In the summer of 2015, I made my first solo trip abroad. This wasn’t my first time traveling, nor was it my first time abroad. I had lived overseas for most of my life, and I had previously solo traveled within the United States during university. This time was different. This time, I had booked an organized tour to Morocco on an impulse. Suddenly, I was nervous, because I was going to be alone. I wasn’t with family or friends. I had never traveled to North Africa before and I didn’t know what to expect. This was far outside my comfort zone.
I had built up a lot of regret prior to this trip. I had put off a lot of travel during this time of my life. I rarely traveled during university, because my friends didn’t have the time or resources to join me on trips. Instead of going on my own, I chose to stay home. By the time I had graduated from university, I had only traveled a handful of times and all of my trips were within the United States. I was about to head off to grad school in a few months and this seemed like the opportune time to do something like this. So, I took a risk, and headed to Morocco on my own. Over the next three weeks, I traveled across Morocco on a tour. When the tour was over, I was to be completely alone in Spain. At this point, instead of feeling afraid, I felt excited. I had built up my confidence and I felt like I could take on the next leg of the trip on my own. This trip turned out to be an incredible experience. It marked a pivotal moment in my life. On this trip, I decided that I was no longer willing to put off doing things because I was afraid. In the years since, I have traveled solo to over 20 countries. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way and the reasons why I continue to travel alone.
You Get to Do What You Want to Do
Traveling with other people is fun, but it includes a lot of compromise. When you travel with other people, you are forced to make decisions together. This means that you do what works best for everyone. This can be extremely challenging if the people you are with have different travel styles or expectations. I love traveling with my friends and family and making memories together. That being said, I have also had some negative experiences while traveling with other people because conflict arose when we wanted to do different things. I enjoy filling my days with a lot of activities, whereas a lot of people I’ve traveled with find this exhausting and only want to do one or two activities in a day. One of the greatest aspects of traveling solo is that you are in complete control. You don’t have to worry about having a travel partner that you have good chemistry with or what others want to do. With solo travel, you can do the activities you enjoy, go to the places you’re interested in visiting and make spontaneous decisions without getting in the way of anyone else’s plans.
You do things according to your schedule
This was the main reason why I began traveling solo. I love to travel, but while I was in university, I rarely went anywhere. I was afraid to travel alone, so I was dependent on friends and family to go on trips with me. When it came to planning, it was difficult to work around everyone’s schedules and oftentimes people had budget constraints that affected their ability to travel. This made it difficult to coordinate trips. As a result, I rarely traveled during this period of time. After graduating, I decided to take the leap and go to Morocco and I’ve never looked back. Since I’ve started solo traveling, I’ve found that I travel a lot more, not only alone, but also with other people. Now, I don’t wait for others to make plans, I make travel plans that work for me. Over the years, I’ve gotten to go to more of the places I’ve dreamed of going to and people have decided to join after hearing about my plans.
You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
One of the reasons why I think everyone should try traveling solo is that it pushes you out of your comfort zone. When you’re traveling with other people there is some security. You have someone to talk to, someone to eat meals with and someone to do activities with. This is great, but when you travel with other people, you’re also a lot less likely to talk to other travelers. It’s easy to stick with your group so most people do. When you travel alone, you don’t have someone there to socialize with. If you don’t want to do things alone, you have to put yourself out there. I find that when I travel alone, I tend to meet more people. I am more motivated to talk to other solo travelers and try to get to know other people. You’re also more approachable when you’re alone so people are more likely to come up and talk to you in return. One of the benefits to meeting other travelers is that you end up trying things you may not have otherwise done. You may get asked to join in on events that you never thought of doing or get good recommendations for activities you didn’t know about. Some of the travelers I have met on the road have become good friends of mine and we probably would have never met if I had been traveling in a big group.
Build Up Your Confidence
Traveling solo can build up your confidence. Prior to traveling alone, I had lived overseas and had traveled with friends and family. I felt strong and like I knew what I was doing when I went somewhere new. When I traveled alone for the first time that confidence disappeared. All of my fears and self-doubts kicked in. Traveling solo is another feeling. You alone, are responsible for you. You don’t have anyone to look to when something goes wrong. There is no one there to rely on or help you make decisions. During the first few days of my first solo trip, I wondered if I had made a mistake. Even my friends and colleagues expressed concern about me going on a trip on the other side of the world on my own. I began to question whether they might have been right. Over time, my confidence grew. When you travel solo you learn to take charge and make decisions for yourself. It makes you more decisive because you have to decide what is important to you and what you want to do. As a result of solo travel, my confidence is greater now than it ever was before. I’ve grown less shy and I have learned to apply this assurance and self-reliance to other parts of my life whether it be moving to a new city or starting a new job.
You Will Learn About Yourself and the World
Finally, solo travel can be an incredible learning opportunity. Traveling alone has taught me a lot over the years. When you travel solo you learn your limits. You learn how you’ll react during stress and times of crisis. When you travel alone, you’re placed in hundreds of new situations. You’re forced to take the lead and figure out how to solve problems. You can learn about yourself in the process. You’ll learn what is important to you and what you enjoy. You’ll learn to trust your instincts and be self-sufficient. Not only can solo travel contribute to personal growth, but it can also teach you about the world. You’ll find when you travel alone that the world is not such a scary place. People are fundamentally the same. Most people are good and want to help. You’ll get to immerse yourself in new cultures and have new experiences along the way.
There are a lot of reasons to try solo travel. Traveling alone can allow you to take the trip you want. You get to do the activities you enjoy and hopefully learn a little about yourself in the process. It’s never too late to travel. So start now. You won’t regret it.
