So you’ve always dreamed of going on a solo trip. To buy the plane ticket and go to a place of your dreams. You may be tired of waiting around for friends to save up the money or not committing to plans. Or maybe you’re a mom that needs some me time after serving everyone else in your life and not putting yourself first.

But for some reason you’ve got hesitation.

Fear. Fear of going somewhere where you don’t know anyone at all. Perhaps money has been holding you back. Or you’re just overwhelmed with where to even start that you give up even trying to go to a solo trip.

Fear not! Keep reading to get tips on how to plan your own solo trip.

1. Figure out where you want to go

What is that one place you’ve always wanted to explore but haven’t yet? Is that place in the states tropical? Is it a national park with lots of outdoor activities? What about international? Do you want to stay domestic or go abroad? Deciding on where you want to take your solo trip will help to set the vision you have for the trip.

2. Determine your budget

How much do you have in savings?

For my Paris solo trip, I used my Chime bank account as my dedicated bank account. With direct deposit, I set aside a certain percentage of my paycheck to this bank account and allowed the balance to grow.

A pro of a Chime bank account is that you can set up your account to be paid up to two days early and sent money easily to family and friends. Another pro of a Chime bank account is that there are no international transaction fees. So if you want to make a payment directly from your Chime card, there are no additional fees for that.

If you are interested in signing up for Chime yourself, you can click my affiliate link here. Signing up will allow you to get paid $75 if you make a qualifying deposit at least $200 within 45 days of creating a Chime account.

3. Research how much your trip will cost

Research the destination that you want to go to and figure out the cost of accommodations, airfaire, travel insurance, etc.

4. Determine the type of activities you want to do while on your trip

Think about activities that you would like to do more often but don’t get to do. Or that one thing you’ve always wanted to try whether that’s sailing or taking a cooking class. This is your trip after all. You are in control of your schedule. You can have it as planned & unplanned as you choose to.

Maybe you want to go on a helicopter ride or a world famous museum. The great thing about solo travel is that you get to customize this trip exactly for you.

For my Paris trip, I decided to plan an itinerary for myself. I knew there were specific places & activities I wanted to do while I was there so having an itinerary helped me to be able to map out everything I wanted to do and see if it would be feasible for my travel dates.

A lot of attractions have high tourist interest such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower are highly popular so they required tickets ahead of time. Having an itinerary can help to keep you organized.

5. Decide the time of year you want to take the trip

The time of year that you decide the take your trip can highly influence the cost of the trip, hotel availability, along with climate as well.

Do you like traveling during the summer months? Keep in mind if you’re traveling during the summer this is considered high peak season there increasing cost of flights and hotels and increased crowds are tourist attractions.

If you prefer milder weather, travel during the off peak season typically during the fall and winter. You can often find good deals on flights if you’re patient and willing to delay the trip to the off-season period.

6. Find out if your cell phone will work abroad

It is important to figure out before you go on your trip the details of your phone plan and seeing if it will work abroad. You still want to be able to communicate with your family back home and although free Wi-Fi is available in some spots, it is not always reliable nor readily available. My cell phone provider works internationally. If you don’t have a phone plan that works internationally, that could incur additional fees that you don’t want to have to pay.

You also have an option of getting a phone abroad and using it there or inserting an international sim card (depending on the type of phone).

7. Figure out the type of packer you are for a trip (light vs. heavy packer)

If you’re a lighter packer and not really much of a shopper, you could probably get away with using a backpack or carry on only bag for your trip. But for me that doesn’t work.

I like to have outfit options and I also wanted space to be able fit my shopping purchases. So I chose to have a carry-on bag and to pay for a checked bag.

For many budget flights, theres no fee for personal bag but fees for a carry on and checked bagged.

Whatever you decide on, make sure its easy for you to keep track of. You’re the one that to keep your eye on your bags and carry them with you as well.

For your trip, you can try either option and see what works best for you.

8. “Time of the Month”

While planning your trip, you want to think about if you want to be traveling during that time of month. Every womans cycle is different and unique to the individual.

Some womens cycles don’t disrupt their day to day life. Other women have a harder time with pain, fatigue, etc. during that time of month. If this is you, you want may want to consider booking your trip during the time of month in which your cycle will not come.

That way its one less thing to worry about. If you are going on a longer trip, make sure to bring everything that makes you feel comfy during that time (medicine, pads/tampons, sweatpants, etc.) Not all countries (if going abroad), will have the same type of menstrual products available for use so its best to have those products with you already.

How you ever taken a solo trip? Comment down below your tips for solo travel.