Unique ways to explore the city as a solo traveler

Cities are attractive places to enjoy some time off alone. In big metropolitan areas, there really is something to do for everyone, and it's not too complicated to plan a last-minute unforgettable escape for one. When planning the trip, however, it's easy to default to all mainstream activities that have us barely scratching the surface to an authentic experience wherever we're visiting. This list is a collection of the activities that have given me a fresh, unique perspective of life in the city I'm visiting. Try one (or all!) of the activities on your next solo get-away.

Explore different transportation options

If you're traveling to a city in the United States, you might be tempted to UBER your way around, or if you're traveling internationally and have limited time and a lot to see, if might seem convenient to pay for the hop-on hop-off bus tours and spend half a day sightseeing without any real connection to the places you pass by.

Renting a bike from the city's bike-sharing system is always a good idea. (July 28, 2017).

I advocate against staying in the comfort zone whenever reasonable, which is why when I travel to cities, I love to try alternative transportation options: paddleboards, water taxis, the dreaded public buses (I mean, it's a hit or miss, especially internationally), bikes, the city subway or train system, Segway scooters, etc. You experience the ambiance around you a different way when you forego the usual modes of transportation, and it opens the doors to new ways of seeing the places you're visiting. Most modern, large metropolitan areas have multiple organized and easily accessible transportation options for all; take advantage of them and see your destination from different points of view. 

PS - It pays to prepare. Do your research to eliminate down-time while you try to figure out transportation once you're at your final destination. Have a back-up plan to account for weather changes, traffic patterns, special events, etc.

Be an adventurous eater

When we eat, we're in a heightened state, our 5 senses active and sensitive to the environment around us. It's no wonder then that we find so much pleasure in experiencing a foreign place through food.

On a tight budget and without the pressure of finding acceptable food options that cater to you and your travel partner(s), traveling alone is the perfect moment to try a more adventurous meal (or two). Street food, food trucks, local markets, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants are more than likely guaranteed to give you a unique gastronomical experience of your destination. The ambiance of these places also allows you to enjoy the city like many natives do. In some international cities (at least in South America), you might have the opportunity to share a table and have a meal with locals! Be sure to be wary of the general cleanliness of the store or restaurant you go to (food poisoning is never pleasant, but it's worse when you're alone), but don't be afraid to try new things... and food! I'm still disappointed I didn't try "fried gerbils" in Quito. 

A woman oversees her small fresh pastries stand at the city market in La Paz, Bolivia. (December 28, 2014). 

Enjoy live music

In Cartagena, I frequently seeked the live music and dance shows in the city's multiple plazas. It made me feel at home. (December 2016).

Music is, undoubtedly, the universal language of mankind. Music connects us to others, to their culture, their hopes, dreams, and deepest fears; it gives us goosebumps, makes us laugh and cry at once. Spending some of your alone time in the company of music, especially live music, is therefore an experience you should pursue when you're out in the city by yourself.

Cities cater to this day and night, so it's really all up to you. Be it a street performer playing the alto sax on the subway entrance, an a capella group signing choir songs, a rock band's gig at the local bar a few streets down, make sure you stop to take it all in. Let the sounds and rhythm permeate your soul. You'll be glad you did.

Catch the sunrise in the city center

There's something about beginnings and endings. The aura of countless possibilities and the daunting of time passed. Sunrises and sunsets.

While both daily occassions carry their own magic, quite inequivocally, sunrises offer the added benefit of stillness, which can be overlooked or lost when you have an aggressive travel schedule. The misty coolness of night replaced by the sunlight's warmth, store owners opening up shop, overachievers getting their morning run in before daylight, the smell of coffee and fresh pastries permeating the air around every bakery or coffee shop, fishermen returning to shore with the catch of the prior night... all the simple things become so much more relevant when you can enjoy stillness and live in the moment. It's not easy to set your alarm for 5 AM when you're on vacation, but it definitely pays off to sacrifice a bit of extra sleep to watch the rest of your surroundings come to life.

I enjoyed early morning walks across El Malecón in La Habana, Cuba, which was serene and quiet as the sun peaked through the horizon.  The city and El Malecón would get very busy during the day and even busier at night, when hundreds of people would be out walking or dancing near the shore. (July 2015). 

Have a meaningful conversation with a local

One of the keys to happiness is fostering meaningful relationships with others, and no matter how disconnected from society we wish to be at times, we're wired to crave human connection. Purposefully separate some time in your busy schedule to stop, sit next to a stranger at the park or local coffee shop, and initiate a conversation. While you should proceed with caution (after all, "stranger danger" is real), once again push through the boundaries of your comfort zone to learn about the place you're visiting through a unique point of view: from the people who experience the place day in and day out. You may not have the time to fully immerse yourself in the culture, language, and peculiar traditions of your destination, but giving a stranger all your attention for 2 hours will give you a different perspective from the world around you and maybe even change your life. That, of course, and a new friend. Isn't that what traveling solo is all about?