Traveling alone anywhere can be quite overwhelming at first. But once you get a hang of it, it changes the way you travel. If you are someone who has mustered up the courage to travel alone in Himachal, here are some super useful tips for traveling alone in Himachal.
I have traveled solo in remote corners of Himachal and trust me, Himachal never fails to amaze me thanks to its extremely hospitable locals, eccentric culture, scenic landscapes. I’ve always felt safe when traveling alone in Himachal.
11 Super Handy Tips for Traveling Alone In Himachal
If you have never traveled solo, Himachal is one of the best places to kickstart your journey. Apart from being one of the safest places in the country, a lot of areas are quite tourist friendly, perfect for solo travelers.
Based out of my experience traveling alone to hidden valleys and rustic villages, here are some super handy tips for traveling solo in Himachal. I am sure this will be great help to the first time solo travelers visiting Himachal.
On a personal level, traveling to pristine villages, interacting with locals, hiking to surreal places, learning about eccentric culture while being all alone is certainly therapeutic.
| 1. Pack Light when traveling solo to Himachal |
| 2. Use Public transport when traveling alone in Himachal |
| 3. Eat at Dhabas Instead of Cafes |
| 4. Stay in Hostels or Homestays instead of Hotel As A Solo Traveler |
| 5. Be Back Before Dark when Traveling Solo In Himachal |
| 6. Inform About Your Plans and whereabouts at the place of stay |
| 7. Take A Guide If Hiking Or Exploring Remote villages in Himachal |
| 8. Don’t Get Too Intoxicated When Traveling Alone in Himachal |
| 9. Know Public transport timings when exploring Himachal Alone |
| 10. Read Blogs About the Place You Are Traveling Solo In Himachal |
| 11. Do Not Have Altercations with Anybody when traveling Alone To Himachal |
Pack Light When Traveling Solo To Himachal
Whenever you are traveling alone to Himachal or anywhere in general make sure you always pack light. Remember you are the one who is going to carry your own luggage.
The lighter you pack, the more easier it would be to move around comfortably. Also make sure that you carry a rucksack instead of trolley bags. Ruck sack is better suited for trips to mountainous region.
If you pack unnecessary stuff it will just make your life harder on your trip to Himachal. And it will tire you out very quickly. By the way, you can get some good quality rucksacks at amazon if you are looking to buy one.
By the way, here is a detailed guide on things to pack for your trip to Himachal. I am sure this will be quite useful for the first time travelers.
Use Public Transport When Traveling Alone In Himachal
Public transport in Himachal is one of the best in the countries if not the best. And as a solo traveler public transport will be your best bet if you don’t want to blow a hole in your pocket.
Traveling by public transport is quite budget friendly and is the quite safe. And thanks to HRTC, you will be able to explore even the remotest corners of Himachal without having to worry about and hiring cabs.
Robust public transport is one of the reasons why I have been able to experience the true beauty of Himachal. And that too without spending a fortune.
Plus, traveling by public transport is one of the safest means of commute when traveling to be honest.
By the way, here is detailed guide on exploring Himachal using public transport just like I usually do. I am sure you’ll find value in this blog.
Eat At Dhabas Instead of Cafes
Eating out at cafes in Himachal is fine once in a while. But if you eat all your meals only at cafes your expenses will skyrocket.
In the popular tourists like Manali, Kasol, Dharamkot, Jibhi the hippie cafes will entice you. But you’ll ending up spending more than Rs 600 per day if you just eat at cafes.
That is where Dhaba’s come to your rescue. Although the food they serve is simple, but it is quite inexpensive and delicious to be honest. Perfect for someone who is traveling alone.
You’ll end up spending less than Rs 250 per day if you eat Dhabas. I personally either eat at the Dhabas or stay in homestays so that I don’t have to worry about the food.
Stay in Hostels or Homestays instead of Hotels As A Solo Traveler
While hotels give you privacy it won’t give you company. Staying at hostels or homestays in Himachal will enable you to interact with and meet other travelers so that you don’t lose your mind if you are not used to being alone.
In hostels you are bound to meet a lot of like-minded travelers with whom you can tag along and go out on exploration or hikes together.
Homestays are a good option too, if you want to avoid the lack of privacy in the dorms. Plus you get to live with locals and learn a thing or two about the Himalayan way of life, their eccentric customs and traditions, their food and much more.
On a personal level I always prefer staying in homestays. This enables me to learn more about the culture and traditions of that region.
By the way, here is a detailed blog on the availability of food in Homestays of Himachal.
Be Back Before Dark To Your Destination When Traveling Solo
If you going hiking or on explorations trips make sure that you are back at your place of stay before it is dark.
While Himachal is one of the safest states in India, returning before that dark is always the best thing to do when traveling alone in my opinion.
The danger of wild animals like Leopard, Bears looms large as it turns dark. Plus the mountain trails are treacherous and you surely would not want to get lost.
By the way, here are 5 Epic backpacking itineraries to kickstart your journey to explore Himachal.
Inform About your Plans and Whereabouts When Traveling Alone In Himachal
If you are going on an exploration or sightseeing trip to a nearby attraction when traveling alone in Himachal always make it a point to inform your plan and whereabout at the place of your stay.
This is for your own safety. In case of untoward situations, people know where to find you. Also, if there are any changes in your plan always keep them updated.
Also, don’t hesitate to take help from the folks at your place of stay in case you are stuck somewhere or need any kind of help.
Take A Guide If Hiking or Exploring Remote Villages In Himachal
If you are not an expert in navigating Himalayan trails, please don’t go out hiking and trekking all alone. Its okay if you don’t like hiking with a group, but make sure you talk a local guide who knows the routes in and out.
Hiking all alone without any experience and navigations skills is quite perilous. A lot of travelers have disappeared when hiking only to be never found again.
Same goes when exploring remote villages on foot. Make sure you either are exactly sure about the route else take a guide. Once you are confident enough on the trails you can embark alone on short hikes and popular trails.
After embarking on many short hikes to pretty meadows, rustic villages, beautiful times, its only recently that I have started to embark on short and easy hikes all alone.
By the way, if you are looking to kickstart your hiking journey, here are some beautiful hikes near Kullu and Manali.
Don’t Get Too Intoxicated when Traveling Alone In Himachal
While traveling alone in Himachal or be it anywhere, getting too intoxicated is really a bad idea. When traveling alone you really have to be alert and aware about your surroundings.
Getting too intoxicated could result in dangerous situations. Especially if you are outdoors while on an exploration or hiking trip. A lot of Himalayan trails are narrow and have to be traversed with utmost care.
Even though himachal is one of the safest states in India, Anti-social elements could really take advantage if you are too intoxicated. So you should certainly avoid getting intoxicated especially when you are out on explorations trips, hiking etc.
If you looking to become a digital nomad living in Himachal, here is a detailed guide for the same.
Know Public Transport Timings While Exploring Himachal Alone
As a solo traveler, I personally depend quite a lot on public transport and I am sure you will too. So keeping the timing of buses to places of interest is very essential.
This will make sure that you don’t miss your buses while going out on exploration trips and don’t have to splurge big on cabs if you fail to board the bus.
Lets suppose, I going to explore Bhalyani village in Lug valley. The bus to Bhalyani departs at around 10.45 am from Dhalpur, Kullu. And the last bus back to Kullu is at 3.15 PM. So now I know that I have to reach Dhalpur before 10.45 am and get back to Bhalyani bus stand before 3.15 PM.
You can click picture at the main bus stands to confirm the timings and also ask bus conductor.
Read Blogs About the Place You are Traveling solo In Himachal
Reading blogs and watching videos about the place you are going to travel to solo is always quite helpful as a first time solo traveler.
This will help you understand the place. You’ll know about accommodation availability, Places to visit, nature of the locals etc. It will also help you to reduce your anxiety about traveling alone.
In my early days of solo travel to Himachal, I used to look up a ton of blogs of the places I intended to visit. Well, this has drastically reduced over time but I still look up for blogs every now and then.
Do Not Have Altercations with Anybody when traveling Alone
Although locals of Himachal are super-friendly and welcoming but make sure that you do not get into any kind of altercations with the locals and other travelers as well.
Being alone will put you at a serious disadvantage even if your arguments are valid. Even though you might not like it, but you should just back out in such situations and ensure your own safety.
Also you should respect the traditions and culture even though you might not understand them. You surely would not want to incur the wrath of the locals.
To conclude, I hope that these tips for traveling alone in Himachal will be super useful to you guys. And I hope that you have the time of your life on your solo trip to Himachal.
In case you have queries relating to Himachal solo traveling tips, you can reach out to me in the comments below.
