🤲 The 3 most important tips I learned to improve a solo trip

Plus: New Mexico historical pueblos & Holi Festival

Photo by Savvas Kalimeris on Unsplash

Welcome to Itchy Feet! I’m Daniel and it’s nice to see you. Whether you’re new or back again, you’re readership means a lot.

This newsletter combines three of my favorite things: traveling, learning, and writing. I hope you enjoy.

Feel free to subscribe to join me each week!

Ok, let’s set sail. ⛵️

---

💭 Imagine this: You’ve booked a flight abroad for your first solo trip.

There’s excitement and wonder in the air.

You’re stoked.

It’s a thrill knowing a future trip is now becoming a reality!

But then, once the dust settles, a new sensation hits:

Buyers remorse. The thrill fades. Now anxiousness and doubt takes hold.

What the heck did I just do!?

These feelings are normal.

On my first solo trip, I was sweating buckets. The fear was real. I made lots of mistakes. My common sense was often out the window.

But this taught me some important lessons.

Here are the three most important tips I learned from my first solo traveling experience:

1. Do something organized first:

This can be a tour or volunteering. Why do this? If it’s your first solo trip, you may (like me) feel nervous going to a foreign country without a travel partner.

What are the benefits of something organized?

🌍 You’ll meet locals. Locals are a fountain of knowledge about the country you won’t find online. You get quality guidance for where to go, what to avoid, and how to stay safe.

🌍 You’ll meet travelers. This gives you a network of expertise. People will tell you which places to visit and how to do it.

🌍 You start your trip with some structure and safety.

🌍 If volunteering, the trip starts with something fulfilling. It’s your chance to give back while receiving tons of knowledge about the culture of your new home base.

2. Don’t over plan your trip itinerary:

If possible, avoid buying tickets to tours or activities more than a week in advance.

Unless you’re dead-set on something, it can probably wait. This opens doors to new experiences and spontaneous adventures. If slow travel is your goal, then fewer reservations means you can linger longer.

📣 There are exceptions, of course:

🌍 Tours to iconic destinations like Alcatraz Island often sell out months in advance.

🌍 Also, lodging prices in very popular cities, especially during cultural festivals, can skyrocket if booked at the last minute.

In short, only invest money in things you absolutely know you’ll do. Otherwise, keep things as open as possible.

3. Do enough research until you feel comfortable:

I fully support the idea of traveling solo on a whim. Sometimes all you need is to just show up, ask around, and go.

However, at least some prior research can help ease your nerves and prepare you for what to expect.

Understand the season where you’re traveling. Will it be hot, cold, rainy, or snowy?

Be aware of your transportation options on the ground. Is ride-share available?

Have an idea of the most popular activities for the place you visit. Even if you don’t do them, at least you won’t kick yourself later for being totally in the dark.

It sounds silly, but be aware of the language the locals speak.

Also, be on the lookout for interesting concerts, festivals, and local events. You don’t commit to anything, but as the saying goes, knowing is half the battle.

Back to you: What other travel tips for firs time solo travel do you have?

🚀 Travel Quote of the Week

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
- Lao Tzu

🌍 Fun World Fact

New Mexico is one of the best destinations in the US for history buffs. Some of the most historic buildings in the country are there.

For instance, the Taos Pueblo is the oldest continuously lived-in community in the country. Located about 70 miles north of Santa Fe, the town is full beautiful adobe dwellings.

It’s one of 19 historical pueblos in New Mexico. The Toas people settled there between 1,000 and 1,400 years ago.

Also known as the Red Willow People, the Toas are a sovereign Pueblo Indian community that still maintains many of their original ancient traditions.

For instance, there’s no running water or electricity within the pueblo’s walls. They are well-known for their handicrafts.

The pueblo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Landmark.

The Toas are one of the few Native American communities that were never forced off their land.

🎏 Culture Corner

Earlier this month, India and many other countries around the globe celebrated Holi.

This Hindu festival takes place on the last full moon (Purnima) in the month of Phalguna. This is typically late February or early March. Known as the “Festival of Colors,” it’s commonplace to see crowds celebrating by throwing colored powder at each other, water guns, and dancing.

Despite its religious roots, Holi is based on the idea of inclusion, so all are welcome to participate.

I didn’t know much about Holi until I wrote this post. Here are some fun details:

Holi Festival marks the beginning of spring. Traditionally, Holi was viewed as a ceremony for married women to spread goodwill and abundance to their new family. It also symbolizes good beating evil.

There are big bonfires on the first night (Holika Dahan) of Holi to represent an end to winter and victory over evil.

It’s common to throw grains, popcorn, chickpeas, or coconut into the fires. During this time there is a puja (prayer).

On the second day of Holi (Purnima or Rangwali Holi), there’s a party of colors erupts. You’ll see lots of different colored powder and water being thrown everywhere during Holi, called gulal.

The dyes have different meanings:

🔴 Red dyes: These represent love, marriage, and fertility.

🔵 Blue dyes: These are to honor the Hindu god Krishna.

🟢 Green dyes: New beginnings.

🟡 Yellow dyes: Used during times of prosperity.

Holi is meant to be joyful, playful, and to bring people together.

---

Itchy Feet survives with lots of coffee and your amazing support. Consider liking 👍, sharing ♻️, or subscribing 📨 to help my writing even more. All subscribers get a free Ultimate Travel Toolkit e-book with 57 useful ways to travel better. Thanks!

---

That’s a wrap for this week! Thanks again my friend. My next post is going to be extra special.

It’s an exclusive interview with one of the best travelers and people I know:

My wife, Yesi.

I can’t wait to share it with you! Have a great week and chat again soon.

Much love,

-Daniel

🗺 More ways we can connect:
Instagram / Bluesky / Travel Coaching / LinkedIn

P.S. Please let me know if you see any errors in this post! I do my best to share true information but mistakes sometimes happen.

---

Some older Itchy Feet (but still nifty) posts:

• ☮️ Brad Pitt accidentally gave me great travel advice
• 🧉 Do you have Itchy Feet (my first post!)?
•🌟 9 ways to not be an ignorant tourist when you travel

---

Want some pretty sweet (and useful) free stuff? Take 10 seconds to refer a friend!

🤝 Join the Itchy Feet Referral Program:

Use this (link) to begin referring folks to Itchy Feet. Thanks for helping this publication grow.