I love travelling with my friends and sharing incredible experiences with them. Seeing something brilliant and being able to talk about it with someone you care about is truly great, but I also believe every single woman should experience solo travel at least once. Solo travel teaches you more about yourself and the world than any book, person, or ‘thing’ can. It is a journey of the body and of the self rolled into one super sweet package. Ladies, here are some of the best reasons why you should travel the world solo…
You’ll get to see the things you really want to see
Travelling with other people means you have to fit in the things they want to do as well. Travelling solo means you don’t have to waste your time on activities you otherwise wouldn’t be interested in: you can spend your time doing you. The logistics of group travel can also be challenging so being solo means you can add or remove activities on to your personal itinerary at the last minute.
You’ll meet more people
If you’re travelling in a group or with a friend it is easy to stay in the comfortable confines of what is familiar. Travelling solo means that you have to make more of an effort to socialise, which is a good incentive to meet lots of new and interesting people. Staying in hostels is a great option for solo travellers to meet other people and form friendships for life.
You’ll gain confidence
Travelling solo is a great confidence booster. Being in a foreign country can be tough- confusing accents, differing social customs and getting lost are just some of the things you’ll have to figure out all by yourself. While this can be stressful, when you figure out a solution to a travel problem there is no other feeling quite like it.
You’ll learn how to make yourself happy
Travelling solo means you will have a lot of time to yourself. When you spend time with yourself and breathe, something incredible happens: you learn what makes you happy. You learn what makes you feel good, and you learn to let go of what doesn’t. Travelling also helps you to see the bigger picture by distancing yourself from ‘real life’ so you can make more objective decisions about how you want your future to look.
Solo Travel will help you to appreciate the simple things in life
Perhaps one of the sweetest lessons you’ll learn while travelling solo is gratitude. Constantly uprooting yourself and dragging a suitcase around the world will make you yearn for the stability of a home; you’ll appreciate small comforts such as having a bedroom to yourself, the kindness of a stranger, and having a Wi-Fi connection.
You’ll be familiar with the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder”; being away from friends and family can also be tough, but it will only make you appreciate the good people in your life even more.
Read more: My favourite destinations for first time solo travel
You’ll have some amazing stories to tell
Many people choose to exist rather than to truly live. Travelling instantly makes a person more interesting. You’ll never be short of a story of “that time when…” at a dinner party if you ever decide to do real life again (the travel thing is addictive). Being interesting is an attractive quality in a person, so if you’re unattached you will have some great stories to tell to that future someone.
You will learn to be in the present moment
Having no one around to distract you means you take notice of what is around you. The world comes into sharper focus, allowing you to think and feel more clearly than ever before. Go for a hike solo and allow yourself to feel all your senses. You’ll be surprised at how many realisations and solutions to problems you will have.
You will experience true freedom
You get to choose where you go, what you do, and who you spend your time with. Solo travel allows you to be more selfish than usual (perhaps because you are not living near the social structures that once confined you) meaning you can be who you really are. This is the true definition of freedom.
Andie
Monday 21st of August 2017
These are all great reasons. I've only ever really known solo female travel. This afternoon I leave for a three week trip with my boyfriend and am a little apprehensive about its effects insofar as it means less freedom and opportunities for social networking!