Learning this skill won’t just lead to an amazing trip—it will improve your life in all sorts of unexpected ways
You’ve scored a last-minute flight deal, set your email autoreply to vacation mode and even managed to fit all of your travel gear into a carry-on. Sweet freedom—you’re off on a solo adventure!
But almost immediately, you’re reminded that you are indeed alone: There’s no one to watch your bags while you run to the airport restroom or commiserate with you after TSA rummages through that perfectly packed carry-on. No shoulder to sleep on in-flight. No travel mate to split hotel costs with or help you meet the two-person activity minimums. Everywhere you turn, it seems like you’re surrounded by couples, families and friend groups sharing meals and laughs. And, of course, there’s the dreaded question repeatedly asked by hotel receptionists, guides and restaurant hosts: “Is it just you … or will someone be joining you?”
Solo travel certainly has its challenges, along with moments when you might feel pangs of sadness or regret. Like the time I took a solo trip to Costa Rica and found out only after I checked in that the rural eco-lodge I was at would be closed for Christmas—no other guests on site, and even the owners and staff left the property that day! I spent a drizzly Christmas alone. Still, after more than 20 years of traveling and dozens of trips by myself around the world, I can confidently say the rewards of solo travel far outweigh the challenges. And there are tricks to traveling by yourself without feeling totally alone.
Read on for some of my tried-and-tested tips for creating connections while solo traveling, as well as advice on what to do in those moments when loneliness strikes.
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You can make connections that will change your trip (and your life)
Despite setting out on your own, you’ll be in good company. Solo travel is very popular: A quick search on Instagram reveals more than 11 million #solotravel posts, and that number is growing. The solo travel market was valued at $94.88 billion in 2024 and is expected to continue the upward trend. And a recent Skyscanner survey found that 62% of respondents are planning to take two to five solo trips within the next year. So, in addition to interacting with locals along the way, you’re likely to cross paths with solo travelers like yourself.
Connecting with others, even in small ways, can keep loneliness at bay and ultimately lead to more meaningful experiences and possibly lifelong friendships. According to Hostelworld’s 2025 State of Solo Travel Report, 71% of solo travelers actively seek connection, and 68% reported forming meaningful friendships. But how, exactly, can you meet these future travel friends? Here are some tips to get you started.
Follow your passion
Incorporate your hobby or interest into your itinerary, and you’re guaranteed to meet people with whom you have at least one thing in common. You could go all in and build your whole itinerary around a hobby, like the time I spent 40-plus days hiking across Jordan, or simply include a related activity on your agenda. Like literature and film? Hop on the growing set-jetting and readaway trends, and you’re sure to find other lit and film fanatics traveling to famous locations. Enjoy history and culture? Join a walking tour—one of my favorite ways to meet people and get acquainted with a new place on arrival.
Try something new
One of the things I love most about solo travel is that I am a braver version of myself when I’m alone and away from home. There’s freedom to be anybody you want to be when no one knows who you are. You’ll never catch me at a group class in my own town. But a class where I’ll learn to weave baskets, dance salsa, paint a portrait, make pottery or downward-dog with perfect strangers when I’m traveling solo? Sign me up!
Participating in a class or workshop connects you with local experts and possibly other travelers. Step out of your comfort zone and take a language lesson, join a cooking class or learn a new skill in a hands-on workshop. At the very least, you’ll walk away with more knowledge (and possibly a good meal or handmade souvenir), but you also might emerge with a new friend or two.
Attend a retreat
Like to be around people but not always with them? My fellow occasionally extroverted introverts, I recommend a retreat! This type of setting tends to provide a balance of solo time and expert-led group activities, so you can embark on your own journey while also getting a bit of structured human interaction and support.
And the possibilities are endless. You’ve probably heard about wellness retreats, yoga retreats and assorted skillcations. But there are also options like darkness and sleep retreats—yes, that’s a real thing! Sleep scientist Rebecca Robbins helped me address sleep issues and get better rest at a Castle Hot Springs retreat in Arizona. I also went on an eye-opening “life purpose” retreat in Hawaii with spiritual healer Tammy Adams, and it was truly transformational. The bottom line? You can find getaways suited to almost any interest or goal.
Join a small group tour
If you’re itching for a group trip but your besties aren’t ready to hit the road, it’s time to find some new friends! Well, sort of. You’ll leave home technically solo, but then you’ll join an organized group of travelers at your destination, complete with a guide and driver. I’ve gone the solo-but-not-alone route many times with a hybrid trip like this, including an Intrepid women’s expedition in Turkey and a G Adventures small group trip to Bhutan, where I was one of the first foreigners to set foot on the newly reopened Trans-Bhutan Trail. The ease of leaving the logistics to someone else combined with the safety of traveling with an organized group is hard to beat, especially as a solo female traveler.
Choose a destination where hospitality is rooted in the culture
When you’re traveling solo, you’ll inevitably need to ask for help, directions or recommendations. There will be days when you feel anxious, lost or lonely. I’ve found that those challenging moments are infinitely easier in places where there’s an ancient culture of care and respect for guests.
In Japan, for example, where I had my very first solo travel experience, there’s the omotenashi concept of hospitality; it originated from traditional tea ceremonies and involves wholeheartedly taking care of guests. On that trip, I was young, alone, inexperienced and traveling without all the tech and apps we now rely on. I arrived during a typhoon, so my plane landed in a different city in the middle of the night. I had no one to meet me and no idea how I was going to get to my intended destination, but strangers immediately stepped in and helped me book a train.
Similarly, in Jordan, where I have been traveling solo for nearly 10 years, the warm hospitality and sense of community is rooted in Bedouin traditions and Jordan’s longstanding role as a place of refuge. On my first trip there, I lost count of the number of times I was greeted with “Ahlan wa sahlan. Welcome to Jordan,” and invited into people’s homes for coffee or a meal. On one of my return trips, I accidentally left my laptop in an Uber, and the driver insisted on bringing it back to me rather than letting me pay for another taxi to meet him! If you’re traveling solo in Jordan, you never have to worry about getting lost or being alone; the people there are some of the kindest and most generous I’ve met in all of my travels.
Put yourself out there
If you want to meet people, make sure that’s the message you’re sending. Join solo traveler groups on social media to connect pre-trip with others headed to the same destination. Skip the stand-alone Airbnb-style rentals and go for accommodations geared toward solo travelers, such as hostels and boutique hotels. Attend solo traveler events. (Check with the hostels where you’re traveling. They often host meet-up activities and events that you can join even if you’re not staying on-site.) Put your phone away. Sit at communal tables in cafes and restaurants. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but like many things, it gets easier the more you do it!
And you never know where a new connection might lead you. I don’t typically stay at hostels, but after my lonely Christmas in rural Costa Rica, I booked a hostel in a livelier area for a few days just so I could meet other travelers. We shared some meals, traded stories and spent an evening soaking in a thermal river—a much-needed reset I would have never had on my own.
Take small steps
Not ready or interested in putting yourself out there in a big way, yet also not keen on complete isolation? Start small. Brief interactions, called microconnections, can have big, positive impacts on mental health. And these interactions, such as chatting with a shopkeeper, aren’t just quick conversations that can alleviate loneliness; they can open the door to sharing a moment and learning more about each other. Many of my most cherished solo travel memories and friendships have started with small conversations with shopkeepers, waiters and other residents—and then led to coffee chats, dinner plans and even wedding invitations!
You can learn from loneliness
Confession time: Now that I’ve offered advice on creating connections to alleviate loneliness, I have to admit that I think it’s equally important to just let yourself feel lonely sometimes. I know that doesn’t sound appealing, but hear me out!
After dozens of solo trips, I’ve learned that feeling lonely from time to time is a completely normal part of the solo travel (and overall human) experience. Instead of being a hindrance, it can be an opportunity for personal growth. I noticed a few years ago that even though I loved traveling by myself, I was always afraid of the feeling of loneliness. Not just a little afraid, but like panic-attack-level afraid. So when loneliness started creeping in, instead of trying to avoid it or find a distraction, I started to sit with it and play detective, asking myself what triggered it and what I was actually afraid of. Answering those questions helped me address deeper issues, and ultimately, it eliminated the fear I had.
If you can reframe lonely moments as opportunities to sit with yourself, feel the loneliness, journal about it (and discuss with a therapist, if needed) and let it pass, you are likely to learn about yourself in the process.
A solo trip might actually make you less lonely
It might sound counterintuitive, but if you’re feeling lonely, traveling solo may actually help. Here’s how.
It can improve your mental health
Ash Shah, a therapist and the clinical director of Empower Your Mind Therapy, explains that “opposite action” (a dialectical behavior therapy skill that teaches you to act opposite to your urges if those urges hurt more than help) can be beneficial. “People often retreat and isolate more when they feel lonely,” Shah explains. “Therefore, taking a solo trip can be conceptualized as a way to push through loneliness.”
And this doesn’t apply only to younger people. “Studies show that older adults can especially benefit from travel,” she adds, with travel being a potential catalyst for improved cognitive and mental health.
It can lead you to your people
If you don’t feel seen or understood in your day-to-day life, traveling to new places can help you find others who share your passions, especially if you’re planning a trip around a specific interest or hobby. “A change of environment is incredibly therapeutic,” Shah says. “Spending most of your time at home with limited social interactions can lead to an increase in depressive symptoms. Traveling helps you find perspective and build social connections, which in turn reduces depressive symptoms.”
It can build confidence
Nearly 78% of the travelers surveyed by Hostelworld reported that solo travel boosts their confidence, mental health or both. I agree! When you get home and realize everything you experienced, learned and accomplished on your solo trip—including confronting your loneliness—you’ll naturally feel proud of yourself, more comfortable on your own and maybe even ready to plan your next solo trip.
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this story on how to travel alone without being lonely, Sunny Fitzgerald tapped her experience as a longtime travel writer and frequent traveler who has taken dozens of solo trips around the world. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Ash Shah, therapist and clinical director of Empower Your Mind Therapy; interviewed, March 2026
- Grand View Research: “U.S. Solo Travel Market (2025–2030)”
- Skyscanner: “Solo travel statistics: Survey shows Americans take up to 5 solo trips a year”
- Hostelworld: “2025 State of Solo Travel Report”
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “Exploring the Relationship of Leisure Travel with Loneliness, Depression, and Cognitive Function in Older Adults”
