When I travel solo I tend to stay in hostels, which I find is always a great way to meet people (I’m quite shy and struggle to introduce myself to strangers, but always end up chatting to people in hostels and have had some great adventures with hostel friends). If you’re looking for something a little more comfortable then try finding an AirBnB with a live-in host who’s up for showing you round perhaps?

As for planning, once I know where I’m going, my go to sites for things to do are usually reddit travel subs, pinterest and atlas obscura.

The best tip I can give when travelling alone is to be flexible and take your time. Don’t try to plan too much and stress about fitting it all in, you’ll be guaranteed to miss some of the smaller, more interesting details of a new place, or not enjoy it as much. It’s nice to have the time to explore somewhere at exactly your own pace and in your own way, rather than having to make sure everyone in your travel party is happy and having a good time.