10 Benefits of Traveling Alone – Why Solo Travel?

If you are thinking about embarking on your first solo trip, anxiety and safety concerns are likely at the forefront of your mind. Put aside those feelings for a second. They are valid but let’s focus on the advantages of solo travel. Here are some ways I have benefited from traveling solo and believe you will too. (While some of these may be obvious, I felt they were important to touch upon).

This is a simple reason, and a great benefit of solo travel. Why wait for someone to do something YOU want to do? Typically when you plan to travel alone, YOU get to pick the destination. You don’t need to survey your friends to see if they are interested, available, or have the funds. And you no longer settle for a place you may not necessarily care about simply because it is your only chance of a getaway. (Do you really want to go to yet another all-inclusive resort just because that is your only current trip invite?).

You know what isn’t fun? When you end up spending more money on something than you have planned. One of the awesome benefits of traveling alone is you get to decide where to allocate your dollars. For example, you can spurge on a nice rental car or save your pennies by taking public transportation. (I’m a huge fan of local buses!). It is essentially up to you how you wish to spend your hard-earned money.

Unless you are heading somewhere for months, chances are you likely have a few days or weeks for your trip. And I bet you want to make the most of that time? When you travel solo, you determine how long you wish to do an activity. If you want to spend 7 hours in a museum or 3 hours shopping, the choice is all yours. Best of all, you will not feel guilty for holding anyone else up. The travel experiences are entirely up to you.

This is another amazing benefit of traveling alone. Don’t get me wrong. I love sipping margaritas for hours with friends in the middle of Mexico. But when you travel solo, the reality is you are less likely to spend an entire afternoon on a patio. Instead, you’ll be more on the go. This means you will be spending time seeing the sites and doing the activities you want.

This is a huge benefit of traveling alone. Your social skills will get stronger. For instance, you will be put in situations where you are forced to talk to strangers. You may need to ask for directions or someone to take your photo. The more you engage with people, the more your social skills will develop. And moreover, you will make new friends. Now, you may be thinking “I’m not that sociable” to meet anyone. Well, for starters the first thing you need to meet new people is an open mind! (Stay tuned for my blog post on how to meet people while traveling).

When was the last time you were up at 9AM, dressed and ready to go, but your travel companion was still cozied up under the covers? Or the opposite…you want to hit the snooze button a few times and your travel companion is giving you the evil glare? Well, when you travel alone, you get to choose if you want to wake up for that 6AM sunrise hike or that 1PM hungover brunch.

This may sound silly in a way, but it is one of the benefits of traveling alone. Think about it! Have you ever spent 30 minutes going from restaurant to restaurant with a travel companion unable to decide where to eat? Have you had to settle for fast food when you wanted fine dining? Or even worse, you forked over $$$ for dinner when you were trying to stick to a budget? When you travel alone, you get to pick where you want to eat. and how much you wish to spend on your meals.

Solo travel is essentially you spending time with yourself (says Ms. Obvious). And this may be one of the few times you are in your own company without distractions. You are not tied down at work and your loved ones are miles away. When you take that time to yourself, you learn about who you are. And then you may even prefer doing things alone when you are back home.

This is an incredible skill and another one of the important benefits of traveling alone. At least once during your trip, something will go wrong. And this will test you. For instance, you might get off at the wrong train stop. When you travel solo, you determine a solution on your own. (You almost have no choice!) There is no friend to rely on and debate about “What should we do?”. Instead, you may study a map and determine the correct route. Whatever the situation you end up in, you will figure it out.

If you read my travel blog, you may know “empowered” is one of my favorite words. And without sounding like an Oprah special, traveling solo will make you a stronger and more confident person. It will push you out of your comfort zone. You may learn a new language, change your perspective on life, and realize how much you are capable of on your own.

These are the ways that solo travel has benefited me in the last few years. And it for these reasons, I am eager to encourage others, especially women, to take a trip alone.

How have you benefitted from solo travel? Share in the comments!
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[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0=”h4″ question-0=”Is it worth travelling alone?” answer-0=”Absolutely. Travelling alone allows you to become more independent, sociable, and confident.” image-0=”” headline-1=”h4″ question-1=”How can I enjoy travelling alone?” answer-1=”In order to enjoy travelling alone, do your research before. Pick a city you wish to visit, research the neighborhood, and ensure someone back home has your flight and accommodation info at all times.” image-1=”” headline-2=”h4″ question-2=”Is solo travelling boring?” answer-2=”If you constantly need to be in the company of others, solo travelling may appear boring at first, but you can go to locations where you will meet people.” image-2=”” headline-3=”h4″ question-3=”Where can I travel solo female?” answer-3=”There are numerous destinations you can safely travel as a female. Simply pick your top cities you’d like to visit and research each one. When you use common street smarts, traveling nearly anywhere is safe.” image-3=”” headline-4=”h4″ question-4=”Is it weird to travel alone?” answer-4=”Definitely not. When you travel alone, you’ll likely meet many other solo travelers.” image-4=”” count=”5″ html=”true” css_class=””]