When I was 19, I decided to travel alone around Europe for 3 weeks. Despite, family and friends thinking I was crazy, it ended up being the most rewarding trip of my life so far and now I recommend solo travel to everyone. I actually find it difficult to imagine myself travelling with other people now as I loved it so much! Yes, it has its cons but I think the benefits far outweigh these. As a result, I think everyone should try solo travel at least once in their life, and yes, that includes you! Here's why...
1. You'll meet more people
One of the things I was most worried about before my solo trip was meeting new people but as a solo traveller you are much more approachable than a group of friends and best of all, you already have a common interest which is travel. As a result, you'll get to meet even more people from all backgrounds, making it an even more enriching experience. I met people from all over the world, from the US to New Zealand and these people made my trip that much better. I even ended up changing my plans spontaneouslyto spend more time with these people, such as deciding to go paddleboarding for the first time at Lake Bled.
Stand-up paddleboarding at Lake Bled with a new friend
2. Freedom
I remember as a kid being dragged along to so many places on family holidays, some of which I had no interest in visiting. Obviously, I have matured as a traveller since then but there are still places that I'm just not that interested in visiting sometimes. As a solo traveller you're not bound by any rules (other than local laws of course!) and you can choose to do whatever you want, whenever you want. You don't have to visit places you don't want to just because your friends do. For example, I love getting up early to avoid crowds but I doubt my friends would have wanted to start exploring so early in the day. Solo travel offers so much freedom, which is lacking in daily life and personally, I don't think there's an alternative that offers so much freedom.
3. Try new things
As a result of the freedom that solo travel gives you, you can try so many new things, some of which your friends wouldn't have wanted to do. For example, when I was in Switzerland I went skydiving for the first time and it was incredible! I remember feeling the wind on my face as we jumped from a height of 4000m and freefell at a speed of almost 200kph! Despite moving through the air so quickly, I could still appreciate the views and let me tell you, it was out of this world! It's an experience I'll never forget and hope to do again someday. As I said above, I also went stand-up paddleboarding for the first time in Slovenia with another traveller I met in the hostel and I went sea kayaking and cliff jumping in Croatia for the first time. Both of these were a lot of fun and I doubt I would've tried all of these things if I'd travelled with other people.
Channeling my inner adrenaline junkie (photo by Skydive Switzerland)
4. Self - growth
I feel like I grew a lot as a person whilst travelling alone and in many different ways, so I've decided to separate this point into three smaller points.
Confidence - I definitely noticed myself grow in confidence on my trip, so much so that I felt like I could comfortably speak with new acquaitances towards the end of my trip, including just asking locals for help if I was lost or had a problem (e.g. wondering why my train to Ljubljana, Slovenia wasn't on the train timetable only to be told it was a bus not a train...). My confidence definitely improved when I tried talking to a Swiss man who didn't speak English and as a result I had to try to communicate with my very limited German whilst waving my hands around like a crazy woman.
Self-awareness - This goes hand in hand with increased confidence but my self-awareness also increased as I really learnt to trust myself whilst travelling solo, especially when things went wrong. I had to learn to understand and accept if I was feeling too tired rather than exploring so many places that I was too tired to properly enjoy them.
Independence - Nothing improves your independece more than solo travel. Unlike just moving out to live by yourself, when solo travelling you're in an entirely different country with a different culture. You have to do all your typical chores and travel by yourself, whilst in a completely new area.
Reflecting on life next to Oeschinen Lake, Switzerland
5. Learn new skills (Increased employability)
Solo travel isn't just great for 'finding yourself', it's great for developing new skills and improving your employability. Therefore, I've broken this section into three smaller points.
Problem-solving - This goes hand in hand with independence and confidence but solo travel really improves your problem-solving skills, such as when you're lost, can't find your accommodation, your train gets delayed and it's the last one of the day or trying to figure out the Metro in Naples...
Planning - Chances are that if you're solo travelling, you'll have planned your trip. This can take a huge amount of time and will be an attractive skill to employers, especially as there are so many things to consider when travelling, such as accommodation, transport and what activities you'll do and when. I know for my three-week trip I spent days planning it and even then I spontaneously changed what I did on a couple of the days whilst travelling.
Budgeting - Another thing you'll have (hopefully) considered is your budget and in such a money-orientated world, budgeting is an essential skill to have. I incorporated the budgeting into my plans and it meant I could fully enjoy my trip without having to worry about expenses.
Planning my route
So those are my five reasons why you should try travelling alone at least once in your life; however, in order to provide an authentic view of solo travel, it's important to remember that it's not all good things, all the time. It does have it cons, which I'll briefly outline below.
1. Loneliness
I'm lucky that I'm very comfortable being alone, so loneliness isn't something I really experienced on my trip but I know it can be very difficult for people who do suffer from it. However, I don't think you should let this put you off as it's only by pushing through these difficult times that you can grow as a person.
2. Overexersion
One thing I'm very guilty of is pushing myself too hard and trying to see too much. I exerted myself so much during the first two weeks of my trip that I felt really tired towards the end it. When you travel with friends, they may help you slow down a little. Just remember, there may be other chances to revisit these places in the future.
3. It May Be More expensive
This isn't always the case but sometimes solo travel can be more expensive, especially if you're staying in hotels or using taxis. However, I managed to avoid these extra costs by walking or using public transport (with my Interrail pass) and staying in shared dorm rooms in hostels.
4. There's No one to take photos of you
Now, this is a fairly minor disadvantage but there aren't any people to take photos of you, unless you ask a stranger or someone you've recently met. Because I often got up super early to avoid crowds, it meant there weren't many people to ask. However, this is easily fixed with a mini tripod and camera timer.
Prepare to fill your camera roll with selfies...
So, those are my main pros and cons for travelling solo. I do truly believe that the benefits far outweigh the cons and you should try travelling alone at least once in your life. After all, if you don't like it, you don't have to do it again but I think it's worth a try 😉.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Next time... How to Travel as a Student
[All photos and opinions are my own unless stated otherwise. All links are non-affiliated.]
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