9 Realistic Advices When Preparing For A Solo RTW* Trip

If you’ve come this far to thinking about making a solo RTW travel then it’s time to just follow your heart. Rather than worrying, you should be preparing yourself for the trip. So, how do you get started?

Many people desire to travel around the world but they often shy away because preparation can seem very nerve-wracking. What they fail to understand is that all of their stresses will only vanish once they hit the road. Along the way, you stand to acquire lots of experiences ranging from the foods you’ll sample and the sights you’ll see to the people you’ll meet. As a matter of fact, nothing compares to these amazing, life-changing moments.

Here are 9 realistic tips that can help you prepare for a solo RTW travel.

1. Plan Ahead

At the very least, it’s a good idea to plan ahead. Even before you arrive at a city, ensure to make adequate plans about where you will be staying. Apart from the fun, it is much more rewarding to plan your itinerary in advance. There are so many travel guides online and in books that can help you achieve this.

2. Don’t Over-pack

If you will be backpacking, it is recommended to avoid over-packing your bag, since all the stuff will be carried on your back. Remember that you will need to dress in dresses that suit the weather conditions in the destinations you will be visiting. As a matter of fact, it’s more difficult to get rid of extras than to buy more.

3. Budget Wisely

Budget is one of the hardest parts of planning an RTW trip. How do you plan to spend your money? A great way to effectively use your financial resources on the activities, adventures and items most important to you is by ensuring solo budgeting atleast for the next six months.

Also, its important to make use tools that are available online to plan your budgets and track how much you are spending on what. As a matter of fact I use Buxfer to keep track of my expenses.

4. Be Creative

As a matter of fact, you do not have the whims and preferences of a partner, so figuring the outcome of your trip becomes much easier. If you want to spend as cheaply as traveling group, you need to be creative. As a solo traveler, it can be easier to figure out where and how to spend your money.

5. Take Safety Precautions

Naturally, most people tend to think of the worst whenever they hear of a solo RTW trip. Now that you have no one watching your back, you need to employ certain safety measures to remain secured at all times. Most importantly, take full cognizance of your surroundings.

Invest in something like a smart wallet, which can track your lost wallet or phone.

6. Ensure Your Passport Is Up To Date

You will need to present your passport and receive the required entry stamp of the country you are visiting when traveling by air or by land. The same thing implies when you exit the country. So, ensure you have an updated passport.

Make sure that you have atleast six months remaining on your passport and few blank pages before you enter to a new country.

7. Check Out For Visa Situations

It is highly advisable to inspect the visa situations of countries you are planning to travel to beforehand. While many visas are arrival at immigration, you may be required to purchase others in advance.

If you have no information about visa policy of a country, use this tool by IATA to check visa requirements based on your country of birth and country of residence.

8. Get Vaccinated & Buy A Travel Insurance

For your health & safety, ensure to visit your local travel clinic to find out the vaccinations you will need. Also, do well to inform your doctor about your plans to travel overseas. You will be advised on the shots you required for entry into those countries.

Travel insurance is more handy than you actually think. Personally I am always insured by World Nomads during most of my travels.

9. Deal With Loneliness

Loneliness is a natural feeling of isolation that even the most hardcore solo traveler must have to deal with at some point in time. You can handle this effectively be making out time to visit public places like the coffee shop, museum, cinema or even participate in an organized tour.

No that you know how to get started planning a world trip, it’s time now to plan your RTW flight tickets.

*RTW stands for Round The World.