This year everyone seems to be feeling the pull of their wanderlust with city breaks and sunny shores popping up all over our Instagram feeds.
However, when you don't have a designated travel partner, this can be daunting as travelling alone brings a whole host of worries. Blogger Jessie Moore wants solo travellers to embrace their confidence and dive head first into adventure without fear.
Visiting new places and new countries, is a great chance to expand your cultural understanding and discover a lot about yourself - especially if you're doing so on your own.
Known as PocketWanderings on Instagram, Jessie along with SkyParkSecure, has shared her top tips for keeping safe and feeling confident when travelling by yourself.
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Planning is essential
Holidays transform us into one of two people - the planner or the go-with-the-flow-er, which works well if you're travelling in groups but not so much if there's only one of you.
Being easy-breezy on holiday is a great way to relax and being spontaneous is the perfect way to explore - however, if you're on your own things need a bit more preparation so you know what you're walking in to.
Jessie suggests trying to plan your schedule that you arrive in daylight so it's easier to get your bearings and follow a map. Her top tip is to check where your accommodation is on Google Street View, so you're familiar with the location prior to arriving.
She added: "Hotels or hostels can be very selective with what they show on their website or booking sites."
Keep your phone close
This might seem counterintuitive for a holiday, as many of us will switch off both metaphorically and literally to enjoy the time away from emails and work messages.
However, now that phones are like an extra limb, using your phone for maps and other information is essential. Note down some emergency numbers both on your phone and in a notebook, so even if your phone dies you have the details.
Beyond the navigational aspects, your phone can also be used to share your location with family and friends - which puts everyone's mind at ease.
Most of us use our phones as cameras now so you will likely be carrying it with you to capture memories. Jessie recommends bringing a fully charged battery pack or two depending how long you're away from charging ports.
Don't be afraid to say no
"Never do something you don't want to because you’re scared of offending someone," advised Jessie, as many destinations have known tourist traps that attract dangerous people.
Keeping your wits about you also means being confident enough to say no to strangers who may try to harass you. If you wouldn't say yes in your home country, don't say yes just because you're abroad.
This can take nerves, as most of us want to be polite and appeasing, Jessie said: "Be courteous but be firm and abrupt when you need to."
Saying no doesn't mean you have to shut out all experiences if you want but it does mean being sensible and aware of your surroundings and who is engaging with you.
Don't miss out on experiences
Just because you're on your own doesn't mean you shouldn't explore or take in the culture of your destination. While you need to be aware that you are alone, that can be really empowering and frees you up to do whatever you want.
Keep in contact with people from home and let them know what you have planned each day, including any activities or late night trips.
There's plenty of ways to travel alone safely, including booking night time tours to see the sights in a group so it's safer. You may even make friends who you can go on further adventures with, especially if they are also travelling alone.
Jessie said: "As a young woman who often travels solo, I want to inspire others to do the same, with confidence. In a world of offices and laptops, we could all do with a little more adventure in our lives."
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