You probably love the freedom of traveling alone and not having to plan your day around what other people want to do. It’s not all fun and good times however, when you travel by yourself. There can be some downright embarrassing moments that you want to avoid at all costs. Here are some of the most embarrassing things that can happen to a solo traveler and how to avoid them if at all possible.
You Find Yourself With A Local That’s Too “Friendly”
This is especially common for solo women travelers, they find themselves with a local that has some sort of intentions that usually aren’t reciprocated. Not only can this make you feel uncomfortable, but it’s frankly a safety issue. It’s best to try to avoid this all together. Use your gut instinct and if a local strikes up a conversation with you and you start to feel uneasy, make an excuse- such as needing to go to the restroom, to get out of there. It’s best to nip this situation in the bud as quickly as you can. Always try to stay in more populated areas so that if the person makes a scene there will be others nearby to help you.
You’re Seated At A Table…By Yourself
There’s no reason why you shouldn’t go out to eat at a sit down restaurant while you are traveling. Unfortunately there aren’t always cozy little tables available for just one person. It’s not uncommon for solo travelers to be seated at large tables. This can be embarrassing, especially if you have no way of entertaining yourself. There are some things that you can do ahead of time to avoid being embarrassed. Bring a book with you when you go out to eat or pick up a newspaper on the way to the restaurant to catch up on what’s going on at your destination.
You End Up Feeling Left Out On A Tour
You can’t predict who will be on the tour you booked. Sometimes there will be a lot of solo travelers while other times it will consist of couples and groups. It’s easy to feel like the third wheel in this situation. There are two solutions to overcoming this. You can join in on the fun with the others on the tour and try to make some friends. Contribute to their conversations and laugh at their jokes. Another option is to just own the fact that you are alone and not feel down about it. Do your best to enjoy yourself and take in everything even if you aren’t looking to make friends while you are on the tour. Chances are that you will be the only one feeling awkward about your situation.
You’re Lost And Don’t Know Who To Turn Too
It’s pretty easy to get lost when you are traveling to a place you’ve never been to before. For solo travelers this can be pretty frustrating, especially if they don’t speak the language, because they don’t have a travel partner by their side to help them get their bearings. To keep this from happening, research the area you plan on going ahead of time. Write down directions if you need too or even some landmarks that are easy to spot and will help you figure out where you are if you are lost.
