Italy is a fantastic place to explore solo – not only is there tons of things to do, the locals are wonderful and the food is exquisite! Looking back, I am so glad that I decided to embark on this journey by myself in a quest to prove to myself that I could do it. I will also admit that the art, architecture and history of the country were a powerful pull for me, being a history nerd, er, buff and all.
I spent a total of 15 days traveling across Italy, made friends along the way, discovered many things about myself, and most of all, I developed a real passion for traveling! Here are my 10 most important lessons I learned from traveling alone in Italy as a woman. However, I feel that most of these lessons apply to solo travel to many destinations in the world.
Traveling around Italy? Check out these 10 epic viewpoints and Instagram photo-ops!
1. Force yourself out of your comfort zone
I will tell this over and over again – there are few experiences that force you to open up as solo travel does. I am an introvert and naturally, being by myself, buried nose deep in a book or a piece of technology is my natural stance. But, solo travel forced me out of my bubble, in a good way. I learned to strike up conversations with strangers and eat at a restaurant by myself – things that did not come naturally to me.
Check out this post about how you can spend 24, 48 or 72 hours in Florence!
So, my advice is to be open to making friends on the road. Go with the flow. Try dishes you have not tried before. Try an experience you would not normally do at home. You will have plenty of time to do your own things, and check off the items on your list. The chance meetings here and there, clicking with people traveling in the same places as you – these are the memories you will carry with you later on.
2. Italy is huge - but public transit is good across major places
Despite the infamy that the Italian train system endures, the trains were actually on time and super clean. If you are traveling across major cities, ditch the rental car, and hop on a train or bus. However, if you are traveling to smaller towns or villages, and want to save on time, rent a car.
With that being said though, do not only flit from one big place to another – spend some time traveling around the lesser known towns and cities. Some of my most memorable experiences were walking on the outskirts of Siena, observing locals living their lives.
If Venice is on your itinerary, be sure to check out what to do for 36 hours in Venice!
3. Italians are super nice!
One thing that left a deep impression in my mind is just how wonderful and welcoming the locals were. They take pride in their history, art and culture. And genuinely love to help. There was a time in Siena when I had hopped off my train and realized to my horror that I had no cell phone network. I could not figure out which bus I needed to take to my B&B, and had no way to call for a taxi. Feeling slightly panicky, I went inside a local store where the owner, who did not speak English, called a taxi for me, all the while telling me (I assume?) some form of “It’s gonna be ok”. A taxi arrived shortly after, and I grazie-ed her profusely.
This incident was a key indicator of how traveling alone in Italy as a woman was like, for me. I felt safe and got help from locals when I needed it. This is why I would highly recommend female solo travelers to go to Italy.
4. It’s really important to learn some local language phrases
Obviously I wasn’t that prepared for it. I was woefully Italian-illiterate at that time, but thankful that I was able to find the right help when I needed it, even though I mostly relied on a great deal of hand-gesturing and throwing in English words here and there (facepalm). While you may be able to get away with speaking English in larger cities, in smaller towns and villages, don’t expect the locals to converse with you in English. Besides, it is nice to show respect by learning a few phrases, and who knows – it might save you from a sticky situation!
So, if I were to do this trip over, I would definitely learn a handful of useful Italian phrases.
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5. Pack light
Packing light is one of the biggest learnings I had on this trip. And this is something I struggled with innately! Seriously, it took a lot of work to get the discipline of packing light down (I still struggle lol). You will be lugging your own luggage. And as nice as people are, you will be responsible for your own stuff.
Packing too much will also slow you down. You don’t want that on your precious vacation time now, do you? I learned it the hard way when I was lugging my large suitcase across the bridges in Venice that had “steps” only in the middle of the night. Don’t be like me – pack light.
If you decide to spend the night in Venice, here are 25 fun things you can do at night!
6. Take all the time in the world (or your vacation) to hang out in museums
Or, you know, to do what you want to do. This is definitely one of the best parts of traveling by yourself. I love being in museums and spent about 5 hours at the Uffizi, guilt-free. I only stopped because my legs were getting mutinous. Do you like architecture? Spend all your time admiring and clicking photos of the buildings. Take walking tours with locals and learn more about the architectural history of your destination. Is food more your vibe? Italy has unbelievable food that would keep any foodie ecstatic for days. Figure out what you would like to do the most – and do lots and lots of it!
7. Get comfortable asking for help
Whether it’s for photos, directions or with your luggage (hopefully not this if you follow my point #5), traveling solo will mean you will be asking for favors.
Get used to clicking dozens (who am I kidding, more like hundreds) of selfies! No, you’re not a narcissist, I promise, just a solo traveler working to get that perfect pic.
It’s ok to approach a stranger and request that they click a photo of you. Or to ask general directions. Generally, most people will willingly help you out. Note that while traveling alone in Italy as a woman, you may get some extra attention from men. But, from my experience, it was mostly from a place of curiosity and friendliness.
Additionally, do yourself a favor – tell that random person you just asked for a photo what background you want in that picture. Saves you the hassle of asking for another pic if that background wasn’t exactly what you had in mind!
But, with this being said….
8. Trust your instincts
Traveling solo will reinforce your belief to trust your gut. If you get uncomfortable in a situation, get help. Learning a couple of phrases in the local language to alert people in your surrounding (see what I said about #4 above?) is definitely useful. Always have the helpline numbers in the country you’re traveling to handy. You never know when you might need them.
While I generally felt completely safe traveling alone in Italy as a woman, some precautions should always be taken, no matter what.
Leave a detailed itinerary with a friend or family member with your hotel/Airbnb address and your contact number. Again, most likely they won’t need it, but just in case of emergencies you’ll be glad you did.
9. Do not compromise on good cellular service
My previous point brings me to this point: always purchase a good cellular plan with plenty of data. Not just for an emergency, but also to find transport, find a good restaurant, or directions around the place of your travel.
Equally important is decent Wifi at the hotel. The last thing you want to feel during your travels is homesick, without having a way to connect with your loved ones. Hence, always try to book a hotel or Airbnb with free wifi.
Is Rome on your Italy itinerary? If you have not considered it yet, take a look at this post on 26 wonderful reasons to visit Rome on your Italy trip!
10. You will feel alone sometimes
This is an inevitable lesson from traveling solo. While all veteran solo travelers know this, and have found ways to combat feeling alone, newbies are not always aware. You will make some friends on the road, but not for every leg of your trip. There will be some dinners you eat by yourself, some life-changing moments you will experience by yourself, and memories for life that you will have all to yourself. And that is okay. Because you will spend quality time with yourself.
And if you feel like you need a pick-me-up, call a friend. Or better yet, use that free hotel Wifi and video call a buddy.
11. Bonus lesson - Find yourself
I’ll admit – this feels like the most cliched phrase associated with solo travel, heck, even travel in general. But I swear you will find yourself. You will learn things about yourself you didn’t know before. And I bet you will learn to like yourself more. You will learn to think on your feet, make plans on the fly (daring, amirite?), experience the thrill of adventure, and what do you know, come back to write a blog post some day. 😉
So there you have it. These are my top 10 lessons I learned from traveling alone in Italy as a woman. These lessons can be applied to traveling solo in other parts of the world too.
As you plan your first solo trip or your tenth, I hope this list gives you the perspective and helps you plan your travel better.
Now go on out there, and have fun on your trip!
Do you have any lessons that you learned and would like to share? Let me know in a comment below.
Traveling around Italy? Check out my other Italy posts here!
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