Travel Tip Tuesday: Tips From Tenerife Tourism Director, Stephanie Wear Pintado Featured in AirPretty

Happy Tuesday AirPretty travelers! Every Tuesday we offer you some helpful travel tips from our community of travel experts. Share your tips in the comments below and you might be featured as one of our AirPretty Travel Experts on Travel Tip Tuesday!

Here are some tips from Stephanie Wear Pintado, Director of Economic and Air Service Development for Tenerife Tourism:  

As someone who travels for work, I often find myself in a new place almost every month. While balancing work with pleasure, I try to get the most out of the short time I have for leisure everywhere I go. While traveling solo can present some challenges, it also provides unique experiences that everyone should experience at least once. Normally, I find myself catering to everyone else’s needs, whether it’s at home or traveling with co-workers or friends. Solo travel is my opportunity to experience a new place under my own terms.

Follow the tips below to get the most of your next solo trip!

Always leave a copy of your passport and other travel documents at home with your significant other or trusted friend. You never know when you’ll be in the unfortunate situation where you’ve lost your passport or had your bag stolen.

Travel light. Pack less than you need and focus on versatile clothing that you can wear more than once. It’s important to be able to get around easily with your bags. Hopefully you’ll also get some shopping in, so you’ll want the extra space to pack your new items and souvenirs.

Download popular travel apps before your trip. I use Evernote to take pictures of business cards, receipts, where I parked at the airport, and phone numbers that I’ll need to access later. There are other great apps perfect for your travels, such as TripIt for organizing your travel itinerary, Citymapper for getting around in a city you’re not familiar with, OpenTable  for finding local restaurants, and Google Translate for translations.

Drink water! This tip isn’t specifically for solo travel, but is so important for travelers so I’m including it. Keeping hydrated while traveling will help you remain healthy and enjoy every ounce of your trip.

Take extra precaution to ensure safety when traveling alone. Whether this means keeping your travel plans private from the taxi driver or not letting other hotel guests overhear your room number, it’s important to make sure you are conscious of your surroundings. I’ve also known friends who take precautions such as carrying a rubber doorstop for extra security in their rooms.

While you should take steps to ensure your security, make sure you’re still enjoying the culture and meeting locals. Sit and eat at the bar to strike up conversations with other people traveling or eating solo.

Don’t forget to share your tips in the comments below for a chance to be featured as one of our AirPretty Travel Experts on Travel Tip Tuesday! Check back next Tuesday for more helpful travel tips!