The Solo Traveler’s Guide: Why You Should Explore the World Alone

There are an abundance of reasons to solo travel – it’s a great way to meet new people, see the world from a different perspective, and learn more about yourself. For many women, solo travel can be an empowering experience. It can help you to build confidence, overcome fears, and become more independent. While solo travel comes with its challenges, it can also be immensely rewarding. So if you’re thinking about taking a solo trip, go for it, you might just surprise yourself with how much you enjoy it.

My first solo trip was when I was 18 and I went to Australia. I really had no idea what I was doing, where I was going, and what any of my plans were. I know some people are reading that stressing but that’s just a beautiful benefit of traveling alone. You get to figure everything out along the way.

Freedom and Independence

If we all had a nickel for every time someone said they wanted to come on a trip with us we would have already bought that house in Spain. There is no feeling like getting excited for a trip with someone only to find out something came up for them and they can no longer go. Think of a travel buddy as getting upgraded to first class – it would be really awesome but it won’t affect my trip one way or the other, I’m still going to go and have a beautiful time regardless.

Chances are, when you travel with someone, at some point you are going to want to do different things and that can be absolutely fine or it can cause a little bit of tension during the trip. When you go by yourself you travel by your own schedule, you do anything and everything you want to do and you don’t have to take into consideration of the other person wants to partake or not.

Increased Self-Confidence and Empowerment

It does seem so intimidating to go to another country alone and it is. The first time you do you’ll probably land and wonder what the heck you’re doing there and where you go from here. It is so normal to feel like that, it is overwhelming and intimidating at first but it truly does help you overcome so many fears and build so much needed confidence in your ability to be by yourself and to do and experience incredible things alone, it’s really an indescribable feeling.

Many people cannot even go out to eat by themselves with the fear that people will judge them for being alone, they won’t have as much fun, or they will get bored. If you cannot be with yourself then you should not be with anyone else. Getting comfortable being alone is one of the best things you can possibly do for yourself. No one is judging you for going out to eat or going to the beach by yourself and if they are that’s on them, not on you. You can enjoy life by yourself and you can make yourself feel good without the need for anything external and solo travel will help you discover that.

Self Discovery

When you travel solo there is a unique opportunity for you to truly be with yourself, learn about yourself, and understand yourself without the influence of others. Traveling in any form, solo or not, gives you the opportunity to reinvent yourself, no one knows who you are and that can be utilized as an opportunity to reinvent who you know yourself to be. This is especially true when travelling solo as you really have an opportunity to discover yourself. There is no one around you to influence you, no one around you to guide you in one direction or another, you have to make that decision for yourself. This provides you with a transformative opportunity that most people never get to experience. Sit with yourself, do what’s calling you, something you’ve wanted to do but never done in fear of judgement. Take it as a reinvention and a reintroduction of your true self.

Whether you decide to go to a different country or simply leave your town, I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and go have an experience by yourself. Don’t fear judgement from others as humans are innately selfish and most times are only focused on themselves. Try it out, you may just fall in love with the feeling.