5 Reasons You Should Start Solo Traveling
The giddy anticipation of stepping onto an airplane. Breaking out of the same boring routine. Having unique experiences that’ll stick with you forever. These are the reasons why I love traveling.
Solo traveling boosts the awesome aspects of travel into hyperdrive, giving you added benefits that traveling with a partner couldn’t provide. I’ve traveled solo myself, exploring various parts of China, as well as Cambodia and Laos. And though I’ve only taken trips with my fiancé in the past few years, I do miss the freedom of traveling alone (shhh…don’t tell her).
If you’re on the fence about traveling solo, I hope this article helps dispel any doubts. Whether you’re young or old, rich or poor, you should travel solo at least once in your life. There’s no experience quite like it.
1. You‘re the Sole Decisionmaker
When you travel with a partner or multiple people, you’re forced to consider how they feel and what they want to do. You can’t be as spontaneous, and you’re not as nimble as you’d like. This sucks.
That’s why, for me, the biggest advantage of solo traveling is calling the shots. The buck stops with you.
Do you feel like scuba diving with sharks? Do you want to do the epic hike the hotel worker said is an absolute must? Or, do you prefer just chilling on the beach, working on your tan, and catching up on some reading?
Whichever you decide, the point is: Do whatever the hell you want! The beauty of traveling solo is there’s no one else to appease but yourself.
2. Learn to Problem Solve
I remember mid-way through my solo trip to Cambodia, I needed to do laundry in the city of Siem Reap. Unfortunately, my hotel didn’t offer laundry service, so with a bag of dirty clothes in my hand, I meandered the streets of Siem Reap in search of a viable option.
After walking around for a while, I happened to stumble upon this small laundry shop. The prices were reasonable, and I decided to leave my stinky clothes with the storeowner lady. “One hour you come back,” she said.
An hour later, I returned to the shop. To my surprise, not only did she wash and dry my clothes, but she also neatly folded and put them in a brand new black mesh bag. Money well spent I’d say.
Especially being in a foreign country, you’ll encounter issues as big as having no clue how to get from Point A to Point B, and others as small as finding a place to do laundry. Solo traveling forces you to face those challenges alone. You don’t have another person to rely on. It’s all up to you.
However, after tackling one problem after another on your journey, you’ll realize that there’s no obstacle you can’t overcome. You’re a badass, and you really don’t need someone there holding your hand.
3. Visit Your Bucket List Places
As the years have gone by, my friends have settled into their careers, gotten married, and even started families. We don’t travel together as we used to because they’re too busy. Should this stop me from globetrotting? Hell no!
If travel is a priority, and you have a bucket list of places you wish to see as I do, don’t make the lack of a travel partner stop you from going. You don’t want to be 100-years-old on your deathbed, regretting why you didn’t see the majestic Machu Pichu or climb the Spanish Steps in Rome.
Don’t wait for someone to go with you. Life’s too damn short.
4. Meeting New People
I’m an introvert. I prefer to be alone — this is why solo travel is so appealing to me. Even a hermit crab like myself, however, needs human interaction once in a while.
When you travel with a partner, you’re not as inclined to strike up a conversation with a random stranger. On the other hand, traveling solo forces you out of your shell and more willing to meet new people.
Once you get to know different people on the road, you’ll realize you have more in common with them than you initially thought. You both love adventure. You both love having a good time. You both love experiencing new shit just like you do.
I know meeting new people can be difficult, especially if you’re a recluse like me. But, the whole reason for travel is to break away from your norms. Stop holding yourself in the hotel room, put some pants on, and head down to the local pub. Make conversation because who knows? They may become lifelong friends.
5. Time for Reflection
Here’s a snippet from a blog post beautifully summing up the reflection of travel:
Because travel demands that the traveler becomes acutely present, the external experiences often times mirror our internal state of mind. The experiences we have through travel often provide an opportunity to unveil naked reflections of ourselves, if only we take the time to notice.
You get stuck on the hamster wheel of work, routines, and the busyness of daily life back at home. As a result, there’s no time for self-reflection, which travel is the perfect remedy.
Traveling solo heightens this reflection experience.
For example, I visited the killings fields in Phnom Penh — site to one of the largest mass graves in Cambodia due to the Khmer Rouge reign, from 1975–1979. Being by myself, I couldn’t help but internalize the horrible destruction we’re capable of as human beings. It put things into perspective, and the superfluous crap I worry about back home is meaningless in hindsight.
Though you can achieve moments of self-reflection while traveling with a partner, let’s be honest, they’re a distraction — both good and bad. Good because you’re not as in your head. Bad because there’s no time for deep thought.
Final Thoughts
Travel itself is fulfilling, but going at it alone is an experience unlike any other. I hope this post has helped you realize the benefits of traveling solo. If you’re still unsure whether or not to book that plane ticket, let me leave you with this wise quote from one of my idols, Anthony Bourdain:
It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn.
