1) Keep a journal and take photos 

Writing in a journal gives you something to do if you are feeling odd sitting by yourself anywhere and also helps you remember what was good and why etc.  It will help you plan for the next time too! You could draw in it, and maybe stick in your tickets, receipts and brochures etc. It's not an artwork - its just for you. Looking back at the photos we know you are going to take (!) will remind you of place names etc

2) Soak up the culture

Find the local galleries, museums, and places of natural beauty as a starting point.  Guide books help with honing down your selection.  If you have lots of time you could play brown sign bingo.  (In Cyprus some days I just set off and if I saw a brown sign indicating a site of cultural interest I just followed it.  Found all sorts of locations not in the guidebooks.) 

3) For creatives - meet other artists

Look up galleries and studios hosted by local artists, art schools, residency hosts etc and seek some out.  Wander into the art shops and look for other artists.  Book artistic experiences in the area – do something different – make a pot – paint en plein air – print with local plant materials.  But don’t expect to always feel creative when you have a long list of places to visit.  You are quietly topping up your artistic tank as enjoy new experiences and you may not find their influence creeps out until long after you have returned home. So: 

4) Make work if you feel like it - otherwise just "top up" your creative tank

5) Keep in touch with friends and family

This is so easy now and if you are feeling homesick or missing your tribe, just give them a call.  (Free on whatsapp!) 

6) Relax, have fun and be open to making new friends

If you have done your prep and are keeping your wits about you (which is important when travelling solo) then you ought to be able to relax a bit! You know how you like to have fun so seek it out (your type of music, your type of exercise class, where the cinema is etc). When you are by yourself its somehow easier to start conversations and for strangers to approach you.  Don't be automatically suspicious, you may find a fellow solo traveller you can do some exploring with.  I am still in touch with international friends that I've made travelling solo and am hoping to catch up with them in their home countries in due course, 

7) Prepare to feel unsettled and have itchy feet on your return

This is totally normal and you may need to keep extra busy and perhaps start planning your next trip if the melancholy hits!

PHOTO INFO Above is a shot I took in the deserted town of Varosha in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus.  I've fiddled with it as I often do with my images and I think it helps capture the strange sadness of a place still stuck in no mans land after 50 years.  Varosha: Turkey reopens deserted Cyprus resort but tourists will wait - BBC News

Turkish invasion of Cyprus - Wikipedia