I did quite a bit of research before deciding which country would be the destination for my first solo trip. Of all places I could’ve gone, I chose to travel to a country on the opposite side of the world: Thailand.

I was elated for my first trip alone, but as the flight drew closer I became more and more anxious. However, once I was there my anxieties (while still present) eased and I felt more confident navigating an unfamiliar country. I learned a lot about myself on that journey, and I also discovered some valuable tips I wanted to share for others considering solo travel:

1. Stay connected with friends and family as much as possible.

This is especially essential if you get homesick easily.

Even if there’s a 12+ hour time difference, share photos from your day with friends and family through messaging apps like Messenger or WhatsApp, or video chat when you have a little downtime. Also, writing about your activities from the day is a great way to both decompress and have something to share with people later.

To ensure you’re able to stay connected, I’d recommend getting a SIM card with data—unlimited if it’s not too expensive. That way, you’re able to always be one message away from your loved ones, especially if you’re in a rut.

2. Have a portable charger, and make sure it’s always fully charged!

Having a portable charger is essential, but making sure it’s fully charged every night can easily slip people’s minds.

I had a scare in Thailand where I had been using my portable charger for a few days and the battery was really low, but I was convinced my phone battery would last the next day so I didn’t bother to charge it. Well, when I woke up my phone hadn’t charged to 100% (keep in mind, different wattages can effect how quickly your devices charge!) and by the middle of the day my phone and portable charger had died. Thankfully, I met up with a friend who just happened to be studying abroad in Thailand, so I was able to borrow her portable charger for a little while before I got to a place with an outlet I could sit at.

If I didn’t have her, I would have been stuck. Let my mistake be a lesson for you all to remember to charge your portable chargers!

3. Get enough sleep.

Sure, you’re travelling alone, you can do anything and everything you want to do! But please make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep, especially the night you arrive at your destination. Otherwise, you’ll be incredibly exhausted.

Don’t be like me and sleep a total of 6 hours in 2 days because you’re too excited and want to prep for the day ahead, thus sleeping through your alarms and being late for your excursion at 8 in the morning. Force yourself to sleep early and plan to wake up early to give yourself time to prep then. Sleep is a necessity when travelling, especially if you’re jet lagged.

4. You don’t need to be doing something at all times.

There seems to be this pressure to feel like you have to take advantage of your time when you’re travelling alone.

While having something planned for every hour might be some people’s cup of tea, it’s important to make sure you don’t burn yourself out and that you take time to relax or nap (again, make sure you sleep!).

I made sure to leave space in my itinerary to allow myself to wander the neighborhoods I was staying in. Other times I’d just relax in my accommodation for a couple hours. Of course, this might not seem ideal if you’re in a hostel or a not-so-great accommodation, but finding other ways to relax like sitting in a park helps you slow down.

Maybe I’m weird, but whenever we were on family trips I was always bummed we spent so little time in our “cool” hotel rooms. When I was finally able to travel alone, it felt so freeing to just sit and watch a YouTube video for a little while (or maybe even have a mini photo shoot). Yes, it might detract from the ~experience~ of being in a different country, but it helps to find some normalcy.

5. You can do it.

This sentiment might be overused, but everyone needs to hear it because it’s easy to deter yourself from opportunities due to self-doubt.

I like to think the hardest part of solo travel is getting onto the plane. So many things can stop you from getting to that point, but once you’re on the plane, there’s no turning back. You will learn to adapt to situations, and the majority of the time things will turn out better than what your fears lead you to believe. You’ll find that you’re more independent than you thought.

Culture shock and anxieties of travelling alone can be major, deterring feelings—but again, staying connected to friends/family and finding ways to bring normalcy to your life is incredibly helpful to navigating an unfamiliar environment.