There are so many solo travel benefits that come from travelling alone, and in this post I show you 5 things that happen when you decide to travel solo!
So you are keen on the idea of buying yourself a backpack, filling it up with your entire life, and heading to the airport to start off on an adventure of a lifetime?
Sounds awesome?
Because it is awesome!
But you still haven’t found the perfect person you want to be travelling long term with and are unsure whether such a person even exists?
Then why not start out on your travels all by yourself?
I mean, at the end of the day, most of us get along perfectly with ourselves! Right?
So who could be a better travel companion than you, yourself and all your thoughts that come with it?
Solo Travel Benefits
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Travelling alone seems like a super daunting thing to do. And it should!
It’s perfectly normal for us to put being alone and total uncomfortableness in the same basket.
I mean, all our life we have been used to ALWAYS being around other people.
Be it our parents, siblings, friends, cousins. Whatever. We always have people around us, and it is the absolute norm.
But to travel alone? Seems horrid!
Maybe it’s dangerous?
What if you feel lonely?
What would you do if you get stuck in a country where no one speaks your language?
What if you need a hug? And on and on the list can go!
But here’s the thing.
Deciding to go travelling alone could and most probably WILL be the best damn thing you ever do with your life!
Why?
Because it gets you completely out of your comfort zone, and into the unknown.
It allows you to grow as a person.
To see a different side of both yourself and of other people.
The pro’s just simply outweigh the con’s MASSIVELY!
Our entire lives we are used to being around people, as I said before. By always being around people we never get the time to actually just be with our thoughts and to truly connect with ourselves.
Getting to know yourself is a big must in life!
You heard me correct. How well do you actually know yourself? How much time do YOU actually spend with YOU? Weird huh?
Well travelling alone is all about you being reintroduced to you!
My Experience Travelling Alone For An Entire Year
A while back I started my long term adventures of travelling and finding random work along the way to be able to continue travelling. Most backpackers can relate to the struggles of trying to feed the travel bug more and more by finding work wherever is possible.
I did about one year, or just less, travelling with a companion and at times a few mates. It was a super cool introduction into long term travel, and it had many highs and a few lows!
But the following year I decided that it was time to go solo.
I wanted to give the whole travelling by yourself a massive go. And I am SO glad that I did!
The Beginning Is The Most Difficult
This is definitely true.
The first time you arrive at a foreign airport with no real plan as to where to go next, where to sleep that night or how to even get around is terrifying!
But what choice do you actually have in a situation like this? You can’t just fall to the floor and start crying.
This won’t help you at all, will it?
Plus people will think you’re a madman!
So you pull it together and figure out your next move by YOURSELF. You calm yourself, and come up with a plan. A few hours later you find yourself in a hostel somewhere having a beer with a stranger and feel good about your daring day!
The good news about these early struggles is that once you get past them, then everything else becomes easier and easier.
The next time you arrive somewhere foreign, you worry a little less.
You learn to trust that you will figure something out. And you know if all else fails, go sit somewhere, have a drink and relax for a while then come up with a plan again!
When You Hit The Comfortable Phase
This is a phase every person travelling alone will hit at some point. It’s where all the anxiety and fear of being alone suddenly disappear and are replaced with absolute contentment.
You learn that being left alone with only your thoughts is one of the best and freshest feelings you have ever felt. You begin to love being with yourself, which is a strange yet awesome feeling.
You learn that being left alone with only your thoughts is one of the best and freshest feelings you have ever felt. You begin to love being with yourself, which is strange yet awesome.
I remember after being by myself for a few months I became part of a tight knit community in the North Thailand region. We would spend all our time together, literally from sunrise to sunset.
After a while I literally would crave being alone for a few hours. I would take my bike and go for ride through the mountains just to get away and be with myself!
How strange it was, I thought. A year before I would NEVER crave anything like this! But hey, I guess that’s the growth and change you experience.
The Biggest Solo Travel Benefits I Took Away From Travelling Alone
Obviously there were highs and lows in the year that I spent by myself on the road.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and some days do get dull whilst others are filled with excitement.
Below are a few important things I took away from travelling by myself. Feel free to add any which you have personally experienced!
Lesson #1: We Don’t Always Need To Be Around People
Probably the first thing that pops to mind. I quickly realised that I really didn’t always need to be around other people. And that on top of that I actually felt good being away from other humans for a bit!
Lesson #2: You Eventually Feel More Relaxed
How is this when you are supposed to be more stressed, worried and scared?!
Relax, relax. Let me explain.
When you are constantly around people, always chatting and in each others’ faces, you are not always 100% at ease. Especially when you always have to announce that you are on your way out, or that you planning on doing something etc.
When you are alone, there is no need for this at all. Going out for the day? Need to tell no one at all! No need to check in with anyone either. Freedom is great huh?!
Lesson #3: Increases Your Ability To Meet New People
Have you noticed how sometimes when you travelling with mates you tend to just stick together and do everything as one? Go out site seeing, eating, drinking, doing everything as a group.
Not the best for being open to new people right?
Well when you are alone you kind of have no choice but to open yourself to meeting new, strange people. Like I said before, the whole being alone thing is awesome.
However, there does come a time where you feel like meeting a few people and hearing their stories.
Being a solo traveller kind of forces you to go out of your way and make the first move in introducing yourself to others.
Another reason why it’s easier to meet others is that when you are somewhere alone, you are more easily approachable.
It’s way more difficult and intimidating for one person to come up to a group of mates and introduce themselves than doing to the same to one lonesome traveller. Correct?
Lesson #4: You WILL Eventually Crave Alone Time
You will see that once your solo travels come to an end and you are back in your normal and social life, you will crave some alone time.
This is perfectly normal, and kind of awesome!
Lesson #5: Your Self Confidence Is Through The Roof!
Probably the biggest one of the lot.
Your self confidence will definitely grow A LOT whilst travelling alone. All those shitty stressful times being alone at airports, train stations, trying to communicate with people who don’t speak your language etc. These all contribute to your confidence. Your ability to stay calm and to back yourself.
It’s one of the best things to happen you and the biggest lesson you will take from travelling solo, that’s for sure!
My Advice To People Wanting To Travel Alone
So my small bit of advice to anyone looking at travelling by themselves? It’s quite simple, really.
DO IT!
That’s literally my only bit of advice for you.
Do it alone and trust me, you will not regret it!
Cheers,
Richard-T
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