I've been to Cuba, Thailand and Spain alone and had a wonderful time.
I'm also an air hostess, and spend a lot of time down route alone.

I spent a month in Cuba and Thailand and a week in Spain.

Cuba was the first time I travelled alone, I'd been wanting to go for ages. I did some research on the Thorntree forum which is part of The Lonely Planet site, and made contacts, and even ended up meeting and renting a flat with a couple of people from the site.

I would say, choose a place that holds a lot of interest, and has some sort of purpose for you so you won't be bored.

Cuba was perfect for me, because I was learning Spanish, and also teaching salsa. My time in Cuba were spend listening to music, in salsa classes or chilling out with some locals mutilating their language.


Thailand, I was going to fast, so I had a purpose there too. Spain, I just wanted to get away and went to a small village by the beach with no-one to bother me. If I had gone expecting a wild time I would have been very disappointed.

In terms of travelling as a black woman, I''ll say I personally think it's harder for us than others. In Cuba, I ran into difficulties because I looked like a local, so would get stopped from entering tourist areas.

Thailand, I didn't have any problems, but I was in a spa and didn't really leave it in case I was tempted to eat!

Spain... Well I guess I don't have to tell you about that, but I kept myself to myself and so it was cool.

The key to a good solo holiday is planning, you may not stick to the exact plan, but it's always good to have one in place. Figure out what it is you'd like to do and how much it will cost.

For evening entertainment, think about something you'd like to do alone, and see if they have that type of entertainment. I always check out whether a place has salsa clubs and then go off on my own.

Do you want to meet locals? If so is there a way to make contact with someone before you leave? Want to meet other travellers? Stay in a hostel type place, or check out the local tourist office.

Carry books or magazines with you at all times. Having dinner in a restaurant seems to take much longer when you're alone. I also kept a journal and love reading it back, the memories are great.

Know the local laws of the country. You can get into trouble for things you wouldn't expect (e.g, it's illegal to bring prescribed painkillers into UAE)

Go on Thorntree to learn what the current scams are being done in that country. Try and find out rough costings of taxis and meals so you won't get robbed.

Always keep your passport safe, and keep a scanned copy of it and your insurance details as a draft in your email account with the details of the British consulate. You will very likely not need it, but it pays to be safe. You can buy one of those prepaid credit cards so you don't have a lot of currency on you.

If you're going to a country and don't speak the language, get a phrasebook, it's helpful for you, and locals like seeing you take an interest in their language. Walk with a piece of the notepad you'll get at the hotel, so if you can't get a taxi driver to understand you, you can show them the paper.

Keep in regular contact with someone here, and work out an emergency procedure (If they don't hear from you every week, contact someone).

It is an amazing feeling to be alone, you get to know more of yourself and run to your own schedule.
Try to just relax, have fun!

Some of the experiences I had in Cuba wouldn't have happened if I had been the safe, sensible person I am here.
I went off with people and had dinners with family, danced at a local carnival, pretended to be Cuban and had 'foreigners' taking pictures of me dancing. It truly was liberating.

On the other side though, I met a couple from Australia who were hanging with a local that I didn't like for some reason. At the end of the night, he offered to walk me home and I declined, but the couple insisted. Long story short, he got whacked up by a pi$$ed off South Londoner. Always go with your mind. I truly believe that we don't listen to ourselves enough!

Hope this helps x x x