TRAVEL SUPERPOWERS
TRAVEL…. My favorite subject to talk about!! I am here to share 10 of my favorite travel tips for solo travelers, specifically targeting solo FEMALE travelers. I strongly believe that the information I am about to share with you will help serve as your top travel guide for not only your first but for the rest of your trips whether traveling solo or in a group.
Get to know my travel history first or go ahead and scroll all the way to the end of this post for my 10 favorite travel tips.
Even though when I was growing up, traveling was always on my top list of things I wanted to do in this lifetime, I didn’t have the privilege or the means to travel until I was in my mid-twenties. I first started traveling a couple years ago. My first trip out of the country (USA) was in 2018 and it was to Mexico. I had just become a legal permanent resident and after 23 years, I was finally able to go back to my hometown in the beautiful state of Guanajuato.
GUANAJUATO, MEXICO
I absolutely fell in love with Mexico and immediately started planning my next trip there, however this time I wanted to experience what the beaches in Mexico were like since I had heard nothing but wonderful things about them. So together with two of my best friends, we booked our next trip to Cancún in Quintana Roo the summer of 2019. We spent one week out exploring the islands around Cancún, like Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, and also got to visit Playa del Carmen and Tulum. One week was obviously not enough time to explore all of the beaches and cenotes (which are natural sinkholes on the Earth, exposing groundwater and are very popular in the Yucatán Peninsula), but we did get to see enough of the Caribbean to leave us longing for more.
FUN YOGA POSES IN TULUM BEACH
I got to visit the mesmerizing Riviera Maya once again for my 29th birthday beginning of 2020. My birthday wish was to wake up in a cabin in the middle of the jungle in Tulum, and was pleasantly surprised when I woke up on this special day, making my dream a reality.
Well, my plans, and everyone else’s in the world, to continue traveling that year (2020) were immediately shattered when COVID surprised us all out of nowhere. I had a trip planned to Machu Picchu in Peru, which of course, had to be cancelled and to this day, I have YET to visit this magical Wonder of the World. It was sad times for us all but also a chapter in my life where I was able to disconnect from anything that was no longer serving me for the better and found the time and space to fully connect with my personal needs.
2021 comes along and travel started to pick up once again… the virus was still pretty strong but some of us just couldn't stay locked up any longer and that is when I decided it was time to book my next trip with extra health precautions. I wanted to experience what it was like to travel as a backpacker through Mexico. That summer, a really good friend of mine and myself, packed our travel-size backpacks and headed on our FIRST backpacking trip with a one-way ticket and no date of return. My plan was to travel for as long as it felt “right” or until I began to run out of my “travel money.” This was the first time I traveled with a set intention. My intention for this trip was to travel without any expectations and to connect with the locals in Mexico. I wanted to connect with my roots. This trip will forever be one of my favorite life experiences! I learned so much about myself, about Mexico, the diversity of people living there, the delicious gastronomy it has to offer, and so much more. Mexico is a country full of beauty and I love to recommend it as a top travel destination to anyone who hasn’t been there.
MY FIRST BACKPACKING TRIP
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE IN YUCATÁN, MEXICO
MY FRIEND AND I, living the backpacker lifestyle.
{OAXACA CITY} ♡♡
10 TIPS FOR SOLO TRAVELERS
CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION WISELY- MAKE SURE IT’S A PLACE YOU’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF VISITING. CROSS IT OFF YOUR BUCKETLIST. ✔
DO YOUR RESEARCH DILIGENTLY. GOOGLE ALL ABOUT THE PLACE YOU’RE TRAVELING TO. THE CULTURE, THE PEOPLE, THE FOOD, THE LIFESTYLE, THE WEATHER & CLIMATE, IF THERE ARE ANY RESTRICTIONS IN THAT COUNTRY, WHAT CURRENCY IS USED THERE, ARE THERE NEARBY HOSPITALS IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY (call me paranoid but trust me, ANYTHING can happen, so it’s better to be prepared). BASICALLY, YOU GET MY POINT, DO YOUR RESEARCH. :)
MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE A SAFE STAY. READ REVIEWS ABOUT THE PLACE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. I RECOMMEND BOOKING THROUGH WEBSITES YOU TRUST, LIKE AIRBNB, BOOKING.COM, EXPEDIA, HOSTELWORLD, ETC…
STAY IN TOUCH WITH SOMEONE DAILY. KEEPING COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR LOVED ONES IS IMPORTANT IN CASE OF ANY INCIDENTS. CHECKING IN WITH ONE OR TWO PEOPLE DAILY JUST TO LET THEM KNOW YOU’RE ALIVE AND DOING WELL. I PERSONALLY LIKE TO SHARE MY LOCATION WITH MY FAMILY MEMBERS AT ALL TIMES.
CARRY PROPER DOCUMENTATION WHEREVER YOU GO. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED TO PRESENT IT. MAKE COPIES BEFORE YOUR TRIP AND KEEP THEM LOCKED IN YOUR ROOM AND ALSO HAVE PICTURES OF IT ON YOUR PHONE.
SIM CARD. STAY CONNECTED. UNLESS YOU HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL PLAN ON YOUR PHONE ALREADY, MAKE SURE TO BUY AN SIM CARD ONCE YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION.
CONNECT WITH THE LOCALS AND OTHER TRAVELERS. HOSTELS ARE GREAT PLACES TO CONNECT WITH OTHER SOLO TRAVELERS.
BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE. AGAIN, CALL ME PARANOID, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. BETTER TO BE PREPARED AND THERE ARE MANY AFFORDABLE INSURANCE CARRIERS OUT THERE! :)
BE OPEN MINDED. YOU CAN’T TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS. TRAVEL WITH AN OPEN HEART AND AN OPEN MIND.
ENJOY AND BE FULLY PRESENT. ♡♡♡
LIVE FREE AND BE HAPPY
