One, please: Wise tips for traveling on your own

Traveling alone can be an exciting, liberating experience, but that doesn't mean you should forget about finances, safety and getting the best deal. Let this rundown of travel tips from the pros guide you on your way to a blissful and safe solo vacation.

Finances

Carolyn Sandgren-Kempf, travel expert and owner of Elite Travel in Cape Girardeau, recommends clients use credit cards while traveling, and alert the card company that the card will be used in a new or unusual location. She also says cards can be given maximum expenditure amounts to avoid fraudulent credit card use.

"If someone stole your credit card, would you know what number to call? You want to put those toll-free numbers in your phone -- write not the credit card number, but your [phone] numbers from your card," Sandgren says.

Sandgren also recommends leaving a copy of cards and important phone numbers at home with a trusted friend or family member.

Young woman standing on the beach with a bicycle

She says to use small bills when traveling, and to be aware of foreign currency exchange rates. All hotels and currency brokers set their own exchange rates, so the rate may be higher than the expected national exchange rate.

"When you use your credit card, you get the true exchange rate. But you have to be careful about your credit card to make sure they don't charge a foreign exchange fee. So when you go to select what credit card you travel with, you want one that's not going to charge you an extra percentage for a currency exchange," she says.

Sandgren warns against flashing money, credit cards or any other valuable items.

"Lock your valuables up. You don't have to show off in another country, because you're asking to be a victim. There's people that look for that," she says.

Safety

Sandgren says one of the best first steps to take when traveling alone is to partner with someone in the area of the destination so they can give recommendations on the safer parts of town. She says it's also best to study the area and learn about the culture to help assimilate oneself quickly.

Along with being familiar with the surroundings, Sandgren says she always tells clients to register with the consulate when they're in a foreign country. Knowing the location of the local police station is also important in terms of safety.

"I try to be proactive to think if I was a victim of a crime, do I know what I would do? And then if something happens, you're prepared," she says.

Over time, Sandgren has learned to be careful about what style of hotel she recommends singles stay in, and says to avoid hotels with closed inner corridors, considering solo travelers may be more vulnerable than those traveling in numbers.

In terms of baggage, Shari Elfrink, president of 1st Class Travel in Cape Girardeau, recommends putting a first initial rather than a full first name on luggage ID tags so strangers can't distinguish whether the bag belongs to a man or a woman.

Woman writing in hammock on beach

"With cruises, especially, they'll leave your bags outside the door that night, so not advertising" that a woman is staying in a room alone is important, Elfrink says.

She also recommends leaving the television on a local channel while not in the room to make it appear like someone is still there.

"[Thieves] are much less likely to break into a room if they think it's a local person than they are if they think you're a tourist," Elfrink says.

One of Sandgren's main safety guidelines is recommending people don't show too much PDA: Although most people hear PDA and think "public displays of affection," she is referring to no "public displays of affluence."

"People tend to go on a trip, they wear their nicest jewelry, their nails are done, they've got their best clothes, they go buy a designer bag -- you're asking somebody to pickpocket you or to rob you," Sandgren says. "You always have to be aware and on guard, no matter where you are. And especially in some countries, with everything from human trafficking to pickpockets and identity theft, these people are experts, and they have nothing to do but to sit and view you as a victim."

Susan Berghoff of 1st Class Travel says self-awareness in foreign countries is one of the most important aspects of safety when traveling alone.

"I don't ever encourage anybody to go out and do their own thing on their own if they're in another country, unless it's with a group or you're comfortable," she says.

Common sense is another tool Sandgren says solo travelers should use during vacation.

"Something happens to people mentally when they travel. They're so excited about this adventure that they're going to go on that they lose common sense, and I've done this almost 30 years, I'm appalled at times the stories that people tell me where they go to these other countries and do things that they would never do here," she says.

Elfrink says travelers should make sure they pack all essential items, such as daily-dose medicines and an extra set of clothes, in a carry-on in case their luggage gets lost.

"Anything you have to have stays with you," she says.

Sandgren says even if people would like to travel alone, they can still travel with a singles group to have plenty of flexible free time to themselves paired with the safety of traveling in a group. She also recommends using a travel agency to plan solo trips, because travel agents can be valuable resources to help travelers choose the best destinations with safe lodging and transport options.

Deals

Sandgren says oftentimes, for cruises, a company will charge per person, but if a single person takes up a room by themselves, they still have to pay the full amount for the room.

"What you want to look for is companies that sometimes have special rates for singles, where they say, 'We're not going to penalize you because you're by yourself,'" she says. "The first thing a solo traveler wants to do is make sure they're paying and not being penalized for traveling alone."

Sandgren also says the cost of traveling alone could be lowered by adding the option of a roommate.

"So what they'll do is they'll have you fill out a form," she explains. "They always have you room with the same gender, and smokers, nonsmokers, they try to match you with the same age, and then you can get a huge cost savings because you get that discount of having a roommate, and plus you can make some great friends."

Berghoff says another way to save money is to plan ahead.

"I'm all for prepaying everything that you can," she says.

She recommends prepaying for tours before going on a trip overseas to avoid the monetary exchange rate. This can also help create a definitive itinerary for safety purposes.

Sandgren says there are several benefits to traveling alone, including the ability for the traveler to take time doing what he or she wants to do, without worrying about time constraints or preferences of people in a group.

"I think the other advantage is that you can do what you want, when you want," she says. "I think it depends on the person. Some people are not socially wired to travel with people. There are definitely loners in the world, too."