How to Travel Independently (Almost) Anywhere

Meet the requirements: you must love to travel; you must love being independent; you must be smart. If you like someone else planning the trip, arranging the hotels, scheduling the sightseeing, handling the luggage, and telling you what time to get up in the morning, independent travel isn’t for you. The rewards of independence are great for those so inclined. The trip starts way before you leave. You’re reading, watching videos, and checking the internet for information about your destination. You’re catching glimpses of snow-covered mountain peaks, island beaches with waving palm trees, or reflections of the Taj Mahal while still in your living room! You know about the language, food, people, culture, politics, history, geography, currency, and climate of where you want to go.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• The ability to learn
• The ability to keep your cool while those about you are losing theirs.
• Common sense
• Experience
• Information
• A love of travel
• A love of independence

1. Mt. Cook, South Island, New Zealand Why do you travel? Is it more about getting away than where you are going? Check into a hotel in a town 30 miles from home. Is it to tell someone, “I went to the Louvre? They speak a funny language in Paris.” Either lie and save yourself the money or take a tour of Paris. Is it because you actually want to see another part of the world? A tour might well be the best way, particularly if you aren’t inclined to do some research on your own.
2. Island of Bermuda Are you independent? If you think they speak a funny language in Paris, don’t travel independently. Every language in the world seems strange to those who don’t know it. Have you gone many places on your own?
3. Hot Springs, Arkansas Making independent travel successful is mostly a matter of experience, flexibility, knowledge of the area, common sense and a sense of humor, plus some financial resources. Partly it’s a matter of knowing what kind of a person you are. Staying within (or not too far from the edge) of your comfort level.
4. Nova Scotia, Canada Independent travel takes some time. If you are working fulltime and taking care of a family, or playing golf, bridge or making love all the time, maybe you just don’t want to spend the time learning about the place you are going. Accept that it isn’t right for you (at this time). Maybe it never will be.
5. Mackinaw Island, Michigan Plan ahead. What time of year is best to go? What kind of clothes should you take? How much money will you need? Does the amount of time and money you’ve allotted make sense? How much per day? Are you in good health? If you are leaving the country, do you have a passport? Is it good for at least six months after your trip? What resources do you have for finding accommodations, seeing what you went to see, and for getting around? Have you planned for the unexpected? Do you have all your documents, such as reservations and confirmation numbers, insurance cards, emergency phone numbers, and money, or maybe that was mentioned already.
6. Savannah, Georgia Once you go, relax. If something doesn’t go according to plan—and it certainly will happen—adjust. Maybe the restaurant isn’t open, the hotel lost your reservation, the rental car is stolen. If you can keep your cool when things don’t go right, you’ll have a whale of a good time, when your plan is purring along. It’s usually the unexpected happenings that make the best stories!

Tips & Warnings

• If it's right for you, the rewards are immense: you'll gain self-confidence, you'll interact with the natives at your destination in a way group traveling doesn't allow.
• The learning you do ahead of time allows you to use the professional's experience and apply it to your own trip.
• Your local bookstore probably has a section on travel. There's more than you can read!
• It's really important to know if this is the right kind of travel for you. After all, there's a world of travel experts who know the pitfalls. Tour companies are in the business of making people happy.