Once in awhile, it’s good to travel solo to reflect and get away from it all. Venturing out to an unfamiliar place by yourself can teach you a lot of things about yourself.

However, one of the drawbacks of solo travel is the costs – double room rates, single surcharges, and taxis adds up to your expenses.

Over the years, the interest in solo travel skyrocketed, and the industry invented ways on how to cater to this growing segment of travellers.

Here are five ways on how solo adventurers can lower expenses, and have more fun.

Join group tours

If you are going on a cruise or a land tour, avoid the single person option as it is normally 25 to 100 percent more expensive than a group tour. If sharing is not an issue with you, there are services that can match you with another traveller of the same sex and with similar interests so you can split the costs. Services like Intrepid Traveller, and Holland America Line do this, but there could be more so it’s good to do your own research as well.  

Stay in hostels or book an AirBnB

It’s impossible to bargain with hotels to discount a double room for one traveller. Its fixed price and we all know that. Quality hostels, on the other hand, provides the comfort of a hotel but charges only half the price. AirBnB is also a great option if you want a room or an apartment all by yourself but don’t want to splurge on a hotel suite.

Take advantage of ride sharing

Bla Bla Car, Uber, Grab, and other ridesharing apps make it easier for solo travellers to share a ride with passengers en route to the same destination. However, these ride sharing companies are not available everywhere, mostly only in major cities. You can always ask people you think are headed to your hotel or same tourist spot and ask if they can split the bill.

Eat at local restaurants

There’s no better way to experience the local culture than dining with the locals in a local restaurant or a street side eatery. Street stalls also offer tasty food at a fraction of restaurant prices.

Subscribe to deals websites

Sign up for websites like MileHighMarge that aggregates hotels and flights deals. Be the first to know if flights and hotels to your dream destination is on sale.

Solo travel doesn’t have to be expensive. It just takes a bit of creativity and preparation.

Do you have any solo travel tips? Share in the comments below.