Solo Travel is by many described as a trend that has been growing in recent years. But is it really a trend? Is it fashionable to travel alone? Or are people finally realizing that time is a finite and precious asset, and that if they don't do what they want, no one will do it for them?
No doubt that Solo Travel is not for all people. Similarly, not all people can, for example, be athletes.
Certainly, there are people who would rather walk on a bed of nails, than travel alone!
What are the reasons why more and more people travel alone?
Redwood Forest, Nova Zelândia
The reasons why people travel alone differ greatly, as each will have their own motivations. However, from my experiences with other people, I can say that people travel alone for these reasons:
- No calendar compatibility with friends or family
- There are no acquaintances who like to travel
- Their tastes do not correspond to the tastes of their acquaintances
- Freedom of schedules and planning
- They like being alone
There are likely to be more reasons for people to travel alone. But these will certainly be the most common.
Is it really good to travel alone?
First, we want you to keep in mind that, traveling alone is not a matter of being better or worse. It is rather the question of “will or will you not go”.
Traveling solo will definitely be an unique experience.
Since, the feedback of anyone experiencing travelling solo, is either “the best experience of their life or the biggest nightmare “ever”, I cannot say that traveling alone is good. This is because it really depends a lot on the person.
I've never traveled alone. Do I have reasons to be afraid?
All that is new causes discomfort. We can call it fear, or nervousness, or anxiety
Surely this “fear” was already part of your life at some point. Like, for example, the first job interview, the first time you left your parents' house or even the first time you went to dinner at your boyfriend's house/a.
Everything that is beyond our control causes “fear”.
So, traveling is no different. You have no reason to be afraid, because what can happen to you on a trip, can happen to you on the way to work.
The biggest mistake of people when try to travel alone for the first time is the destination. That is, to travel alone for the first time you do not need to go to Thailand.
Although sometimes we want to have our first “big adventure ”, it often ends up going wrong.
Fisgas de Ermelo, Mondim de Basto, Portugal
So my tips for those who want to try traveling alone for the first time, are:
- Choose a destination close by
- With a culture similar to yours
- With a language you can master minimally
That way, the culture shock will be much lower. I have already recommended to many people who want to try traveling alone, but are really afraid, to go, for example, to Madeira or the Azores. In this way, they cancel out practically all cultural, linguistic and exchange differences.
Em suma, quando queres mesmo muito uma coisa, arranjas uma maneira, quando não queres, arranjas uma desculpa 😉
I have never been alone/a for more than a day. How am I supposed to take a vacation?
It is likely that if you ask someone who has traveled alone if he/she was alone/a during the whole trip, 99% will tell you that they did not. Equally, you will also find very few people who do not say that “was the best thing they did”.
In fact, you must have heard the African proverb “if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go in a group”. Similarly, you can apply it here. If you want to meet many people go alone, if you want to meet your friends, go with them.
When you are alone you will be more aware of what is happening around you, because you do not have the distractions of your friends. You're gonna talk to your roommates, the receptionist, the bartender, the salesman. Because socialize is part of our human nature, often forgotten. In these conversations you can find travel companions, dinner companions, etc.
In short, who travels alone, is only alone if they want to be left alones!
But.. It is obvious that if we are talking about a very long trip, that feeling of loneliness can arise. After all how many people feel alone in the middle of a crowd?
Sometimes it's worth more alone, than poorly accompanied!
I prefer to go alone or with strangers who share the same mind-set as mine than travel with most of my friends.
The fact that I really like my friends, to have dinner and go out with them, go to the beach or pool is not synonymous that everything will be fine when we are 24 hours together in an unknown place. The same applies to the boyfriend/a. When you make a trip with someone (whether one or 10 people), this trip is no longer yours but ours.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling alone?
Although this type of trip has many advantages from the start, it obviously also has its disadvantages.
Find out more in this article - Solo Travel - Advantages & Disadvantages
In conclusion, traveling alone is not a trend. It is a choice. A choice of who decided to live their life and fulfill their dreams regardless of whether they have company or not.
So go, and if you're afraid, go anyway!
Believe that, for better or worse, you will discover fantastic things about yourself.
Still not ready/a to travel alone/a? What if you start with social travel? Find out what these trips are here
