I have to be honest — my first time traveling solo I hated it and felt noticeably alone and out of sorts. But then, about three days into it, I hit my groove and started liking it. I realized I just had to give myself transition time to get used to it. I learned that the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.
Here’s why:
Go Now
Want to take an amazing trip, but don’t want to go alone? You might be waiting a long time. Coordinating travel with others can be difficult and frustrating due to schedules, different budgets and destination desires. If you just change your perspective and realize you can go alone, you can plan your trip and not wait for the day that never comes when someone can go when you want to go and where you want to go.
You’re the Boss
When you travel solo, you are THE boss. You do what you want, when you want. Feel like staying in all day and just reading a book, do it! Want to hike for hours until your legs feel like spaghetti? It’s up to you! You can stay at the hotel or glamping cabin of your choice, eat what you want, and wake up when you want. It’s very freeing to just go and do what YOU feel like doing.
Alone Time is Important
Today, we are so connected; our phones, laptops, and tablets are always within reach keeping us in touch to everything and everyone, sometimes too connected. Being alone, truly alone, is necessary to recharge your battery and think about life – changes you want to make in yourself, your career, your relationships. Relish your alone time.
You are Never Really Alone
On the flip side of that, when you are alone, you tend to be more open to meeting new people. You are not coupled up and just focusing on your companion. You will start to talk to other people — on a tour, at your campsite, or at a café. You will also see how many other solo travelers are out there doing the same thing as you, which makes it so easy to join each other for a beer or coffee. So even though you are alone, you’ll find that if you want to be with other people, it’s much easier than you realize.
Meaning
Many first think that it would be a waste to not share travels with someone; that you’ll have no one to share the amazing moments with. I actually found the opposite; I was able to be razor-focused on my surroundings — the sights, the sounds, the tastes — much more than if I was talking with someone and distracted by their presence and their thoughts. When traveling solo, I think I experience a heightened sense of everything because I can really be in the moment.
It’s Empowering
Perhaps the most wonderful result of traveling solo? It makes you feel like you can do anything. After navigating the trains in Cairo or dealing with a transit strike in France or possibly losing your credit card somewhere between Zanzibar and Istanbul, you realize that you can handle any situation thrown at you. Nothing excites me more than landing in a brand new country, getting some local currency out of the ATM, figuring out the local transport system and how I will get to my lodging, how much it will cost and then making it all happen. While it can be a bit scary or stressful, it’s also really invigorating and can really teach you one of life’s greatest lessons – don’t sweat the small stuff.
Lisa Lubin is an established travel/food writer, three-time Emmy®-award winning TV producer, and travel industry expert. After a decade in broadcast television she took a sabbatical, which turned into three years traveling around the world. She documents her adventures on her blog, LLworldtour.com. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.