Solo travel can raise many questions for people that have never experienced it. Why would you go backpacking alone for three months? Isn’t it boring and lonely? Who do you talk to? How do you stay safe?
1. Traveling alone helps you blend in more easily. Looking like a local means that there’s a lowered risk for you to become a robbery victim. And actually, many of us pay more attention to our belongings when there’s no one to talk to. You might want to avoid wearing expensive jewelry or clothing as it will only make you a more prime victim.
2. Eating alone at a restaurant might seem like an uncomfortable thought at first but it’s actually more of a opportunity than a problem. If you’re having dinner with a large group of people or your spouse, it’s very unlikely that you would chat with outsiders. But when eating alone and with open body language, it’s more than likely to you’ll get to know awesome people and, therefore, get more out of your travels. Solo backpackers are dying to meet others and, in addition, locals might make friends with you easier.
3. Depending on your travel style backpacking usually means getting out of your comfort zone. Suddenly you’re no longer attached to anything – society, material, friends, your job or usual hobbies. Solo travel at it’s best is re-discovering yourself. When thrown into a completely new environment you start questioning your habits and slowly realizing what your true values are. This is more unlikely to happen if you travel with friends as you might just fall straight into the old patterns.
4. Traveling alone is much easier as you’re very likely to find accommodation anywhere. You don’t need to worry about booking hostels or hotels beforehand as there’s almost always enough room for one person. And if you’re open-minded enough, why not sleep on a local’s couch or at the airport? The true benefit of solo travel is being able to experience different things without having to compromise anything. Just live in the moment and see where your travels take you. You’ll never be the same again.
5. When there’s no one to rely on but yourself, your self-confidence reaches a whole new level. Spontaneous traveling generates constant surprises – both good and bad ones. Therefore, you need to have a strong mindset and realize that problems are everywhere. You just need to learn how to solve them. You’ll also develop your people skills in a major way, by for example, asking others for help more than you would in your everyday life. And that’s exactly why you should be traveling solo in the first place: learning to deal with people from all walks of life means that you’re building a valuable resource in yourself. Sometimes you need to be vulnerable to become a stronger version of yourself.