5 Reasons Why You Should Travel Alone!

Traveling alone is the way to go. You meet new people, you see new places, you get to know yourself. Ever since I traveled alone for the first time, I’m hooked. I even prefer traveling alone over a trip with friends. Not sure if solo travel is something for you? Here are 5 reasons why it undoubtedly is!

1. You can’t sit around and wait for life to come to you

I decided on my first solo trip when I didn’t have anyone to travel with. I just graduated college, had some free time and none of my friends could travel with me. Some were working, some were still in school, some were saving up for a trip with their partner. It came to my mind that I could wait for ages until someone would have spare travel time to share with me. Traveling with friends is awesome, of course. But the older you will get, the busier your friends will get. People will graduate, get jobs, maybe even spouses, babies and houses! Free time will get more scarce, so why wait until someone can share it with you? Just go for it on your own. Don’t wait for the right moment, create it.

2. You’ll meet awesome people

It’s super easy to make friends when you travel alone, much easier than when you travel with friends. Being alone, you are more approachable for other travellers. It’s easier to start a conversation with others when you’re not always with your bestie by your side. Some travel friends will last you that one unforgettable day out in the city, some will last you a lifetime. The first person I met on my first solo trip gave me a bed to crash on when I planned on moving to his city, four years later. Don’t worry about not making friends, it’s almost impossible. You’ll always find someone who shares an interest or a travel plan with you. Just start talking. If you’re a bit shy, take a book and go relax in the common room of your hostel. Chances are big that a conversation will spark up soon!

3. You can do what you want

Traveling with good friends is unforgettable, but meeting each other in the middle can be time consuming and frustrating at times. When you travel alone, you can do what you want. Literally. What. You. Want. If that means changing your plans from doing a 15 kilometer hike to sitting in the sun, reading a book, binge eating ice cream, then that’s all good. You do you! I, for one, really wanted to see a cat shelter on my first solo trip, although there was also great historic architecture to see. But who was there to tell me history is better than cats? No one!

4. You’ll get to know yourself

Do you think you know yourself inside out? Wait until you throw yourself into a new country, with a different language, different habits and no one familiar around to fall back on. You’ll definitely learn new things about yourself. I, for example, learnt that I’m a wimp when it comes to airplanes- public transport in general. I’m not at ease. I stress from when I arrive at one airport until the time I leave the other one. I learnt that I can’t read a map. I learnt that I’m pretty shy when taken out of my comfort zone. I learnt that I tend to surround myself with people, being afraid of loneliness.

5. Traveling alone makes you confident

Although you’ll be confronted with yourself, it will make you stronger and more confident. You’ll cross personal boundaries and grow. I learnt to approach people in the street and ask for directions, so that I don’t end up walking the same streets for four hours. I learnt to spark up conversations with strangers, although I feel shy. I learn that being alone doesn’t mean being lonely. I learnt to believe in my own abilities by being appointed to myself and seeing that I am able to do all the stuff that scares me or takes me out of my comfort zone. I learnt to be a confident young woman by spending time with the person that I’ll spend time with for the rest of my life: myself.

Traveling alone broadens the mind, makes you stronger, teaches you to be independent. It might be hard sometimes, it might be lonely sometimes. But most of the time, it is amazing. If you’re not sure solo travel is your kind of travel, just start out small. Plan a citytrip for a few days, and see if you enjoy it or not. What are you still waiting for? Go for it! Make memories! Travel alone!