10 Benefits of Traveling Alone

It is becoming more and more common for people to go on vacation by themselves. So why is solo traveling becoming so popular? And what are the benefits of traveling alone? We take a look at ten reasons why the next time you want to pull back from the world, you should consider going at it solo.

1: Get to know yourself better

Whether you’re traveling by air, train, plane, boat, or car, all the choices will be your own. Do you want to stop off and sightsee in a random small town on the way? Curious to try the local cuisine and didn’t realize you were culinarily adventurous? This is the time when you get to know yourself better. What do you like? What kind of things do you enjoy when you don’t have to worry about what someone else wants to do? Traveling alone helps you discover how important it is to listen to your intuition and follow your heart. 

2: Step out of your comfort zone

Only by challenging yourself will you really grow and evolve as a person. By exploring unknown places and stepping out of your comfort zone, you will do just that. Hiking for endurance or camping when you’re usually determined to sleep in a comfortable bed every night are just some ways you can step out of your comfort zone. Being away from home and all its creature comforts, and out on your own with only yourself to rely on, will test your patience and develop your strength of character. 

3: It’s more affordable

It’s undeniable — traveling on your own makes it much easier to keep to your budget. After all, you only have to feed one person and pay for one person’s accommodation and transport costs. This could leave you with a whole lot of spending money to use on sightseeing tours, shopping, and adventure activities. 

4: It’s easier to make friends

If you love the idea of meeting new people and interacting with the locals in a foreign place, then your best chance of doing just this is by traveling alone. Locals are always much more intrigued by someone traveling on their own and are much more likely to approach you and be open to engaging with you, if you’re alone than with a group of people. 

5: You get to choose what you want to do

When traveling with other people, you often have to compromise on activities and routes. If traveling alone, it means you get to choose where you want to go and what you want to do. Want to spend hours and hours in a museum? No problem. Feel like lying on a beach all day and speaking to no one. Go for it! It’s all up to you!

6: Rest when you want to

If you’re traveling with a partner or friends, you may feel pressured to keep going or do activities just to make the most of your vacation. If you’re alone, you can rest when you want to, take an afternoon nap, and can do so guilt-free.

7: It gives you a confidence boost

There’s a lot to be said about going out into the world all on your own, without anyone to rely on to help you or any social safety net of any kind. If you travel alone, you will have to make decisions and friends all on your own, which is great for building self-confidence. 

8: You will learn to enjoy your own company

Some people are unable to be alone and need to always be surrounded by people. Traveling alone can force you to learn to enjoy your own company. This is an incredibly freeing feeling. Never again will you be hostage to feeling lonely or bored and constantly needing to be around people. In fact, once you enjoy your own company, you will find that “me-time” is actually quite addictive. 

9: You can read or watch TV as much as you want

Usually, when traveling with a partner or friends, you will feel obligated to engage and chat. If you’re traveling alone, you can read as many books as you want, for as long as you want, or binge watch TV shows in your hotel room, without feeling guilty about ignoring your companions. For a lot of people, this kind of downtime and freedom from interaction is priceless. 

10: It’s good for your wellbeing

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love traveling. Depending on the type of vacation, it can be fun, exhilarating, relaxing, and enlightening. Traveling reduces stress and revives your body and mind. When you add in that traveling solo boosts your self-confidence and challenges you to grow, it’s a bit of a no-brainer!

Start packing those bags

So now that you know all the benefits of traveling alone, it’s time to start planning your dream trip! Create a vision board of all the places you want to go, do your research and book your tickets. Your dream solo trip awaits!