Solo travel is often much more rewarding than traveling with others, but it also requires much more preparation and thought. There’s nobody else looking after you when you travel by yourself, so all the more care has to go into packing your bags to make sure you have everything you’ll need while you’re away.

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There are some items that solo travelers should always pack, regardless of where they’re going, how long they’ll be away, or how experienced they are. The good news is most of them are inexpensive (or totally free) and simple enough to come by. Check them out below!

10 Change Of Clothes In Your Carry On

No matter whether you’re traveling solo or with someone else, it’s always smart to bring a change of clothes in your carry on. Many travelers avoid this in the interest of packing light, but that’s not a great move. You might think that the airline will never lose your luggage, but stranger things have happened. And if you were to lose your bags, you want to have a fresh change of clothes with you.

This is all the more important if you’re a solo traveler because you won’t have anybody to borrow clothes from if you lose your luggage.

9 Cheapie Wedding Band

A cheap or fake wedding band can come in handy when you’re a solo traveler, especially if you’re a woman traveling alone. If you look like you’re married, you’ll get less unwanted attention from persistent men in countries where men can be quite aggressive in their pursuit of women.

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It’s a good idea to bring a cheap or fake band rather than a real or expensive one. You want to look like you’re already tied down to avoid unwanted attention, but you don’t want to flash your wealth and make yourself a target for thieves.

8 Dummy Wallet For Some Of Your Money

When you’re a solo traveler, you have to be more prepared and more aware. Many people travel by themselves without getting pickpocketed or mugged, but it does happen, so it’s wise to prepare for that situation with a dummy wallet.

It’s never smart to carry all your money in the same place in case you do get robbed. By placing some in a dummy wallet and the majority in another safe location, you reduce your chances of losing everything during a mugging. This is even more important as a solo traveler because you won’t have someone to look after the rest of your money for you.

7 High-Quality Jacket With Pockets

Once you’ve been traveling by yourself for a while, you’ll really start to notice the lack of an extra pair of hands. When you’re catching a train or in a busy situation, you want to have your hands as free as possible so you can avoid being in a vulnerable position. That’s where pockets come in.

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By packing a good-quality jacket with zip-up pockets, you give yourself another secure place to store your essential items. Just make sure the pockets are in front of you rather than behind, and make sure the zip is sturdy.

6 Plenty Of Disinfectant Wipes

Disinfectant wipes are a must for traveling, whether you’re by yourself or with someone else. But they’re even more important when you’re by yourself because the stakes are higher. If you get sick while on vacation with someone else, it’s annoying. If you get sick while away by yourself, it can be a disaster.

To reduce your chances of picking something up, be sure to wipe things before you touch them. You don’t have to wipe every little thing, but items that you know carry a lot of germs, like plane tray tables, should be wiped before you come into contact with them.

5 Medical ID Card

A lot of what you pack as a solo traveler will come down to your personal safety. A medical ID card or a piece of medical ID jewelry can literally be a lifesaver when you’re alone in a foreign country. If anything happens to you—and it probably won’t, but you should always be prepared—there’s no one to tell passersby or paramedics about your various health conditions. A medical ID card will take care of that for you.

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Just include the crucial information that could save your life on the card. Keep it somewhere easy for people to find.

4 Safety Doorstop For The Room

A doorstop probably seems like a waste of baggage space, right? Actually, these little things can make all the difference when it comes to protecting yourself. Again, it’s good to have these whether you’re by yourself or with someone else, but when you’re alone, you’ll need all the extra protection you can get.

Hotel room doors can be broken into, and it’s possible for an intruder to get their hands on a key. But it’s a whole lot more difficult for them to enter the room if you’ve got one of these bad boys blocking the door.

3 Headlamp In Case Of Blackouts

Okay, this may seem a little extreme. But you just never know what’s going to happen when you’re traveling, and when you’re by yourself, you’re much better safe than sorry. Especially if you’re visiting any rural locations, camping, or planning on traveling at night, a headlamp is a must.

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Even if you’re not going on an adrenaline-pumping trip and are staying in the comfort of a hotel room, a headlamp is still helpful to have. Hotels do sometimes have power shortages, you know. The last thing you want to do is have to pack in the dark!

2 Whistle Or Personal Alarm To Keep On You

A personal alarm of whistle is just another added layer of protection that will help to keep you safe while you’re traveling by yourself. Many muggers and attackers are actually quite cowardly and will only attack you because they think they’re going to get away with it. A loud noise coming from a whistle or alarm scares people like this off.

A whistle is better than carrying pepper spray because the latter is actually prohibited in many countries. Plus, pepper spray can be wrestled away from you and used against you.

1 Personalized First-Aid Kit For Emergencies

Last but not least, never leave on a solo trip without packing your trusty first-aid kit. It’s true that hotels and other establishments might have their own first-aid kits, but you never know when you’re going to be stranded somewhere in need of first-aid. It’s always better to depend on yourself than someone else, especially when it comes to your health.

Rather than buying a standard kit, make your own and fill it with medicines and other items that will be helpful to you personally and keep you healthy during your travels.

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