel
9. Embrace the Uncomfortable Bits
Solo travel is brilliant, but it’s not always comfortable. There will be moments where you feel lost, lonely, or out of your depth. That’s part of it.
The best trips I’ve had have also included the worst moments: a missed connection, a dodgy hotel, a day where nothing went to plan. What I remember from those experiences isn’t the problem, it’s how I handled it.
Flexibility and a reasonable attitude to things going wrong are as important as any logistical preparation. Build some margin into your plans. Don’t overbook. Give yourself room to adapt.
Quick Summary: How to Plan a Solo Trip Abroad
- Start with what you want from the trip, then pick a destination
- Set a realistic budget including hidden costs
- Book flights and first night first. Make it real
- Build a loose itinerary with intentional flexibility
- Get travel insurance before everything else
- Do your safety research, then go anyway
- Pack light. Half of what you planned
- Learn the basics about your destination before you arrive
- Accept that not everything will go to plan. That’s fine
Final Thoughts
The best way to plan a solo trip abroad is to actually start planning, and then actually go. Most people who say they want to travel solo are still waiting for the right time, the right budget, or the right destination. There isn’t one. There’s just the decision to do it.
I’ve been solo travelling for six years across 20+ countries, and I can tell you that every trip, however imperfect, has been worth it.
If you’re still figuring out where to go first, start here: Where Should I Travel Solo for the First Time?
And if you want honest, real-world hotel recommendations for your first night, check out my solo travel hotel reviews.
