Traveling is fun. In fact, it’s recommended that you travel regularly while you’re young, while you’re still able and healthy enough to do so. But even if your knees start creaking and your lungs whimper with every step on the stairs, you should still take a trip somewhere at least once.
It’s a big world out there, and life is too short to miss out on all the wonders awaiting you.
Most people travel with someone they trust (e.g., their life partner, a dear relative, a close friend, etc.). However, it is still possible to journey without a travel buddy. Of course, since you have no one else to rely on but yourself, no companion to share the weight of your load, you need to be prepared for every contingency.
Here are a few things that can make it easy for you to travel the world solo.
A Top-Load Duffle Bag
First off, a bag. Not just any bag. You need to get a top-load leather duffle bag.
It’s both spacious and lightweight, allowing you to pack as much stuff as you can without any excess burden or bulk. Plus, a top-load-style bag makes it convenient to reach inside and pull out that one item you’re looking for without needing to dig through your entire pack, provided you’ve properly arranged the items inside, which is also relatively easier to do with a top-load bag compared to other designs.
Besides, duffle bags will never go out of fashion. They can even instill in you an aura of a badass person, not one to mess around with in a bar or on the streets.
It’s also perfect for your lone-wolf image. It may also be the right deterrent against those that would seek to take advantage of you, being a solo tourist and all.
A Self-Defense Weapon
Speaking of, you may still want to take with you a tool that you can use to defend yourself with. You never know when you may need one, especially if you somehow stumble somewhere ill-advised for solo travelers and get accosted by thugs.
You could run, but your bag may slow you down. Dropping it is an option—your life is more important than any material object—but then can you survive without your gear? How would you pay for your return trip? That’s why you need a tool that can easily knock down your attacker to guarantee a successful escape.
Get a pepper spray or a stun gun. They are nonlethal weapons that can quickly incapacitate any creep harassing you. Don’t worry about customs. Maces and tasers, although not allowed as carry-on items, can be part of your checked baggage in most airports.
Knives are a bad idea. They may be useful survival tools when camping, in fact here is a good place to find the best survival knife, but they are not effective for self-defense when held by untrained hands. Brutes bigger than you will be unfazed by your feeble stick.
Money Clips
Touring other countries means you must use their respective currencies. Establishments that accept foreign money are usually more expensive. On top of that, carrying different sets of unfamiliar bills can get confusing, not to mention inconvenient.
Imagine, after anchoring for the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, you exit right to Vietnam. You check in with the foreign exchange to change currencies from dollar to dong.
Now, 1 US dollar (USD) is roughly equal, as of the time of this writing, to 23,000 Vietnamese dong (VND). Do you think you’ll enjoy being a billionaire, mistaking a 100,000 VND with a 10,000 VND amid all those brightly colored dongs in your pocket?
Thus, complement your travel wallet with money clips. Clips. Plural. Different clips for different denominations. That way, you can group your bills and not mix them up. Clips will also save you from having to rifle through your wallet, looking for the right money.
Even better, get money clips personalized by Groovy Groomsmen Gifts with the initials of your name. In case you lose your clips and cash, they’ll have a distinct marking identifying your ownership. If ever they get found, all you’ll need to do is to present an ID and press your claim.
Lastly, Remember the Essentials
Water, food, clothes, money, a method of communication—these are the things you should never travel without. All will be for naught should you lack any of these travel essentials.
They, in addition to the recommendations above, will make your trip comfortable, convenient, and considerably easy, especially since you’re going at it alone.
With all these, you can make it on your own. Good luck, trailblazer!
