After planning a group trip to Paris, the inevitable happened. Everyone cancelled on me :(. I had to regroup and figure out if I still wanted to go. I just read this article on Refinery29 about Solo Travelers and I decided to write about my experience.
I have traveled to other countries solo before, but this one is fresh on my mind.
For this Paris trip, my flight was only $288 roundtrip so I figured ‘When would I find that trip at that price again?’. I decided to go for it.
Budget-friendly Accommodations
Now- the immediate downside to traveling solo is the expense of a place to stay. I browsed every single travel site and tried every discount code and nothing worked within my budget. Since this trip was originally with 5 people total, I was expecting to budget around $30-40 a day for lodging expenses if we did a three bedroom Airbnb.
That budget of about $200 had to be at minimum tripled unless I wanted to stay at a hostel. Trust me, I thought about it too.
I reached out to a friend who is from Paris and she gave me the rundown on each Arrondissement (district in Paris) down to which areas are safe those unsafe. This was super helpful for me. Since I am solo, I had to be really cautious about the area I was staying in. I knew I would be coming in late in the evening solo.
I finally found an Airbnb in a nice area, close to metro stations.
Found a place to stay. ✅
Getting Around For The Low
I arrive and how do I get around? Uber Pool was my best friend. Out of the 8 Uber rides I took, only 3 of those had other riders in them. That saved me money. Eventually, (to save even more money) I decided to give up the Ubers and take the Metro. Best decision ever. I can maneuver any metropolitan cities train system as long as I have a map. I used my regular Apple maps and used their transit routes. I didn’t get lost once. It’s so convenient and super detailed telling you how many stops, where to transfer, and even which exit to leave from.
When it comes to safety , take Uber! Share your Uber with a friend so they can see you’re route. If you want to save money- take the metro. I didn’t take the metro late at night only because I didn’t want to have to take a potential several block walk back to my spot late in the evening.
Translate
Don’t know the language ? Being solo and not speaking the local language is tough! My friend Pharoh just came from Paris and suggested I use my Google Translator app. It’s actually really cool because you can point your camera at words in another language and it will translate for you. It will even translate someone speaking in another language to English. Best app ever! Totally helps when you are solo and who wants to constantly ask “Do you speak English?”
Meet some InstaFriends or Friends of friends
Okay, okay! I know this tip can sound a little scary. I like to meet people in other countries. When I was going to London three years ago, I put it out there on social media that I was going and asked if anyone lived there or would be there at the same time. I met a traveler influencer named Sarah who is from Paris. We hung out in London and she introduced me to her friend Chris, who works in digital media. Since then, we have kept up through social media and I let them know I would be in Paris and they both were there. I got to get a real local experience and meet some of their friends.
If meeting people from social media seems too scary to you , ask some of your friends. When I went to Ghana and I was there 3 days solo, I reached out to a friend I met while traveling and asked if she knew anyone in Accra. She introduced me to a friend via What’s App and then we hung out the whole time I was there. A referral is always great.
Can you hear me now?
Have cellular data! This was a huge one. I hung out with a friend from Atlanta there and one of my line sisters. Both did not have cellular service in France. If you are solo with no cellular service , you could really be in a bind. You would have to constantly find a place with WiFi just to catch up with people and it’s hard to do Uber if you have to utilize WiFi. As soon as you walk out of a building, you will lose service. I have Sprint and luckily they have international data and it’s free. I was able to use my maps all day and Uber + I was able to text and use What’s App. If I didn’t- I probably would’ve stayed in most of the time. Being without service in another country solo just isn’t safe. How did we survive before we have these amazing phones ?!?
Take A Class
For something to do solo, check out AirBNB experiences! I am so happy I used them. They have some off the beaten path activities that you may not normally think of. It’s a great way to do something different and meet some people. I did a cool hat making class in Paris. I was the only student that day, but it was still fun! I probably only did this because I was solo. I doubt if it was a group, that everyone would’ve been interested. Take the solo trip as a time to do something quirky that you like, but your travel partners might not be interested in.
That’s it for now. Stay safe on vacation solo and always watch your belongings.
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