Yes, there are downsides to traveling solo. However, there are for more upsides to having an independent adventure that solo travel virgins don’t consider prior to making the firm decision to traveling on their own. Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan your next trip and whether you want to travel solo, with friends or family or in an organized tour.
1. Freedom to do as you please. How many times have you sat down to a breakfast with a travel companion but what you really wanted was to sleep late or catch that last bus out of the dusty, dirty village you found yourself in? It’s happened to all of us at some point. We left home with a less than ideal travel partner or joined a tour group because we didn’t want to be alone. What we discovered was that the country we visited wasn’t as scary as we thought and that there were a lot of other travelers along the way that we could have connected with to share expenses and experiences. Plain and simple, traveling on your own gives you the ability to be the boss and to decided where you’ll go when.
2. You’re more approachable. Without the invisible buffer of a travel partner or group, you’ll quickly find that people, locals and other travelers, will approach you with ease and kindness. You’ll be invited to dinners, you’ll make small talk, you’ll be taken under the wings of waiters, taxi drivers and other solo travelers.
3. Greater rewards. In my experience, it’s during the worst of times that we find our greatest strengths. We get lost in a large city and can’t find your hotel. Your passport gets stolen. The unwanted attention from Greek men is pushing you over the edge. All of these are very possible scenarios. The good news is that once you’ve found your way back to your hotel, you’ve contacted your embassy for a replacement passport and you’ve learned the Greek words for “get lost”, you feel pretty darn good about yourself. You’ve come through a minor tragedy completely on your own and you get all the credit for it!
4. Having peak experiences. The late Spaulding Grey spoke about “the perfect moment”. It’s that experience when everything seems perfect: the universe is on your side and you feel great. My travels seem to be filled with these moments (which is why I believe travel is an addiction for me!). It’s difficult to have these perfect moments when you’re surrounded by a group of travelers chattering away about their cameras or you’re with a travel companion that doesn’t share your values. Being on your own allows you to explore this travel space and create moment after moment of perfect experiences.
Happy Travels!
Scribetrotter says
Beth, you are so spot on!
There’s something magical about conquering odds and the liberation of victory.
I have on a few rare occasions felt sorry for myself traveling solo, especially when full buses passed me by and I couldn’t speak a word of the language in a country. But those feelings faded, usually within minutes, as the absolute joy of travel took over. Empty buses show up, someone manages to strike up a conversation, and all of a sudden I remember why I’m here – because I want to experience something different, new, that stretches me.
For me, traveling in a group means avoiding that diversity – when things get tough, there’s always something/someone familiar and safe to fall back on. That has never helped me grow. On the contrary, safety makes sure I don’t venture beyond my boundaries. And to me, that’s not what travel is about.
Traveling solo teaches me to cope – as Beth so rightly points out, all those insurmountable problems become perfectly manageable when you have to manage them.
So yes – take that leap! The scariest part is before you go. Once you’re on the road, it’s amazing how quickly those fears get left behind.
Meg Noble Peterson says
You have taken a page out of my book, literally, and of my life. Read my frontespiece, a quote from Rick Steves about solo travel being intensely personal, and add to that Peter Matthiessen’s words about traveling light, ending with the statement that simplicity is the whole secret of well-being, and you have a recipe for a perfect travel experience, especially for those travel addicts, like you and me, who like to go off the beaten track.
Meg Noble Peterson
http://www.megnoblepeterson.com
lara dunston says
Beth, great blog on travelling solo. I travelled for a year through South America once on my own, about ten years ago, and absolutely loved it. It was a research trip (I was doing my Masters on Latin American cinema) to film festivals and cinematheques, that was punctuated with periods of travel for pleasure and writing. Missed my husband terribly for the first month but I absolutely loved every minute of the rest of the time. I travel now with my husband as a professional travel writer so I haven’t really had the opportunity to travel alone since, but I would again if the chance arose and I’d recommend every woman (person) do it, for all the reasons you’ve outlined. Love the blog! I’ve just discovered you, but I’ll link to you now. Enjoy your trip!
Devin the Travel Writer says
I love the notion of the “peak experience.” This is something that Joseph Campbell wrote and commented on extensively. great tips!
Mary @ Green Global Travel says
While I only specifically advocate for sustainable environmentally friendly travel, I am a big believer in occasionally travelling solo as I think it allows for a completely different experience and it can be amazing to get “out of context” and be away from all things familiar, including friends and family. Don’t get me wrong, I rarely travel solo these days, but feel as though many of the big changes i my life would not have been possible had it not been for extraordinary periods of solo travel!