10 Tips to Make Eating Alone Easier

Ugggg…..it’s meal time again!  Many solo travelers find that the worst part of travelling alone arrives at meal times.  I am also included in this category.  While eating alone, or even just the thought of eating alone, can be scary to some solo travellers, it doesn’t have to be if you follow these 10 easy tips that make eating alone easier when you are travelling alone.

Experiment with these 10 tips to make eating alone easier and see if you find meal time less stressful and intimidating and more enjoyable:

Eat During Off Hours

Most people feel much more comfortable eating alone when the restaurant isn’t packed full of people.  Schedule your meals during the off hours:

  • Breakfast between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
  • Lunch between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
  • Dinner before 5:00 p.m. or after 8:00 p.m.

With this meal schedule, you may even find that you will skip lunch and just grab a protein bar or small snack while on the go.

Start Small

Dinner time is typically a much more formal event, so you may feel more comfortable venturing into a restaurant alone for either breakfast or lunch.  If you choose the lunch hour, you might want to consider eating your dinner at lunch and then you can skip the restaurant scene altogether at dinner time.  By eating at cafes and coffee shops, you will feel completely invisible, as many people frequent these places alone.

when-eating-alone-start-small-eat-in-a-coffee-shop
Start small when eating alone.  Hang out at a cafe or coffee shop.

Research Restaurants

Google is a beautiful tool when you are deciding where to eat. Research restaurants that you might be interested in.  Once you have made a choice as to where you want to eat, study the menu and take a look at pictures in order to familiarize yourself with the restaurant before you go.  You will feel much more comfortable walking into a restaurant that you are already familiar with.

Take a Seat

For me, seating is everything whenever I’m eating alone, but where you sit is a matter of personal preference.  I prefer to sit in a corner, or with my back against a wall.  This way it is much easier for me to people watch as well.  More importantly, it is an important safety tip when travelling alone, as you can see what is going on around you at all times.

Other people prefer to sit with their back to the crowd.  I guess they figure that if they are unable to see other people, then other people are also unable to see them.

The final option, and one that is popular among solo travellers eating alone, is to cozy up to and make friends with the bartender.  You can be almost guaranteed that the majority of people sitting at the bar are eating alone.  If you truly are alone at the bar, at least you will have the bartender to entertain you, or visa versa.   This is also the perfect way to obtain some inside tips on what to do, where to go, where to stay, and where else to eat at your destination.

Journal Your Travels

Waiting for your meal is the perfect opportunity to catch up on your journal entries.  By keeping busy, you will be unaware of what is happening around you and you won’t feel like it’s obvious to everyone that you are eating alone (even though you are).

Chat With Friends

If you are eating alone during breakfast or lunch, it is perfectly okay to bring out your electronic devices.  This is the perfect time to catch up on text messages, emails, and social media.  It is not appropriate if eating dinner at a fine dining restaurant.

text with friends and family to make eating alone easier
Keep busy when eating alone.  Chat with family and friends. Catch up on social media

Catch Up on the News

Many restaurants and cafes have newspapers available for customer use.  Pick one up and check out what is happening in the area you are visiting.  If you are anything like me, you might even have a book stashed in your purse.  Don’t be afraid to pull it out and catch up on some reading during breakfast or lunch.

Fine Dining Alone

I know that I said that I still struggle with being a solo traveler eating alone, but this is one trick that works for me.  What can I say…..I love fine dining!  At this stage, you have already done your research and are familiar with the fine dining restaurant that you will be eating at.  Reservations are typically required, so it is at this point that you can make any seating requests that you might have.

You are in a foreign city or country eating at a fine dining restaurant, so be sure to order exactly what you want from the menu. Spare no expense.  Sit back and enjoy a glass of wine, take in your surroundings and savor the taste of the amazing food.

Make sure that on this occasion, you dress to impress!  You will feel much more confident and unfortunately, yes all eyes will be on you, but not because you are eating alone!

“I know what I bring to the table …. so trust me when I say I’m not afraid to eat alone”

Make Friends

People who work in the restaurant industry are trained in customer service.  Keeping you happy is their primary goal.  Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with your server.  He or she will be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the destination that you are exploring, and will be able to provide you with the inside scoop on what to see and do.

make-friends-with-the-wait-staff-when-eating-alone
Don’t be afraid to talk to people and make friends.  Most people won’t bite.

Forget Everybody Else

I know that when you enter a restaurant alone, you will feel like all eyes are on you. Trust me, they aren’t!  Even if people are looking, I can guarantee you that they will not be thinking “Look at that girl.  She is eating alone”.  People have short attention spans and they will soon go back to what they were doing and won’t even give you a second thought. If they do, that’s their problem.  You won’t ever see them again, so ignore them.

More Tips for Eating Alone

If you have tried some, or all, of these recommendations and still don’t feel comfortable eating alone, don’t sweat it.  There is always tomorrow to give it another try.  In the meantime, you won’t starve, there are still various options available to you:

  • fast food drive through
  • take-out restaurant
  • order your meal in
  • call room service
  • visit a market or grocery store and pick up some items to make a small meal with
10 tips to gain confidence and make eating alone in a restaurant easier
Eat like nobody’s watching……because they aren’t!

JOIN ME FOR MORE SOLO TRAVEL TRICKS 🙂

So there you have it.  These are the tricks that I use when I am travelling and have to eat alone.  I would love to know what tricks you use to over-come your fear of eating alone?  Or does eating alone even bother you?  What do you find most difficult about travelling solo?  Let me know your good, bad and ugly truth about travelling solo.

BON APPETIT 🙂

Kelly xoxo

PIN TO MAKE EATING ALONE EASIER!

57 thoughts on “10 Tips to Make Eating Alone Easier”

  1. bethann56

    Thanks for this post. I don’t have a problem (generally) eating alone. I don’t worry about what others think because I’ve learned to have a so what attitude about others opinions, and that’s all they are anyway…an opinion. I’ve also learned that in our self-consciousness we will typically fear that others are aiming critical thoughts our way, but we don’t really KNOW that. It’s only our belief that being alone is a shameful or negative thing.
    So be confident and proud of who you are. Bravery AND confidence is attractive!
    I also want to note that I did pick up a couple of helpful tips. Thanks

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Michelle

    These are such great tips. I know a lot of people that struggle with this and will not eat alone. Personally, I don’t care. I actually enjoy it once in a while. It allows me to relax and people watch. LOL!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Razena

    I started eating and going to the cinema alone when I was in college because it was a great way to have time to myself. I didn’t realize how much it would help when I finally started traveling solo decades later. The only issue I have faced when eating out alone is that some fine dining restaurants won’t accept solo diners.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. By Land and Sea

    These are great tips! I wish there wasn’t such a stigma with eating alone. I love the idea of journaling during your solo meal time! And, I hate eating with my back to the crowd (not the wall) I don’t like not knowing what is going on behind me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Medha Verma

    It’s so true, as a solo traveller, dining alone is my least favourite thing to do! I like your idea of dining off the peak hours, so that the places are lesser crowded, for some weird reason, that sounds like it would make me a lot more comfortable! I am not a fine dining person so I don’t think that’d work for me. I’m also an introvert so chatting with people around is lesser likely than texting on the phone.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Jen

    Such great tips. It’s amazing how much eating out alone can really give people the jitters. And I love the tip to talk to your server. Locals are such a wealth of info. (And these are just useful for anyone anywhere who isn’t quite feeling good about heading out to eat alone…)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Aditi Sharma

    Great post. I don’t mind eating by myself every now and then – sometimes that ends up being a great break for me and gives me the chance to catch up with friends via chat or with updating my journal just like you mentioned. I feel less rushed somehow when I dine by myself as I can enjoy my meal at my pace. Dining off the peak hours is always a great option whether dining solo or with friends/family.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Shutterbug Sage

    Such great tips! I find that eating out alone is the ONE thing I really struggle with when traveling solo. I mean, yeah, I can be on my tablet reading the news or on my phone texting, but meh. I’d rather just order carry out. But I’m going to give some of these a go next solo trip!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Just One Passport

      Sage even after almost 10 years travelling solo I still struggle at times depending on the situation but I am getting better at it.. I still get asked “just one” ALL the time. Hence the name of my blog lol

      Like

      Reply

  14. ancsihej

    Wow, it’s such a useful article! I like all the tips, especially about swapping the big meal for lunchtime.

    For breakfast, I personally like eating at markets, which are very informal and I can even take out my bakery goodie to sit outside and enjoy the view with my breakfast.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Anna

    I love this article! I remember the first time I went to a restaurant alone thinking it would be awkward but ended up loving it haha! Eating alone is great as you get some quality me time. I know a friend who asked for a table and the waiter was funny about her being on her own. She said it made her feel so awkward!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. Becki

    It’s funny how this is still seen as such an awkward thing for so many people. I remmeber the first time I ate alone, I didn’t feel nervous at all and actually did so many of the things you’ve listed. It was actually nice to be able to sit and eat and write up my journal, and plan my next stages of my trip. It’s so liberating being able to do this. Thanks for sharing

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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  22. Lorenza

    I used to care when I was younger, then I started traveling a ton for work to places I had never been like Barcelona and I wasn’t going to miss out on great meals and fine dining so I now love it! The bar is my place

    Like

    Reply

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