Helpful tips while travelling solo

Travelling solo can be a daunting prospect, but there's a reason so many people rave about it. Photo / Getty Images

Lauren Jones looks at a few ideas for connecting with people while travelling solo.

Travelling solo can be a daunting prospect, but there's a reason so many people rave about it. Solo travel allows you to do exactly what you want, when you want - which sounds perfect until you get lonely.

1 Hostels
Hostels are the perfect way to meet other travellers, and most of the time they're far cheaper than hotels. In hostels you have the option to share a room with a number of other people and even if you choose to stay in a solo room the kitchens and bathrooms are often shared. The common rooms of hostels are a great place to spark up conversation with other travellers and chances are there will be heaps of others on their own too. Though the first conversation can be awkward, eventually you'll find yourself planning trips and exchanging knowledge with like-minded people.

2 Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is one of the best ways to meet the locals. It's often one of the cheapest options for accommodation and if you get a good host they'll help you with tips and spots that only the locals know. It's often a great option to get a taste of the local food and culture as if you're lucky the hosts will feed you. Most hosts are super-friendly and open to discussion so it's really easy to spark up conversation. You can also open up your own home to couch surfers and sometimes they might be willing to repay the favour in their country.

3 Group Tours
Group tours are always best done solo. Why? Because most other people on the tour are doing it solo too. Whether you do a large group tour like Contiki or a smaller one like G-Adventures, you're bound to meet other people. When confined to a group you're forced to talk and you'll find the other travellers are open to making friends too. The great thing with group tours is that you can meet a bunch of people from all over the globe who might even be willing to stay in touch and meet up for an adventure in the future.

4 Buses or Trains
On overnight or long-haul buses and trains you're often surrounded by other travellers. These forms of transport give you plenty of time for starting conversations and plenty of time to plan adventures for the destination you're headed to. You'll get to meet all sorts of people on these journeys, it's as simple as asking them where they're going or where they're coming from.

5 Walking Tours
Loads of cities offer relatively cheap walking tours. Not only are they cheap and rewarding, you have in some cases the whole day to chat to the other people in your tour. If you've all picked the same tour, chances are you're all interested in the same thing and speak the same language so it shouldn't be too hard to get chatting. Also walking tours are limited to however much your legs can manage, so often there's a bunch of sights left over that you haven't seen and a bunch of people who would probably be willing to see them with you. It's also a great idea to strike up a conversation with the tour guide as they will have great local knowledge you can use for other trips.