Horse Trekking in Mongolia: Advice to First-Time Solo Travellers
By: Grace Sammartini
Let’s face it - travelling solo isn’t the easiest task. Planning your whole trip knowing you can’t rely on that organized friend or airport dad to fix stuff…is stressful. If you’re disorganized like me, and often mess up or get lost, you’re probably wondering how to even get started. Well, I’m here to reassure you that if I managed a 13-day solo trek in Mongolia, so can you, and it starts with setting your mind on it.
I won’t lie, committing to travelling alone is daunting, and comes with challenges. However, it’s a liberating, eye-opening experience and one of the best things you can do for yourself and your personal growth. I’m going to take you through how I did things and my experience of Mongolia, so I can hopefully convince you to make that decision and book that flight (on your own!).
It was last May, and I had just ended my first year in St Andrews. I really wanted to travel (and maybe escape the bubble). When my friends had already made plans, I just thought – whatever let’s do it alone. The point is, first and foremost, you have to commit to it. Decide where you want to go, research it well, and book your tickets.
Secondly, make sure to plan your itinerary. This was easy for me because I’d found a company through Instagram (sounds a bit sketchy I know) that organized horse treks. If you plan to do a similar thing, once you find a company, I would strongly suggest you research their website, social media, reviews – anything to make sure you’re comfortable and trust them. I did this and it worked out brilliantly. My tour group ‘Steppeeriders’ was incredible in every way; organized, local to the area, they worked with nomadic families and were kind and helpful.
(Images from my trip. Left: dinner around a fire. Right: trekking across the Orkhon Valley)
Personally, I think it’s a great idea for a first-time solo traveller to go with a tour group or some sort of community. In my case, we were on a sort of planned ‘expedition’ with a route mapped out and each day described in detail by our guide. This made it very easy for me because I didn’t have to worry about getting to places without understanding the local language. However, if you prefer to have more flexibility, or follow your own plan, there are thousands of social media groups and apps especially designed for solo travellers. Gals who travel and Tripbff are examples that offer a supportive community and safe ways, especially for female travellers, to find people or a group to join. This makes it less intimidating – I had so much fun getting to know other people on my tour!
The next, essential step is to be organized and prepare yourself in the best way possible. This seems obvious but it’s really so important. A big deterrent to solo travelling is the fact that it’s not always the safest option. You can never predict how things will turn out but being prepared for everything can really help. Start with packing – keep it simple, and small, and try to avoid checking in your bag to remove the risk of losing it. A small first aid kit with emergency medicine is essential! I also recommend packing a portable charger, and versatile clothes for unpredictable weather. Most importantly, stay on top of things. Ensure that your phone has data and that your bag is with you or stored in a safe place. Stay on top of airport news, and visa and vaccination requirements for entering a country. Basically, solo travelling requires you to be responsible. This might seem obvious, but if you nail down an organized structure to your trip and prepare for every situation, then you’re all set.
One of the biggest lessons this trip taught me was how to sit and spend time with myself. This is not to say that you’ll be in isolation – my trek in Mongolia was full of incredible people, starting from my incredible guide, the local nomadic families that welcomed us, and the other solo travellers that were on my trek. You might be alone at times, but learning to embrace the company of yourself brings so much personal growth. If you think about it, you’re going to live in your body all your life - it is so important to enjoy time with yourself! It was the most liberating experience, you’re free to meet whoever, wherever and nobody knows anything about each other, which makes it incredibly easy and quick to make new friends.
On a final note, you really can do it, all by yourself. Live it and love it, and don’t forget to enjoy the ride!