I've traveled to 38 countries solo. Here are 5 mistakes I've learned from over the years.

There are lots of mistakes I've learned from while traveling solo. Annmarie Gajdos As someone who's traveled to 38 countries by myself, I've make my fair share of mistakes. However, I've been able to learn from my missteps and become a more confident traveler . Now, I make sure to live in the moment and allow for flexibility in my itineraries. Over the past several years, I've traveled solo to 38 countries, visiting everywhere from Scotland and Turkey to Zanzibar and Albania. And even though I consider myself to be a confident traveler, this self-assurance didn't happen overnight. Instead, it grew slowly after imperfect trips and countless mistakes. Here are five mistakes I've made — and learned from — over the years. Waiting for circumstances to be perfect I never would've hiked Mount Kilimanjaro if I had been waiting for the "right" time to travel.