Not all Who Wander Alone are Lost

Tuvalu is one of the smallest countries in the world. The nation is an
island group made up of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean,
about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. According to the CIA World
Factbook, it is 0.1 times the size of Washington, D.C.

While fewer than 1,000 tourists visit Tuvalu annually, you might be one
of them, and it’s doubtful you convinced any of your friends to spend
spring break there with you. In the event you find yourself traveling
alone – as many do on long holidays – some planning is in order.
Passports and the proposed fingerprinting of travelers to Europe aside,
there are creative and universal ways to allay your parents’ fears and
rock Tuvalu (or Europe, or South America, or Russia) solo.

Meeting new people when traveling alone is a large part of the
excitement, and often necessary to maintaining your sanity. Before you
go, research hostels that have tons of user ratings, and find ones that
score high in the fun category. Such hostels often have large common
rooms, bars and host nightlife excursions (like a night out for tapas
and flamenco in Spain). Those common rooms are also the best places to
strike up conversations with others, especially while waiting to use
the computer. Bring a deck of cards to entice others to join you, as
opposed to burying yourself in a book every night (unless that book is
one of Bill Bryson’s wild travel stories).

On that note, bring a great book to ensure you are never bored. The
extra weight of “The Grapes of Wrath” (or Harry Potter) will be worth
it, especially for those nights when it turns out no one in your hostel
speaks English, or when you are on a train for a few hours. Even those
not often moved to words will be surprised how inspiring it is to
travel alone, so bring a small notepad with you to record your thoughts
and observations.

Every travel book and Web site tells you to always try to look like a
local. It’s a sage piece of advice, but not one to worry about so much
that it requires you to buy a new wardrobe before traveling. Dressing
conservatively is always a good idea, especially if you are a woman, to
prevent yourself from getting hit on excessively and to make sure you
can appropriately enter places of worship.

Being inconspicuous and adventurous also means going easy on your map.
Before you leave a hostel or a café, make a mental note of the first
several turns you need to make once you step outside, and always have a
general idea of where you’re headed. It helps to familiarize yourself
with major city landmarks upon arrival so that you don’t need to take
out your map every time you get turned around. It’s also more fun to
wander around a little bit. Allow yourself to get lost in safe areas to
see things that aren’t geared toward tourists. But, always make sure
your hostel is marked on the map.

If you will be staying in one city for a few nights, pick out a local
café or coffee shop to spend your down time in and get to know the
people that work there. If it’s a non-English speaking country, have
them help you learn a few phrases of their language. It will give you
an extra level of comfort and some familiar faces to return to. By
practicing the local language, you are almost certain to get good
service.

Invest in some practical items from an outdoor or travel store, such as
a keychain flashlight. Remember, you will be sharing your hostel room
with others. A small light will ensure that you can find your way
around when you walk into your room at night and there are people
sleeping, or it will enable you to read in bed when the lights are off.

Not all hostels will have sheets or towels, and not all hostels will
have sheets and towels that you will be comfortable using. Silk
sleeping bag liners can be compressed to the size of a pair of socks
and come in handy when needing to bed down in strange places, like on
the floor of a train or in an airport. Compressible travel towels are
also indispensable. They’re inexpensive, fold up as small as a t-shirt
and dry very quickly.

Carry a Nalgene, or other hard plastic bottle, to fill up at public
water fountains and at your hostel in the morning. Drinking a lot of
water will keep you feeling healthy for your daily treks and save
money, because water is not always free in Europe. Saving money is also
achieved by eating from the local grocery store. Stocking up on basics
cuts down on expensive restaurant meals and ensures that you can carry
snacks with you for a reasonable cost. There is something romantic
about sitting on a park bench in France, eating cheese and a baguette
and drinking wine. It’s also very cheap.

We hate to admit this one, but McDonald’s will be your friend while
traveling abroad. Most public restrooms in Europe cost money, but
Mickey-D’s will always have free toilets. They are easiest to find in
city centers and train stations, so keep your eye out for them.

Don’t flaunt your purse, bag or man satchel, and don’t use it to carry
anything extremely valuable. Use wrist wallets, inside coat pockets,
money pouches wrapped around your leg (under your pants) or the
always-nerdy waist pouch for credit cards, a little extra cash and your
passport. Guard your passport with your life! If your bag has outside
pockets, don’t keep your phone or iPod there, because those things are
easy for other people to access in a crowded subway car.

Consider traveling in winter. Global warming has made it less harsh in
Europe, turning Christmas break into a great time to travel alone
because there are fewer tourists, hostels are cheaper, and you get more
of a local flavor. Winter also means that you will constantly be
meeting Australian travelers who are on holiday during their summer.

The Australians – who frequently travel alone – highlight the final
point. Practice your English with native speakers. While traveling
alone for several weeks, you will find yourself speaking slowly and
carefully to communicate with those that learned your language in
school. Letters home become harder to write, as eloquence and complex
vocabulary begin to elude you. This is why you shouldn’t avoid
Americans altogether, because even the Aussies use strange phrases and
won’t understand all of the cultural colloquialisms we employ.

Your parents are likely freaked-out and very jealous. Call them at least once to reassure them and rub it in.

Tara Schlimowitz, am word’s beloved former editor-in-chief, contributed
significantly to this piece. She is wrapping up a solo two-month
backpacking tour of Europe, during which she hit 10 countries and 30
different cities.

Katherine studied abroad in London last spring and spent her two-week spring break touring three countries and five cities.