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The most important thing to consider when travelling alone is safety. While today's world of smartphones, instant communications and i-everything provides some comfort, there are still some more ' traditional ' ways to stay safe. Here are some tips when traveling solo... Keep up communication Always inform family and friends where your heading, how you can be reached and provide them with a full itinerary of flights and transport. If you're being collected from the airport, ask the tour operator or hotel sending the transportation for the name of the person or service picking you up along with their phone numbers as well as those of the destination. Also, select flights that arrive during daylight hours, and try to connect with people on the other side using social media. Leave valuables at home Apart from your passport, wallet and any other travel documentation you might need for your specific destination, it's best to leave valuables in the form of expensive jewelry and gadgets at home. Keep the trip light and casual, leaving more room to pick up souvenirs from the destination itself. The same rule applies for large sums of cash. We all hate bank charges, but not as much as getting a a load of money stolen, so withdraw money when you get there. It's just not work the risk.

Ask the experts: Annie Bennett, our Spain expert, advises a reader who wants to walk part of the pilgrim's path to Santiago de Compostela. Patsy Lees writes A friend and I would like to walk part of the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela, in June, but only have about five days free. The tour companies I have seen all seem to do longer tours. We are happy to make our own arrangements but are not sure where to start. Annie Bennett, Spain expert, replies Lots of people opt to do the pilgrimage in stages these days. The Confraternity of St James (csj.org.uk) should be your first port of call for general information. Have a look at the Spanish (spain.info) and Galician (turgalicia.es) tourist office websites too. Tour operators that organise self-guided trips include Camino Ways (caminoways.com), which offers a six-night holiday covering the last stretch of the most popular route, the Camino Francés, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela - around 70 miles. Prices start at about £400 without flights, staying in family-run guesthouses or cottages, including breakfast and dinner, luggage transfers and walking notes. Bear in mind that there are several lesser-known, shorter routes too. Macs Adventure (macsadventure.com/camino-tours) can arrange a five-night walk covering the Camino Finisterre, where you actually start in Santiago de Compostela and walk to Finisterre on the Atlantic coast, a distance of around 5 miles, stopping off at fabulous beaches. This costs from £285 without flights, staying in simple rural hotels. Luggage transfer is £150 extra.