Your college years are the perfect time to put yourself to the test and set yourself challenges by trying new things and perhaps overcoming old fears. One of the best ways to really see what you’re capable of is to travel on your own! Solo travel is a great way to see the places that you’ve always wanted to see whilst being able to simply spend some quality time with yourself, relax, and forget about worrying about anybody else. We’ve listed some of the best solo travel tips for students.

Take Social Opportunities

When travelling on your own, it can often be quite scary to do things such as staying by yourself in a mixed dorm at a hostel, for example. If you feel uncomfortable, many good hostels will offer smaller rooms with four or six beds for example, and many also offer ladies-only dorms. These are great for anybody who’s about to have their first solo stay in a hostel. Or, you could think about getting a private room. However, this can be quite isolating and one of the best things about travelling on your own is being able to meet new people and make new friends.

Join a Group

If you’re a little bit worried about making new friends during your solo trip or aren’t confident enough to simply go and stay in a hotel on your own, you might want to think about joining a pre-organized group. These are often aimed at college students and you may even be able to travel solo whilst volunteering for a great cause, something that’s great for students on degrees in substance abuse counselling, as it allows them to gain valuable work experience that could even be applied to substance abuse programs.

Avoid Summer Break Travel

Solo travel as a student requires a lot of factors to be taken into consideration, with one of the main ones to think about being the price. As a student, booking your solo trips during Easter or even winter break can be a great way to save money, as traveling during the summer break often costs the most, with this being the peak time of the year for trips abroad.

Plan Ahead and Be Prepared

Finally, one of the main things to know about solo travel as a student is that doing so means that you can’t rely on anybody else. When you’re traveling alone, full preparation and forward planning is required to ensure that you don’t run into any trouble. For example, taking emergency cash or a spare credit card is crucial so that you have something to fall back on if your wallet is lost or stolen. Most solo trips will go smoothly, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Have you ever travelled solo as a student or are you currently in college and planning your first overseas trip alone? What do you like most about solo travel or what attracted you to it in the first place? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!