Many of you reading this article are thinking to yourself 'why travel solo … are you crazy', while others are reading this in total agreement. Like for all travel needs, individual tastes, interests and goals will be the concern for any person traveling.
For me personally I prefer to travel solo myself but It all boils down to the type of trip you're taking and what you plan on doing … obviously there are times where group or couple travel is inescapable and is of course still going to be a great experience … all travel is. These times could be team getaways, events such as weddings or corporate and clearly for a romantic getaway or honeymoon where I'll assume that you would prefer not to travel solo.
Maybe you do not have a partner or perhaps you did not know anyone else you wanted to travel with you … but you know with all your heart you want to go, have to go. Are the people who said no going to stop your travel? If so, why? Is it safety concerns, is It the unknown? Those questions might be on your mind, but think about it this way … does not it make it more exciting? Would not you feel more accomplished if you did it by yourself?
Let me explain why I travel solo and the reasons why.
Avoid The Drama Of Others
Drama is often inescapable as all people including myself has some kind of drama in their lives. However in my experience below
A few years back I backpacked Europe and after about a week or so met up with a group of friends for roughly a month. In this time the couple traveling with us had a bad break up, which in turn almost separated another relationship. That night while this couple was fighting, bags were snatched, wallets stolen and because of the public outburst questioned by the police … and this was just the beginning of the drama, we still Christmas to get through after this. When the whole group of my friends had left I felt relief and like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
You may not want to travel solo but if you're single then my recommendation is that you at least do not travel with a couple, not without at least some other single people there.
Indifference Of Ideas
All travelers have their own ideas of what they want out of their travel and so they should. Compromise can be much easier in a couple and certainly traveling solo but in a group it can be a nightmare. You may want to go to a museum you've always wanted to see where as the others in your group want to just hit the pub.
Whoever has the numbers or the dominance will most likely win which puts you in an awkward situation. Yes, you could leave and go the museum by yourself but then what do you friends think of you and say about you later on. You may also not be contactable by phone, being in another country without a sim card which makes it much harder to meet up and find out when others will be back etc.
I remember road trip we took just 2 hours away from home with six guys and we had one of the worst weekends away possible. Some of us wanted to go prawning, others wanted to go somewhere else for fishing and some of us just wanted to hang out at the hotel by the beach and drink. The problem was we were all stubborn and because we only had the one car and two sets of keys it caused arguments left, right and center.
Living In Close Quarters
When traveling with others, particularly for long periods of time you need to ensure that your travel buddy is someone you could live with in close quarters for however long it is you traveling. We all have friends that we know that are good friends but you could never live with them, maybe they are messy, maybe they are happy and the list goes on. If you can not live with them … what makes you think you can travel with them?
Be Who You Want
A bonus to traveling solo as well is that others you meet along the way and you get to be the person you've always wanted to be or at least be able to interact differently with others. I truly believe you meet a lot more people when traveling solo as you have more reason to talk to others and you will meet more like-minded people to you as there are no indifference to ideas of what to do.
These are four of the main reasons why I travel solo but there are many more personal reasons like independence my goal when backpacking Europe was to get out there in the world and do it all myself. Escapism is another big reason for me sometimes with work and the same old routine you just need to escape the daily grind and get in some alone time.
Traveling solo is not for everyone and is not for all kinds of travel but if you're after a fulfilling holiday and experiences then there really is nothing like traveling solo. You will not only meet more like-minded people, get to be who you want, gain independence and a sense of fulfillment as well as avoid an absence of ideas, living in close quarters and avoid anyone else's drama while you enjoy what you want to do on your dream holiday. This is why I travel solo.
