Are you interested in traveling solo with your camera but feeling a little nervous about going somewhere new alone? In this post, we’ll cover tips to help you feel more confident and safe while solo traveling!
When I began solo traveling outside of the country to unfamiliar places with different languages, I found myself feeling surprisingly nervous before trips.
If you’re getting ready to travel to a new place or solo travel for the first time, know that it’s completely normal to feel a little nervous beforehand. The more you do it, the easier it will become. And if you follow the tips discussed below in this blog, you can help ease some nervousness before your next trip!
Safety Tips for Traveling Solo With Your Camera
Do your research before your trip.
Researching the area you are headed to beforehand will help you get familiar with the area. Some things to research beforehand are the city’s safety, cultural norms, best modes of transportation, and phone service.
Looking up important details about a location can help you feel more prepared and confident to take on solo traveling with your camera to a new location.
Share your trip details with a loved one.
Whenever you solo travel, you should always tell someone else about your trip and share your trip details with them. Details can include your destination, travel times/duration, your lodging details, your travel itinerary, and maybe location tracking on your cellphone. And you can check in with them occasionally.
For me, this person is usually my mom. In the past, when I have traveled to a new place, I have shared my location with her. I have also checked in with her occasionally (I think she worries more than I do). And it’s always nice to know that someone knows where you are and that you can call/text them if necessary.
Arrive and leave during daylight hours.
This one isn’t a necessity but I always found it made me feel more comfortable when traveling somewhere new. I know, sometimes those cheap flights with 6 am departures and/or late-night arrivals are enticing. But I always try my best to arrive during daylight hours when I am traveling solo. It usually feels better to arrive somewhere new during daylight when the world feels awake.
I’ll give you an example. When I booked a girl’s weekend trip to Prague, flights were limited. I could only find a late-night arrival that made me arrive a night before my friend. I wasn’t nervous about the trip and felt confident solo-traveling by this point. But being the overly cautious person I am, I shared my location with my mom and texted her when I landed. As soon as I got out of the Bolt (like an Uber), I called her. My Airbnb was on a dark street, my Bolt driver felt off, and I had to hunt for the Airbnb lockbox in the dark. The whole thing was fine but I don’t think I would have needed to call her in that situation if I arrived during daylight hours.
Never tell anyone you’re alone.
This may seem simple but this is a big one for me! If you’re staying by yourself in a hotel or an Airbnb, never tell anyone you’re alone! For all they know, you could be meeting a friend who is staying at another location, visiting someone local, or there for business. If you’re staying in a hostel, which I am not a fan of and don’t have much experience with, you may find a lot of solo travelers there to hang out with, and then you won’t be alone.
For the most part, I am pretty anti-social when traveling. But I have spoken briefly with people while solo traveling and even if they ask, I do not tell them I am traveling alone. I am not advocating for you to avoid talking to people while traveling. I know getting to know locals is the best part of traveling for some. However, when speaking with strangers, it’s probably a safer option to not mention that you are solo traveling or completely alone in a foreign place.
If you’re an American solo traveling with your camera overseas, your accent and your camera might give you away. But people don’t necessarily need to know the whole story of your trip.
Don’t broadcast your location or post in real time.
To keep myself safe when solo traveling with my camera, I never post in real time.
Generally speaking, I don’t post any of my travels in real time because I believe it takes me away from being present while I’m traveling. When I am solo traveling, I NEVER post my photos or trip details in real time because I do not want to broadcast where I am or the general vicinity of where I am staying. The only people I will occasionally share my trip photos with in real-time are my loved ones via text message or maybe an IG direct message but that is very rare for me!
My photography Instagram is a public account and the internet is a wild place that I do not trust fully. For that reason, I never post in real-time to make myself feel safer while traveling solo with my camera.
Don’t get lost in your camera.
Traveling solo with your camera to document new places is super exciting! So exciting that you might find yourself getting lost in your camera. But sometimes getting lost in your camera can lead to you not paying attention to your surroundings.
To help yourself stay aware of your surroundings, I recommend taking pictures with a camera that allows you to shoot using an LCD screen rather than a viewfinder.
When shooting with a viewfinder, you will have to put the camera up to your face. This will likely cause you to close one of your eyes and look through the camera with the other. This is fine in normal photography or when you are traveling with others but I don’t think it’s the smartest way to shoot when you’re traveling solo with your camera. When shooting with an LCD screen, you will be able to keep both of your eyes open and will be better able to stay aware of your surroundings.
I know some people might roll their eyes at this one and you can feel free to disregard it. BUT it helps me!
Looking for a travel camera?
Before moving to Europe, I purchased the Sony a6600 to document my travels. It’s a small mirrorless camera with a long battery life and interchangeable lenses that allow me to take pictures using my LCD screen or viewfinder.
Some photographers might tell you to only shoot with your viewfinder. However, I have only used my viewfinder maybe 3 times since purchasing my Sony in 2019. And I will likely never go back to using it.
There are tons of cameras out there that allow you to shoot with your LCD screen instead of the viewfinder. The Sony RX100 VII is a great pocket camera alternative if you’re looking for something simpler for documenting your travels. Most camera brands like Canon, Fujifilm, and Leica also have mirrorless cameras that allow you to shoot using your LCD screen!
Get a discrete camera bag.
Camera equipment is expensive and you might not want to advertise that you’re traveling solo with a bunch of expensive camera gear on you.
Before beginning to solo travel with my camera, I purchased a semi-discrete-looking bag for my camera. Because I have a small travel camera I can use a smaller camera bag. My discrete camera bag doubles as my purse while I’m traveling and it isn’t too big or bulky.
There are a lot of options for small camera bags out there. And you don’t have to get the most expensive bag out there. My travel camera bag was a cheap purchase on Amazon that has lasted me 3+ years. This is the camera bag I purchased in 2020 but it’s only available in gray now. If you have a larger camera, there are discrete camera bag options out there for big cameras too.
Using a discrete camera bag definitely makes me feel more comfortable traveling solo with my camera.
Be confident.
Lastly but also most importantly, when you’re traveling solo with your camera it is important to be confident.
How do you radiate confidence while solo traveling? You can start by keeping your head up, remaining alert and observant, being sure of yourself, knowing where you’re going, and maintaining natural body language. Whatever you do, don’t walk around looking nervous or lost, act how you would naturally act at home.
This might sound silly but this truly does make a big difference. People are less likely to bother you if you look like you know what you’re doing and you’re confident in yourself. If you’re struggling with confidence be patient with yourself as you navigate this new experience. The more you experience traveling solo with your camera, the easier it will become and the more confident you’ll get!
Summary:
If you’re interested in traveling solo with your camera but feeling a little nervous about going somewhere new alone, don’t worry you’re not alone in this experience. The tips discussed in this post can help you feel more confident and safe while solo traveling.
You can help yourself feel safe while traveling solo with your camera by doing the following:
- Do your research before traveling somewhere new.
- Always share your trip details with a loved one.
- Never tell anyone you’re alone.
- Never post your travel photography in real time.
- Don’t get lost in your camera.
- Get a discrete camera bag.
- Above all else, be confident in yourself!
If you’re new to this whole traveling solo with your camera thing, don’t fret! Traveling solo gets easier the more you do it. And you can help keep yourself safe and build confidence in yourself by practicing the tips outlined above.
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