Travelling solo. Would you do it? This post aims to entice those of you who may feel like you couldn’t possibly embark upon a solo travel trip- to having you sourced a destination, booked the flight and on your way to the airport by the end of it!
I have travelled with large groups of friends, smaller groups, for work with colleagues and alone. And although my travel experiences with my friends have been adventures and memories to last a lifetime and of course nothing quite beats the noise and buzz of a girls trip! However, I feel that solo travel is a lot more rewarding for yourself personally.
From my personal experiences, I have compiled a list of what I think are the top 7 Benefits of Solo Travel;
Your Trip, Your Timeline.
This for me is one of my favourite parts of travelling solo. As it’s just Me, Myself and I. I can plan the exact itinerary that I want with zero time constraints. You know how it is, we have ALL been there on those group trips where you lose Person A and have to wait around for them to find their way back to the ‘group’ thus wasting valuable exploring time. Or the those times that you couldn’t decide on where you ALL want to visit, so you spent the majority of your trip arguing about where to visit first. It really puts a strain on the experience and I have been there countless times. Solo Travel? NONE OF THAT BUSINESS. Adventure at your own pace, take time out when you need- have that lie in, that day off and that peaceful reflection. Alone.
You Self Discover & Reflect.
I surprised myself with traits I didn’t know I had when I travelled solo. Each trip was an incredible insight in my person. What I seemingly liked and agreed with or cared about! Eating alone? Old me would have been wondering what everybody is thinking of me dining alone. Poor her. Flying alone? No chance. Jumping in to cars in India at 4am- ALONE, [okay, that story was a little crazy and I probably should not advocate that kind of behaviour]- but, I still did it. And the lessons I learned about myself on my solo travels were more insightful than any other experience. I guess you could call Solo Travel an art of meditation? As you really do silence the mind, cut out the noise, the gossip, the familiarity of travelling in a group- and you truly get a raw and authentic experience, with yourself.
You Meet More People!
You may think that by travelling solo you are less likely to meet people. Wrong. You not only meet more people, but you will meet so many interesting people too! When you are travelling with your friends you find that you rarely step out of your group and you practically build an invisible wall for anybody else to connect with you. It is also slightly intimidating to approach a group of 15 girls on a trip too! When you travel solo you connect with people by default with the smallest of gestures; asking for directions, seats on public transport and my all time favourite- asking for a photo. I can say on countless times when I have travelled alone, this has been my number one way of meeting new people!
Your Trip Is Drama Free!
I shouldn’t generalise here, not all trips incur drama [but a lot of mine have involved copious amounts of alcohol, thus leading to the drama!]. And of course, however many people you travel with or if you travel solo- there are always mishaps that may happen along the way. But travelling alone limits that to an almost non existence. There is no dissection the next day of what happened the night before, who isn’t talking to who and who has flew home already. There is no squabbles over the bill at the restaurant and generally a more peaceful travel experience.
You Will Practise Self Love.
I feel like the word Self Love is a buzz word of this generation. Perhaps because we are a generation that has never practised it, or does not know how to. Trust me, when you travel solo you will by default learn how to like yourself a whole lot more! Self love is a message preached about far and wide as a staple in to leading a happy and successful life. As you are your only company, you are going to have to make yourself great company to be around! When you travel alone you will face challenges that make you stronger, incidents that you can only rely on yourself for and how you react to these is a testament to your confidence and inner strength as an individual. You will learn to love yourself, and be proud of yourself when you realise exactly what you, yourself, can achieve.
Your Trip Will Cost Less.
Of course as you are in the driving seat of planning your solo trip, you can budget exactly for yourself. Instead of flights maybe you can choose to take the bus [in South America the buses are comfortable and the seats turn in to a bed- at a fraction of the price of a flight!]. Instead of booking expensive hotels maybe you will choose Air Bnb. Whatever your vision, and your budget, travelling solo is definitely cheaper when it is solely on your terms.
Your Trip is Authentic and Raw
I think this is one of my favourite parts about travelling alone too. Getting to see the city, country, place through the eyes of a local. When you are travelling solo I really feel you have a much more raw and authentic experience as you are more open minded. Especially if you choose to stay with an Air Bnb Host or book a travel tour guide. This has two benefits, firstly, having somebody else to guide you around is comforting in terms of safety and secondly, you can practically live like a local for the duration of your trip. I have used couchsurfing.com before to have this experience in the South of France and my most recent solo trip to India, I was incredibly lucky to find an Air Bnb host and guide in one! https://lifeabovethecloudsblog.com/5-beautiful-photo-spots-in-jaipur/https://lifeabovethecloudsblog.com/on-the-couch-in-the-cote-dazur-nice/
So, were my magical persuasive powers enough to get you considering your first, or another Solo Trip? You will not regret the lessons, or experience I can assure you. Just stay safe and try to refrain from doing ridiculous things your brain thinks is okay at that time [been there, done that!] Always do your thorough research not only on the place but the hotels, guides and accommodation hosts.
Thank you for reading, HAPPY SOLO TRAVELS!
JESSICA x