by Heather C. Liston

If economy is necessary, do some research on the best free and inexpensive pleasures at your chosen destination, and then budget your discretionary money for whatever you value most. For example, Jay Ben-Lesser, author of A Foxy Old Woman's Guide to Traveling Alone, says, "I may sleep at the YMCA but have dinner in the fanciest restaurant in town."

Audrey Ross, a publicist from New York City, has different priorities: "Spend a little extra money and get yourself a nice room," she advises. Ross loved going to the theater every night during her week-long trip solo trip to London, but when she returned to her tiny, economical room in Piccadilly Circus each evening, she found it a bit depressing.

"If you're just getting used to being alone, it's worth getting yourself a nice setting so you look forward to coming home at night," she says.

If you would like to meet people, youth hostels are worth considering. In spite of their name, these inexpensive accommodations, located throughout the United States and Europe, actually have no age restrictions (except in Bavaria). They are clean, simple places to stay, in which you may share a room with one or more other travelers of the same gender. They also have common rooms where you can meet and chat with other travelers, and they often have message boards, brochure racks, and organized tours and activities.

A few more tips: