Solo Traveling Guide: How to Travel Well Alone
The Grandness of Solo Traveling
Solo traveling alone is a unique method of exploration. It gives a person a deeper chance to reflect on the world and their part in it. A person comfortable with themselves anywhere on Earth prove their own capabilities and capacity every day.
I love traveling alone. I love packing up my personal gear, planning a trip and heading into the world, confident of my own capabilities. However, like any other skill, solo traveling takes some practice.
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Challenges of Traveling Alone
Traveling alone is a lot of things. It can be meditative, challenging, enlightening, peaceful, adventurous and confidence-building. But it is certainly not easy. There are certain challenges that come with seeing the world solo.
Full Planning
When traveling alone, all the planning is on the shoulders of a single person: you. The route chosen, the money saved and spent, the locations visited and the trails taken all rely on your own mind, capabilities, experience and preparation.
Because of this, planning is far more important when traveling alone. While you are able to choose whatever you want, you also have to be more aware of what’s going on next. Research carefully and take care of your travel gear when by yourself.
The Danger of Loneliness
One of the biggest pitfalls to solo travelers is self-imposed loneliness. It’s easy to self-isolate when traveling alone, since there are no immediate friends nearby. While loneliness typically doesn’t occur in total isolation (such as hiking through a forest) it’s very easy to feel lonely in a crowded cafe or party where nobody approaches you.
But this is an illusion. Travelers are more connected to one another, their homes and the world than ever before. Reconnect with family by calling home and updating them on your adventures. Reach out to old friends to trade stories. Find locals willing to show you around. Look for online forums and groups to help you get accustomed to a new and strange land. Chat with your barista on a slow afternoon or practice a new language with people passing by.
Loneliness is an insidious emotion. There is a level of comfort in being with oneself with no need to export energy to others. But a few days spent without meaningful contact isn’t healthy. Be willing to reach out to those around you.
Eating Alone
Many people have trouble eating alone while solo traveling. The idea of sitting in a restaurant or café may feel awkward for some.
However, eating alone is perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged in many cultures. Bringing a book or something to work on is common in café and many restaurants. And like anywhere, feel free to reach out and try to speak to those around you.
Advantages of Traveling Alone
While traveling alone can be challenging, it also has enormous advantages. Solo travel is my favorite type of travel for the independence and flexibility it brings, among other great experiences.
Independence and Flexibility
A solo traveler can make every decision entirely on their own. Love museums? Go spend an entire day in one. Do museums bore you? Then skip it entirely. Afraid of snakes? Maybe skip that jungle hike. Do you adore the ocean? Perhaps you can pay a little extra for a hotel on the beach.
Having total control over where you travel and what you do is freeing. It allows all your decisions to be aligned with personal interests and curiosities. You don’t have to alter plans to accommodate the interests of others. Furthermore, impromptu plans become easily executed. If you hear about a comedy show in half an hour, you can simply walk down the street without consulting anyone or changing plans.
Ability to be Stupid
Sometimes when I travel, I prefer to be stupid. There are actions I like to take when traveling that I could never do if I was responsible for someone else.
For example, I love to hike from town to town, sometimes spending up to six hours on trails. These are not planned hikes or trips, I’m merely curious and want to stretch my legs.
Convincing a companion of this would be ridiculous. I likely couldn’t justify putting them through it regardless, even if they agreed. Traveling alone allows a person to choose their own route, including those that are interesting, but also perhaps uncomfortable and challenging.
Total Budget Control
Traveling alone is cheaper.
Though there are some cases where it’s better to split the cost of a room or cruise, the vast majority of trips are much cheaper if a traveler is wandering solo. Meals generally cost less, you can choose to cook for yourself more frequently, lodging in dorms and hostels is far cheaper and only half as many supplies are needed.
Traveling solo is also cheaper for comfort reasons. I’m perfectly comfortable staying overnight in an airport or on a bus. But if I was traveling with a significant other or a friend, I wouldn’t be able to ask them to do the same. Likewise, I don’t mind saving a thousand dollars by having a twenty-four-hour layover somewhere, giving me a chance to wander around. But it’s not something I can ask others to do.
Extremely Easy to Change Plans
I love impromptu plans. When somebody tells me about an upcoming party, a mysterious set of ruins or random street performance, I love being able to drop everything and make a beeline for it.
Traveling alone allows a person to do this without consulting others and potentially ruining plans. It is a wonderful way to ensure your energy levels always match exactly what you want to do. Traveling alone provides complete schedule freedom.
Meeting New People
One of the absolute best factors when traveling alone is the opportunity. Traveling with a friend or in a group somewhat limits outer social experiences. You already have a good companion directly nearby.
However, when traveling alone, perfect strangers are your best form of socialization. Other travelers and locals are endlessly interesting people. They can provide interesting activities and facts about the area, endless entertainment and useful advice.
Traveling alone makes meeting new people easy and natural.
Wander Alone
Overall, traveling alone is a profound experience. It grants more flexibility and opportunity while seeing the world. It provides a sense of quiet thought to determine the kind of person someone is without outside social influence. To date, I believe it is one of the best ways to explore my relationship with the world.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean