What to Do and What to Skip

After traveling solo across many countries: the best trips aren't measured by how much you did, they're measured by how much of it actually felt like you. Here's how to find that balance.

Stop Optimizing, Start Experiencing

Most solo travelers arrive with a list of 20 things they "should" do. By day three, they're exhausted and behind schedule. The shift happens when you stop treating your trip like a to-do list and start treating it like time that's entirely yours. One thing done properly beats five things rushed.

Your Pace Is the Right Pace

There's no rule that says you have to be moving all day. Spending three hours in one museum, getting lost in a neighborhood with no destination, or sitting in a local café watching the street go by isn't wasting time, it's what slow, intentional travel actually looks like. You set the agenda. Use that.

Push One Edge Per Trip

Here's the honest truth: the things that feel slightly uncomfortable to book solo, the cooking class, the group hike, the surf lesson, are almost always the ones you talk about years later. You don't need to go skydiving. Just pick one thing per trip that's a little outside your usual pattern. That's enough to grow.

Local Beats Landmark

The most Instagrammed spot in any city is usually the most crowded, most expensive, and least memorable part of your trip. A neighborhood market, a meal at a place with no English menu, a free walking tour led by a resident, these reveal more about a place than any famous attraction. Seek what locals actually do, not what visitors are told to see.

Group Activities Are a Solo Traveler's Secret Weapon

Joining a group tour, class, or experience when you're traveling alone isn't a compromise, it's a strategy. These are the spaces where solo travelers meet, where conversations start naturally, and where the trip shifts from solo to shared. Pick at least one group activity per destination. It changes the dynamic.

Budget Spent Right Goes Further

Expensive doesn't mean better. A $15 street food tour can outperform a $120 rooftop dinner. A free walking tour with a passionate local guide beats a polished bus tour every time. Know what you're willing to spend on, and be intentional about it, rather than defaulting to whatever's at the top of the search results.

How I Choose What to Do (And How You Can Too)

I do plan, just not much. For a 10-day trip, I pick 3 to 5 places I genuinely want to visit: a specific market, a neighbourhood I read about, a viewpoint that's not on every itinerary.

If they happen to be close to each other, I might stretch that to 6 or 7.

Add a restaurant or café I've been eyeing, and maybe 8 or 9. Everything after that? Happy to let the day decide.

For a 7-day trip, I pull that back to 2 or 3 anchor spots. Less pressure, more room to linger.

That's it. A loose list of places that matter to me, not a schedule, not a ranked itinerary. Just enough structure to feel oriented, and enough empty space to actually enjoy being somewhere.

The Activity Decision Framework

Before you book anything, ask yourself one question: what do I need from this trip? Rest and disconnection? Stimulation and new experiences? Human connection? A mix? Your answer changes everything. A trip where you need rest and you fill it with packed activity days will leave you more drained than before you left. Be honest about your energy before you plan your days.

A good day usually has one or two anchors, a booked tour, a museum visit, a cooking class, and a few hours with nothing planned. The unplanned hours are where the best things happen: the conversation, the unexpected street, the place you stumble into. If every hour is scheduled, you've removed the possibility of those moments. Leave room for the trip to surprise you.

Even if you prefer traveling completely solo, add at least one group experience per destination. Walking tours, day hikes, food tastings, surf lessons, photography walks, activities that naturally gather small groups of like-minded travelers. This isn't about being social if that's not your thing. It's about having the option. Some of the best connections from travel start with a shared activity.

Generic reviews tell you if an activity is good. Reviews from solo travelers tell you if it's good for you. Look for mentions of solo-friendliness, group size, whether the guide created space for interaction, and if the experience felt worth the cost. Review platforms like GetYourGuide show verified reviews, filter for the comments that mention solo travel specifically.

Most solo travelers have a category of activity they avoid, the one that feels too solo, too challenging, too unfamiliar. That's usually exactly the one worth doing. You don't need to force it every trip, but notice the pattern. If you always skip group dinners, try one. If you've never done a multi-day hike, consider a guided half-day version first. The edge is where the good stories come from.

FAQ

Q: How do I find activities that are actually solo-traveler friendly?

Look for experiences with small group sizes (under 12 people), led by local guides, with verified reviews. Walking tours, cooking classes, day hikes, and cultural workshops tend to attract solo travelers naturally. Avoid large bus tours if connection is what you're after — the format doesn't encourage it.

Q: Is it worth booking in advance or figuring it out when I arrive?

Depends on the activity and destination. For popular experiences in high-season destinations, book ahead, they sell out and prices rise closer to the date. For flexible activities like walking tours or casual classes, booking a day or two before is usually fine. Don't over-schedule your trip in advance, leave room to adjust based on how you actually feel when you're there.

Q: What if I book something and it's not what I expected?

Most reputable booking platforms offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity. Check cancellation policies before you book, not after. If an experience genuinely isn't working for you, it's okay to leave early, you're solo, you don't owe the group your full afternoon. Your time matters.

Q: How much should I budget for activities?

This varies wildly by destination and travel style, but a rough starting point: allocate 15–20% of your daily travel budget to activities. Mix free and paid experiences, free walking tours, public parks, markets, and self-guided exploration should make up a good portion of your days. Save the budget for experiences you genuinely can't replicate on your own.

Q: I'm introverted. Are group activities still worth it?

Yes, with the right format. Look for small groups (8 or fewer), activity-based experiences where the focus is the thing you're doing together (cooking, hiking, photography), rather than forced conversation. These tend to work well for introverts because the activity gives you something to engage with, and conversation happens naturally from there, without pressure.

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