When I first started traveling internationally, I would be warned about hiking solo as a female traveler.
However, I slowly became more and more comfortable finding trails, information, and learning how to prepare for international hikes while traveling solo. Just because you are traveling solo doesn’t mean you have to forego your dream hike. Three things are always in the back of my mind when I hike: risk of injury, wildlife encounters, and getting lost. These concerns allow me to stay on top of preparing myself before a hike, especially while solo traveling.
While I used to get nervous about solo hiking, below are some steps I took to build up the confidence to go solo hiking abroad.
Don’t think you need to go climb Mount Kilimanjaro as your first solo travel hiking experience. There are many small day hikes that are well-trodden that can help ease your way of hiking alone in a foreign country. By picking trails that people take often, you will be by yourself, but not really ever fully alone.
Be prepared and do your research. How do you find trails in a foreign country and how do you research a hike? There are many ways to prepare for your hike and pick out the best trails in the countries you visit. I love using AllTrails to get an idea of the trails in a certain region. AllTrails is an app as well as a great website to find crowdsourced information on trails. AllTrails also tracks your hikes, offers offline trail maps, and shows photos other users upload so you can get a better idea of the trail ahead.
Another research method I use is watching YouTube videos on trails that I have an eye on to understand the conditions as well as the best way to prepare in terms of what to wear and how much food to take. Also, many times there are nuances of getting around certain countries that cannot be found online and are better learned from people's real-world experiences.
There are many hurdles to jump if you are traveling in a foreign country such as language and gaps in information online that can be filled in by someone showing the experience on video. This also helps me find out where on a long multi-day trek I can stay, where to get money out in an ATM, and transportation to and from the trailhead.
Let your friends and family know the entire plan. Whether you are solo traveling or solo hiking, I find it imperative to let someone I trust know my itinerary and plan for my hike. I will let them know where I am staying, how far I am thinking of hiking, and when I think I will be done. I also plan to call them within a set time of when I complete the hike. Another backup to make sure you don’t get lost is to carry a GPS device and if you want to be extra safe you can carry a PLB (personal locater beacon). Although, make sure this will work in the country you are visiting.
Check the weather and be aware of animals. Before you leave on your trip, research the weather in the region and the best time to hike the trails you are trying to complete. If you are going to be in a cold place, perhaps bring winter hiking boots, or if you are going to be in hot, wet areas, make sure you have lightweight waterproof hiking boots. I have used Oboz for a few big trips to South America and Europe.
Another step in the research is learning about the animals and wildlife I may come across on the hiking trail. What animals do I expect, are there poisonous snakes, dengue fever, malaria, and other mosquito diseases prevalent? After I research, I decide on proper precautions that I can take, whether that means getting a yellow fever vaccine or malaria medication, or bringing bear spray on the trail (look if carrying bear spray is legal where you are traveling).
Get a hiking buddy or join a tour. There are many benefits to hiking solo, such as hiking at your own pace and not being in a rush, hearing nature uninterrupted, and being with your own thoughts. However, sometimes you may be in an area locals even warn you about in terms of hiking alone. This happened to me in Guatemala, and I decided to take a group tour to hike Acatenango since it would be an overnight journey. I really enjoyed meeting the other travelers on the trip from around the world as we hiked one of the most difficult trails in Guatemala. We liked each other so much that four of us even headed out on another volcano hike early the next morning after we got back from our prior tour.
It was a great way to solo travel and hike while meeting people who have similar interests as you traveling and hiking. I find great tours through Get Your Guide because it connects you to local guides that are trusted and you can find reviews from other tour-goers.
I also have found hiking buddies by staying in hostels in popular hiking destinations. This is what happened when I was in Salento and wanted to complete the 6.4-mile-long loop trail through the iconic Cocora Valley.
Hopefully, this gave you a few ideas on planning your next solo travel and hiking adventure. Whether you want to hike solo abroad or meet other hiking travelers abroad, this is just scraping the surface. If you want other solo safety travel tips and inspiration for international hiking adventures, check out my YouTube channel Travels of Sarah Fay, and follow me on Instagram for my most up-to-date adventures.
