12 Amazing Benefits Of Travelling Alone (Why You Should Solo Travel)
Solo travel can be scary, and I get it! It’s not meant to be all easy either. However, once I experienced how many benefits of travelling alone there are, I never looked back!
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The Benefits of Travelling Alone
When I mentioned to some people that I was planning on solo travel, I was met with some puzzled looks.
“Really? Don’t you have any friends to come?” was a common question I was asked!
To a lot people that haven’t done it themselves, it can seem crazy! But travelling solo is a life-changing experience. Sure, there are advantages AND disadvantages to travelling alone but the pros far outweigh the cons!
Once I took the plunge into the “scary world of solo travel” all concerns went flying out the window! I’ve since travelled solo to some incredible locations all over the world – obscure Albania, the Transylvanian villages of Romania and the unique Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. And that’s just scratching the surface.
Ultimately, without booking that first flight to the other side of the world, I wouldn’t have changed so much in such a short amount of time! I wouldn’t have met so many people or seen so many crazy places. But most of all, I wouldn’t have some of the stories I know have in my arsenal without solo travel.
Here are the best benefits of travelling alone that i’ve been lucky enough to be rewarded with:
You Become A Problem Solver
One of the best benefits of travelling alone is that you become adaptable almost immediately. You’ve got no friends to help you if can’t figure out how to get around Albania, and no one to bounce off ideas of how to fix any problem that comes your way.
You are truly thrown into it! Once you face a few hurdles on your travels, and they do happen, you’ll become an amazing problem solver! And then, when you finally come home, problems there will seem like a breeeezzze to fix.
It’s A HUGE Confidence Boost
I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t at least a little nervous before embarking on my first solo trip between Eastern Europe & South East Asia. There were moments before I left where I was doubting if I could actually do it, even if I kept telling myself over and over that I can!
Then, at the start of my trip, I was struggling! It was 2 weeks into the trip and I got a case of solo travel loneliness, I was sick and really missing home. This was despite seeing so many cool things!
But, all of a sudden – everything clicked. I met more people than ever before and I started experience the best side of solo travel – the one that I dreamed of. 7 months later, as I am writing this article, I feel I am a changed man. Looking at photos from the start of my trip, I think “who’s that?!?”.
For that reason, it is without a doubt one of the best benefits of travelling alone.
Meet New People From All Over The World
When solo travelling on a budget – you will stay in hostels. Conveniently, these are the best places to meet people from all over the world!
Looking back home, how often would you say you met new people? Rarely, right? One of the benefits of travelling alone is that you meet hundreds of people and get to learn about these people’s lives. You get to share unique stories and you find bonds through common interests!
Through this, you become more open-minded and make some new friends! But most of all, you’ll develop a network of friends from all over the globe if you need to crash there one night on future travels 😉
You Become Comfortable With Being Alone
It is COMPLETELY unrealistic if you think you’ll meet people every day of your travels. Whether that be a hostel that’s not very social or you simply don’t click with anyone, you’ll be alone sometimes!
As I mentioned before, I wasn’t meeting people at the start of my first solo travel journey and it wasn’t a great feeling! But then as time went on, I felt more and more comfortable with being by myself and more optimistic about the rest of my trip!
It is easily one of the benefits of travelling alone that has changed me the most through my travels.
Freedom: The Time Is Yours!
You can do what ever the hell you want if you’re solo travelling. Isn’t that great?
You don’t have to go shopping if you don’t want to and there is no more waiting on your mate to get ready for the day. The time is yours! That thing you really wanted to do? You can go do it!
I’m lucky that I have a friend that is almost exactly the sort of traveller as me – so if we’re travelling together, it works well.
I’m a big fan of solo travel anyway, but if you prefer a friend tagging alone but don’t have anyone that wants to travel like you it’s better to give solo travel a go! You’ll reap all of the benefits of travelling alone.
You Become Stronger
You’ll learn to toughen up VERY quickly when solo travelling and in certain places it can feel quite uncomfortable dealing with touts and scammers.
After visiting Morocco, I grew a backbone very quickly and felt more confident to say “NO”. Ultimately, you don’t want to get taken advantage of when travelling – and being a strong solo traveller is so important to avoid that.
Learn New Skills
Learning new skills is one of the great benefits of travelling solo, and they range far and wide! Like I mentioned earlier, you have no one to help you.
Learning how to navigate any metro system in the world is a fantastic skill to have! Not only this, but learning new languages, how to use chopsticks, and maybe less glamorously using a bidet are more skills that you can pick up when solo travelling.
To be honest, I think it would actually be harder to not learn any new skills when travelling solo!
Travel Deeper
Travelling deeper. What does that mean? It means you get to see sides of a city or country that you may not have seen if you were with friends!
It’s one of the most underrated benefits of travelling alone – it means mingling with the locals and really getting to know the place you are visiting.
Solo travelling also gives you the option to stay longer in each place if you want! Thus, giving you more of a chance to learn about the area, the culture and the people! I do this a lot, and I always use Hostelworld to book my accommodation.
You Become The Storyteller
I have some crazy, insane, twisted & hilarious stories from my travels. Ones that I tell my friends and family back home!
I’ve been cursed by a Serbian mute in a McDonald’s in Belgrade.
The train delays, the most obscure one being when we ran over a horse near Bucharest in Romania.
Seeing someone with a pet ostrich chilling at a café in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Being robbed in Marrakech.
Getting caught up in the random invasion of Christians in a park in Albania.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It is truly one of the best benefits of travelling alone is that you get to tell these stories to family, friends and other travellers. No one else experienced what you did. You genuinely become a more interesting person, and stories are interesting.
More Time To Take Photos
As a photographer and when i’m travelling with friends, I feel SO BAD if I spend 5 minutes in some random spot on the side of the ride waiting for a tuk-tuk to drive past so I can get a photo of it. I don’t like holding people back!
When solo travelling, you can choose to go out and spend hours taking photos without the guilt of making a friend wait around.
Instead of sacrificing great photos that take time to get, you can actually take them! That’s why it’s made it to this list of great benefits when travelling solo.
You Can Rest
Travelling is fun, but it can be really exhausting at times! Smashing out 30,000 steps two weeks in a row is a recipe for self-implosion.
If you’re solo travelling, you can rest without the guilt of feeling like you’re wasting time abroad! Recharging is so crucial when you’re on the road.
Book that private room for a couple of nights, eat some junk food and watch Netflix! No one is stopping you!
You Learn To Be Street Smart
Being safe when travelling solo should be at the top of your priority list. Unfortunately, some people look to take advantage of solo travellers! Whilst it is so rare for anything to happen on your travels – learning how to avoid trouble and becoming street smart is one of the most important benefits to travelling alone.
I’ve actually got a guide on travelling safe! Every tip that i’ve learnt when solo travelling is packed onto this list and has kept me out of trouble and away from any scary situation since being robbed in Morocco.
The Benefits of Travelling Alone Are Amazing, Do it!
The benefits of travelling alone are simply amazing. It is insane how much i’ve changed after choosing to do a big solo travel trip!
No matter what concerns you have – trust me, it is one thing that I will never regret doing. So, in that case – do it!
Book Your Trip With My Favourite Resources:
Cheap Flights: I always use Skyscanner to browse for cheap flights. It offers so many options to help you find a good deal! It even allows you to search for “anywhere” if you haven’t decided where to go yet!
Accommodation: I start my hostel search with Hostelworld. Most hostels are now on this platform making it the place to find the best hostel for you.
Travel Insurance: If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. It is so important to have when travelling as it will save you from illness, injury, theft and cancellations! I always use Worldnomads when travelling on a budget as they have the best deals for me.