Thinking About Travelling Solo? Start Small
Travelling solo doesn’t have to begin with selling the house, buying a caravan and disappearing around Australia for six months. Sometimes the best way to start is simply to pack an overnight bag, choose somewhere close to home and see how you go.
Kerri has spent years travelling independently by motorcycle, proving that solo travel can start with confidence, experience and a willingness to head down the road
There’s something wonderfully appealing about travelling on your own. You decide where you’re going, when you’re leaving and how long you’re staying. You can stop for coffee when you feel like it, spend two hours wandering through a little country market nobody else would have been interested in, or change your plans halfway through the day without having to hold a family conference.
That freedom is one of the great pleasures of solo travel, but if you’ve never travelled alone before, the idea can also feel slightly daunting. There are the obvious questions about safety, loneliness and what happens if something goes wrong, and then there are the more practical concerns. Can I reverse the caravan without somebody standing behind it waving their arms around? What happens if I get a flat tyre? Will I feel comfortable sitting in a caravan park on my own?
Perhaps the biggest question is simply whether you are the sort of person who could enjoy travelling alone. The good news is that you don’t have to answer that question by setting off for Cape York on your first weekend.
One of the joys of travelling Australia is never quite knowing who might wander into camp.
Start small
One of the easiest ways to find out whether solo travel suits you is to begin with a short trip somewhere reasonably close to home. Pick a caravan park, cabin, motel or camping area an hour or two away and go for one night. You are not trying to prove anything; you are simply giving yourself the opportunity to experience travelling alone without placing unnecessary pressure on yourself.
A nearby destination also gives you an easy escape route. If you decide solo travel isn’t for you, home is only a couple of hours away. More importantly, a short trip gives you the chance to work out what you actually enjoy.
Some travellers love a busy caravan park where there are plenty of people around, while others would rather find a quiet little spot, pour a glass of wine, open a book and not speak to another human being until breakfast. Neither approach is wrong, and that is one of the nicest things about travelling alone. You get to make the decisions.
Years of motorcycle touring gave Kerri the confidence and experience to travel independently across Australia.
Make the first trip easy
Your first solo trip probably isn’t the time to test every piece of equipment you own. If you’re taking a caravan, choose somewhere with easy access and preferably a straightforward site. If you’re camping, pick somewhere established. If you’re travelling by motorcycle, choose a route you already feel comfortable riding.
The aim of the first trip isn’t to create an adventure story for your grandchildren. It is simply to become comfortable doing things by yourself. Arrive during daylight, give yourself plenty of time to set up, know where the bathrooms are and have something simple organised for dinner.
Once everything is sorted, sit down, make a cup of tea or pour whatever takes your fancy and enjoy the fact that you actually did it. That first moment when you are settled in and realise that you organised the trip, got yourself there and everything is perfectly fine can be surprisingly satisfying.
Kerri relaxing beside the Xpod camper she purchased from Coastal Caravans, a compact setup that has proved ideal for easy, independent touring.
You don’t need to know everything
One thing that stops many people from travelling solo is the belief that they need to become completely self-sufficient before leaving home. They don’t.
Experienced travellers still ask for help. Caravans refuse to cooperate, tent poles disappear, batteries go flat, motorcycles develop mysterious noises and phones occasionally decide that mobile reception is something other people get. Sometimes the supposedly easy caravan site you booked also appears to have been designed by somebody who has never reversed anything longer than a shopping trolley.
The important thing is to know the basics and have a plan for the things you cannot fix yourself. Roadside assistance is useful, as is having emergency contacts stored in your phone. Knowing how to check tyre pressures, fluid levels and the general condition of your vehicle is worthwhile, and learning a few simple mechanical skills can give you a tremendous amount of confidence.
There is, however, absolutely no requirement to become a diesel mechanic before leaving the driveway.
Solo travel often comes with unexpected visitors. Kerri enjoys a colourful encounter while relaxing beside the caravan.
Let someone know where you’re going
Travelling alone does not mean disappearing without telling anybody where you are. Let someone you trust know roughly where you are heading and when you expect to arrive. If your plans change, send them a quick message.
It doesn’t need to become a military operation with scheduled radio calls every two hours. The idea is simply that somebody has a general idea of where you are. It also gives you someone to send the obligatory photo to once you are sitting beside a beach or enjoying a coffee in a little country town, preferably while they are stuck at work.
Travelling solo means the itinerary is yours. If the view looks this good, there’s no committee meeting required before you stop.
Trust your judgement
One of the most useful things you can take on a solo trip is your own judgement. If somewhere does not feel right, leave. You do not have to justify the decision to anyone, and you certainly do not have to stay simply because you have already paid for the site.
There is no trophy for spending an uncomfortable night somewhere just to get your $40 worth. Pack up and move on. There will always be another campground, caravan park, motel or town down the road.
That does not mean you should spend your entire trip looking over your shoulder. Most trips are uneventful, and that is exactly how they should be. It simply means paying attention to your surroundings and being prepared to change your plans if something makes you uncomfortable.
Solo travel also means learning the little practical jobs yourself, and each one you master adds a little more confidence for the next trip.
What if you feel lonely?
You might occasionally feel lonely, but being alone and being lonely are not necessarily the same thing. Some people discover they absolutely love their own company once they get away from the normal pressures of work, family and everyday life, while others enjoy travelling alone during the day but prefer staying somewhere a little more social in the evening.
Again, there are no rules. One of the pleasant surprises of travelling solo is how easy it can be to meet people. A simple good morning at a campground can turn into a conversation, a cup of tea or even a friendship. When you have had enough conversation, you can wander back to your own little corner of the world without needing to explain yourself to anybody.
That is another benefit of solo travel. No committee meeting required.
Kerri cooking dinner beside the Xpod, proving that solo touring can be as simple as finding a good campsite, setting up and enjoying life outdoors.
Your first trip doesn’t need to be perfect
Something will probably go wrong. You will forget something, take too much of something else, or discover that the folding chair you thought was wonderfully comfortable at home becomes an instrument of torture after 20 minutes.
That is all part of working out how you like to travel. Every trip teaches you something. Next time you might take less clothing, bring a better pillow, choose a quieter caravan park or stay an extra night.
The important thing is simply to start. You do not need to announce that you are about to become a full-time solo traveller and disappear around Australia for six months. You can begin with one night somewhere close to home and see how it feels.
For many women, the biggest surprise is not that travelling alone is manageable. It is discovering how much they enjoy the freedom of doing things entirely on their own terms.
And once that first trip is behind you, the next one suddenly doesn’t seem quite so daunting.
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