Raring to jump on the first flight out of town and explore somewhere new? Maybe you want to find out more about your own country on a road trip but can’t find enough adventurous souls to join you. This might be a perfect time to embark on that solo journey we should all take at least once in our lives.
Imagine grabbing your travel accessories or if you’re packing light, then just your travel essentials and hitting the road. Solo travel is often a right of passage for most travellers, with each trip you take is a unique experience that’s just for you. Being prepared for this experience is paramount, especially as you don’t have the same luxury of a buddy or support if you’re with a friend or group.
READ MORE: We explore the top 15 places for solo travel in the world
What is solo travel?
The definition of solo travel for us at Travel Wanderlust is a planned trip, rather than a quick business or emergency trip, out of your hometown or residence to either another country or another city where you spend the majority of the time on the trip exploring or having experiences by yourself.
This means trips by yourself to a new country to meet up with a group of friends or an unplanned trip to another city for a work issue does not count as solo travel. It has to be deliberate and hopefully something that you want to experience and enjoy.
We’ve tapped into our own personal experience with solo travel as well as the combined experience of our network to highlight the top 10 travel accessories for a solo traveller.
Here is our list of travel accessories you should have for your solo trip:
- Backpack
- A powerbank
- Travel-sized sanitiser kit
- A medical kit
- Travel pouch
- The right smartphone apps
- Portable WiFi
- Water bottle with a filter
- Travel lock
- Travel neck pillow
A good backpack
We’re going to assume when that most solo travellers who read this aren’t staying at five-star resorts and only flying private. So a good backpack is probably a really good investment as one of the main travel accessories for a solo traveller.
Make sure it is water-proof, sturdy and even theft-proof with knife resistant materials. It can last you years and I know my trusty backpack served me throughout my entire twenties.
We love both the Mission Workshop Fitzroy and Able Carry Max Backpack if you’re looking to get yourself a good backpack.
A good and reliable powerbank
We need power banks on a normal day, so it definitely makes sense to have a powerful one that can last you at least a couple of charges. Imagine using Google maps all day to help you move around, but get stuck out in the middle of nowhere without any means to call a taxi or even find the nearest hotel.
It is also super useful for charging your other devices you might be carrying around with you – a kindle for reading or maybe wireless headphones for those long commutes between towns.
Another good charging device to have is a multi-USB charger, which allows you to maximise a single power outlet. This might come in handy if you’re charging multiple devices at the same time in a cafe or even a small hostel with limited power outlets.
We recommend either the Qi Solar Power Bank or the Anker PowerCore II Slim 10000
READ MORE: One of our community shares what they miss most about their solo travel
Travel-sized sanitiser kit
Who doesn’t travel with sanitiser anymore? We all have used some form of sanitiser and when you’re travelling that isn’t going to change. Even during safer times, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Just make sure you get the right type of sanitiser that gets the job done.
A travel-sized bottle can fit into any bag easily and is great for making sure you’re protected even when travelling off the beaten path. Make you keep your hands nice and sanitised during your solo travels.
These are found easily online or at your nearest pharmacy, small shop or drug store.
A medical kit
As far as travel accessories for solo travellers go, a medical kit is probably one of the most essential. There is almost nothing worse than getting sick in a foreign country where you might not have anyone you can count on.
However, an over-the-counter first aid or medical kit may not quite cut it. We suggest building your own, or buying one and then adding to it. Make sure you have the staples – antiseptic, gauze, plasters, anti-acids or other medication to settle a stomach, generic medications like paracetamol and others.
We recommend customising it to the destination as well because it will help you maximise the space in your medical kit while ensuring your well-being during your solo trip.
Putting a travel medical pack together is pretty easy, so spend that ten minutes and get it done.
A pouch or fanny pack
Yes, we know it’s not cool, but it is really effective at keeping your money, other valuables and passport pretty safe. The good news for those uncomfortable wearing those good ol’ traditional fanny packs is that they come in sleek designs that can be worn under clothes to make them invisible.
This allows you to separate your essentials away from your general luggage and can be worn at all times. This is essential if you need to visit the toilet or are walking around in crowds, where there may be pickpockets.
We love the Everlane The ReNew Transit Bag and the Rains Bum Bag mini.
The right smartphone apps
So we could list a few dozen that would work, but the best apps to use when travelling by yourself are as follows:
- Transport apps: the obvious being Uber, but in certain countries like China and even Southeast Asian countries, Uber isn’t available. There are local alternatives like Grab for Southeast Asia, Didi for China and Careem for the Middle East.
- Translation apps: Google translate is pretty darn good, but there are others like Microsoft Translator or iTranslate Voice 3. We shared a whole list earlier about language translation apps for travellers.
- Maps: Google Maps is probably a safe bet, but there’s also Waze too.
So, while not an actual physical product, smartphone apps are some of the most important travel accessories for a solo traveller.
Portable WiFi hotspot
There’s nothing worse than getting stuck somewhere with limited service or being charged exorbitant fees for roaming data. A good alternative is a mobile or portable hotspot device that will give you reliable WiFi for all your devices.
These are essential when travelling to multiple areas and super helpful in ensuring you have some form of communication.
A couple of choices that we love include MiFi 2000 or the Huawei Mobile Wi-Fi Router Pro 2.
Water bottle with a filter
When travelling in certain countries it might be smart to pack a water bottle with a good filter. This will help avoid common ailments like food poisoning or most waterborne issues.
Including this as one of your essential travel accessories is worth it, as even for daily use a reusable water bottle saves the environment and is a convenient way to stay hydrated during your travels.
Our recommendations include one The Escape and the LifeStraw Go Bottle.
A good travel lock
What’s the use of having a great backpack, if a thief or anyone other than you can open it really easily. A great travel lock – either digital or traditional – is an affordable and simple way to beef up security for your things when you travel.
They don’t take up much safe and are a pretty good investment if you don’t want to lose your passport and all your belongings.
You can’t go wrong with our picks – Lumintrail TSA approved lock and the Master Lock TSA accepted combination padlock.
Inflatable neck pillow
We’re going a little bit out of the ordinary for the last of the travel accessories to make our list. From personal experience, solo trips can be exhausting because you have to handle everything yourself.
That’s why a good neck pillow helps you catch some much-needed sleep during the long commutes on your trip. A tip is to get a good inflatable neck pillow for easy storage because it can be a bulky addition to your travel gear if not.
Check out a full list of travel neck pillows that we love.
There’s our list for the top 10 best travel accessories if you’re travelling by yourself. We want to hear from you, so tell us if we’re missing anything out there or share what your favourite travel accessories are when you travel.
