One of the things you will learn while traveling solo especially when you travel long-term is to become resilient.

What does it mean to be resilient? The Cambridge Dictionary defines to be resilient as "to be able to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened" (Cambridge Dictionary, 2020).

When you travel by yourself you have nobody else but you to rely on. On the one hand, this is very good as you can decide what to do, where to go, how long, and so on. On the other hand, if something happens to you as an accident, a difficult situation through customs, an injury, etc you also have nobody else but yourself to rely on. There's no need to be pessimistic about it, though. Bad situations might also be part of your trip as they are part of life and, if you know how to overcome them, in most cases they will only make the good moments better or an anecdote to tell.

Even though I am generally a very healthy person, I have had gastroenteritis in Japan, I ended up in a hospital in Singapore. I had food poisoning in Thailand, found a taipan snake in my house in Australia, or was asked very weird questions at customs, just to name a few. I was not always traveling alone when these things happened but even when I was by myself I had people helping me out.

Some of my friends had malaria, lost their passports, ended up without money, has car accidents, broke a bone, and so on. Things happen so it is very important that you learn how to take of the situation so you can keep on having fun on your trip.

When you have been traveling for a while all these things come naturally but if this is the first time you are going on a long trip by yourself I have some advice for you,

1. Get yourself health insurance

Depending on where you are going, your type of visa, what you will be doing on your trip and so on you must book health insurance accordingly. It is highly recommendable to do so, as in some countries the expenses might be crazy high or you might not even be allowed to be attended if you do not have one.

Some health insurances only cover you in certain hospitals or during certain periods. Investigate a bit first and if it looks too good to be true trust your gut.

If you are a citizen of the European Union, you can apply for a European Health Insurance card for free: "A free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country" (European Commission, 2020).

Check first if you count with benefits due to your citizenship. For example, Italians might be eligible for medical care under Medicare in Australia while Spaniards can't. Different countries have different agreements.

2. Think about possible unforeseen expenses

Needless to say, health insurances are not free. However, it is better to spend money on health insurance than find yourself not being allowed to get proper help abroad or facing crazy high bills. Accidents happen, above all when you are traveling. You do not go to the other side of the world (or to the cool town nearby) to be sitting comfortably on a couch. Also, some countries will not allow you to enter their countries without having booked health insurance.

Nevertheless, not everything that might happen is health-related. You can be robbed and find yourself without money or a passport. What do you do in this situation?

While I did my internship in a Spanish Consulate in Germany I was mostly in the section of Nationals so I was in charge of sending information to Spain so passports could be issued. Sometimes people would lose their passports, identity cards, etc. I have written a post only about this so you have detailed information about how to act. Since I have worked in the Consulate I can give you some advice on how to make all these paperwork less tedious and faster so you will not lose time and have more time to enjoy your trip.

3. Allow yourself to make mistakes

These are situations that you obviously do not plan to go through. You are human, you may make mistakes. How you react and fix them is what matters. Double-check every time you book something and keep copies of your passport.

In Singapore, I had to pay around 500 Singaporean dollars to be attended. Even though I had health insurance my problem started in a 50-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore. I started feeling very sick and dizzy and once the plane landed I had a very bad vertigo attack. I had never had one before and, even though it was harmless, the feeling was terrible so I seriously thought it was something serious. I ended up in the hospital before going through customs so I was technically not in Singapore yet so my insurance covered absolutely nothing. If I had waited for the dizziness to calm down for a couple of hours I could have gone through customs without any problem. However, if it was something more serious and I had waited I would not be writing this post today. Was it worth it to spend all that money? Absolutely yes. Did I let that ruin my trip? Hell no.

If I ever have the same symptoms or I see someone going through it I will be able to recognize it and act accordingly so I am not pessimistic about it even to this day, I consider it both a new skill and an interesting story to tell.

4. Understand that it is part of your trip

The most common thing that can happen to you is food poisoning. I know nobody who has traveled around India or Southeast Asia for long periods who have not gone through food poisoning. I even have a couple of Chinese friends who consider food poisoning to be a normal thing that can happen when you go to a restaurant. Just take some medicine with you and you will be good to go.

Drink purified water, wash your hands, and if you are in an area of risk of malaria use insect repellent.

Every day of your life you have to deal with problems: your health, your family, your job, your house, and so on. Traveling is also part of life so problems might happen and it is ok. There is no need to feel worse about it than you should.

5. You are never alone when you travel alone

Every person who has traveled alone can tell you that when you travel alone you are almost never alone. In Singapore, I was visiting a friend who was studying his PhD there. What were the possibilities of me ending up in the hospital after a less than an hour flight and before going through customs? Definitely not very high. Hence, I was alone until I could finally meet him a few hours later.

In Thailand, I traveled with two friends but due to our schedules, I kept traveling the country for a few more weeks by myself. Before I headed to Cambodia I had food poisoning and could not leave my bed for a day. An Italian guy in my hostel, who I had just met two days before, took care of me.

Even when you travel alone there will be some people who will help you out just because they can empathize with you because they are also traveling by themselves.

6. Special advice for other women:

One time in Budapest, Hungary, I saw one guy harassing a woman in a bar so I looked at her and I approached her like she was my friend waiting for me. As women, we all go through these types of situations everywhere so we know "the look". Let me tell you if you are a woman that "the look" is global and other women will recognize it. You are not by yourself. You might need to take more precautions than men but most of us, if you need a hand, will be there to help you out. The best advice I can give you is not to be more afraid than you should and to always trust your gut.