Women travelling solo: How to plan a multi-city trip to the United States

It is possible to pay for fares using your mobile-linked wallet via Apple Pay or Google Pay. However, I went old-school and bought a ticket for each city.

Finally, if you are taking cabs, Uber or Lyft (another version of Uber), make sure you know the intersections and the suburb. That way, you can clearly let the drivers know that you’re going to the Blue Bottle Coffee at the corner of Market and 3rd Streets.

PRIORITISE ACTIVITIES THAT SUIT YOUR SCHEDULE AND PERSONALITY

After two and a half years of being confined to the island, the natural reaction once out of the country is to go everywhere  and see everything. Sometimes that leaves you exhausted and without time to fully enjoy each sight. My advice: Consider your time in each city and how you like to explore when you plan.

I had never been to two of the three cities on my list (San Francisco and Philadelphia), so I prioritised must-do places and activities I could otherwise not enjoy if I travelled with my children. This way, the solo trip becomes truly your own, even with the common tourist sites.

SAN FRANCISCO – WITH A TWIST

In San Francisco, I booked city tours with tour operators that offered unique experiences.  

Use aggregator sites like TripAdvisor, Viator or GetYourGuide to make bookings, read reviews and understand the entire tour. Because the US has mostly “opened up”, and I was still wary of catching COVID-19 variants whilst on holiday, I booked with tour providers of smaller tours with unique insights to each place of interest.