Waiting for the perfect travel companion is the fastest way to ensure your passport stays empty. You could spend decades holding out for a someday that never arrives. You could be solo, or even married for 25 years to a man who considers a walk to the mailbox an excursion! If you’ve got itchy feet and a heart that skips a beat at the mention of the Amalfi Coast, you can’t let someone else’s lack of momentum stall your global plans.
Honestly, the first time you step out into the world alone, it can feel less like a chic Eat Pray Love movie montage and more like a low-grade did-I-forget-something panic. But by venturing out alone you’ll find your truest, most capable self.
I’ve navigated travel in Europe both with a partner and entirely on my own, so here I’m sharing the best and most essential solo travel tips to help women navigate the continent with confidence. Get out there! You work hard, you deserve to go see the world!
1. Consider a group trip as your “training wheels”
If the idea of navigating a foreign train station alone makes your heart pound then I can’t recommend a group trip or guided tour highly enough. There’s a lot to think about when planning an international trip – planes, transfers, insurance, accommodation, activities and food are just the beginning. If you’ve never traveled solo before, a group trip removes a lot of that mental load so you can focus on having fun and find that sandwich stall you saw on TikTok.
Think of it as training wheels for your confidence. You get the safety of a group and the logistics handled by an expert Travel Director, while still having the freedom to wander off for a solo gelato in a Roman piazza. You might find you love the effortless flow of guided travel and chance to make new like-minded friends.
Over the past five years I’ve heard countless real stories about women joining Trafalgar tours solo, meeting a new travel bestie and then planning future tours somewhere cool in the world. Yes! Go girls! Get out there!
Past guest Ann Homenick left this comment on another article:
“I went on the “Amazing Britain” tour alone back in April 2018… My husband hates doing that sort of thing, so I just made up my mind that I would make new like-minded friends…! I met a lot of different people from different parts of the world… a couple of other ladies and I spent time together in the different cities when we were on our own. I never felt alone, because I wasn’t…. I have many fond memories of seeing the things I have wanted to see for so long.”
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2. Pack for your real self, not your fantasy solo self
Picture yourself in Europe. Are you a sleek, solo traveler in heels, sitting in a piazza with large sunglasses and an oversized hat? Sounds dreamy, but real with yourself – your real self will be doing 15,000 steps on medieval cobblestones and how the heck will you carry that hat around for weeks in Europe?
One of my top tips for solo travel as a women is to always prioritize comfort. Pack shoes you’ve worn before and know won’t give you blisters. Bring easy-to-wear clothing that you can dress up with simple accessories to make it chic. Let little scarves, fun earrings, different sunglasses, a clutch for evening do the heavy lifting.
If you can’t lift your own suitcase up the narrow stairs of an Edinburgh guesthouse, it’s too heavy. And leave room for souvenirs!
3. Have a battery back-up plan
Are you a Type B person who will wake up with 16% phone battery knowing they have to leave the house all day? Eeek. As a solo female traveler in Europe you need to think ahead and have a back-up plan. Your phone is your map, your translator and your lifeline.
Obviously, try to never leave your room without it being 100% charged, and I definitely recommend having a high-quality fully-charged power bank with you. When you travel you’ll be taking loads of photos and videos and using your phone to navigate, so the battery will drain super fast!
As an extra, extra back-up you can keep a physical card with your hotel’s address in your pocket. Technology is brilliant until it dies in a city where you don’t speak the language!
4. Carry a small stash of emergency cash
On my first solo trip to Europe, I was saying farewell to my parents at the airport and they handed me a $50 note. Some 8 hours later I was exchanging it for local currency in Singapore to make an emergency call due to a super delayed flight and missed layover, and then exchanging it again for Malaysian dollars to catch a bus between airport terminals. Lesson learnt.
While the world in 2026 is quite cash-free, being reliant on plastic cards isn’t foolproof. Years later in Germany I had a trusted travel money card – that appeared to be 100% functioning online – corrupted with no immediate solution. Another time, I used my emergency travel cash to pay a fisherman in Croatia to go fetch another bowl of mussels from the sea. All essential situations, if you ask me.
The moral of the story – cash is king. Having USD, Euros, Pounds or Canadian or Australians dollars can be useful.
5. Arrive before the sun goes down
You don’t want the anxiety that comes with trying to find a hidden boutique hotel in a maze of cobblestone streets after dark. While it might be tempting to save $100 and catch the flight that lands at 10pm, if you’re traveling solo as a woman try to book your transport to arrive in a new city during daylight hours.
It’s easier to find your bearings, get checked in and get a feeling for the neighbourhood and how safe it is during daylight hours. Everything feels less intimidating when café terraces are still full of life!
6. Dine with a prop (or at the bar)
Eating alone can be the most intimidating part of traveling solo. My top tips to skip the awkwardness are to bring a book or a journal, and (if possible) ask for a seat at the bar. Think about how cool and mysterious the solo woman at the bar looks, comfortable in her own company enjoying a glass of wine with a book! You can be her.
Plus, the good news is that across Europe the bar is where the action is anyway. Many cities like Madrid, San Sebastian or Lisbon, have a culture where you can stand or sit at the bar, chat with locals, or just watch the theater of a busy kitchen. You’ll soon forget you’re there alone.
Dining solo is a muscle. Once you’ve done it a few times, it gets easier – so book yourself in for a solo date in your own city or town and start with a solo lunch.
7. Pretend you know where you’re going at all times
One of the best solo travel tips is to look like you know exactly where you’re going, even when you’re utterly lost. Standing on a street corner looking confused could be an invitation you don’t want to send. If you need to check a map, you can step inside a shop or a café. If you need to ask directions, again ask someone who works inside a local business rather than a random passerby.
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8. Trust your gut over being polite
This is the golden rule of safety tips for solo female travelers, and it’s often the hardest one to follow. As women, we’ve spent a lifetime being socialized to be nice – to be helpful, kind, to smile back. But when you’re solo in a foreign city, you have my full permission to be rude. If a situation, a street, or a person feels off – just leave immediately. You don’t owe anyone an explanation or your time. Your safety is more important than someone else’s feelings.
When traveling solo, your intuition is your best friend. Trust it if something feels off.
Are you feeling ready to travel solo as a woman in Europe? What’s stopping you from a solo female travel experience? Let us know in the comments…