I've talked to my friends recently about their preference for traveling solo or with others. And having recently come back from a large trip, I feel I'm due for a solo experience, or at least one with a lot of solo time.
Traveling solo is one of my favorite ways to travel. I have been on many solo trips, and I have gone off doing solo explorations on group and friend trips.
I’ve been pretty lucky, and I have friends who easily socialize and meet fun strangers when we travel. But I've also been on vacations where we hardly met anyone else. So, if you think that traveling solo means you’re sitting in your hotel room by yourself or eating dinner alone – you’ve underestimated the opportunity of solo travel.
It may sound counterintuitive, but I find traveling solo a great way to meet other people and learn about the place and culture. I’m not saying that traveling with someone else is less social. I just think that considering solo trips shouldn't be discounted.
Here are some benefits to traveling solo:
You’re in charge of your plan - While traveling in a group or with friends, you’re often discussing, negotiating, and planning to do things. When you’re alone, you can plan your days as packed or loose as you like. You can wander around aimlessly with your headphones in and meander into museums, galleries, and cafes that you wish. Or you can change your plans on a whim (given you didn’t prepay for an experience)
You meet more locals – When you’re in a group or with a friend, you’re less likely to try to speak with the locals, you don’t need their advice, or company. When with someone else, you have a second opinion and a friend to chat with at dinner. But, when you’re solo, and you need a mental tiebreaker such as: I want to visit museum A versus museum B – I’ll ask the barista, the bartender or the hotel concierge where I should choose to go.
You’re more open to speaking with other travelers - Because while at location, I will probably bump into other tourists and you’re going to find out that you have similar interests as them and join them (or they join you) on an adventure or experience that you might have not wanted to do alone like go rock climbing, or even just join them for dinner or coffee at a destination.
Unlimited quite time - For the introvert in all of us, we now have unlimited access to peace and quite to read, write, draw, work, meditate or occupy or un-occupy our time. Like take a yoga on the beach class, or a surfing lesson, or learn how to cook something new.
This doesn’t replace going to wonderful destinations with your loved ones or substitute your partner on a trip. But it should help create room for small or big journeys that you’ve been holding back because you didn’t have some who could join you..
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