9 Things I Learnt from my First Solo Trip

I went on my first solo trip in December 2019, aged 18. I chose Berlin as the perfect solo weekend away. It was hands down the best trip I’ve ever been on. I absolutely loved Berlin and will definitely go back. But this trip was a major learning curve for me and below are some things I learnt along the way…

1. Avoid arriving at night

After 25 hours of travelling (I took a Flixbus from London – bargain!) I didn’t arrive in Berlin till 8pm, which I didn’t see as an issue when I was booking my tickets. Yet in reality, December evenings in Berlin are dark and cold. Adding to that the bus station I was dropped off at turned out to be 6 miles away from my hostel rather than a mile, which is what I thought it was – who knew there are two bus stations in Berlin with the same name? – this is when I started to panic!

My original plan was to either walk or take the metro to my hostel, but I chickened out and spent 27 euros on a taxi. I was tired and felt scared being alone at night in a new city. Hence, arriving in the day is the is the first thing I learnt from my solo trip.

Now when travelling to a new place, I try to arrive in the day, so I don’t choose the easy way out and loose an opportunity to both save money and get my bearings.  

2. Always have some local currency on you

Nothing worse than being tried, hungry and cold whilst having to search a near empty bus station for a cash point. Sounds silly that someone would travel to an international country without having a decent amount of local currency on them – well that was me! Stupid! In my defence I had enough cash on me to pay for my hostel, as I had planned on using my Monzo card the rest of the time. This would have been fine if I hadn’t made the decision to take a taxi (see number one). 

Second lesson I learnt on my solo trip is to always have some local currency.

3. Have the details of your accommodation handy – e.g. the address

This is a good thing to have written down – better on actual paper as well as being on your phone. You might end up like me, having minimal phone charge and no internet connection. I had to get my taxi driver to search the address as thankfully he was lovely, and I could remember the name.   

Lesson learnt to always have it written down on physical paper!

4. Do your research!!

Whilst I had a plan of attack for my full day in Berlin – where I wanted to go, what I wanted to see, foods I wanted to try – I completely forgot that once I got into Berlin I would need to find food. When I got to my hostel I was very overwhelmed. A combination of tiredness from travelling on a bus for so long, being in a new city on my own and the change in plans (wrong bus station!), hence the last thing wanted to do was go searching for a place to eat. This resulted in me eating some tuc biscuits and sweets in my bunk bed for tea – very glamorous 😅

I got to explore the neighbourhood I was staying in the next day and it turned out to be a really cool, chill place to stay with lots of good restaurants and shops. If I had done some research on the area before getting there, I wouldn’t have lost that evening and probably would have had something more decent to eat… oh well lesson learnt!

So, although I am a huge endorser of simply wandering around new places and finding hidden gems – research and planning are your best friend for making sure your first solo trip (or any type of trip in fact) goes smoothly. Moreover, this means you’ll have no regrets and every second of your trip will be taken advantage of!

Need help saving for a trip? Check out these 5 Easy Money Challenges to help you save!

5. Fake it till you make it

I was so so so nervous right before I left, I was questioning whether this was the right thing to do. It didn’t help that one of my friends started telling me hostel horror stories hours before I was due to leave…

Needless to say, going on this trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made! I have so many great memories looking back on my trip. This is where this tip comes in!

The saying fake it till you make it has kind of become my mantra over recent years… it sounds really shady, but it simply makes me more confident. Fake that you are a seasoned traveller, fake that you’re a local when walking alone at night, fake that you know what you’re doing! If you are anything like me it will make you feel more confident.

6. Don’t be afraid to speak first

Being lonely was one of my biggest worries about going on a solo trip. That and eating in a restaurant alone. Both of which turned out to be no big deal!

I met some great people on this trip, simply from being friendly. There is nothing more awkward than a full hostel room where no one is talking, and everyone is avoiding eye contact. Major tip is to just start a conversation… simply say hi. Who knows what will come from it?

7. Say yes! – within reason 🙂

Carrying on from the point above, if your new friends suggest a tour, grabbing a drink, going for dinner… SAY YES!

Wait wait wait….. say yes within reason! Don’t say yes if you have weird vibes, if it doesn’t interest you or if it’s illegal!

But if it’s not any of these, say yes! Who knows where it could lead? Personally, my say yes moment, was to go to the bar beneath my hostel with a girl I’d just made friends with, in the lobby. It was such a good night!

8. Don’t be scared to ask questions

This links with the fake it till you make it tip. On the morning I was leaving, I sat in the lobby of my hostel googling how to get to the airport using public transport. The instructions were not clear, so much so that I was very tempted to repeat my earlier mistake and take a taxi and just pay the premium. NO!

There was a front desk right behind me with lovely people who live in the city, they will know how to get to the airport. It was as simple as asking, and little did I know they actually had a pre-printed slip of paper that gave me very clear instruction on have to get to the airport. That means I was no way near the first person to ask this question.

Same applies to directions, restaurant recommendations, anything! Use the knowledge of the locals and other travellers that you meet!

9. Relax and enjoy your trip!!

My favourite tip 🙂 don’t forget your in a new place, a new country, a new culture. Embrace everything and have the best time!