Traveling alone

With respect to train/bus travel, if you are unsure you are getting on the correct train/bus ask someone. Usually there are train employees around or you could ask another person standing at the train stop. That has saved us a couple of times especially when a train splits in two with the front section of the train going one way and the rear part of the train going in another direction.

One thing I always do is grab the card of the accommodations/take a photo of the address . It seems simple enough, but this way I dont have to rely on my poor pronunciation in another language. I just show the address.

Another tip is that I don’t rely on directions through one of the apps. In these old cities, directions can be sketchy. I always pick up a good map of the city I am travelling in.

My last tip would be to separate your cards and cash.

Travelling solo is fun ! Enjoy your trip.

One more thing is I use a Google translate app on my phone. It automatically translate written text.

The scary thing about trains: there are so many to some destinations, such as Rome to Florence, that there can be a train to your same destination only a few minutes before your train and you think that's your train. Other than that, the European trains are wonderful.

Frequent solo female traveler around your age. You will do fine!!

Sometimes, I have "scouted out" a train station before departure day to be sure I am comfortable with knowing platforms, entrances, etc. I arrive early - certain you will also! In Rome last time, I started taking taxis as I was having trouble finding places. I have since learned how to better use Apple Maps as I'm walking along, but the taxi idea is still one I keep in the back of my mind. Google translate app does a great job of translating signs - aim at the sign and the translation is there. I used this frequently in Japan a couple months ago both for museum info and for a couple transit type signs.

Personally, I use a money belt and split cards and money between my purse (tucked under my arm) and the money belt. I did have my phone out following Maps a lot last Europe trip (Paris and London last fall). I was far from alone. I am aware that phones can (and are) grabbed out of the hands of the user, but I had no trouble or near trouble. I keep the phone close to waist line and hold with two hands.

There are some real advantages of solo travel - no one else to accommodate, change the plans on the fly without upsetting the travel partner, stay as long as you want, etc. Have a great trip!!

Give yourself ample time at the train station to find your train and platform. Better to be early than cutting it close. Ask a person at a window if the line isn't too long or someone in uniform. Be sure that someone is in uniform and not just somebody who approaches you with a smile and a "can I help you" demeanor. Trust no one who approaches you in train stations. That may sound harsh, but there are too many near do wells just scouting out passengers who have that lost look on their face especially in Italy. Sorry my Italian posters.

Spend some time reading this website. It is informative about train travel.

https://www.seat61.com/

You'll do fine and after this trip you'll be planning your next one on the plane ride home. Enjoy.

I am also an avid middle-aged solo traveler. One piece of advice is to have the train number at hand. Sometimes a train going to Rome then travels on to a final destination, so it doesn't say Rome. Knowing the train number and the time it departs clear up that confusion.

I usually leave some money in the safe and travel with only what I need for the day. I've never had any trouble, but I do keep myself aware.

There are lots of English speaking people most places. With courtesy, broken Italian/French, and pantomiming, I can usually get an answer.

Have a great time!!

As a woman, my tip about not getting bothered/hassled/asked for money/etc. is the two p's -- that is, looking purposeful and p***ed off --when walking. Works every time! Walk quickly and like you have somewhere important to be, and put a determined/fierce/annoyed look on your face. (This does not come naturally to me as a polite southerner, haha!) If you do need to stop to check directions, pop into a shop instead of standing in the street looking lost.

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. There's some great advice/info in there! SO appreciated.

Sometimes, I have "scouted out" a train station before departure day to be sure I am comfortable with knowing platforms, entrances, etc.

-This is me as well. Also, if that is not possible I watch you tube videos about the train station or airports. I print out a map of the station if it is available.

-Don't forget to stamp/validate your ticket on the platform before getting into the train.
-Also, if you get into the train and you are still anxious, just look at a fellow passenger and say "Lucca?" or which ever city to where you are headed.
-English speaking people are everywhere if you use a few Italian polite words...until you start relying on that and then there isn't one when you need one. LOL. (Sorry, flashback to bus in Sweden). Simplify your language and use charades. It works. People are lovely when one travels solo.

I am a 69 year old solo traveler. I do find my transit days are by far the most stressful days for me. However, I have yet to not make it to my destinations. It's just the unknown for that day. Keep your important items always attached to you during transit. When I travel always, my crossbody is attached to me every minute I am outside of my accommodation. I know a person who left her purse on the train in Italy. She reported it and they put it on the train traveling in the opposite direction while she waited for an hour or two. Nothing missing but her anxiety was huge! That would have been way too stressful for me!

You will love traveling solo inspite of the challenges!

The trains and buses in Italy are fantastic. But whether you travel on your own or not, speak Italian or not, anybody can still get tripped up by simple little things. We've spent almost a year total in Italy since 2001 and my husband speaks and reads Italian very well, and we make boo-boos on public transportation like knowing we have to change trains "in Cortona" but the station is actually called something else. Or we think we should ride a bus just one more stop to get even closer to the church we want to see, but there isn't any "one more stop" and the bus takes us way outside of the whole town before it stops again. So now we try to remember to follow along on google maps on our phones so that we can see exactly where we are and what is coming up. Doing this was incredibly helpful taking buses all around Rome in 2021, which we had always been a little chicken to do before.

If you go to you tube and type in “riding the train in Italy”. Or something like “train station Rome”. You will find many “how to” videos that can orient you to a location in advance. I often find watching these ahead of my trip can be helpful.

We just returned from Italy. It seemed like so many people spoke English than ever before, especially in the areas tourists frequent.
I paid for almost everything by tapping my phone, accessing the credit cards in my Apple wallet. After a few days, I put all my credit cards in my neck wallet, under my clothes, and didn't carry a wallet. Put 40 euros in my phone case each morning, and just put any change in my pocket.
I don't carry a purse, using various styles of Scottevest jackets and lightweight vests. These garments have inside zipper pockets.
Also, At first I thought the travel scarves with the hidden zipper sounded corny, but on a warmer day, I left my jacket in the hotel, and used one of these. It worked quite well.
I use a Bandolier phone case with a neck strap. This prevents me from dropping my phone in a canal or leaving it on a table. The case I prefer has a side snap pocket in which I carry an extra small phone battery and my euros.
I use my backpack for snacks, a sweater, guidebook., and water bottle.
What season are you traveling ?
Have a great trip, and pls report back!

Hi!
I’m now 69 but have been travelling solo many times.

Copy all your documents, itinerary and tickets and leave paper copies with someone at home.
Copy them all into secure email or into “Notes” on your phone or device, to bring with you.
Take screen shots of all your airline info and boarding passes , and prebooked Museum etc tickets, as you go, including the barcodes.
Keep those screen shots in your “Gallery” on your device.
Then you can show them as needed, without needing data or wifi to access them.

Put all the names, addresses and phone numbers of your accommodations into your device before you leave home.
Be sure you know how to make phone calls in Italy, to Italian numbers and to home numbers.

Download the Italo and Trenitalia apps.
Trenìt!, I believe, has both on it, and will give you real-time platform info, train ID numbers, and times.

Be sure to have Google Translate downloaded.
It will let you put in key phrases and save them in Italian for when you need them in a hurry.
IE:
Help.
I have a reservation….
What time is the train leaving….
Where is a good restaurant near here…
I’m ill and need help..
Etc, etc.

Be sure to have WhatsApp on your phone.
Practice at home first.
It works with other people who also have it on their phones.
You can talk, text and video chat with it for free.

Pack light….you have to carry it and get on and off trains, sometimes quickly.

If you use Tylenol or ibuprofen, bring plenty with you.
It’s expensive in Italy.

If I think of anything else, I’ll add it later.
Have a wonderful trip!
You’ll love it all!

I do this even when I travel with a companion, but it's critical when I'm traveling solo...
Type out one sheet of paper that contains the following info and keep it on you at all times:

FRONT SIDE OF PAPER
- your full name
- birthday
- home address and phone number (I put my cell phone which also works in Europe)
- emergency contact name and phone number in the US
- home doctor's name and phone number
- drug allergies and medical conditions
- name of your travel insurance provider, your policy number, and provider's contact info

BACK SIDE OF THE PAPER
- name, address, and phone number of each hotel where you are staying

We all hope that our travels will be free of any unfortunate incident, but things do happen. If nothing else, I might need to show the taxi driver the back of my "cheat sheet" if I forget where I'm staying that night!

Linda:
I do that too!
I also keep the equivalent of $100 in the local currency stashed somewhere separate.
That way if I’m robbed or lose my bank cards, I have enough to get back to my accommodation and for food till I figure out what to do.
I also keep details of where my nearest Embassy or Consulate is in case I really need help!
I carry a tiny personal alarm, and also a small whistle.
I keep my passport and cards on me at all times in my underclothing moneybelt.
I don’t leave them in the room.
If you wear it with the pouch in the small of your back, you hardly know it’s there.

It all sounds like overkill, but makes me feel safer on my own.

Lots of good advice from all of us solo gals!