Solo travel is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life and has undoubtedly shaped me into the person I am today. It helps you develop into a more confident person, leads to lifelong friendships and opens you up to a world of possibilities, to name a few. However, I can almost 100% guarantee you that challenges will arise. Since I’ve gone through it, I thought I’d share some mistakes I’ve made on the road that I wish I would have thought about or considered before my travels. I’m listing out the top 5 mistakes I’ve made while solo traveling so that you can avoid them in order to have the most epic solo trip of your life!

5 Mistakes to Avoid While Traveling Solo

1. Assuming all of your transportation will be on time

Listen, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from traveling, especially around Asia, is that everything is going to take 2x longer than you think it will. Always give yourself extra time and don’t schedule connections too close to each other! While traveling from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur to Malacca, I made the mistake of assuming an hour and a half would be plenty of time to get to the bus station from the airport in KL. However, my flight was slightly delayed and my bag took forever to get on the belt, so I ended up having to sprint (literally was sprinting through the bus station…) in order to make my connecting bus to Malacca. When I say I made it with about 2 minutes to spare, I mean it. So although I made my bus, it was incredibly stressful, I didn’t have a chance to eat (good thing I had a granola bar in my bag), and I basically sweat through my shirt in the process. Not a cute look. Just book the later bus, okay?

2. Paying too much for something

9 times out of 10, street vendors are going to try and get some extra money out of you. A kilo of bananas in Malaysia should cost about RM2.5 (about 60 cents USD) but miraculously, the price became RM2 for just the two bananas that I wanted to buy… Don’t be afraid to speak up and bargain down! I’ve learned that you can always walk away and find a better price through a different vendor. Chances are, the vendor will come down once you start walking away! I once paid full price for a hiking trip in Indonesia (it was still incredibly cheap, mind you) and then heard that two people on my trip bargained down to about half the price that I paid. Almost everything is negotiable, don’t forget that!

3. Assuming that everything will fall into place once you arrive at your destination

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love wandering around aimlessly when I travel – that’s how I’ve found some incredible markets and have had some amazing spontaneous experiences on my travels. I am all for being a free-spirited take-it-as-it-comes traveler.

However,  it’s really not fun wasting your day searching for a hostel when you could be out exploring all because you didn’t properly prepare. One time, I assumed I could just get a ferry ticket to my next destination the morning that I wanted to go, but it was sold out! I ended up having to wait until the 2 pm ferry and basically wasted the majority of the day. Although I don’t advise booking every single detail of your trip too far in advance (I do think it’s very important to have the flexibility to switch up your itinerary if you so desire), I do think that it’s good to have some sort of plan and structure so you don’t have to frantically find a place to stay upon arrival.  

4. Following along with someone else’s itinerary

I should start off by saying that one of my favorite parts about solo traveling is that you have the opportunity to meet so many awesome people! It’s the best when you find a travel partner, or a travel group to go on a day trip with or even split accommodation with. I’ve made incredible friends this way and absolutely love the social aspect of solo traveling. HOWEVER, don’t forget that you’re traveling solo for a reason! At the end of the day it’s your trip, and you need to do what you want to do. Don’t feel like you need to eat at the same places and do the same things as the travel buddy you met at your hostel. If a travel buddy/group wants to eat at a sit down Western spot and you want to get cheap local street food, no worries! There are no obligations when solo traveling. You can always do your own thing and meet up at a different point. I think people often make the mistake of just going along with whatever the group they meet is doing, and they end up missing out on the things they want to do!

5. Letting one bad experience taint your entire trip

You may get your camera and phone stolen while out one night in Rome. You may get pulled over by the cops and threatened with a $500 fine if you don’t move your van in The Gold Coast, Australia. You may eat bad street food and puke on the steps of the Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur. You may get into a car accident in Bangkok and then get into an equally as terrifying scooter accident just a few days later in Pai, both putting you in the hospital. (Yes all of the above did actually happen to me.) It may seem difficult at the time, but it’s imperative that you push through the pain, discomfort, and all around suckiness of the situation at hand and keep a positive attitude, always. If you let it get to you, you’re in jeopardy of turning your epic adventure into a negative experience.  A key thing to remember when facing challenging situations is that it’s ultimately making you a stronger person! 

But really, at the end of the day, these so-called “mistakes” are really just learning experiences and opportunity for growth. I hope these learning experiences will help you in achieving the ultimate solo travel adventure!

Have you made any of these mistakes while traveling? Let me know in the comments below!

Wander On,

Wanderluluu xx