A few years ago I was introduced to the idea of solo travel from reading about it on social media. It blew my mind that there were people out there that would travel alone. The idea just sounded so crazy! And it seemed even crazier that so many women were doing it. I became so fascinated by it I started following people’s travels on Instagram and reading about them on their blogs. Then I got the urge to try it. It must be so exciting, so liberating, yet at the same time scary and challenging!?

We are evolving into a generation full of self-awareness and this has become evident to me as I have connected with other like-minded individuals across the globe. If you are ready to start planning your trip or finding out what it takes to get started, I put together a guide on how to plan your first solo trip! 

Here Are Some Solo Travel Stats:

• Solo travelers take up 11% of the overall travel market

• 84% of solo travellers are women

• One in 6 people have traveled alone

• Solo travel was the #1 trend in 2019

• 25% of travelers plan on traveling solo in 2020 (oops -COVID shit on those plans)

Sourced from Condor Ferries – they have tons of other juicy solo travel facts that they have gathered from numerous sources.

“What else is out there other than what I have been taught to know?”

 So I solo traveled. I dived into a new culture, surrounded by a foreign language, with no one to rely on but myself and the help of complete strangers. Day in and day out we make decisions for our life based around our family, our friends, our significant other, our boss, and society in general.

I wanted to know what it felt like without all that external pressure to make decisions and really know what it feels like to do what I want to do, in each and every moment. It was a time in my life to self reflect and grow as a person. How many of you can say you truly know yourself on that deep of a level? I want to share with you what I feel are the top reasons you should try solo travel, at least once in your life.

Pro Tip: Never Travel Without Travel Insurance!

You never know when the unexpected will happen. Make sure you are covered when traveling in case of a medical emergency or travel delays. I have been traveling with Safetey Wing for three years and trust them to take care of me. They are a travel medical insurance created specifically for travelers, by travelers. At a low cost of $40/month, it's my go-to!

1. You Can Do What You Want To Do, When You Want To Do It

Solo travel allows you this freedom and flexibility to spend your time exactly how you see fit. You no longer have to worry about if the person or people you are with, want to do the things that you want to do. Not everyone has the same interests and that’s where this amazing perk comes into play! 

You want to visit every single art museum and spend hours walking around? Feel free. You want to sit by the beach and read a book for several hours? Go ahead. You don’t want to go on that boat tour because you get seasick? Then don’t go on it. 

You no longer have to worry about meeting the needs and expectations of others. Now you are free to spend every moment of your days doing exactly what it is, that YOU want to be doing, without feeling bad about it! 

Figure out what works for you

For me, I noticed I would get into a rhythm when I was solo traveling. Upon arrival at a new place, I would settle in and explore the whole town. It was amazing to be able to go where I wanted when I wanted, seeing all the nooks and crannies of a place that I might otherwise have missed if I was with a group. I would settle in and go watch the waves, or sip a coconut reading a book. Not obligated to talk, just letting my thoughts wander. Then I would always make myself social, reaching out to others around me to make friends.

One of my favorite reasons for solo travel is the people you meet that you otherwise wouldn’t. I mean, half of the reason for traveling in my opinion, is for the people. Think back to some of your own vacations. If you are with a group, how often do you find the need to meet strangers and go off on random adventures? Probably not that often, because why do you need to meet others when you’re already there with your own badass group of people you love? 

When you are by yourself, if you want to have out with people, you HAVE to reach out to strangers and make connections. Being by yourself makes you more approachable by other travelers as well. The beauty of solo travel is, you will most likely find yourself surrounded by many other solo travelers. Especially if you are backpacking. 

This gives you the opportunity to:

• connect with people from other cultures
• hear their unique stories
• go on random adventures you never could have planned for
• the potential to make life-long friends.

Staying in hostels is great for this, as well as using other solo travel-friendly apps like Couchsurfing.

Are you “older” and worried that solo travel isn’t for you because how could you possibly enjoy staying in a hostel? Read about how Shalini from Shalzmojo Blog enjoyed staying in a hostel in India as a 40+ traveler!

Freedom to choose your company

If you find someone who is doing something that you want to do, you can opt to do it together if you’d like the company. If they are doing something you don’t want to do, great news! You don’t have to do it, and you can just meet up later. It’s a win-win!

For me, this was always easy, as most of the people I met were also solo traveling. Then I’d spend the rest of my time in that town with those people, exploring, going on tours, and enjoying nights out. When mine or their time was up in that area, we’d part ways, say good-bye, and be off to the next destination. Sometimes you would wind up in the same town a few days or weeks later and meet up again.

You might be thinking, I’m already confident. 

But I believe that solo travel can boost areas of your self-confidence that maybe you didn’t realize was lacking! And besides, it can never hurt to have even more confidence. 

In life, you normally have people you can count on. Whether it’s your parents, friends, significant other, roommate, you name it and I’m sure there is someone you can call on when something goes wrong or you don’t know how to do something. 

When you’re solo traveling, you don’t have that luxury. You have to be able to figure things out, on your own. Especially if you’re in a country where you don’t speak the language, it can be a bit difficult. 

Giving credit where credit is due

This is where I feel that our confidence improves because you have to heavily rely on yourself. I think we can be so quick to not think for ourselves in a situation because we automatically know that we have someone else that can do the hard thinking for us. You will quickly realize that you are way more capable than you give yourself credit for. 

I know I felt extremely proud after my trip because I was able to navigate, communicate, plan, execute, troubleshoot, and so much more. All. By. Myself. 

4. Discover Yourself: Who Are You?

This is something that I don’t think many people really get to dive into in their lifetime. We are programmed to follow this set structure our whole lives. First, we spend the first 20 years of our life in school. Then we work hard to do college and get a great job.

In the midst of that, a lot of us are partying with our friends (peer pressure), then we get married, have kids, and spend our lives in our career (societal pressures). 

 

“Through all of that noise – have you ever spent the time to really hear yourself? To really see yourself?”

Solo travel strips back all of those layers. There’s no one around to tell you what to do, how to think, what to wear, what to like, even what to eat. (And we allllll know – what do you want to eat for dinner – is a question we are always asking each other) You are by yourself often, left with nothing but own thoughts.

 

The tough questions answered

 

• Do you like your own company?
• Do you enjoy who you really are?
• Do you even know who you really are? 

 

These are questions that I feel like that get answered after you spend a significant amount of time on your own. It’s important to discover yourself. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. But recognizing it, and then being able to have that dialogue with yourself can be life-changing.

Sometimes it can be hard to make decisions for ourselves or know what it is we truly want out of life when we are constantly surrounded by the opinions and voices of those around us. I feel it’s the best way to get to know who *you* are, without all the extra layers of being a daughter, girlfriend, wife, employee, boss, mom, or friend.

Prepare for ups and downs

I also noticed that there was a curve with happiness and loneliness. During the evenings, when I would retire early to my room to relax and read a book, I would start to get lonely and miss home. Usually, when you are on a trip, you always have someone at least in your room to share the evening with. Not having that would cause great feelings of homesickness. However, the next day when I would be out exploring, those feelings would disappear and be replaced with complete and utter joy that made it all worth it.

Take The Chance For Self-Growth

 Solo travel definitely has its pros and cons, but for the most part, the challenges are always worth the rewards. I am so forever grateful that I went on my solo vacation. It opened up my eyes to the fact that there is an entire world out there to see, and that I am not alone in wanting to see it. That there are so many other people out there that are like-minded and even if you are alone, you’re never really alone.

I was able to see just how capable I am in any given situation and truly began to enjoy my own company, immersed in my own thoughts. It gave me a boost of confidence and strength I didn’t know you were missing.

 There were times where I would get so frustrated with something going wrong or just the differences in culture that I would cry. But in the end, it was the best experience of my life. And if you haven’t tried solo travel, I highly recommend you do it at least once. It may not be for everyone, but how will you know if you don’t give it a try? It may be the very thing that changes your entire life,  like it did mine. 

xx, christine

Join the list below ↓ to stay up to date on my latest posts! 

Check Out These Related Posts ↓

Join