I’ve lived most of my life thinking to myself that I need to find a partner in order to travel. Be it a boyfriend, family member or a friend.
I had this urge inside of me to just start travelling and exploring the places I craved to see and feel, but without having someone to explore with, it’s impossible.
It took me a great deal of time and self-knowledge in order to be able to start my first journey. On my own. And let me tell you this: it was rewarding as hell!
Now let’s see why travelling alone is such a taboo topic and why we should try it. At least once it’s a definite must for everyone.
Why is travelling alone such a taboo topic?
The main reason is that it might be dangerous. Regardless of your gender, yes, travelling alone comes with certain risks. You need to be far more vigilant and careful and keep an eye open to thefts and people who are not looking for your best interest.
Then, travelling alone might be depressing since you have nobody to share your experience with. But let’s be honest. You are your own best friend and the only person you need to share your life with is yourself.
Why do I urge you to give it a go and travel solo?
1. It helps you build trust
Not in others, but in yourself. While travelling in company, many times we rely on others for advice, planning, and itinerary check and so on. However, when travelling solo, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself. And though it sounds scary, it’s also extremely rewarding.
And it will not just boost your confidence when you manage to get out of a tricky situation all by yourself, but also in your life back in the city. We are far stronger than we think we are, we just need to give ourselves a chance to prove it.
2. More freedom
When travelling in groups, we have to pay constant attention to accommodating everyone’s needs and wishes. What if you want to go on a hiking trail and everyone else thinks it’s a bore? Well, you end up not going.
Great news? When travelling solo if you want to go on the most boring trail ever, you go. If you just want to lie in the sun all day, you do so.
There’s nobody to tell you this is right or wrong. The only person you need to accommodate is yourself.
3. Truly travelling
When I go in groups, I end up chatting with the people I travel with. Many experiences end up going from one place to the other and chatting. No interaction with the locals, no cultural knowledge, no real gain.
It’s very much like travelling in a bubble. Well, if you burst that bubble you will find a great deal of interesting locals eager to share their culture with you and most of the cases, ready to assist you.
Also, when being alone you seem more approachable to the others as well.
4. Be your own financial boss
How many times did it happen to you to go with a group that wanted to visit this and that and go here and there places that represented no real interest for you and costed a fortune, and you went anyways.
Because nobody likes to “sit alone in the hotel waiting”. Well, when you travel solo, you are your own boss.
Want to visit that museum? Go ahead, invest. Want to eat local food? Invest in it.
Don’t want to invest in some fancy dinner? Don’t. It’s all up to you where the money goes.
5. Connect with yourself
Why do you think people go yearly in such large numbers on El Camino? Just an example. Yes, the view is extraordinary but you know what else?
Putting yourself in certain situations, giving yourself the chance to cope with new places and people tells you a great deal about who you are. Spending a lot of time in your own company will help you connect more with yourself.
And what is this good for? Because once you find the connection and understand the way you work, your life will be far more balanced.
All in all, as a general conclusion, in a nutshell, I’d say that travelling solo is great because you get to be your own boss, from a financial and social perspective. You can organize your time, set your pace and schedule.
Why depend on others and do things you are not interested in? Who knows? On the road you might find someone who shares the same interests after all. But if not, you have to be ok with the travelling alone option as well. After all, why spend your life waiting for others?
