Travelling Solo - 7 Reasons Why I do it

I love my friends and family and I also love to travel. However, I'm going to be honest, I do not like to travel with friends or family.  It's very rare that I get a positive reaction "You'll have a great time!" when I tell them I'm travelling solo, unless they have done it themselves.  I'm always shocked when I get a surprised reaction.  I get asked "Aren't you afraid of going alone?".  No, I'm not.  I enjoy exploring and experiencing things in a new country. I'm always prepared and smart about it.  Truth is, some people like to travel with other people, I don't.  There are many reasons for this.

Friends and Family are Usually All Talk and No Action

The Idea of travelling somewhere far and exotic always gets people excited.  You might have a group of people excited at the thought of travelling together and have all these ideas and start planning your trip full of great places to see and things to do with everyone.  However, the closer it gets to the actual date of travel, you find that more and more of your travel buddies are unable to make it for various reasons.  It could be that they can't afford it at the moment, starting a new job, your children are in school and you need to travel around their schedule or the anxiety over travelling to a new place will get the better of them and etc.  Now, don't get me wrong, these are all very valid and legit reasons for backing out of travel.  This is a part of life and life happens sometimes. However, most times than not, the idea of travel sounds great, but it's not for everyone.  Hence, you end up travelling solo.  I've stopped asking people to travel with me just because it's more of a hassle if they opt out after you've planned everything and its less disappointing.

I Control the Itinerary

The problem with group travel is that not everyone has the same interests as everyone else.  Some people like to sit around at an all inclusive resort and just lay around on the beach to read a book, relax, have drinks and work on their tan.  Some people like to go out to explore more about the place and have more authentic experiences.  Others like to go out and party all the time.  Hitting all the night clubs and drinking all night may be the only thing on their itinerary.  I find group travel to be a waste if everyone is off doing other things.  The whole point is to experience the trip together.  The more people you have, the more difficult it is to keep the group together.  I fall in the second group - exploring more about the place and have more authentic experiences.  Finding people who share your interests can be hard sometimes.  Its easier to go at it alone and get the most out of your trip without the hassle of a group or feeling guilty for leaving someone behind.

Take all the Pictures and Videos I Want

I love to learn new things and take pictures of beautiful things and places I've been to.  I will also be venturing into vlogging soon on my upcoming trips to China, Malaysia and Singapore, so look out for that.  For this reason, I like to get up super early in the morning to get to places where I can get a clean picture without a hundred tourists around to get in the way of that shot.  Sometimes I like to take pics or videos in the evening or at night for the beautiful sky background shot as well.  I also like to take as many pics and angles as I can until I get the perfect shot.  I hate blurry pics.  Doing all this takes time.  Your travel buddy may not appreciate that and feel like they are wasting their time doing this and I don't like feeling rushed.  Especially if I had flown so far to get there and these activities are how I like to spend my trip.

Opportunity to Meet New People

I'm not particular in where I lay my head down when I travel.  I don't need a five-star hotel to make my vacation perfect.  In fact, I'm open to staying in hostels.  Not everyone chooses to though.  I'm not in my 20's anymore.  I'm in my 40's.  I don't think a lot of my friends would like to stay in a hostel.  However, if I were travelling on a budget, I would.  This is a great option because it also gives you the opportunity to make new friends who are also travelling solo, share experiences and maybe travel to places together and you might even run into them in other areas as you continue to explore the region.  Trading stories and experiences with people who are excited to be there as much as you are, makes it feel less alone.  We are all on this journey together.

Pushes my Comfort Zone

Staying in one place can make you complacent.  You know your surroundings, the people, and what to expect.  Take yourself out of that and you start to learn more about yourself.  You made it through the airport and you take your first step out of the airport, now what?  You've done your research before your trip and have downloaded all your maps incase you might not have Wifi or data on your phone to help you navigate once you get there.  How do you get to your hotel/hostel?  Uber, taxi or transit?  Once you get to your hotel/hostel and are ready to start your first venture out, you need to orient yourself and figure out how you are going to get around to see everything.  I find that venturing out by myself makes me more aware of my surroundings.  If there is a language barrier, how do I get around that?  I find that the Google Translate App is a great resource for that.  I can learn a few phrases that can help me along the way.  Being able to navigate my way in a foreign place always helps build my confidence and gets me excited to take on a new challenge in a new place.  It's not as scary as some people think it is.

Good for the Soul

People travel solo for multiple of reasons.  Some people are stressed and need a break, some people are bitten by the travel bug and have to scratch that itch, or maybe they just need a break from life.  Whatever your reason, travelling solo is good for the soul.  Wandering around in little villages and getting lost in tea plantations, taking in the beautiful scenery gives you time to reflect on yourself or even just empty your mind for awhile.  It takes you away from everything you left behind and gives you time and space to work things out for yourself.  It gives you a chance to be yourself without the judgement of someone else.  It refreshes your mental health and maybe even your physical health too!

Because I Can

It reminds me that I don't need anyone else but myself and that strengthens my inner self.  Sure, they'll be times when I may need someone's help in a crisis or to share moments with new friends, but I'll have the knowledge that I can do it because I can.  I do not need a man or a travel buddy to keep me safe or need anyone's company to make my trip enjoyable.  I just need myself and the knowledge that I can do this because I can and I don't need anyone's approval.

As I look at the year ahead of me and think of the new and exciting places it will take me, I know that my vacations will be amazing because of the seven reasons listed above.  I love to explore and travel on my own, but I also love to meet new people and enrich my own life with their own experiences.  We are all on this journey together and maybe we'll run into each other somewhere someday.  Til then, don't be afraid, have enough confidence in yourself to travel solo and let me know how it goes for you!