How to Stop Feeling Lonely When Traveling Alone: 12 Things That Help
You can be standing in one of the most beautiful places on earth, eating amazing food, watching an incredible sunset… and still wonder how to stop feeling lonely when traveling alone. Yep. It happens.
In this guide, you’ll learn 12 ways to feel less lonely, meet people, and enjoy your solo trip without giving up your independence. The solo travel tips will help you turn moments of loneliness into meaningful connections
Your Solo Travel Roadmap
Section | ⏱️ Read Time |
🧠 Understanding Solo Travel Loneliness – Why it happens and why it’s normal | 2 min |
👋 How to Stop Feeling Lonely When Traveling Alone: 12 Tips – Actionable steps broken down by accommodation, activities, and mindset | 4 min |
🛡️ Staying Comfortable & Safe While Traveling Alone – Including solo female travel tips | 2 min |
☕ Everyday Solo Travel Connection: Small Habits to Meet People While Traveling | 2 min |
🌍 Making Friends While Traveling Alone – How to meet people naturally | 2 min |
Feeling Lonely While Traveling Alone Is Normal
Solo travel is often sold as endless freedom, spontaneous adventures and sunsets where you stare into the distance. And while those moments exist, there are also evenings when you sit on your bed scrolling through your phone thinking, “Okay… who am I supposed to tell about this?”
Feeling lonely while traveling alone is normal. It doesn’t mean you’re bad at solo travel, and it doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision.
You can enjoy your independence and create connection when you travel alone.
Is Solo Travel Lonely?
Let’s start with the obvious question: is solo travel lonely?
Sometimes, yes. That’s why these traveling alone tips focus on both strategies and emotional support.
But being alone and feeling lonely are two different things. You can spend three hours happily walking around a city by yourself and then feel lonely when you’re eating dinner. You can meet ten people at your hostel and still miss your friends at home.
Solo travel doesn’t mean you have to be alone 24/7.
One of the biggest advantages of traveling alone is that you decide when you want company and when you want space.
That freedom is something you don’t always get when traveling with other people.
Why Do You Feel Lonely When Traveling Alone?
There are a few normal reasons you might feel lonely while traveling alone.
- You’re used to sharing experiences – When something funny happens, you turn to your friend or partner. When you see a beautiful view, you automatically reach for their phone and say, “Look!” When you’re alone, there isn’t always someone standing next to you.
- Evenings can feel harder – During the day, you’re busy exploring, taking photos, and figuring out public transport. Then it’s 8 p.m., and you’re back at your accommodation thinking, “So… what now?” Evenings are often when you feel the loneliness the most.
- Social media makes it worse – You open Instagram and everyone seems to be traveling with their boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, ten friends, and a cute dog. Meanwhile, you’re eating noodles alone. You’re comparing your real life to everyone else’s carefully selected highlights. Close the app. Your noodles are great because you’re eating them from an exotic island or a new city you’re exploring.
How to Stop Feeling Lonely When Traveling Alone: 12 Things That Help
I’ve traveled to 67 countries across 7 continents, and I’ve experienced different sides of solo travel… including the amazing moments and the lonely ones.
I recently returned from a solo trip through Central Asia, traveling through Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Trips like this have reminded me that one of the best things about solo travel is being able to decide when you want company and when you simply want time for yourself. These are the strategies that have helped me feel more comfortable, connected and confident while traveling alone.
Accommodation: Where to Stay to Meet People
1. Stay Somewhere Social When Traveling Alone
- Where you stay changes how social a solo trip feels. I’ve stayed in everything from hostels to private rooms and guesthouses, and even when I want my own space, having a communal area makes it much easier to have those spontaneous conversations with other travelers.
- If you book a beautiful apartment in the middle of nowhere, you might get peace and quiet. Amazing. But if you’re already worried about loneliness, it may not be the easiest environment for meeting people.
- But social doesn’t have to mean partying.
- Look for places with communal areas, activities or common spaces where people naturally interact.
- 🛏️ Choose a hostel with good common areas if that’s your style.
- 🏡Consider guesthouses where the owner or other travelers are around.
- 💻 Look at coliving spaces if you’re combining travel and remote work.
- 🍳 Check whether your accommodation offers communal breakfasts or activities.
If you want to compare accommodation options, Booking.com and Hostelworld can be useful starting points when planning a solo trip.
Before you cancel, ask yourself what is causing the fear.
If you’re scared because it’s unfamiliar:
Prepare your arrival, research your destination and know where you’re staying.
If you’re worried about safety:
Check current travel advice and local conditions before making a decision.
If you’re afraid of feeling lonely:
Look for social accommodation, group tours or activities where you can meet people.
If you’re worried you can’t handle it:
Start smaller. A weekend solo trip can be enough to build confidence.
If there’s a safety concern:
Take it seriously. Changing your destination or plans can be the right decision.
You don’t have to ignore your instincts. Understand where the fear is coming from, get the information you need and make your decision based on facts… not panic.
2. Join a Walking Tour to Meet People While Traveling Alone
I’ve joined tours during solo trips when I wanted to explore a destination while also having some social interaction. It’s one of my favorite ways to get that balance: you can spend most of the day exploring independently, but you also have people around you for a few hours.
You’re all standing in the same place wondering whether that statue is historically important or whether the guide is just veeeery passionate about it.
The best part is that you don’t have to walk up to a stranger and announce, “Hello, would you like to become my friend?”
The situation does the work for you.
- 🛏️🚶 Join a free or paid walking tour on your first or second day.
- 🗣️ Start with a question such as “Where are you from?”
- 📸 Offer to take someone’s photo.
- ☕ Ask if someone wants to grab coffee after the tour.
Tip: For activities and tours, GetYourGuide is a useful place to look for experiences in your destination.
Activities: How to Meet People While Traveling Alone
3. Book a Group Activity When Traveling Solo
If you’re wondering how to make friends traveling solo, activities are a good option.
Cooking classes, hiking tours, food tours, language exchanges and day trips naturally create opportunities to talk to people.
You don’t have to be outgoing either because you’re not networking at a conference. You’re just trying to make dumplings without creating a small kitchen disaster.
- 🌍🥾 Join a group hike.
- 🍜 Take a local cooking class.
- 🚲 Book a cycling tour.
- 🧑🍳 Try a food tour.
- 🎨 Take a creative workshop.
One good conversation can already change your day. Viator is another good place to browse group activities, food tours, day trips and experiences in your destination.
4. Sit Somewhere Social Instead of Eating Alone in Your Room
If loneliness is coming, don’t order room service and hide under the blanket.
Sometimes changing your environment helps.
Try a café, communal restaurant, food hall or bar where sitting alone feels normal.
Important: eating alone isn’t embarrassing. You’re traveling. You are allowed to occupy a table for one!
🍜 Choose a restaurant with communal seating.
- ☕ Sit at the counter instead of requesting a private table.
- 📖 Bring a book so you feel comfortable.
- 👋 If someone seems open to conversation, say hello.
Everyday Connection: Small Habits That Help
5. Start a Conversation With Someone
- You don’t need a complicated strategy for making friends.
- Usually, it starts with one boring sentence.
- “Where are you from?”
- That’s it. You don’t need a crazy opening line. You’re not auditioning for a dating show.
- Travelers expect conversations because you’re all experiencing a new place.
🌍 Ask where someone is traveling from.
- 🗺️ Ask how long they’re staying.
- 🍴 Ask if they’ve found a good restaurant.
- 🥾 Ask if they’ve done any activities you’re considering.
And if the conversation goes nowhere? That’s fine. Not every person you meet needs to become your new travel friend.
6. Use Travel Apps and Communities to Meet People
Once you’ve survived the first 24 hours, everything feels much more manageable.
If you’re wondering how to meet people while traveling alone, technology can help!
There are travel communities and apps for solo travelers to connect, organize activities or help people find others in the same destination.
But… meeting strangers still requires normal safety awareness. If you’re a solo female traveler, it’s especially important to trust your instincts when meeting new people. You can be open to connection while still keeping your boundaries.
- 📱 Use established travel communities.
- ☕ Meet new people in public places.
- 👭 Tell someone you trust where you’re going.
- 📍 Keep your accommodation and personal information private until you know someone beter.
If you’re traveling alone as a woman, my guide to staying safe while traveling alone covers more solo female travel safety tips.
7. Don't Force Yourself to Socialize Every Day
Sometimes people hear “solo travel can be lonely” and decide they need to make friends every day. But you are allowed to have a quiet day.
I’ve learned this especially during longer solo trips. Just because I’m traveling alone doesn’t mean I have to turn every day into a mission to meet people. Some of my favorite travel days have involved hiking alone, finding a coffee shop, exploring at my pace, or having a quiet evening. The freedom to choose is one of the reasons I love solo travel.
You don’t need to turn every breakfast into a networking event.
Solo travel is also about enjoying your own company.
🌿 Take a slow morning.
- 📚 Read in a café.
- 🎧 Listen to a podcast while walking.
- 🌅 Watch the sunset alone.
- 🛌 Stay in and rest when you’re exhausted.
The goal is to make sure being alone feels like a choice rather than a punishment.
Mindset: How to Enjoy Solo Travel Without Feeling Lonely
8. Stay Connected With People Back Home
Sometimes you don’t need a new travel friend.
You just need your best friend from home to answer the phone.
Staying connected can make a big difference, especially during a longer trip.
📞 Schedule a quick call with someone you trust.
- 🎙️ Send voice messages.
- 📸 Share a few photos from your day.
- 💬 Tell someone about the funny thing that just happened.
Just don’t spend the entire trip glued to your phone.
You’re allowed to stay connected without missing the experience happening in front of you.
9. Create Solo Travel Rituals
After traveling to 67 countries, I’ve realized that these small routines make an unfamiliar place feel familiar. I love finding a cute coffee shop near my accommodation, starting my morning there with a coffee, and using that time to plan the main things I want to do that day.
So, for you it could be also a local coffee shop or maybe you always walk somewhere at sunset.
Or maybe you buy one snack from a supermarket and rate it in your notes app.
The small routines create familiarity in an unfamiliar place.
☕ Find your regular coffee spot.
- 🌅 Create a sunset ritual.
- 📓 Keep a short travel journal.
- 🎧 Have a favorite walking playlist.
These moments can become some of your favorite memories. I love finding a cute coffee shop near my accommodation, starting my morning there with a coffee, and using that time to plan the main things I want to do that day.
10. Change Your Environment If You're Feeling Lonely
Sometimes the problem is where you’re staying. If you’re in an isolated accommodation and feeling disconnected, try changing your environment. A different neighborhood or more social accommodation can completely shift your experience.
🏨 Move somewhere with communal areas.
- 🚶 Spend more time in lively neighborhoods.
- 🍻 Look for organized social activities.
- 🌎 Consider joining a group day trip.
You don’t have to stay miserable just because you already booked the room.
11. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To
Loneliness often gets worse when every day feels unstructured.
Having one small thing planned can give your day some shape. It could be breakfast somewhere you’ve saved on Google Maps.
🎟️ Book one activity you genuinely want to do.
- 🥐 Find a bakery you’ve been wanting to try.
- 🏞️ Plan a short hike.
- 📷 Pick a neighborhood to explore.
A little structure makes a big difference.
12. Remember Why You Started Traveling Alone
You didn’t start solo travel because you wanted to prove that you could spend 14 days eating dinner alone. You started because you wanted freedom. You wanted to see something. You wanted to experience a place. You wanted to stop waiting for someone else’s schedule. And sometimes you need to remind yourself of that. You can miss people and still love solo travel. You can feel lonely and still be proud of yourself. You can have a bad day and still have a great trip.
The Emotional Side of Solo Travel: How to Enjoy It Without Feeling Lonely
The goal is to feel comfortable on your own while still making space for connection.
Humans are social creatures. Learn to move between connection and solitude.
Have breakfast alone. Join a tour. Spend the afternoon exploring by yourself. Have dinner with people you met. Call your family. Watch the sunset.
That’s the beauty of solo travel: you get to choose.
What to Do If Solo Travel Loneliness Turns Into Anxiety
If loneliness starts becoming overwhelming, don’t ignore it. Take a step back and check what you need. Maybe you need sleep. Maybe you need food. Maybe you need to talk to someone. Maybe you need a social activity. Or maybe you need to admit that you’re having a difficult day.
🔗Read Next: For more advice, check out my guide on solo travel anxiety tips.
What I Wish I'd Known Before My First Solo Trip
🥹 I wish more people talked about the fact that loneliness doesn’t mean something is wrong.
❤️ You can have the most incredible solo trip of your life and still have one random Tuesday night where you want your best friend sitting next to you.
✨ That doesn’t cancel out everything else.
🤝 I also wish I knew that connection doesn’t always mean friendship. Sometimes it’s another woman recommending a restaurant. Sometimes it’s the hostel receptionist remembering your name.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Solo Female Traveling
Here are the most common questions about traveling solo.
Is it normal to feel lonely when traveling alone?
Yes. Feeling lonely during a solo trip is normal, especially during evenings, after a long travel day or when you’re experiencing something you’d share with someone.
How do I meet people while traveling alone?
Walking tours, hostels, group activities, cooking classes, food tours, hiking trips and travel communities are all good ways to meet people without having to approach complete strangers out of nowhere.
Is solo travel lonely for women?
Solo female travel can feel lonely sometimes, but traveling alone as a woman doesn’t mean you’ll be alone all the time. Many women find that solo travel makes it easier to meet people because they’re more open to conversations, group activities and new experiences.
How do I make friends while traveling alone?
Start small. Ask someone where they’re from, join a group activity or sit in a communal area. You don’t need to find your new best friend immediately.
Can I travel alone if I'm introverted?
Yes! Solo travel is great for introverts because you control how much social interaction you have.
Is it safe to meet people while traveling alone?
It can be, provided you use common sense. Meet new people in public places, tell someone you trust where you’re going and don’t share more personal information than you’re comfortable sharing. Download my free Safety Guide for Solo Female Travelers.
Do I need travel insurance for solo travel?
Travel insurance is important when you’re traveling alone because you don’t have a travel friend there to help deal with unexpected medical, transport or trip-related problems.
Where can I find accommodation?
You can find accommodation on Booking.com and Hostelworld. Look for good reviews and safe locations.
What if I still feel lonely after trying everything?
Give yourself some time. You don’t need to “fix” loneliness immediately. Call someone you trust, change your environment, join an activity or allow yourself to have a difficult day.
What is the best first solo travel destination?
The best first solo travel destination is one where you feel comfortable and excited to explore. Look for places with good transportation, safe accommodation, and opportunities to meet other travelers. Find more safe destinations for solo travelers.
Final Thoughts – Last Stop Before Takeoff!
Solo doesn’t have to mean lonely. It’s about realizing that you can create connections wherever you go while still enjoying your independence. Some days you’ll meet amazing people.
Some days you’ll spend eight hours completely alone. Some nights you’ll have dinner with strangers. Other nights you’ll order room service and watch Netflix in your pajamas. And… that’s solo travel. You don’t need to make every moment magical. You just need to keep giving yourself the chance to experience something new.
Adventure on, I’ll see you on the road!
Want to Feel More Confident Traveling Alone?
Still planning your solo trip? Before you book, I recommend comparing flight options on Skyscanner so you can see different airlines and routes in one place.
If you’re planning your first solo trip or still feel nervous about traveling alone, you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself.
Book my Solo Travel Mentoring session and get one-on-one guidance for your trip to feel more confident about traveling alone.
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Feven is a solo female travel mentor who has visited 67 countries, 7 continents and helps women travel with confidence. She creates resources to help women overcome fear and plan their first solo trip. Follow her adventures on Instagram.