The world can be an interesting place to explore and there are ways of moving about which can help you save money and be safe while doing so. Some countries of this world are safer to explore, relatively speaking, than others. Some appear safe but can have hidden dangers, so being aware of what awaits you can make the trip that much safer.
But safety is not the only part of a trip, what about comfort and ease of access, especially if one is alone? Following are a couple of tips on how to travel around Europe, alone.
Trains Can Be Great for Transporting – Or BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar is similar to Uber. You would share a ride with somebody going from one city to another. Most of Europe’s cities and countries have BlaBlaCar there, so simply download an app for your preferred mobile device and start searching for your next ride. This is a good way to travel if you are sure of yourself and if you don’t mind taking a ride with strangers.
Trains, on the other hand, are a lot more organized and a lot faster, in some countries, at least. The Balkans might slow you down if you want to use trains, but other than that, they are pretty well organized across all of Europe. Flights are cheap if you prefer planes, because everything is that much closer, compared to the United States, for example.
Plan Ahead – Look Up Sights and Areas to Avoid
Safety is one of the main concerns when traveling so looking up problematic areas in advance is encouraged. Problematic areas might include groups of people who do not take kindly to strangers, or women, for that matter. Traveling as a woman, alone, can be much more challenging than as a man, for obvious reasons.
On the other hand, most of Europe is safe so one should not be that worried, yet it is always better to look up whether a certain city has problematic neighborhoods one should avoid, as well as pubs or things alike. You don’t want to end up in a football club pub accidentally wearing their rivals’ colors.
Sights wise, Europe is full of things to explore, cultural and natural, so be sure to scout out your next location in advance.
Update People on Your Location as You Travel
It can be a daunting experience to travel anywhere alone, so be sure to have your GPS on so that you can update people on where you are headed, as well as where you are at the moment. While your battery might suffer, you can use offline maps to keep track of your movement, should you get lost.
Information uploaded to the cloud, such as markers of your travels, will not take any data at all, so it might be worth it to have it on in those cases. Make sure to communicate your plans and locations to friends and family, so that they know where and when you were and where you might be if you forget to contact them again, or in the worst case, if something happens to you.
Traveling Europe alone is not that much different than traveling anywhere alone, on the contrary, it might be safer. But safety out of the way, you should follow general principles regarding solo travel, to make your experience the best one possible. These tips should help with that.