You actually tend to meet more new people when traveling alone, as you're not always talking with your friends and you're almost forced to look outwards for human connection. Especially if you're staying in a social hostel, surrounded by fellow backpackers, you'll find it almost effortless to meet new people and bond through exploring and sharing travel stories together. When you don't have your friends with you, you might miss the comfort of having someone to share experiences and stories with.īut with an outgoing mindset and a friendly personality, you can easily make friends while traveling alone. Traveling with friends is great because you always have people to socialize and laugh with. If you can face your fears, you'll be able to have new and enriching experiences that you'll remember forever. Traveling alone for the first time definitely takes courage. Maybe it's asking a local for directions, or setting out to explore without using Google Maps, or maybe it's just booking that flight in the first place. You can't really travel without facing a few bumps in the road, and it's important to be fearless when these things happen.
If you're wondering how to travel solo, finding the courage within yourself to conquer any obstacles while traveling is the most important tip. These highlights are some that I've experienced personally, and I hope that this advice will inspire travelers around the globe to pack up and set off on a new solo adventure. I'll also include a list of, what I believe, are the best parts of traveling alone. With this article, I'll provide some useful tips on how to travel alone, so new solo travelers can have an idea of what it takes to have a smooth trip.
After that first solo trip, backpacking around the world alone has been a piece of cake. I never would have had such a unique and memorable experience without taking that leap of faith and getting on the plane by myself. My Spanish had improved immensely, and I'd seen such breathtaking natural beauty that I was just about ready to pack up and move to Ecuador. I'd taken care of the babies, played football with the younger boys, talked politics with the family schoolteacher and made homemade pasta with the grandparents.
Three weeks later I felt like I was part of this huge local family. This was a huge step for me, and I knew I had to just be confident, trust my mediocre Spanish speaking skills, and hope that everything would work out.Īnd it did. I was about to land in Quito Airport, at 10pm in the dark, and take a taxi to a random house in the suburbs to stay with an Ecuadorian family I'd never met. I was 21 years old, I felt so alone and a bit scared. I was absolutely terrified before my first trip to Ecuador, as it was my first time in South America and my first time doing a Worldpackers work exchange. I've never traveled solo and regretted it. But I always fly home beaming with satisfaction and bursting with new valuable memories. I always feel a bit nervous before a solo trip I find myself fidgeting the whole plane ride with anticipation and a little bit of anxiety. Personally, I've visited countries like Ecuador, Peru, Denmark, England, Croatia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Portugal, and Spain by myself. There is a sense of freedom that comes with solo travel, and this liberating and exciting feeling cannot be recreated anywhere else. Travelers often describe their first solo trip as a religious experience, and there's a good reason why. Whether it's outdoorsy adventures, relaxing beach days, or interesting cultural excursions that spark your interest, solo travel means you can cater your trip to suit your own desires without any hesitation. You can go anywhere you want on this vast planet, and experience it exactly how you want to. Traveling the world alone can seem intimidating at first, especially if you're a solo female traveler. Taking on the whirlwind of traveling, with unknown lands, foreign languages and new faces everywhere you go, is a whole lot easier with a friendly companion to help you along the way.īut traveling alone is a truly unique experience that I think everyone should try at least once.