Reasons To Travel Solo

Traveling in general is definitely daunting, especially if you’ve never really traveled to new places and are not familiar with best practices while traveling. Solo traveling is even more complicated. Over time, however, it does become easier, and eventually, it may become your preferred way of traveling as it has become mine. Here are some reasons why I recommend solo traveling and my personal experiences for each reason. These reflections came after my first solo trip to Amsterdam. Enjoy!

Freedom 

The freedom to wake up whenever you want, do whatever you want with your day, and eat wherever you want is liberating. You’re in control of what you experience throughout the day without the need to please others or take into account someone else’s interests. Traveling with others may have you do things that you do not want to do or go places that you may not really want to go to. Also, if you make friends while traveling, it is not uncommon for you to spend time on your own during the day and go do activities that interest you. Most travelers don’t even get upset if you do not extend an invitation to join so there is no pressure to hurt others’ feelings. 

Personal Experience: Up until this point in my travels, I really only had traveled with friends or family. I showed up to Amsterdam with no itinerary as a coworker at the time who was older suggested that I do that. After talking with people at the hostel bar, I figured out what people were doing and ended up planning activities that I thought were interesting. This led me to attending a music festival, finding an underground bar, having drinks with random people in their apartment, and meeting a great group of Australian guys whom I partied with until the sun came up. 

Confidence 

Like any skill, confidence can be learned. Being alone puts you in situations you may have never been in before and forces you to find solutions. As you tackle these challenges, your idea of what a challenge is starts to change, and before you know it, the things that seemed scary are just another small detail of your day. 

Personal Experience: I can honestly say that I was lost when I got off the plane. I had an idea of what to do but I did not expect Apple Maps and my cell service to be so slow. As my frustrations increased, I decided to ask a random stranger for help not knowing if they would be interested in helping. Luckily, I chose a great individual who was headed where I was going and let me tag along. I never got his name, but I am extremely grateful to this day for his help. Ever since that day, I have not been scared to ask people for questions and have gone out of my way to help others when I notice they may be lost or are in need of help. 

New Friends

Solo traveling does not mean that you are alone all of the time. It is easier than you think to strike up a conversation with other travelers and learn about them and their cultures. This makes for a great opportunity to expand your horizons and helps build confidence in social settings. More often than not, you may find yourself making unforgettable memories and lasting relationships with people you just met. This one is a double edge sword though. As great as it is to meet new people, there is a time where you will have to part ways and that can be hard emotionally. 

Personal Experience: Below is a picture of two wonderful individuals, Jason and Julie, that I met on my first trip in Amsterdam. I was needing help finding the route to the bus stop as I was leaving Dance Valley Music Festival, so I stopped Jason and asked for his help. Over the next 2 days, we all hung out as we had some drinks in the Red Light District, danced, and ate Kebab’s at 3am. 

Budget

Money prevents a lot of people from experiencing the dream vacation they have always wanted. As a solo traveler, you really only have to ensure that you have saved up enough money for yourself and you’re ready to go. No more waiting on others to save and book flights when you know that they may not be the most reliable when it comes to saving money. 

Personal Experience: This is what actually sparked my first solo travel. I followed a Twitter account that tweeted sales on roundtrip flights that departed from Austin/San Antonio. As I was at work I saw the notification come through that there was a deal from SA to Amsterdsam on United for about $650. I quickly texted my friends asking if they would be up for it. I got a list of excuses that included: no money, no vacation time, work, etc. I knew I could not pass up the deal so I booked it at work and told myself I would figure out the details later. 

Traveling alone, domestically or internationally, brings new experiences and will definitely put you out of your comfort zone. It will stress you out and can even be overwhelming, but the upside to it greatly outweighs any negatives. I have met so many people traveling alone and learned that all they do is take solo trips. They save money and go at their own pace and are able to see so much more than if they were to have been traveling with others. Next time you see a deal on a flight, book it and go. You may end up realizing that solo travel is your new favorite thing, and although you’re technically alone, you’re never truly alone when traveling.