It’s always more fun travelling with friends, but sometimes it’s just not possible, as life gets in the way. Travelling alone becomes your only option if you want to see the world, although it can be a scary thought! Here are three reasons why travelling alone is more fun.
1. It forces you out of your comfort zone.
Firstly, what better way to throw yourself out of your comfort zone? Everybody is comfortable when they are travelling with people they know. Perhaps it is because our subconscious knows that we have that safety net to fall back on, should something go wrong. Travelling alone makes you suddenly responsible for everything and it makes you grow up quickly and become streetwise, in the sense that you immediately know when you aren’t comfortable and have to learn to get out of that situation quickly. You have to go and eat meals on your own, find your own way using a map and when abroad in a country which speaks another language, you have to overcome the language barrier alone and make yourself understood. You always wonder what people think of you as you walk or eat alone and it can be quite lonely if you don’t make friends quickly. Having said that ...
2. You can do whatever you want to do.
While travelling alone, there’s no social pressure to do things you don’t want to do in order to keep fellow travellers happy. You become your own guide, timekeeper and trip planner and you are completely free to plan what you want to do, whenever and for however long you want to do it! You can speak to anybody without worrying what your friends think of you for talking to that person and you don’t have to stay bored on the beach because your siblings don’t want to see the museum you’re excited to see. You’ve got far more freedom to be able to do the things you want to do without worrying and, when you’re on your own, you have to start conversations, so therefore ...
3. You meet lots of new people.
While travelling alone, it is impossible not to make friends and speak to new people. You have to ask for directions, eat, drink and visit cultural sites and it is so easy to make new friends, especially foreigners who may be in a similar position to you. You can find groups online in advance which advertise language exchange groups or activities in the evenings for you to go to. Getting lost is normally a great way of chatting to people and finding hidden cultural gems that you didn’t know about.
Do you think it would be better to travel alone or with friends or family? Why? Have you ever been travelling alone?
