One of my biggest fears when I came to England to study abroad was not making friends who wanted to travel with me. To me, studying abroad was synonymous with making the best friends of your life and seeing the globe with them. But, so far, that hasn’t been my experience. Well, not entirely.
I’ve met some great people from all over the world, and we’ve been planning some amazing trips together. But I’ve also run into moments where I wanted to go somewhere that they weren’t interested in. I was worried, because if they didn’t want to go, should I even bother?
But, then I got some advice that really changed my perspective: If you don’t do it alone, you might not ever get the chance. That shook me up. I realized that unless I did some solo traveling, I would leave the U.K. with a lot of regret.
We’ve been conditioned to think that traveling is only worth it if you’re doing it with a family member, friend or partner. But, just like spending time with yourself is important, I’ve learned that traveling by yourself is crucial, too. There are so many reasons why I love solo travel, but I have condensed them to my top four.
It’s a huge confidence boost
If the thought of spending the night in an unfamiliar place on your own scares you, that’s all the more reason to dive right in. Waking up the next day and finding out that nothing bad happened and you can in fact do that will do wonders for your self-esteem.
It might be the only way to visit
Sometimes, no one will want to go with you. This is something that I’ve faced a lot in recent months. I had so many bucket-list destinations that none of my friends were interested in. While sometimes it can be great to compromise and find places to go together, if a certain destination or experience is important to you, then solo travel might be your only way to see it. Would you rather go yourself or miss out on it entirely?
It’s freeing
I love traveling with my family and friends. Sharing new foods, cultures, mishaps and experiences with those you love can be priceless. But traveling with family and friends also means compromising. Compromising on the foods you eat, the attractions you see, even the accommodation you stay in. When the only person you need to check-in with is yourself, you can go to bed whenever you want to, skip the things you don’t want to see and make more time for the things you do. You don’t need to ask for anyone’s permission. Some of my most satisfying trips have been the ones where I got to do only the things that I wanted to do.
It will scare you
At the start of the semester, I booked a solo trip to Vienna. When I bought the tickets, I was overjoyed. I felt so grown-up and mature. But, the night before the trip, I was in a total panic. It was supposed to be rainy, I was worried that I’d miss my early-morning flight, and to say that my German was limited would be an understatement.
But, I got on the plane. And suddenly, it wasn’t so scary anymore. I had a mishap with my accommodation. I almost got knocked over in the wind. I booked a terrible seat at the opera house. But, I did it, and I’ve never regretted it. I don’t wish someone could’ve gone with me. It’s a trip that I loved and that I look back on fondly because it made me grow.
Since then, I’ve booked two more solo trips to Galway and Dubrovnik. I take the train to new cities when I don’t have class or my friends are busy. And sometimes, I’m still a little bit scared. But, it’s scarier to think of all the places, people and experiences I would’ve missed if I hadn’t found it within myself to go alone.
If a solo trip sounds like way more than you can handle right now, that’s okay. Start small: take yourself out on a date, visit a nearby town on your own and grab a coffee or spend the entire day in your home city by yourself. After a while, an overnight trip a couple of states, or even an ocean away, won’t sound so impossible. It’ll actually sound exciting.
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