Solo Travel Advice for Extroverts
Last month I asked a group of travelers what their advice is for introverted solo travelers. Today, I’ve invited six women to answer the question, “What advice would you share with another extrovert considering or preparing to take her first solo trip?” I think we can all learn something from these seasoned solo travelers!
Go on pub crawls
Jori from The Tejana Abroad
When I travel, I love to go out and experience the nightlife. However, as a female traveling by yourself, it isn’t always the best idea to wander into bars and nightclubs on your own. That’s why I always try to find a pub crawl when I’m in a new city.
Pub crawls are an inexpensive way to be shown the nightlife, usually by a guide who takes you to a few bars and a nightclub, with a drink or shot included in each bar. Normally hostels either host a pub crawl themselves or partner with another company, so it’s a very young crowd, possibly with other solo travelers.
As extroverts, we love to meet new people, and this is a chance to meet not only other travelers and the pub crawl guides, but also other people going out, in a safe environment.
One time in Costa Rica, I signed up for a pub crawl in the capital city. When I arrived at the bar, the guides told me that I was the only one who had signed up in advance, but that we would wait and see if other people showed up. Otherwise, there was a birthday party coming later that they thought I could probably crash. Sounded a bit weird, but okay, why not?
I chatted with the pub crawl guides for an hour or two and waited for other participants. None showed up, so when the birthday party arrived, I was thrown into a family gathering of around 30 Costa Ricans.
It was one of the strangest nights I’ve ever had, but the family was super welcoming to the foreign girl, and I had the best time. Don’t say no to opportunities when you travel because you never know what kind of experience you’re going to have!
Join group activities
Steph from Big World Small Pockets
If you're an extrovert looking to embark on your first solo trip, it's likely you might be feeling a little worried about how you're going to cope with spending an increased amount of time without people around you, especially people who know you.
There's no question that solo travel involves spending more time by yourself, and, while you should embrace this, there's also plenty of great ways to meet people and to motivate yourself to embark on activities and adventures during your time away.
For solo female travellers, especially, safety is really key when doing this, and I've found that meeting people through taking part in activities I find rewarding is the best way to connect with others who are like-minded in a safe and relaxed way.
Taking part in activities that you really enjoy doing for and by yourself is also a great way to self-motivate when you are travelling alone, especially if you're always used to doing things with other people and / or this is usually your main driver for participating.
For me that thing is hiking, which is driven by my love of the outdoors and exercise. Hiking when travelling is great because it’s usually free and available just about anywhere. In most countries around the world, group hiking tours take place up in mountains, along big trails, or to sites of special interest.
Joining such groups is a great way to meet people who enjoy the same activities as you, so that you develop meaningful and rewarding connections and fulfil your need as an extravert to be with and share experiences with others.
It is also a great way to ensure you travel in the way that you want and do the things you love, without having to base this around other people.
Go where the travelers are
Julia from The Cure for Curiosity
As an extrovert, traveling solo has its rewards and its challenges. It’s not going to be hard to socialize and make friends, but until you do, it can be extremely lonely, leaving you wondering what in the world you were thinking when you booked that plane ticket for one!
While you can naturally find just about anybody to talk to (hello there flight attendant, seat neighbor on the plane, front desk worker…), to expedite the actual socializing, you need to head to where you’ll find the people you will most naturally connect with – other travelers! Besides, they are more likely to want to do similar things and have the time to spend with you versus those going about their daily life.
So where do you find other travelers? The easiest place to find potential friends to explore with, dine with, or simply get your daily allotment of words in with is a hostel. You’ll have a plethora of other travelers around, many of whom may also be solo travelers eager to find others to explore with. Besides, as an extrovert, it’s almost your duty to adopt the more introverted solo travelers.
If hostels aren’t for you, just try a group activity, whether it be a snorkeling tour, a cooking class, a pub crawl, etc. One of my favorite things to do is to take a free walking tour as soon as I’ve arrived in a city. This way I can connect with other travelers immediately to help enrich my trip from the get-go. This simple tip has created friendships all over the world that have lasted for one meal, months of traveling together, and a lifetime.
You don’t always have to be alone
Sasha from The Alternative Travel Guide
"If you are an extrovert, don't go on a solo trip." This is what I told myself on a third solo trip to Portugal where I was a little depressed traveling alone.
I know I am 100% an extrovert, and after several trips by myself, I realized that I enjoy them less than traveling with others. I feel better when I have someone around. And I promised myself not to go on solo trips again.
But then I got three months off of work, and I wanted to travel to Southeast Asia. However, none of my friends could join me. So I had a choice: wait around for someone to travel with me or just go alone.
Obviously, I didn't want to wait and waste my time. So I posted an announcement on Couchsurfing and shared my travel plans and itinerary. Several people replied to me. Some were already in Southeast Asia and proposed that we travel together for part of our trips.
I flew to Malaysia and teamed up with another girl who was traveling solo. It worked out really well for us. We shared accommodation costs, but at the same time, we were independent and often spent time separately on different tours and excursions and with different people. We also separated at one point when I got very sick in Myanmar. She continued her trip to Vietnam alone, and I went on to Thailand by myself. It was a solo trip but without being 100% solo. It was exactly what I needed.
Make local friends
Ophélie from Limitless Secrets
As an extrovert, I started solo traveling quite late, going on my first solo trip at 30 years old. I travelled by myself for three weeks in the U.S., and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken, encouraging me to do more. One of the things I learned during this first solo trip was how you can meet new people and have fun by being open minded and seizing the opportunities you are given.
When I was in San Francisco, I tried to use Couchsurfing to stay with a local, but my host cancelled at the last minute. Even though he couldn’t host me anymore, he offered to meet for a drink and tell me more about San Francisco. We met in a café, and he gave me some good insider tips.
The meetup was super friendly, and the guy was very respectful, so I didn’t feel awkward. He was supposed to go to Napa Valley the next day to get some wine, and he invited me to join him. I hesitated a bit, but after listening to my intuition and telling some friends about the plan (just in case anything happened), I decided to go.
We had an amazing day visiting wineries and going wine tasting. Without him, I would never have been able to do that since I couldn’t get to the wineries on public transportation, and I didn’t want to pay to rent a car by myself.
I was able to create fantastic memories because I went! The advantage of traveling alone is that the locals are more willing to help you and spend time with you.
Be intentional about meeting people
Jessica from Uprooted Traveler
I do a fair amount of traveling solo, both for pleasure and for work. Since I am an extrovert, someone who derives energy from being around other people, traveling alone can create challenges.
I love meeting people, learning new things through our conversations, and having experiences I wouldn’t normally have in my day-to-day life. When I travel solo, I am intentional about making sure I create these experiences for myself.
For example, I often elect to stay at a hostel or a shared Airbnb so that I can meet other travelers and make new friends to explore my destination with. More so than anything, I try to meet locals -- either through women’s travel groups or other niche groups (for example, groups for hiking enthusiasts or women who love craft beer) on Facebook, Meetup, or similar platforms. Not only do I get to scratch my itch for being around other people, I often get an exclusive look at what it feels like to live and work in my destination, the city’s hidden gems, and other insider tips.
If all else fails, I usually check out a local watering hole and strike up a conversation with a friendly bartender -- they typically have the best insight on the things to do and see in a city (plus, this sometimes leads to free drinks!). From being incredibly intentional about these habits when I travel by myself, I now have friends all over the world that I’ve met on my adventures!
Do you have any advice for extroverts who want to travel on their own?
Let us know in the comments below!