{"id":21243,"date":"2017-08-01T09:23:21","date_gmt":"2017-07-31T23:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=21243"},"modified":"2025-03-25T23:13:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T12:13:24","slug":"solo-travel-europe-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/solo-travel-europe-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"7 things I learnt travelling solo through Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>My first solo travel trip around Europe wasn\u2019t planned.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After an Interrail trip with a friend fell through, I decided to take the plunge. I had already bought the ticket and got some last-minute time off work \u2013\u00a0what did I have to lose? Before I knew it, I was on a train. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea of travelling alone is daunting. I didn\u2019t have much time to get nervous, but the common first-time solo travel jitters were running through my mind. Will I get lost? Will I get lonely? Who\u2019s got my back if something goes wrong?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once I arrived at my first stop, these fears were soon pushed to the back of my mind. Of course, some things don\u2019t go to plan but challenges being thrown at you is all part of the experience. I found my first solo trip so rewarding and liberating that I decided to do it again for a longer period of time. And I\u2019m sure it won\u2019t be that long until the next one!<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21249\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21249\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21249\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plitvice-e1501527958620.jpg\" alt=\"Plitvice Lakes, Croatia\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21249\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Solo in Plitvice Lakes, Croatia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Why? Because you&#8217;ll learn so much. What?\u00a0The following, and so much more:<\/p>\n<h3><b>Europe is the best place for first-time solo travellers <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Europe is a great starting point for first-time solo travellers. For Europeans, it feels somewhat familiar but has a wide variety of landscapes, culture and history. For those from further afield, traveling between countries is incredibly simple and everything feels so close together if you\u2019re from somewhere like North America or Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Europe\u2019s well-connected train network is so easy to navigate that I\u2019ve visited places in France, Croatia, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Hungary without even stepping on a plane. Not sure where to begin? These <strong><a href=\"\/adventures\/europe-islands-discover\/\" data-wpil=\"url\">7 underrated cities <\/a><\/strong>and <strong><a href=\"\/adventures\/europe-islands-discover\/\">5 lesser-known islands<\/a><\/strong> are a pretty good place to start.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rich in history, culture and sheer natural beauty, Croatia should definitely be at the top of every solo traveller\u2019s list. Whether it\u2019s exploring the historic city walls of Dubrovnik, bathing in the Krka waterfalls, wandering among Roman ruins in Split, enjoying the nightlife in Hvar, admiring the Plitvice Lakes, sipping coffee in Zagreb or kayaking along the gorgeous Adriatic coast, this European gem has something for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/croatia-one-week-guide\/\"><strong>RELATED: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO 7 DAYS IN CROATIA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where else would I recommend? Well, with sweeping landscapes and storybook old towns, Austria is quite simply the stuff of fairytales.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21247\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21247\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21247\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Salzburg-e1501527641369.jpg\" alt=\"Salzburg Austria\" width=\"800\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Salzburg-e1501527641369.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Salzburg-e1501527641369-425x260.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Salzburg-e1501527641369-768x470.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Salzburg-e1501527641369-585x358.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21247\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enjoying Salzburg, Austria<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The German-speaking country waltzes effortlessly between the urban and outdoors, with formidable mountains making the perfect backdrop for some quiet reflection, while the quaint cobbled streets and imperial architecture in Salzburg and Vienna are a wanderer\u2019s paradise. That\u2019s not to mention the country\u2019s infamous coffeehouses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For me, Europe was the perfect destination to test the waters and see if solo travel was for me. As a solo female traveller I felt incredibly safe wandering around alone and venturing out at night. Now I feel more confident about going it alone and possibly traveling further afield next time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/best-countries-europe-solo-travel\/\"><strong>RELATED: 5 OF THE BEST COUNTRIES IN EUROPE FOR SOLO TRAVEL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>If you want to do something, just go for it<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve always been an avid traveller but wasn\u2019t sure about going solo. I\u2019d get disappointed when talk of travel plans with friends never materialised and think longingly of all the places I wanted to explore. Now I\u2019ve got nothing holding me back!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21252\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plitvice2-e1501528509325.jpg\" alt=\"Plitvice Lakes Croatia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plitvice2-e1501528509325.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plitvice2-e1501528509325-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plitvice2-e1501528509325-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plitvice2-e1501528509325-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><b>I can take on pretty much anything<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As someone who lives abroad, I already considered myself rather resilient and resourceful, but traveling solo can test in ways you haven\u2019t been before. From negotiating with an aggressive and not so understanding ticket inspector to re-planning my train route at the last minute after missing a connection, I feel I can handle pretty much anything thrown at me on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"\/europe\">INTREPID&#8217;S SMALL GROUP TOURS ARE GREAT FOR SOLO TRAVELLERS. CHECK OUT OUR EUROPE ITINERARIES<\/a><a href=\"\/europe\">.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re worried about getting lost, Citymapper runs in a lot of major European cities and is an absolute godsend when you\u2019re trying to figure out an unknown public transport system. And if you\u2019ve totally forgotten how to read old-school maps (I know I have), there\u2019s always Google Maps to get yourself out of sticky situations.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21245\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21245\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21245\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Budapest-e1501529718199.jpg\" alt=\"Budapest Hungary baths\" width=\"800\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Budapest-e1501529718199.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Budapest-e1501529718199-425x260.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Budapest-e1501529718199-768x470.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Budapest-e1501529718199-585x358.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21245\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">No need for maps to spot Budapest&#8217;s beautifully distinctive baths<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No roaming charges in the European Union is great news for European travellers relying on apps or who simply want to update their Instagram feed before getting back to their accommodation. If you\u2019re not from Europe but are planning on traveling around the continent for a long time, it might be worth looking into buying a sim card to avoid extra charges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As a vegetarian, I also usually look into how veggie-friendly local cuisine is and research recommended places to eat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/vegetarian-travel-destinations\/\"><strong>RELATED: 7 BEST DESTINATIONS FOR VEGETARIAN TRAVELLERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>People are kinder and more generous than we realise <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this day and age we tend to have an automatic barrier around us and a culture of suspicion. Having grown up in a large capital, I know I am guilty of having my guard high up in everyday life. While it\u2019s obviously important to have your wits about you when traveling alone, you\u2019ll find yourself in situations where you have to put your faith in strangers.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21253\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21253\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21253\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Berlin-e1501529850163.jpg\" alt=\"Berlin Checkpoint Charlie Germany\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21253\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ll be forever grateful to the man who gave me his spare change for the bus when I found myself stranded in the middle of nowhere in the Czech Republic with no currency or signal. Lesson number one learnt: always change some money before the next leg of your trip!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/subscribe\"><strong>SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID&#8217;S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS &amp; MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>Being alone doesn\u2019t have to mean being lonely <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturally, most people\u2019s biggest concern when contemplating solo travel is getting lonely on the road. It was certainly mine. Instead, I enjoyed being 100% in charge of my agenda and being able to travel at my own pace. Most importantly, I learnt how to enjoy my own company. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And you won\u2019t really be alone of course \u2013\u00a0I met many solo travellers along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21248\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21248\" class=\"wp-image-21248 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Mykonos-e1501527427424.jpg\" alt=\"Mykonos Greece solo travel\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21248\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Loving life in Mykonos<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/solo-travel-life-lessons\/\"><strong>RELATED: 6 THINGS THAT SOLO TRAVEL WORLDWIDE HAS TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>Meeting people is easier than you think<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before my first solo travel trip I wasn\u2019t sure how easy it would be to meet people, but it\u2019s amazing how like-minded people tend to gravitate towards one another. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interactions while on the road range widely \u2013\u00a0from having a chat with your friendly waiter as you tuck into Baklava in Belgrade to talking for hours with backpacking Americans you\u2019ve just met while admiring the sunset over the mountains before going out for Austrian dumplings in Salzburg.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21244\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21244\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21244\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Belgrade-e1501532959824.jpg\" alt=\"Belgrade Serbia\" width=\"800\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Belgrade-e1501532959824.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Belgrade-e1501532959824-425x270.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Belgrade-e1501532959824-768x488.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Belgrade-e1501532959824-585x371.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21244\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Belgrade: the only European capital that lies on two rivers, the Sava and Danube.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chatting to locals can be a great way to find things that aren\u2019t in the guidebooks. Befriending locals during my travels has led to beer and pizza in Prague, a private tour of a hidden market in Budapest and delicious Israeli home-cooked meals in Zagreb. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another way of getting a truly authentic experience is by checking out the range of day tours offered up by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.urbanadventures.com\/\">Urban Adventures<\/a><\/strong>. They have 775 unique, local-led, small-group tours all over the world, meaning you can check out <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.urbanadventures.com\/hanoi-tour-hanoi-street-food-by-night\">Hanoi&#8217;s street food scene<\/a><\/strong>, browse Rome&#8217;s lesser-discovered neighborhoods, and sample beer everywhere from <strong>Beijing <\/strong>to <strong>Budapest<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21250\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21250\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Zagreb-e1501528191543.jpg\" alt=\"Zagreb, Croatia\" width=\"600\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Zagreb-e1501528191543.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Zagreb-e1501528191543-295x300.jpg 295w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Zagreb-e1501528191543-585x595.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21250\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seeing the sights in Zagreb, Croatia<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><b>Small group trips are great for solo travellers <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trying small group tours\u00a0<\/span>\u00e0 la\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"\/solo-travel\" data-wpil=\"url\">Intrepid Travel\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>are\u00a0a really great and easy way to meet like-minded travellers. I travelled with a small group to the absolutely gorgeous Plitvice Lakes in Croatia and it led to some of my\u00a0best travel memories \u2013\u00a0filled with stimulating conversations, future travel inspiration, tips, and even an open invitation to California!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The adventures solo travel\u00a0might lead to for you? I couldn&#8217;t say, but\u00a0I know you&#8217;ll want to find out&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>There&#8217;s nothing like travelling solo on a small group tour. <a href=\"\/solo-travel\" data-wpil=\"url\">Find out more information about our trips that are just for solo travellers.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><em>All images c\/o Selina Sykes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I didn\u2019t have much time to get nervous, but the common first-time solo travel jitters were running through my mind. Will I get lost? Will I get lonely? Who\u2019s got my back if something goes wrong?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15938,"featured_media":21247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455],"tags":[46,283,257,557],"class_list":["post-21243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-europe","tag-solo-travel","tag-travel-tips-2","tag-traveller-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Solo travel in Europe: 7 life lessons you&#039;ll learn | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I didn\u2019t have much time to get nervous, but the common first-time solo travel jitters were running through my mind. 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