The Backpacker's semi-serious guide to flying solo

Everyone's flown solo at some stage. Some people love it, wouldn't travel any other way. After all, there's no freedom like striding out there into the world by yourself, with only your wits to guide you.

I've done many overseas trips alone, and it has its advantages. But it's not always easy, and after reading Dom Knight's excellent guide to living alone a few weeks ago, I thought it might be handy to pass on the favour to the solo travellers out there.

So here you go loners: your guide to getting around the world on your own.

Drastically lower your standards. The trouble with some travellers is that they're too damn picky when it comes to companions. As a solo artist, you have to forget all that, and take any company you can get. That might include hooking up with the German guy who plays the ukulele, or the girl from Newcastle who "just wants some normal food", but beggars can't be choosers, can they?

Hit the couch. Staying at a hostel can help you meet fellow loners, but if you really want to be forced into having company, Couch Surfing is your thing. Try avoiding human contact when you're living with a complete stranger in their studio apartment. And you're not only making friends with your host, but with your host's friends. It's like borrowing an entire social circle for a few days.

Adopt an ice-breaking affectation. You mightn't be the most interesting person alive, so what you need is some sort of whacky affectation that will get the conversation flowing. You might go for something clichéd, like sticking national flags on your backpack to indicate where you've been. "Hey, you've been to Liberia? Me too!" Or you could step it up a notch, and start wearing a cravat. Or make a habit of playing your guitar at 3am in the dorm room. Either way, you're meeting people.

Learn to dread two words: "Single supplement."

Go places you don't really want to go. Every week or so, make sure you visit a restaurant you really don't like the look of, or drag yourself around some shops you have no interest in, or force yourself to go to another temple that you really don't want to see. Before long, you'll remember what it's like to travel with someone else.

Develop a drinking habit. There are precious few places better to meet like-minded individuals than at the pub. Everyone's so jovial and open. And by jovial and open, I mean drunk and silly. Still, the pub really is the perfect place for a solo traveller to display their fancy foreign accent. This, of course, will probably result in a chronic liver issue and the loss of all your money, but look at all those new friends, eh?