Long time lurker, first time caller in this sub. Female in her 30s, American.

In October 2017 I made my first solo trip abroad. I have traveled domestically and abroad previously for other things – summers trip to Israel, study abroad, research abroad, vacations with family, vacations with boyfriend, trips with other friends. But there was always someone either with me, or waiting for me when I got there (like for a family reunion or wedding or a visit to see someone). I had never traveled by myself solely for my own leisure.

Why did I go solo? Because I love to travel and because no one was available to travel with me. My previous travel buddy was my now ex-boyfriend – we used to take an international trip together every year during our 8 years together, but then he blindsided me with a breakup in August 2016. Most of my vacations for the next year were to spend time with friends and for board game conventions, as I wasn’t really in the right headspace to travel solo (I basically would have just spent a lot of money to sob in a different location). But a year later, I felt capable of actually enjoying the experience, even if I was by myself. The posts here on /solotravel were particularly encouraging.

I subscribed to Scott’s Cheap Flights (https://scottscheapflights.com/) which sends alerts for reasonably-priced international flights. An alert for Munich for $430 caught my eye. I had no particular intention to travel to Germany, but for that price – Germany here I come!

There were things I was worried about, for sure. Would I be safe? Would I be lonely? Would I be bored? Would I be too scared to leave my hotel room?

Only one way to find out.

I’m a meticulous planner by nature (really into research and spreadsheets). Here’s what worked for me, incorporating some of what I’ve learned from this forum (keep in mind that I did not bring a smartphone or tablet with me, so your experience will likely be easier).

• Language-wise: I completed 30 lessons of Pimsleur German, which helped a lot (though honestly nearly everyone spoke English – but they all seemed to appreciate that I made the effort). I bought a Point-It from Amazon (it’s a comprehensive book of pictures) and a German dictionary and kept them in my backpack.

• Sightseeing preparation: I checked out 5 guidebooks from the library and used Google Maps to plot potential areas of interest. Every day I planned for 1-2 big things to do, and kept the maps with me so I would know what else was an option nearby if I had extra time.

• I made a Google map of all the ice-cream and gelato places that had good ratings on Yelp. ESSENTIAL.

• Navigation: Maps from the hotel and a compass. Yes, an actual compass. I am a dork. But it helped.

• I did not get a car. Instead I familiarized myself with the public transportation options – That way I knew the difference between a U-train and an S-train and a tram, I knew the options for single tickets versus day passes versus multi-passes, and I had some idea of which trains lead where, and I wasn’t thrown off the first time I used a kiosk to purchase a ticket. I also looked into train options for trips out of Munich so I knew the departure times that were available.

• I researched activities to do at night, because I don’t like bars or clubs. What I do like are board games, so I looked for board game meetups. I get to do something I like, I get to meet locals, and it’s free! Win-win-win!

• I booked tours for my first 2 days, to ensure I HAD to leave my hotel room. First day was a free 3 hour walking tour. Second day was a half-day tour of Dachau, starting in the morning. Added benefit: You meet other friendly tourists this way and can make plans with them if you’re anxious about being alone.

• I booked my lodgings in advance: A private room in a hostel near the central train station. This was an amazing choice – I had privacy. There were tons of other travelers that I could meet if I wanted. I was centrally located to everything. And the cost was less than a standard hotel room. Totally recommend.

• Backpack: I kept some things in my backpack in case of boredom: My journal, a magazine to read, a sketchbook, an mp3 player filled with upbeat music.

So what ended up happening? I had an AMAZING time. I was NEVER bored. I was NEVER lonely. I never had downtime where I was scratching my head wondering what to do next. I saw and did a lot. I met a lot of fun people. I got to do whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it.

The highlights:

• Sunday: Sat next to a cute German boy on the plane and spent the entire flight talking with him. Made plans to meet with him on Thursday for coffee (he had a work trip starting that evening). Went on walking tour. Slept off jet lag. Wandered around for 2 hours looking for toothpaste, which was a nice excuse to see the city.

• Monday: Half day tour of Dachau (small group). Visited the Nymphenburg Palace, including some sketching of the rooms and walking the grounds. Befriended a lost Canadian tourist couple on the tram. Attended a 4 hour dinner for game designers.

• Tuesday: Visited the Schleissheim Palace and the Olympic Park. Lunch in a place recommended to me by the cute German boy on the plane. Met up for ice-cream with some of the game designers I met the previous evening. Board game meetup with friendly English-speaking locals.

• Wednesday: 3 hour train ride to Fussen to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle (bought my ticket in advance). Befriended an American senior citizen couple and spent the day with them. Train ride back to Munich with said couple, and our group expanded to include a Portuguese family, another American solo traveler, a German lawyer, and a French model (our conversation was lively and the group kept expanding as others joined in). Dinner with everyone once we got back into Munich at 10:00 p.m.

• Thursday: Visits to miscellaneous Munich landmarks not previously visited (some churches, the Viktualienmarkt, the gardens of the Munich Residenz). Coffee with cute German boy from plane and 3 hour walk with him in the Englischer Garten. Board game meetup with friendly English-speaking locals.

• Friday, Saturday: Train to Mannheim, Germany to meet with friends who had recently moved there, and day trip with them to Mainz, Germany

Part of me is wary about traveling again, because how could a trip possibly top this one? There were things that went wrong, sure – like I accidentally booked my tickets for the wrong day for the Castles of Mad King Ludwig, and sometimes the trains I needed were out of order – but everything was fixed without any major hassles. I met nice people everywhere I went. No weather issues. Is this the trip to which all others will be compared?

But there’s so much world to see. So I’m going to try again in October 2018, with a trip to Belgium (Scott’s Cheap Flights alerted me to a $500 fare, and there's a film festival in Ghent during that time, so that sold it for me). Wish me luck!! And my recommendation if you’re thinking about making your first trip: Do it! Done right, you can have a great time.