The Solo Travel Handbook

by Lonely Planet

Don't let the idea of travelling alone stop you from living out your dreams. Packed with tips and advice for before and during your travels, The Solo Travel Handbook gives you the confidence and know-how to explore the world on your own, whether you're planning a once-in-a-lifetime adventure or short city break.


Developed with Lonely Planet's expert travel writers, it explains how and why individual travel is such a valuable and rewarding experience.


Covered topics include:



Confront and overcome any travel worries
Decide where to go and plan your itinerary
Set a budget strategy and organise money
Find deals on flights and accommodation
Choose the right luggage and pack like a pro
Meet fellow travellers and befriend locals
Ensure you stay safe, happy and healthy

We also rank the best destinations for road-tripping, food, nightlife, culture, island escapes and more, as well as how to fund your travels while you're away.



About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.


TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category


'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times


'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)




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Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Adult, Lifestyle

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

Reviews

[PJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give it a 4.5 for assuming that all solo travelers are alcoholic partyers who wear skimpy clothing. Otherwise it is jam-packed with helpful information and resources.

[Indy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book to prep myself for my first entirely solo trip to Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon. I was excited about the trip, yet a bit anxious as this was really a challenge to me to step out of my comfort zone. Managing to go around solo in my home town in one thing, but traveling solo in a foreign country is another thing.

However, I finished reading this book after the trip. Yet, it prepared me for my next solo trip with lots of information, including:
- best solo travel destinations
- money management
- how to stay safe
- finding au pair jobs
- booking flights, accommodation, international tour
- insurance
- medical resources
- how to pack
- useful apps
- social dining, etc.

Strongly recommend you to read it if you decide to take your first solo trip!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are tired of waiting for your travel buddy to stop spending money on mochas and start saving up for your dream destination - go with this book! It has so many helpful hints, tips, and tricks. I especially love the spotlights of different destinations. I would love for just a book of those from all over the world.

I also like that you can read it in chunks. I spread out different sections to cleanse my brain of heavier reads.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up to see if it would offer me some nice tips and tricks for my first properly solo trip later this year. Well, the answer is yes and no. It did have a few interesting apps to check out, some things I hadn't thought about (never before have I traveled to a place where I had to think about vaccines), and it was very good at making you realize that it is aaall going to be fine as long as you just pay a bit of attention to stuff before and when actually there.

That being said, I've travelled enough to know most of this stuff already, even if it has only been in Europe. I know how and what to pack, I know where to get the good deals and how to find a good hotel/hostel for my needs, and how to find good but affordable food places.

I feel like this is a really good book for someone who has only travelled as a part of a bigger group or with family. Basically in a way where someone else took care of the basics for you. Even with the occasionally conflicting information and little errors that were not caught in the proofreading/editing phase, it is a good basic book for lonely travellers, in my opinion. Not regretting getting it and reading it, except for the part at the end where it made me add a few new places to my "need to go here" list...

[theStorykeeper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new to see here. A lot of the information wasn't solo-specific, and some of it didn't have anything to with travel at all. Most of it was common sense, and things that weren't common sense weren't explained well enough to make use of them.

Poor editing. At one point it says to book your flight four months ahead of time; a few pages later, it says six to eight weeks. In the list of safety "tips," #1 and #10 are the same.

And frankly, dear readers, if you get anxious just eating alone, you probably aren't cut out for solo travel.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of tips, recommendations, websites, apps, that were pretty much all new to me, so that was worth looking through this book, like which hostels are best for solo travelers, but the vibe of the target audience felt quite specific to millennial (and gen z?) women with a very specific lifestyle who may or may not wish to become popular on Instagram.

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the insights and tips provided, especially the recommendations for useful apps and resources. However, I was hoping for more detailed information, particularly since I tend to over-research. It seems like the book is geared more towards those just starting to think about solo travel rather than those who have started planning/booking their trips. It's a great starting point offering inspiration and practical advice for solo travel.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book terrifies and excites me all at once. I hope my first solo-travel trip is as good and freeing as all of these travelers have made it seem.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a woman who consistently dreams of taking her first solo trip, I really enjoyed this release from Lonely Planet. Very timely and definitely had most of its content aimed towards women (so men, unfortunately, this book may not be that informative for you all)

I knocked off a few stars though because I guess I was expecting more information on things I didn’t know? But maybe it wasn’t aimed at an over-researcher like myself and more at travelers teasing the idea of a solo trip. Also, there were many times in the book that tips, facts and other comments were repeated, which is really annoying while reading.

[Caitlin O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this book in a little over an hour single sitting. Was I avoiding housework? Maybe. Was the book still enjoyable? Yes.

I’ve solo travelled several times in my life (solo ski weekends, 10 days in Hawaii big island, 2 weeks in Bali) so many of the fears/apprehensions in this book I feel I’ve accomplished already. (I also commonly eat out alone in SF/NYC... bravery in small acts 😂)

I’ve been to 4 of the 10 recommended locations in the end which felt cool! Still want to return to many.

I most enjoyed the 5-6 stories of solo travel in the back of the book. “My soul needed a kick in the backside”

This book inspired me a bit more to write down my tangible goals for my solo sabbatical to help inform how long, which places and who with!

I also think there are some good references to refer to when closer to more detailed planning, travel books are the peak for signal/noise ratio in the internet world.

Man... I really can’t wait for a covid vaccine 🙇🏼‍♀️

[Alexandria Avona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful enough. "Just as your parents have a responsibility to support you, you xyz". Yeah, run a campaign with that messaging in America, they're all playing that song and not living it for a second. Also very helpful with the LGBT friendly stars. Singapore is really low. If you can't integrate homosexuality in a healthy way you're probably just repressed and hypervigilant, not necessarily intelligent in an embodied way. Singapore is probably a nice place to visit, not something to live by. Nobody tells you that part of Singapore's mental struggles.

[Randell Carlton Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Helpful. 7.5/10 🌎

[Jeri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great source of information & resources that was easy to read & visually appealing.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starter book on solo travel. Good place to find potential countries and tips & tricks. Not great for details on those countries though.

[Piper Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful book that has answered some of my questions and sorted my worries out.
The stories at the end was a great little touch

[Elizabeth Schlatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short, colorful book with solid tips and encouragement for solo traveling, geared mainly towards 20 and 30-somethings (aka, not my demographic). I travel solo for work and to visit family, not for pleasure, but I figured this book might offer me some advice to better enjoy my trips. I picked up a few good ideas (like trying out the app Eatwith to find some cool local eating experiences with professional chefs). But there wasn’t a lot I didn’t already know. I did like the sections in the back that highlighted different cities and regions that are good for solo travelers (like East Africa, Berlin, and Singapore), which also included a list of books to read about those places, including fiction. Definitely perked up my travel interest!

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this book the night before my first solo trip to Dublin! Granted I live near Belfast so it's technically only down the road but it's another country so that totally counts for something!
No denying that if you've ever travelled at all, this book doesn't have massive insights you won't already have experienced or know BUT I think the key thing here is that it is the reassurance it gives that makes it handy for a solo traveller to read. Knowing that there are a whole host of solos out there and the amazing adventures they have gone on is enough to propel me into taking chances and hopefully going further afield next time, with the assurance of knowing that I DO have what it takes to travel solo.
Bring on the world...!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written for young people on a budget, this is exactly up my alley. Beautiful picture and little blurbs rather than a non-fiction travel guide. This definitely wouldn’t be the only book I’d read or recommend but it’s a great jumping off point and a good way to get excited about starting to plan your own solo trip. I read a kindle version of this but intend to buy at least one copy for a friend. Lots of good recommendations on apps, and I’m not normally much of a tech person, but wow, our phones can really do everything these days! Love the hostel recommendations too and love that the word “poshtel” exists.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, concise, visually-appealing read for those completely new to traveling — in particular, solo. Lots of ideas for first trips, safety & health advice, money advice & tons of resources — there is a lot of info. That being said, it is heavy on the bullet points/numbered lists, photos, graphics & large, fancy fonts — so while atheistically appealing, it contains less information than you would expect. Yes, you can get the same info online (isn’t that true for all non-fiction books?), but it’s nice to have in one convenient guide. Ideally this book is geared towards a younger traveller but there are solid takeaways for everyone.

[Jason Raiche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m currently in the early planning stages of a solo trip to Europe. Traveling domestically alone has been something I’ve gotten used to and quite enjoy, but crossing the ocean to go to Europe is another thing entirely. To prepare, I started researching and came across this travel handbook. It has great tips and tricks for travelers from planning the trip to saving money to helpful apps and checklists for packing. I’m excited to refer to the book as I continue to plan my trip. The only downside is it’s a tad outdated since it was published in 2018 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it’s a wealth of information for anyone contemplating solo travel in the future.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t a bad book for the person brand new to travel let alone solo travel. It’s more about travel tips, hacks, and safety which I think most people know about. I am unsure why they keep saying hotel safes are safe for valuables when anyone can easily pop them open. Only the first page really talks about the pros of solo travel and the back section gives you some solo traveler stories. I learned about some new apps I hadn’t used (and probably won’t use) but that’s about it. It skews younger in general talking about hostels and working if you need to on travel. This would be a good graduation gift possibly for the new traveler.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book about traveling!

I'm not sure how up to date some of the resources are since there's a lot of links to websites that may or may not be up to date and suggestions for apps. There are also specific hotel and hostel names that are listed that again, could change over time.

But the pictures are beautiful and there is practical advice about planning, budgeting, and places to go. There's also advice for women who travel alone and some articles about people who travel. It's a short and sweet look to get you started on thinking of traveling alone.

[Miss Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

seemed like it'd be useful for its intended audience! intended audience, by my estimate, being people from america interested in travelling alone for the first time. i'm not really inclined to solo travel myself -- trips are more fun shared! -- but the cute cover caught my eye so here we are. the visuals were good overall, there were definitely a few pictures that sent me off to travel reveries

3 stars

[Mimi Sakarett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resources in this book, including breaking down obstacles to solo travel, how to budget before the trip, a timeline of prep before the trip, and how to save money and make friends while traveling.

There are some great solo travel ideas in the back of the book: South America, Vietnam, Berlin, Ubud, East Africa, Singapore, Rome, Portland Oregon, Caye Caulker Belize, and the East Coast of Australia.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. Would be a good resource for someone who’s traveling for the first time and has no idea where to start, but I agree with other reviewers here that the information is super basic and the book is poorly edited. It comes off like they were more interested in the graphic design than the content. Still, there are a few good tips I never thought about before!

[Judy Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have travelled solo several times but only within New Zealand and Australia. Next year I am going to the UK to do my belated OE (I’m 61). Overall there was some good advice but the book is definitely for the younger traveller. It would be nice to see a book slanted more toward the older solo traveller.

[Cristina Fawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have traveled solo before and found this guide to offer additional insight regarding travel in general. I wish it had more detail about the travel destinations it includes, but other than that I enjoyed it. It also suggests various travel apps, all for different use purposes. I will certainly put some of what I learned into use in my next solo travels.

[mirror · Rating 5 out of 5]

straightforward, prosaic
found it scrolling through the LP books my library had
lots of useful tips i think, for me i absorbed most of the knowledge from watching youtube videos but still learned a couple new things - so short/concise too, its much more convenient to read this than to watch a bunch of videos so would recommend it for anyone new to traveling in general

[Ira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did go on a solo trip a couple weeks after reading the first 30-40 pages of this book, so it did inspire me somewhat, but that was also not my first solo travel experience. Handy, with a lot of good tips, but there's also many things that are common sense or you'd find them on a good travel blog. Still glad I picked it up and went through it.