My Long-Term Solo Travel Planning Methodology

Before travelling the world in 2022, my typical vacation involved one of two scenarios. An expensive weekend in Vegas or a week away staying at an all-inclusive resort. The Minimum spend was two grand, which didn’t include time away from the resort on excursions or nights out. In 2022, this changed as I set out to become a solo world traveller. This world journey was different as I travelled the globe for twelve months. When you go away for a week, you overspend in tourist areas on hotels, tours, food and alcohol. This also means overeating and overdrinking, leading to consuming 8,000 calories daily. It’s a lifestyle that is not sustainable or healthy over the long haul. I knew I had to come up with a long-term solo travel planning methodology in order to change my travel experience.

I Love to Get Off the Beaten Path

I generally travel cheaply, meaning off the beaten path. Yes, I splurge occasionally, but I like to travel like a local. I pack light, which allows me to be nimble.

Long-Term solo Travel planning on the Fly

One question I often get asked is how I plan my long-term travel. When travelling long term, you don’t have time to extensively research hotels, attractions, restaurants and all that comes with a long weekend in New York. So how do I do it? I may do a quick Google search, for example, the top things to do in Rio De Janeiro. Rest assured I never knock off the whole list or am I obsessed with seeing everything. I always book a hostel for the first few nights. Hostels offer budget-friendly tours and excursions off the beaten path. Beyond this, I talk to fellow travellers and locals I meet. One of my favourite questions for locals is what are the top three things I have to do in your city? Effectively planning travel on the fly is essential for long-term solo travel planning.

I live like a local

For my world solo travel journey, I lived like a local most of the time. I like to follow the eighty-twenty rule and save the weekends, for example, for being “a tourist.” This means mixing with locals, experiencing local culture, sightseeing, and having the time of my life. It also means shopping at local markets, staying in hostels and budget hotels, taking free walking tours, visiting local watering holes, and learning as much as possible about wherever I am.

I like to follow the eighty-twenty rule and save the weekends, for example, for being “a tourist.” This means mixing with locals, experiencing local culture, sightseeing, and having the time of my life.

i look for Accommodations outside of tourist areas

I use Hostelworld and Airbnb to find accommodations outside of the tourist blocks. This provides a more authentic experience, allowing me to live like a local. What I like about Hostelworld is that the booking is easily accessible, budget-friendly, and gets me off the beaten path. If you are nervous about staying in hostels and are a bit older, read my blog, Hostel Living at 49. If I want to get even further away from the tourist center, I use Airbnb. Airbnb plants me in a local neighbourhood and provides an authentic travel experience.

When staying in hostels and Airbnb, I have the opportunity to cook my own meals. I love to go to a local market, buy groceries, prepare my own meals and eat like a local, which is an authentic experience and a money-saver. This is another key to my long-term solo travel planning.

I use local transportation when travelling solo

I’m not afraid to use trains, boats and busses to explore the countries and regions I visit. I eliminate the short flights I usually take on shorter vacations when I’m travelling solo long-term. Even within a city, I use public transportation when I can rather than taking a taxi. Not only does this help me get acquainted with a new town, but it saves significant money compared to taxis. Metro’s,trains and busses trump taxis whenever possible. Plus, I’m never in a huge rush when I travel long-term.

Street Food, Dining, Local Dinner Parties

I’m All About The Street Food

I often eat out (mainly street food) and visit many countries where eating out is cheaper than cooking my meals. In countries in regions such as Central/South America and Southeast Asia, street food is the way to go.

Dining In Restaurants

I do dine in restaurants when I can find an authentic experience. My go-to rule here in terms of food is local cuisine. You are travelling, so I don’t suggest you grab that juicy burger and fries in Central America. I go for the local chicken, ceviche or whatever local cut of meat is popular in that country. Not only is this authentic, but it is also a fraction of what you will pay for “American food.”

Eating with Locals when travelling solo long-term

I like to eat and drink with locals, and there are resources to help me when my networking skills need to improve. When this happens, one of my go-tos as a solo traveller is eatwith.

Activities, Tours and Attractions

My number one rule when it comes to booking tours is to not book in advance. What 99 percent of travellers do is book all of their activities well before their trip. People do this because the travel industry makes us believe that tours will sell out. This is due to marketing and advertising efforts to create urgency so we pay more. In reality, this doesn’t happen with a few exceptions, such as the Inca trail hike in Peru and the Acatenengo hike in Guatemala. These are literally the only two tours I have ever booked before arriving in a new country which I booked on Trip Advisor. For every other tour I have ever booked I wait until I arrive in the country I am visiting. By doing this I pay a fraction of the price I would pay in advance for the same tour.

Check with the Tour Desk at Your Hotel or Hostel

Earlier in this blog, I mentioned that I like to stay in hostels when I arrive in a new city. I first visit the hostel’s tour desk to see what tours and attractions are available. This also applies to hotels if that’s your accommodation of choice. This helps give me a budget-friendly plan of attack.

Tour Apps I use for long-term solo travel planning

I use GuruWalk, a free walking tour app where guides work for tips. GuruWalk is an excellent resource in Central and South America, Europe and Egypt. Some of the best tours I have ever done were free using this app. I had my own personal tour guide at the Pyramids in Egypt using this service. Perhaps the best part he was a photographer for National Geographic so I had my own professional photographer and videographer for the entire day. This made for the perfect travel experience. In Southeast Asia, I mostly use GetYourGuide, which offers paid tours. Downloading these apps will make it easy to find tours on the fly when long-term solo travel planning.

Often, people assume I follow these travel principles because I’m a budget traveller. Sure, that helps long-term travel, but that is not the main reason. By following these guidelines, you will get off the beaten path and dig deeper into the country you are visiting. You will connect with locals, visit non-advertised attractions, explore hidden gems and have an authentic travel experience. This shift in methodology has changed how I travel and helped me live a more purpose-filled life.

Now, get out there and have a life-changing travel experience. For more of my travel tips check out my Travel BTS page.

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