OREGON SOLO TRAVEL GUIDE
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! OREGON TRAVEL GUIDE 2024
PLAN AND BOOK OREGON SOLO TRAVEL
This page may contain affiliate links for your convenience. For products, the goal is to first provide direct links to eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable companies, and then to those same type (i.e., Climate Pledge Friendly Certification), of brands that use Amazon, if possible. Therefore, you may see multiple links for one option. Should you make a purchase through any link, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my Disclaimers & Disclosures and Privacy Policy for more information.
Like this? Share it with others!
WELCOME TO OREGON!
Hi! I’m Gwen, and my passion is using my 28 years of global travel and sustainability knowledge and experience to help the solo over 50’s be and stay adventurous through solo travel with their eco-friendly, responsible travel foot forward. Here is my guide to Oregon solo travle, all from my solo Oregon travel, so you plan and book your solo trip to Oregon with ease. What are you waiting for?
OREGON: DID YOU KNOW?
About Oregon
Oregon, “The Beaver State”, is the 9th largest state in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA and home to popular destinations like Portland, Salem, Eugene, Bend, Mount Hood, the Willamette Valley, and more. Entered into the USA as the 33rd state in 1859, Oregon’s capital is Salem, and its largest city is Portland.
Oregon is home to natural wonders like Crater Lake National Park, Multnomah Falls, and Hells Canyon National Park. Big in Oregon is the Nike headquarters, the University of Oregon, and being the end of the historical, 2,170-mile Oregon Trail. Top industries for Oregon are lumber, fishing, agriculture, tech, and wine.
Oregon’s coastline, beaches, rivers and waterfalls, volcanos, mountains, lush flora and fauna, fabulous wine region, fine dining, farm-to-table food, great coffee, local breweries, entertainment and music, and being weed-friendly make Oregon a popular tourist destination, especially to those fond of the outdoors and enjoying a laidback lifestyle.
Popular Oregon Activities
Oregon’s weather, mountains, lakes, rivers, expansive coastline, agriculture, wineries, museums and entertainment industries and venues offer some of the best hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, fishing, wildlife and marine life watching, surfing, boating, dining, wine tasting, and cultural, sporting and entertainment events in the USA year-round.
Best Beer & Brewery Tours in Oregon
OREGON TRAVEL PLANNING
Oregon Holidays
In addition to U.S. holidays, Oregon may observe additional state or local holidays. It may be a good idea to check what state or local holidays they celebrate to see if there are any public service, school, or other closures as this may impact your tourist itinerary, ability to obtain travel or other services, or it could mean more tourists and/or higher prices in your Oregon destination.
Take a few moments to see if there are Oregon holidays to better help you plan Oregon travel.
Tipping in Oregon
See tipping guidelines in my USA Travel Guide for tipping in Oregon.
Travel Requirements
U.S. states do not impose additional travel requirements, such as documentation and vaccinations, other than those imposed at the national level. See the USA Travel Guide for all USA travel requirements.
Electronic Requirements
All U.S. state electric outlets require a Type A (two prong) and/or Type B (three prong) adapter. See the USA Travel Guide for electrical requirements in the USA.
Cyber Security While Traveling
Having a virtual private network (VPN) service and portable WiFi is always a good idea to not just stay connected, but stay connected securely in your hotel and all public spaces, like airports, train stations, and restaurants.
- Portable WiFi Hotspot for Travel: Experience seamless connectivity with the Solis Lite, your pocket-friendly companion that offers secure and reliable mobile WiFi hotspot coverage in over 135...
- SIMO’s virtual, multi-carrier network, includes all the major carriers, so you can work, learn, or play from anywhere. Stay connected domestically or abroad with your personal Wi-Fi hotspot and...
- Built-in 4700 mAh Power Bank: Stay online all day with 16+ hours of battery life in your Solis Wi-Fi hotspot. Keep all your gadgets charged on-the-go.
- Perfect Case for SIMO Solis Lite 4G LTE WiFi Mobile Hotspot
- Featured Design: Strong compact light weight case, the round square design best matching the round shape of the Solis and making it easy to in and out of the case
- Assured Protection: Semi-hard carrying case protecting the device from shock, shake, scratch. PEVA materials with pressure or hit absorbing and water resistant. The round square design make it best to...
CITY GUIDES & ITINERARIES
Use my solo travel guides, itineraries, travel tips, day trip ideas, and recommended things to do in these top Oregon destinations, all from my travel in Oregon, to plan your best Oregon solo travel.
The more I travel in Oregon, the more that gets added to this Oregon Travel Guide. Keep checking back.
I recently revisited Portland, Oregon in 2022. Until I write about it, here are my recommended things to do in Portland.
Portland
Best Things to Do in Portland
Best Day Trips from Portland
HOW TO BOOK OREGON TRAVEL
It’s important to book the top three travel necessities early: flights, accommodations and ground transportation.
No Oregon guide would be complete without the booking tools below. These, along with fun Oregon things to do and ecotourism ideas, will allow you to realize your solo trip to Oregon.
Cheap Flights to Oregon
With the ever-growing demand for airline tickets to Oregon, flights book quicker these days. Find cheap flights to Oregon now.
Don’t Wait to Book Your Flight to Oregon
Oregon Places to Stay
Second in importance to buying airline tickets to Oregon is finding the best place to stay in Oregon for your Oregon solo travel. Develop your Oregon travel itinerary now and find the best Oregon travel accommodations to knock one more travel planning item off your solo travel list.
Find the Best Solo Travel Accommodations in Oregon
Getting Around Oregon
Oregon has all forms of transportation, including Carpoolworld, Uber, Lyft, and other possible regional ridesharing services and apps (research in advance if they are in your destination area).
Of course, you can easily get a taxi or find a rental a car in Oregon if it better suits your Oregon travel itinerary.
Find the Best Deals on Oregon Rental Cars
Oregon also has regional buses and is part of the Amtrak train system.
Things to Do in Oregon
Here are some of the top things to do in Oregon to book for your Oregon solo travel.
Best Wine Tasting Tours in Oregon
OREGON ECO-TRAVEL IDEAS
There are ways to reduce your eco and carbon footprint through air travel, accommodations, tours, and activities in Oregon. To help avoid greenwashing businesses, here are some eco-friendly or sustainable travel (also called responsible travel) tips and resources, you can use to book your travel.
Air Travel Tips
Skyscanner provides a ‘Greener flights’ filter highlighting flights that emit less CO2.
Purchase carbon offsets through your airline or through a third party, like MyClimate.org, Carbonfund.org, or terrapass. Carbon offsetting allows you to buy a certificate to reduce carbon emissions, a major contributor to climate change, which in turn contribute community projects across countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Ground Transportation
Try to avoid flying within Oregon by taking a regional bus or the Amtrak train.
When booking a rideshare in Oregon, select the Uber Green option, instead of a traditional rideshare, to support the use of electric cars and carpooling for cleaner transportation in Oregon.
The best eco-friendly forms of ground transportation in Oregon are public transportation, walking, or renting a bicycle or electric scooter.
Explore Oregon Bike and Electric Scooter Rentals
Lime also has electric scooters to rent in Oregon for fast and clean commuting in select cities.
Accommodation Tips
Look for Oregon accommodations with the following self and third-party assessed certifications when you book:
Green Globe – Green Globe certifies hotels, resorts, conference centers, transportation, attractions, tour operators, and other tourism businesses globally on sustainable operations and management. Look for USA Green Global members.
Green Key Global is an internationally recognized environmental certification for the lodging and meetings industries, including hotels and hostels, campsites and holiday parks, restaurants and attractions in 65 countries. Search for Green Key awarded sites.
Living Building Challenge – if you want to stay in a true, sustainable building, find one certified by the Living Building Challenge. LBC’s certification directory shows all project types globally. Hopefully they will put in a filter soon to allow searching by hotels or hospitality type.
LEED Certified – the USGBC’s LEED Certified label on buildings, like many of the Marriott’s hotels, are those that have verifiably employed multiple and varying green building strategies to improve human and environmental health. Search the LEED directory for USA certifications.
Green Lodging Program – Audubon International has an environmental stewardship certification through third-party verification. Search its certified members directory.
GSTC Certified – the Global Sustainable Tourism Council provides global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, as well as international accreditation for sustainable tourism Certification Bodies. Booking sites that offer GSTC certified sustainable are bookdifferent, EcoHotels, and Transat.
Another way to find accommodations in Oregon implementing eco-friendly or sustainable practices, certified or not, is to reserve a Booking.com Travel Sustainable accommodation. Booking.com started the Travel Sustainable program in 2022.
Find Your Travel Sustainable Stay in Oregon
Eco-Friendly Things To Do
Oregon has ecotourism ideas available to explore for your next vacation.
Search Green Global and Green Key awarded members for eco-friendly activity providers in Oregon. Some may also have the GSTC Certified logo.
Top Eco-Friendly Activities in Oregon
Eco-Travel Products
There are more ways to do your part for the planet in your responsible travel, like bringing sustainable and eco-friendly products to protect Oregon’s environment.
For more ideas on how to travel with the planet in mind, read my 10 Easy Eco-Travel Tips and view my suggested Eco Travel Resources to learn more.
OREGON TRAVEL SAFETY
Before You Go
Buy USA travel insurance and international medical insurance for your Oregon solo travel to protect yourself and cover for emergencies.
Safety in Oregon
In addition to the travel safety tips in the USA Travel Guide, if you are planning on going hiking, backpacking, skiing, camping, swimming or doing any other activity that will take you into remote places, please ensure you research the local travel and weather advisories in advance and respect warnings not to travel.
Let people know where are you going, provide them your itinerary, and ensure you have safety and emergency measures provided for in your travel belongings.
In larger cities, like Portland, do not be surprised to see an element of homelessness. Although the homeless rate has increased throughout the years, it doesn’t mean all areas of homelessness are dangerous. They may be sketchy or may make you feel uncomfortable. Therefore, read up on the latest updates for safety, keep alert, and avoid walking in certain areas at night.
Fire Season Travel Tips
OREGON BUDGET TRAVEL TIPS
Oregon Sales Tax
Oregon is one of 5 states that levies no state sales tax, which may help your travel budget where you decide to travel to Oregon instead of California, for example.
Best Time to Visit Oregon
Oregon’s high tourist season, and most expensive time to visit, is in the summer (June to August). Winter sporting areas can also tend to be pricey. The least expensive time to go to Oregon would be in the shoulder season to winter months (September to May), depending on where in Oregon you go.
Unfortunately, Oregon has been experiencing some very hot summer (and sometimes autumn) months. Ultimately, for nice weather, less tourists, and lower costs, recommended months for visiting Oregon are September, October, April and May. Dress in layers for versatility of weather during these months.
Budget Accommodations
Staying in Oregon hostels could save you a lot of money on accommodations in Oregon, especially if you stay in a dorm-style room. Save more money by booking well in advance.
Many hostels also offer private rooms, which I choose from time to time. Private rooms in hostels could possibly be cheaper than hotels in Oregon – it depends on where you stay and how far in advance you reserve.
Don’t overlook exploring hostels in Oregon if you’re on a budget.
Reserve Your Oregon Hostel
Best Time to Book Travel
Oregon can be pricey depending on your Oregon destination and time of travel. The sooner you book your reservations, the more you’re likely to save money and get the best flight, accommodation, and rental car choices and deals.
Ready to book Oregon solo travel? Don’t miss out and find the best Oregon travel deals. The best time to book travel is now. Bundling flight, hotel and/or transportation reservations may even save you more money when traveling Oregon.
Book Oregon Travel Early to Save Money
PERSONAL STORY
I have family in Oregon, but, alas, I do not have the opportunity to visit as much as I’d like. As a member of the west coast states, Oregon ranks up there as one of the best U.S. states, in my humble opinion. The coastline, mountains and wineries are top notch. I think the Willamette Valley wine is divine.
So, it is really not hard to find something fantastic to do in Oregon, even if it’s just hanging at a good bookstore with a great cup of coffee, dining on some of the freshest food around, or hitting a local brewery. Even though I don’t drink much beer these days, it’s hard to resist a local Oregon brew.