Flying solo: a complete guide to enjoying your first trip alone
Published: 2026-07-06
Your first solo flight can be stressful: alone at the airport, alone in a foreign city, alone with every decision. On top of that comes a whole list of imagined disasters - that you will miss something, that nobody will help, that the evenings will turn out long and empty. Yet solo trips are the ones people remember for the rest of their lives, precisely because nobody else sets the pace or the plan. Here's how to prepare well for your first flight on your own.
Before departure: prepare, but don't over-plan
Lock in only two things: transport from the airport and your first night's accommodation. Leave the rest open - the greatest perk of solo travel is changing plans whenever you like without asking anyone, and a week scheduled down to the hour throws that advantage away. Photograph your documents and keep the copies in the cloud, check that your card works abroad, and carry an emergency fifty in cash. Leave your itinerary with someone at home, including the address of that first night - it takes a minute and saves a good deal of worry on both sides.
At the airport: arrive early and use the time
Without company, check-in and security go faster than you expect, so the recommended two hours will leave you with time to spare. Treat it as the start of the trip rather than a waiting room: observe, read, have a proper breakfast, talk to someone at the gate. People waiting for the same flight are natural first-conversation candidates - you are going to exactly the same place, so the topic comes ready-made. The gate is also the safest imaginable place to strike up a conversation with a stranger: it is public, it is crowded, and boarding ends the conversation for you either way.
On the plane: the world's best networking room
Statistically, the person next to you knows the city you're flying to, lives there, or is heading there with a similar plan. A short "first time going there?" during descent is the lowest-hanging fruit in the history of meeting people - everyone is awake by then, the tables are stowed, and there are only minutes left on board. Do not count on chance seating the right person beside you, though; if you want to sit together, seats are chosen when you book or during online check-in. And with MeetInPlane you can know before take-off who else on board will be exploring alone.
At your destination: alone doesn't mean lonely
Solo travel isn't a marriage to solitude - it's full control over when you want company. Free walking tours, hostels with shared kitchens, group classes and traveller apps mean you find company when you feel like it and disappear when you'd rather be alone. It is worth planning that roughly: one event with people per day is usually enough to keep loneliness away without swallowing the whole day. Go easy on yourself on the first evening - instead of ambitious plans, pick something within ten minutes of where you're staying.
Safety: a few simple rules
Share your location with someone you trust, and tell them whenever your plans shift by more than a day. Spend the first night somewhere well-reviewed with a route you know - this is not the moment to save twenty on a place out in the suburbs. Meet new acquaintances in public places first, keep your room number and booking details to yourself, and stay in control of how you get back. Build trust gradually - exactly like you would at home, only with more respect for your own instinct, because in an unfamiliar place it is the first thing to warn you.
Flying solo is a skill, and every trip gets easier: the first costs the most nerves, the second is merely logistics, and by the third you start appreciating that nobody complains about your plan for the day. If you want to know exactly when at an airport it pays to strike up a conversation, I broke it down phase by phase in "Matched. Now what? The six phases of an airport". Want your very first trip to feel less lonely? Create a free MeetInPlane account and see who's flying with you.