8 Reasons Everyone Should Solo Travel
Solo travel has been one of the BEST things for my personal growth and discovery throughout the last year and a half. It’s taught me SO much and allowed me to create some of my favorite memories thus far. Let me explain…
You learn that being “solo” doesn’t have to be scary
I know I’m not alone in this (ha ha) but I used to be so scared of being alone. Maybe its because I spent so much of my life surrounded by family, siblings, teammates, classmates, neighbors, friends, etc. I never really learned how to sit in solitude. I’ve found the many of us tend to avoid being alone. We use company as a distraction from dealing with things going on within us and around us. I think its human nature to want to be in community. And community is great! It is. However, I have found so much beauty in being alone over the course of the last 18 months. Traveling solo was one of the things I found that really helped me discover a lot about myself. I’ve learned that being “alone” doesn’t have to be synonymous to being “lonely.” Solo travel actually helped me find joy in who I was as an individual, and that is a skill I believe everyone should work to strengthen within themselves.
2. You get to explore different sides of yourself that maybe you’re scared to bring out around people who know you
Okay…so you know that one thing you’ve wanted to try but it would be so out of character if you tried it with your friends, in your town, around people who knew you? You know that character trait you want to explore within yourself but you’re nervous of what people would think because it would seem out of character for you? THIS IS THE TIME MY FRIEND. It doesn’t even have to be that big of a deal. It could be anything from a different clothing style to a different sexuality. The beauty of traveling solo is you lose the fear of judgement a little bit. I encourage everyone to step into this! This is such a good habit to practice around strangers because once you’re able to discover and hence lean Into your true self without fear of judgement around strangers, its one step closer to really owning it in your life entirely.
3. It gets you out of your comfort zone
THE ONLY WAY TO GROW IS TO GET UNCOMFY. I literally have the words “uncomfy” tattooed on my forearm for this reason. (Also, I do have a podcast called “Lets get Uncomfy” so that’s also a part of it…) I get it…traveling alone is something that can seem daunting, stressful, overwhelming, scary…like a big ‘ol question mark for a lot of people. I do get that! And as humans, we crave certainty. We enjoy doing things that we know will produce a certain outcome. We like habits and patterns and routines. Most people enjoy knowing what their day will look like, knowing what they’ll eat for their meals, knowing who they’re going to see at work…right? It’s because the brain craves CERTAINTY. But… did you know there’s a part of us that also craves Uncertainty? Mhmmmmm, true statement! This is why we get bored with a career and dream about quitting and moving to Australia. This is often why people become unfaithful in relationships, because at some level they crave that uncertainty, that newness, that excitement. We need both certainty and uncertainty to really feel satisfied. Maybe you haven’t jumped into uncertainty in awhile. But I bet on some level you’re yearning for it. Solo traveling quenches that for damnnnn sure. Getting out of your comfort zone is exactly what you do when you pack up and decide to visit a new place by yourself. The world is your oyster, it would be a CRIME to stay within a little bubble. BREAK FREE, my friend, break free and dare to see what happens.
4. You get to date yourself
This was a concept I genuinely thought was whack before I took the time and energy to do it. Traveling solo is THE PLACE and TIME to date yourself. Think of it this way: when you’re “dating” around or dating someone specific, you spend time with them 1:1 to get to know them… get a feel for who they are, what they’re about, what they’re into, and overall, see how you two get along, right? So why don’t we ever do that with ourselves? Why is there a stage of life where its encouraged to go out and get to know other people to an extent that we don’t even know ourselves? Traveling alone has allowed me to spend quality time with myself in a way that I never have before. Things I wouldnt have done alone before at home, are things I have to do daily when I’m traveling solo. For example, take myself out to dinner, go shopping alone, take an adventure by myself, book an excursion as a party of one, walk into happy hour and sit alone…etc. Things that definitely would have intimidated me back then, now invigorate me and empower me. I am proud to date myself and that came from traveling alone.
5. You learn how to meet new people and make new friends
It’s really easy to get stuck in the Groundhog Day of life. What I mean by that is that its easy to feel that, “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” typa feeling. However I truuuuly believe that there is so much more out there in the world for us to experience and live through that doesn’t exist in our home towns. Don’t get me wrong, I agree, its important to love the things that are working in your life, and love the people who have been there. But theres something about meeting new people that brings out something else within you. Meeting new people taps into a part of you that you won’t tap into if you don’t get uncomfortable…trust me! When you meet new people, when you have to find something in common with the person sitting next to you…you’re going to talk about different things than you would if you were talking to your friends from years ago. It starts new conversation, new connection, new dialogue, and tbh im here for it! It’s all in the self-discovery process. If you aren’t connecting with new people and making new friends, how can you be sure that you are where you’re meant to be?!
6. You get to do the things you actually want to do
Traveling with company means compromise, we all know that. Not necessarily in a bad way, but when you have other people in the equation, you have to be considerate about their intentions/desires as well. It is so refreshing to be in a new place and have 100% of the time dedicated to what YOU want to do. This is also such a good practice to get into if you want to improve your intuition skills. I talk with people all the time who say, “I don’t even know what I want.” And this is because you haven’t ever given yourself a chance to LISTEN to your gut and act based off of what you hear. This is your chance! Traveling alone has allowed me to get more in touch with my intuition because there are no distractions or outside influence to consider.
7. You get to do those things on your own schedule
Similar to doing the things you actually want to do…traveling alone means you get to do them WHEN you want to do them as well. I love creating my own schedule when traveling, it gives me a sense of ownership and control. For me, I like to keep things spontaneous, going with how I feel in the moment, who im meeting, what sounds good on that particular day… When you remain open to opportunities, they tend to fall in your lap! But, if you are more of the planning type, solo traveling is still SO exciting. If you want to jam-pack your day with activities and adventures…go for it! If you want to have a chill day and lay on a beach or at the pool all day… do it! Nobody is around to convince you otherwise. So much freedom and it’s all up to you to decide what you’ll do with it.
8. You get to sit in silence
This was probably the hardest but best lesson to learn while solo traveling. Silence. When you’re surrounded by friends, family, work tasks, daily responsibilities etc… silence is hard to come by, no? It can be a little daunting to sit in ACTUAL silence for once. However, I think it is so important to get comfortable in silence. It’s a power move to take yourself out to a nice dinner in a new city, put your phone away, order whatever food sounds good, grab a nice glass of wine, and just SIT; Admire your surroundings, do some people-watching, and listen to the thoughts/feelings that cross your mind. Admittedly, it took me some time to be able to do this without stress-reaching for my phone to look busy or scroll absentmindedly on social media. But when you’re traveling alone, there will be many moments filled with silence and once you’re able to define that as BEAUTIFUL rather than LONELY or embarrassing… THAT’S when you know you’re growing.
If you’ve had the heart tug to travel alone, whether its to a neighboring city or a completely different country… I encourage you to pull the trigger! Set a date, book the flight, rent the car, get the hotel…whatever you have to do, just put plans in action. The journey will unfold exactly as its meant to, and I’m so excited for all the adventures that await for you!
