Going travelling alone can be a daunting experience for a first timer. As well as planning an itinerary and organising accommodation, you need to budget your spending money and work out how you will travel around your destination once you get there. To prevent becoming overwhelmed by the process, here are a few ways you can ensure your solo trip can be a safe and enjoyable one.

When booking somewhere to stay, it is advisable to check minor details like whether they operate a curfew and refuse to admit latecomers or whether they employ a night porter to allow guests entry during this time. If your destination is popular with tourists but you want to avoid them, it may be worth considering booking a place to stay with a private holiday lettings website. Often situated in desirable parts of popular towns and cities, you can find an affordable B&B in Paris, for example, and receive the added bonus of local knowledge from your host, helping you avoid the tourist traps and gain an experience not available to most. Wimdu’s offers in Edinburgh here are a great example. A wide selection of the rooms and apartments available are close to the popular tourist attractions the city has to offer, but guests enjoy the added luxury of a local host who knows the city and has no corporate ties pressuring them to recommend visiting tourist hotspots.

If you have an idea of where you would like to travel to, but you are unsure of the political and economic state of the country, it is advisable to consult the Foreign Office website. On the site you will find detailed information regarding every conceivable travel destination, with recommendations on whether they consider it a wise place for travellers to visit. Check the site regularly, as updates are constantly made to the list.