If you are able to travel alone, you should definitely do it. It can be an incredibly rewarding experience and one that you will never forget. These are seven reasons why you should consider traveling alone on your next trip.
Before going on your trip, you must decide where you are staying for the time you are traveling. This can be stressful when you’re in a group of friends since there can be differing opinions on where to stay. When you travel alone, you decide where to stay. Whether you want to go for full luxury and stay at a nice hotel or save some money and stay at a cheap hostel, it is up to you. Even though you might sacrifice having your friends chip in and split the cost, at least you will have the final say on where to stay on your trip.
Picture it: you’re asking the group chat when should your trip take place. One of your friends has to work, someone else will be busy on the weekends, you’re busy when someone else is free. This is a normal part of life. It is almost impossible to have all your friends’ schedules line up exactly. Everyone has their own schedule, but yours is the only one that matters when you travel alone. You can get away for just a weekend or an entire week if you are available.
When you travel alone, you can literally go wherever you want. When you first start out planning, you can decide if you want to explore somewhere new or revisit one of your favorite vacation spots when you were younger that you vowed to return to someday. If you want to save some money, there are other modes of transportation besides flying such as trains and buses. You can even take a solo road trip and jam out to your favorite music the entire way! Even if you do end up flying, it is much less of a hassle trying to buy a ticket just for yourself instead of figuring out how to get all your friends to sit close together.
Figuring out what to do on a trip can be a challenge. Your group of friends may have different plans or interests than your own. This might actually be the best part if you decide to travel alone. You get to decide what you want to see and which places to visit on your trip. Look up places that would interest you like parks, museums, shops or even concert venues in the area where you are traveling. If you decide to travel alone, there’s no need to ask permission to visit somewhere, you can just go.
Even when you plan out your trip, you can decide if you want to stick to it or make it up as you go along. You might plan on stopping at a specific restaurant for lunch, but if you see a street vendor or a food truck while you’re exploring, go for it! If you want to spend an hour or two just walking around a park and people watch while sipping on a coffee, do it! You can also get to decide how early to start your day when you travel alone. If you want to stay out late at night or get an early start in the morning, it is up to you!
While you’re traveling, there might be some pressure to visit the tourist spots, especially in larger cities. However, your travel plans should be based on your own personal interests. Traveling, in general, is the opportunity to explore somewhere new and just become part of the culture of the city you are visiting. You can find the hidden gems of the city where the locals hang out.
If it is your first time traveling to a city, do as the locals do and don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations. They are sure to know where to go. It’s also important to remember that not every day of your trip has to be filled with amazing adventures. If you feel the need to take a break, take a day to just relax however you see fit.
When you look back at your trip once you are back home, it is normal to feel a little sad and wishing you could go back. All the memories you made will still be stored forever in your memories even if you didn’t take pictures of every single moment. It’s up to you how much you want to share on social media of your trip alone.
It can be incredibly rewarding to tell the stories in-person to your friends since they will be excited to hear them. Since you traveled alone, everything that you experienced contains stories that only you can tell. Even if you were documenting the whole time, it does not compare to being able to sit down with your friends or family and be able to share all the details you remember, the good and when things didn’t go according to plan. Being able to tell these stories is a great way to keep the memories alive of your trip.
It is understandable to be somewhat hesitant about deciding to travel alone instead of in a group. We can depend on a group to be a safety net of sorts just in case something goes wrong. If your phone dies, you can ask your friend to use theirs. If you don’t speak the language, maybe one of your friends can translate.
Despite all of this, if you are able to travel alone and make it the whole way on your own there is something to be said for that. There are some legitimate concerns, especially when it comes to keeping yourself safe while traveling. This type of fear shouldn’t hold you back from being able to travel alone. If you are able to be aware of your surroundings at all times, you should be fine. Looking back at this experience is one you can look back on with pride, knowing that it is something you were able to handle and did all by yourself.
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