I’ve been asked this question endless times.
Is Solo Travelling Worth It?
Absolutely!
It’s by far one of the best things I’ve ever done.
It sure does have its pros and cons, but that’s like almost everything in life.
Solo travelling has taught me so much, I’ve learnt a lot about different cultures, it makes me so much more productive, it’s improved my fitness and it’s been a massive confidence booster. The list goes on.
Yeah, it’s sometimes lonely, but that can be overcome fairly easily.
So far, I’ve solo travelled to; USA, Poland, Norway, Indonesia, Australia, India, Austria and Slovakia. All of those were this year, except for USA and Poland, those were last year, 2017. The year where I took the step out of my comfort zone and decided to give it a go.
Sure, it was scary at first, to the build-up, I had some nerves, but I was so pumped about it, I completely forgot about worrying.
Want my advice for solo travelling?
Start off small.
Visit a country that’s fairly close, for example, my first proper solo travel was Poland. I had some experience from when I visited the USA for a work conference, but I wasn’t always properly solo travelling until the last day.
Here are five reasons why solo travelling is definitely worth it.
5 Reasons Why Solo Travelling is Worth It
1) You decide what you want to do…
One of the best reasons for travelling alone is that you get to decide what you want to do. Whether you want to get up very early and see the sunrise, visit the touristy areas before they’re busy, have a lay-in and order loads of food to your hotel room etc. You get the point.
Travelling alone allows you to do whatever you want to do with your time abroad.
For me, I tend to be very productive and get up early. 99% of the time, I’ll have a planned itinerary for the day already. For the days I don’t, I’ll wander around and get lost, explore new places and find the hidden treasures of each city.
Sometimes when travelling with others, they might not want to do what you enjoy doing, when solo travelling, that’s never an issue.
2) You’ll become more confident and independent
If there’s anything that’s made me more confident in life and independent, it’s solo travelling.
For a lot of people, sitting and having breakfast alone can be very uncomfortable. It sure was for me when I first did it.
But when you get used to it, you’ll realise it’s actually fine, and a lot of people tend to do it, so don’t feel like you’re the only one.
Because you aren’t.
If travelling tends to make you smarter, confident and a better person, travelling alone will double that.
3) You’ll become a better problem solver
I’ve made a fair few mistakes when travelling solo.
Just to mention a few… I’ve hopped on the wrong tube, stayed in what feels like an isolated place, ran out of battery on my phone whilst out exploring, almost got on a train to a different country by accident!
When travelling solo, you’re bound to make mistakes.
Don’t look at them as something bad though.
They’re learning curves. From every failure, there is always something to learn from.
You’ll realise the mistake and most likely won’t do it again
4) It will increase your compassion
I’ve visited a lot of countries. A total of 26 so far. Some of those, I’ve come across not only people but also animals that are unfortunate. Whether they’ve been treated very badly, their living conditions are not safe, they live in poverty…
It’s taught me how lucky we are in life and how we should appreciate every single thing, even the littlest of things in life.
Travelling solo will increase your compassion. You’ll realise the misfortunes. From encountering stray and mistreated animals to the over-worked locals, there’s a lot you’ll learn. One of the best experiences I’ve ever done was washing and feeding an elephant.
This wasn’t just any old elephant.
It was rescued from the previous owners who were treating it very bad, overworking him, letting people sit on him for hours each day, used for tricks and so much more. The stories I was being told weren’t very nice to hear, let’s just say that. I’m so glad I was able to help feed him and wash him.
5) You’ll catch the travel bug…
I’m sure many other solo travellers can relate to this one!
The more you travel the more you’ll want to continue to keep jetting off and visiting more countries.
Well, that’s exactly what happened to me. I don’t plan to stop anytime soon, either!
You’ll be able to say goodbye to the comfort zone and jet off to various countries alone without being held back because your friends or family can no longer join you.
Just warning you, the travel bug can be deadly – in a good way of course, if that’s even possible? Let’s just say your bank might not like you for it! When looking to travel, make sure to try and find some great bargain flights. Struggling to find them? That’s where my travel search engine, Orbis Explorer will come in handy!
That’s all for now, let me know in the comments if you’re ever solo travelled and what your experience was like!
