Is it weird or sad to travel alone? Read my arguments for the pros and cons along with some tips if you decide to travel alone.
‘What the hell am I doing?’ I asked myself, looking out the window of the plane as we started to leave for Rome, alone.
So you are thinking of traveling alone. I had the same thought just before my 21stSt birthday I’ve been *takes a deep breath* I’ve been to Rome, Barcelona, French Riviera, Milan, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Prague, Stockholm, Cologne, Bruges, Vienna, Budapest and Reykjavik by myself. I can say it was a good idea. But these journeys were not all plain sailing by any means.
You probably landed on this page because you had the same doubts as I did. Will I enjoy traveling alone? What problems can I encounter? And most importantly, is it safe? While I won’t be able to give you a guaranteed answer to these questions, I can tell you about my experience traveling alone, the pros, cons and tips for exploring this world on your own.
Why do you want to travel alone?
Ask yourself this first. While I’m in favor of going on vacation alone, I still recommend going with at least one other person – reasons I’ll cover when I discuss the cons of solo travel later in this post.
Why did I decide it was the right thing to do? My friends were going on the usual man’s holidays to destinations like Ibiza and the like – and that’s not me.
Previous family holidays have included Hong Kong and a coach tour of the US – both of which had me seeing famous places and taking pictures at every opportunity. I wanted to explore more of the world, experience different cultures, sample local cuisines and take more photos of tourist attractions. And the only way this seemed possible was to travel alone.
If you are in a similar situation where there is no other soul to be your travel companion, try it at least once – it would be a great shame if you didn’t explore or get lost. Looking back, it would have been a tragedy for me as these experiences helped me grow as a person as well.
PS you may be interested in these related articles
Five Best Solo Female Travel Destinations
Seven Mistakes Female Solo Travelers Make
Advantages of Solo Travel
Silence is golden… or it can drive you crazy
I love being a solo explorer, but that’s probably more to do with my personality and nature. As someone who is naturally quiet and introverted, spending a week with just me to talk to doesn’t bother me – but I’m sure that sounds like someone else’s worst nightmare. So if you can stand silence and solitude, you can enjoy traveling alone.
Of course, those who aren’t shy and dumb like me will probably meet people along the journey – so it’s not always the case that you feel like a ghost or invisible. You will find many travelers who can tell stories of the time they met a group of people in a bar that led to one of the craziest and best nights ever! Alas, this experience never happened to this traveler.
Freedom
I also like to do what I want, when I want and traveling alone offers that. There is no need to compromise, you can eat and take breaks when you want and you can stay a little longer until you get that perfect picture that you will remember and keep forever.
I must have spent ten minutes spinning this viewfinder each way, taking about fifty photos in the process just so I could go away happy – do not drive you crazy to be my travel companion? Well, this happens to be one, if not, my favorite photos I’ve ever taken. A friend would definitely pull me away after the first minute of constant snapping!
A party that revolves around you
Just think; an itinerary created for you and only you! No need to worry about dragging your friends around a boring art museum or waiting in line for hours to visit a museum (I’m looking at you Vatican Museum in Rome).
In Barcelona, I bought an ARTicket that gives you access to seven art museums (I fully recommend this if you are in this wonderful city). In fact, one of the shows I attended is still my favorite art show ever. Again, I’m sure this sounds like a nightmare! But I loved every one of those seven museums that I might have missed visiting traveling with others.
While you create your perfect holiday, you also get to choose your perfect destination, your perfect accommodation and the perfect itinerary. Perfect.
Going on vacation alone after a break can be therapeutic too, as I discovered. Getting away, thinking or not thinking about what happened and just focusing on something else was great for my mental health.
So if you get to choose everything you do on vacation and tailor everything to your interests and needs, surely travelers around the world should be converted (I’m making it sound like a cult now aren’t I?!)! Not really, there are a number of things to consider…
PS you may be interested in these related articles
How to backpack through Italy in 15 days on a budget
How to Choose a Travel Backpack for a Year Long Trip
Top 5 Backpacker Destinations
Disadvantages of Solo Travel
“This isn’t… oh”
You have no one else to share moments with.
I realize how cheesy and corny this sounds, but you know those funny and incredible moments you reminisce with friends? Whether it was something that happened at school or meeting Michael Buble (I can dream can’t I?!), there is a rather annoying feeling you experience when you are bending from ear to ear, only to turn to every side and you realize. you are the only one who sees this wonderful sight before you.
On the other hand, you might never have had the chance to see it if you didn’t travel alone – and isn’t that why cameras were invented? To capture a moment you want to remember forever? Although you have to ask a stranger to take your photo – big regret as I’m not in any of my photos! I don’t like the idea of selfie sticks.
Be safe, be aware
Another major aspect of solo travel that you should consider is safety. It might be different for girls I don’t know, but always be careful and err on the side of caution. I’m a pretty fast runner so I can do the whole ‘look over there’ thing and run play ha! I am pleased to say that I have never been subject to any real danger (touch wood). The only thing I saw, it didn’t happen to me.
Going down the stairs to the Metro in Barcelona, out of the corner of my eye, I saw pickpockets working on two girls. My instinct kicked in and made me jump with my arms as if they were independent of my body and shout ‘hey’ dozens of times, not knowing what else to do when I see this injustice. Of course they retreated to see this madman reacting in such a way, while laughing that it really pissed me off. And while it didn’t happen to me, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. It also reminded me to be aware of my surroundings. Yes, have fun, enjoy yourself, but be aware that there are dangers too.
Another minor incident happened when I was on the Spanish Pages in Rome. Some guy decided to have a chat with me; and then he tried to give me a free bracelet. I immediately refused with a smile but he was quite insistent. That’s when I remembered reading about scammers on Tripadvisor who tie bracelets on you and ask you to pay them! I ran away.
I rarely stay out after 1’00 at night on holiday and always make sure to walk the main roads back to the hotel. Side streets without lights are a no no! Backpacks also invite pickpockets – you might as well be wearing a sign that says ‘please pickpocket me!’ Instead I choose a shoulder bag.
Go and Lost
Losing can either fall into the category of an advantage or a disadvantage for me. Getting lost helped me find places and see things I might not have seen if I had stuck to the guidebook and map.
I will always remember the moment I laid eyes on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I was walking along a cobbled street, eating ice cream (as you do in Italy) minding my own business when, rounding the corner, the Trevi Fountain and all its beauty came into view. -view all. Wow wow. The noise of the rushing water would have been a great clue if I hadn’t had my headphones on! The Trevi Fountain is actually the very reason why I decided to make Rome my first destination as a solo traveler.
But before I could see the Trevi Fountain, a few days earlier in the trip, I struggled to get to the hotel! After arriving by bus at the bus/train station from Ciampino Airport, I couldn’t figure out where to buy a ticket to take a local bus. After panicking for an hour and asking three people who spoke limited to no English, I finally found the ticket machine. This is a perfect example of when having a travel companion is very beneficial!
Table for one please
I’m not sure why but I can eat in cafes and fast food joints by myself just fine, but having a proper meal sitting down in a restaurant I can find uncomfortable at times. Just something to consider I guess if you feel the same too. My advice is to go out and eat alone at a restaurant where you live and see how you feel.
PS Check out our guides to budget friendly destinations!
A budget-friendly guide to Barcelona
Budget-friendly guide to Budapest (infographic)
A budget friendly guide to Las Vegas
How to travel alone for the first time
Research!
Research, research and when you think you’ve researched enough, research some more. While I’m recommending being a free spirit and seeing where the party takes you, make sure you have some information to make the party run smoothly.
Things like your mode of transport to the hotel once you’ve landed, where this transport can be boarded, where your hotel is, the route or stop you want to take and what the hotel looks like . This information is available on Tripadvisor and Google Maps. All this information to help you start your holiday without stress and ensure that you arrive at your hotel without any problems, which did not happen in my first three trips incidentally…
I read how an elusive ticket machine thwarted me in Rome. In Barcelona I got off the bus too early and wandered around Barcelona looking for Las Ramblas and then my hotel for an hour or two. While in Nice I missed my stay and went looking for my apartment. All three times while traveling with luggage! Not fun at all.
It’s also a good idea to find out how the transport systems work too, or you could end up paying the penalty – literally.
With little else to see or do in Milan last summer, I decided a spontaneous trip to Lake Como would be a good idea. Since I hadn’t planned, I hadn’t researched how the overland train system works. So it was to my surprise when the ticket officer told me that I had to pay a fine of €5 for not stamping my ticket before boarding! Luckily it was only €5 as it was the last day of my holiday and I was quickly running out of money. The trip to Lake Como was worth it anyway.
Always carry a map. Always.
Getting lost is fun, – up to a point. There were many times when he somehow got further away than he intentionally wanted me to. I once ended up in an area of Milan that I read was a bad neighborhood late at night! Funny how in this situation you always think someone is following you or someone is waiting to overtake you around the corner. Yes, if you take friends with you, make sure it’s a map.
But I am not an independent person!
I wasn’t the most independent person when I took my first steps as a solo traveler (far from it and I’m still not all that together!). And even just checking in and finding the right gate at the airport was nerve wracking! But I genuinely think if I can do it with any relative success, anyone can – as long as you research.
Keep Calm and Don’t Panic
And the last piece of advice I’ll leave you with is this, don’t panic. While I’m sick to death of seeing those ‘Keep Calm’ posters everywhere, it’s not bad advice not to panic. Panic is the worst thing you can make me feel. If you find yourself on the brink of harm, take a deep breath and plan your sensible next steps.
Final words to convince you
I look back at my photos, relive those memories of what I saw and did and smile. I hope you do the same after reading this.