The Pros and Cons of Travelling Solo
At the time of writing this, I have been to 43 countries – 95% of which I travelled to only in the last five years.
Of those 95%, roughly half my travels were done solo.
It was these from experiences I've learned the most: both about myself, and about the world. But travelling solo, though rewarding, is not without its risks.
It takes more than just courage, cash, and a carefree attitude: You have to work for it.
Many will never do it. Most skeptics convince themselves it's enough to holiday with a few close friends, see some neat sights and stay at a nice hotel – maybe meet the odd stranger or two at a bar or nightclub.
And for some, that's fine.
But for those of us whose lives are driven by a burning curiosity and a passion for personal growth, few experiences will ever measure up to the thrill of solo travel.
So let’s take a look at some of the pros (and cons) of travelling the world by yourself.
A Quick Message to Anyone Second Guessing Solo Travel
Before we get too far into it, I want you to know that this blog is undeniably biased. If you’re on the fence about solo travel, I’m here to push you off it.
Being on the fence just means you’re already halfway there.
That being said, I promise I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. It’s not all sunshine and daisies. I want you to feel inspired, but also informed, when you finish this article.
I’m biased because I’ve done it, and I know it to be great. I want you to make your own life-changing memories, to achieve the growth only solo travel can offer.
But I know first- and second-hand that bad things can happen when you’re travelling, whether by yourself or in a group.
We will explore both the good and the bad along the way, and I’ll let you make up your own mind.
Preparation and Admin
With great freedom comes great responsibility.
The most tedious downside of travelling alone is preparation and administration.
Unless you hire a travel agent, it's up to you to make all the flight bookings, do all the hotel check-ins, and handle any other administrative task that comes your way.
This can be tough, stressful, exhausting, and sometimes scary – especially if you're not used to managing all your own affairs.
But it does present plenty of learning opportunities.
Planning your trip by yourself will grow your confidence in a way that makes it easier to approach and tackle any future challenges that come your way. The more you do it, the more your confidence grows.
Pretty soon it will feel like a superpower.
Flying Solo
The first time I had to go through the airport process alone, I was unreasonably anxious and was certain I would screw something up.
But as soon as I boarded the flight, I felt foolish for such silly fears. After all, what’s so scary about handing a ticket to someone and putting a bag on a conveyor belt?
The next time I had to catch a flight by myself, I had no fears whatsoever.
And though this growth is extremely valuable, it can also be extremely stressful.
If your phone runs out of battery at the airport and it has got your boarding pass on it, there's nobody you can turn to that might have a copy on their own phone.
Similarly, if you're on foot and using Google Maps to find your hotel, a dead phone can cause serious problems until you find a shop that will let you charge it (look for a McDonald's!).
Yet the real pro of managing your own travel affairs is that you get to do everything exactly the way you want:
You pick the destinations.
You choose the accommodation.
You decide what you're having for dinner.
Spending More (or less) on Your Trip
In a group-holiday scenario, sacrifices must be made on all sides.
If you're the poorest member of the party and only want to stay in the cheapest places, even a single restaurant dinner can be cause for stress. If this sounds like you, maybe you should check out this frugal travelling advice blog I wrote for the Sabbatical Guide.
If you're the wealthiest member of the party, it can be difficult to see the logic in choosing some roach-infested hovel over a penthouse suite by the seaside.
Everybody has their own personal preferences.
These kinds of issues are non-existent as a solo traveller. And it is for this reason above any others that so many of my travels have become one-man expeditions.
Check out my 12 Helpful Tips for Saving Money if you’re a cheap thrifter like me looking to travel more often.
Deciding Where to Go
Nowadays, I'm so attuned to my own curiosity that I know exactly where I want to go next, what I want to do, and when I want to do it.
And I don't care if none of my friends are interested or able to join me.
Instead of fussing about, trying to get others to commit to a single idea, I simply plan and book my trips, let a few people know what I'm doing and tell them that they can join me if they want – no biggie.
If they decide to come too, great. The more the merrier.
But if nobody is interested, or willing to commit to the lifestyle I've adopted, so be it. There will be plenty of friends I've not yet met awaiting me in my next destination.
This applies to you, too, if you decide to invest in solo travelling. Go anywhere you want, whenever you want, for however long you wish to.
Want to move somewhere indefinitely?
The only permission you need to obtain is your own.
The Pros and Cons So Far
Now that we’ve looked at the planning and administrative side of travelling solo, let’s take a look at a few of the advantages and disadvantages of solo travel we’ve covered so far.
CONS:
Increased stress and pressure
Can be tedious and boring
No back up when electronics go flat or get stolen
Potential anxiety or fear
Nobody to ask for help
PROS:
Confidence booster
Gets easier every time
Learn important life skills
Conquer your fears
Unrestricted choice of destination
Unrestricted choice of accommodation
Travel according to your own budget and no one else's
Choose how long you travel for
Loneliness
Now we’ve covered what it’s like when all the planning and admin falls onto you, the solo traveler.
But what about the actual emotional experience?
What about things like loneliness, confusion, fear?
Of course, the glaringly obvious negative of travelling without friends or family is that you have no one to share all your thoughts and emotions with as you go along.
Between friends, the unsteady wobbling of a plane 35’000 feet in the air can be something to laugh about; by yourself, it can be terrifying.
The same goes for the good times, too.
A beautiful vista or a life-changing experience is much more enjoyable when you have somebody to laugh about it with, even more so when you can later recall these moments as fond memories long after the trip has ended.
That being said, who said you have to be alone?
Feeling Bored
“Does it get boring travelling by yourself?”
I hear you, future travellers, I hear you.
Truth be told, it’s complicated. And it really depends on what sort of person you are.
If you aren't the sort of person who can fix their boredom by simply reading a book or watching a movie on your phone, the long bus rides, train rides, and flights can also become a matter of tedium for you.
Travelling with friends means the lulls in action are naturally filled with pleasant conversation and reminiscing over the most recent parts of your trip.
However, in my experience, travelling solo does not mean you're alone – at least not if you do something about it.
Which is exactly why we’re about to cover...
Making Friends
What’s the cure for loneliness?
Companionship, of course.
I've found that by staying in social hostels, tagging along to free walking tours, and joining up with various pub crawls, I’ve been lucky enough to form some of the best friendships of my life.
People tend to be a lot warmer and more willing to chat when they realise that you are travelling by yourself, especially if they're flying solo too.
Not only that, but the connections you make will feel more authentic as you are at leisure to be entirely yourself.
If you're worried about how to spark up a conversation with the people you'll meet whilst travelling, don't. It's as easy as saying the four magic words any traveller needs in their lexicon...
“Where are you from?”
That's it.
I've started thousands of conversations with those four words that have led to some of the most amazing and cherished relationships and experienced in my entire life
Once a conversation has begun, your humanness will take over from there. We are social creatures, sometimes we just need a little push.
Escaping Your Comfort Zone
One of the many advantages to travelling solo is that there is no better way of getting outside your comfort zone.
The best things happen to us when we leave our comfort zones. It’s where we build confidence, develop new skills, learn more about ourselves, and evolve as human beings.
Being alone in a foreign place is the definition – both geographically and metaphorically – of going beyond the comfort zone.
Learning Who You Really Are
One of the things I've found most interesting about making new friends while travelling solo is that, given the opportunity to be anyone I want to be around them, I choose myself every single time.
This has taught me a different type of confidence that, prior to travelling solo, I never knew existed.
The confidence that comes with knowing that the person I want people to think I am is the person I truly am at my core.
It's taught me that, though I may doubt it at times, I really do love myself.
Not in some egotistical way, but in the way that one loves something that they've built with their own two hands. I spent my entire life becoming the me I am today, and through the eyes of strangers I am finally able to appreciate what I have become.
And this is what awaits you, too, once you finally take the plunge and give solo travelling a go.
What Else Have We Learned?
By now, you should have some idea of what it can feel like to be by yourself (or not by yourself) while you’re on a solo expedition.
Let us recall a few more of the positives and negatives we have learned about solo travel.
CONS:
Can feel lonely
Nobody to share your thoughts with
Nobody to reminisce with
Harder to deal with the scary bits
Transit gets boring
Less satisfying unless you make an effort to meet new people
PROS:
Strangers will be kinder to you
Make amazing new friendships
A chance to escape your comfort zone
Learn more about yourself
Get to be yourself completely
Grow your confidence
Enjoy some peace and quiet whenever you need it
The Risks
Regardless of whether you're travelling in a group or by yourself, every trip comes with its own risks and challenges.
These can range from the trivial...
Struggling to order food in a foreign language
Catching the wrong bus or train
Being charged a fee for checking in to your hotel late
...and the frustrating...
Missing your flight
Getting lost in a strange place
Losing your wallet
...to the downright scary!
Getting in trouble with the law
Getting attacked
Getting kidnapped
External and internal factors such as location, common sense, and luck also play a part. But when it comes to what’s safer, travelling solo or travelling in a group, there are even more variables to consider
The Really Bad Parts
As a group, you’re more likely to find yourself in trouble with the police or other authorities.
It only takes one person's foolish/ignorant behaviour for everyone to suffer the consequences.
However, if the police happen to be corrupt, as is unfortunately the case in many countries, it is the solo traveller who is at a greater risk. Corrupt officers know that the fear will be greater for a person who has nobody to fall back on for help.
When you’re in a foreign place with no friends or family to come to your aid, it can be difficult weaseling your way out of tricky situations.
Thus, you will likely be quicker to fork up a bribe or give in to whatever demands the officer makes.
Similarly, should a single member of the group happen to lose their wallet, passport, phone, or anything else that's important, the entire group must suffer through whatever process it takes to replace or get back the lost goods.
But when you’re alone, if you do happen to lose something, then it becomes a lot more difficult to get it back or replace it. You’ve not got anyone from whom you may borrow cash or some internet data.
As with getting in trouble with the law, there are pros and cons to lost belongings regardless of whether you’re alone or not.
The Not So Bad Parts
For the less-serious and trivial challenges, like a missed flight or train ride, things can be a little different.
If you're a reasonably responsible person, your chances of actually missing said transport obviously decrease with the number of people that could cause you to be late.
A solo traveller has only themselves to worry about.
The flip side of this is that when things do inadvertently take a turn for the worst, it may be harder to see the positive side of things.
Missing a flight with friends is something that can be laughed about both in the moment, and retrospectively.
But what is a good story without conflict?
If it wasn’t for the natural urge to overcome challenges by ourselves, we would still be stuck in the dark ages.
Indeed, we would never learn to walk upon our own two feet, and remain babies forever.
The Pros and Cons of Things Going Wrong
Now that we’ve examined some of the risks and challenges, here is what we’ve learned when it comes to managing them by yourself.
CONS:
More likely to get in trouble with corrupt police
More likely to get robbed or assaulted
Nobody to share your pain with
More difficult to see the funny side of things
PROS:
Opportunities for growth
Less likely to get in trouble with police
Only yourself to worry about
Less chance of something going wrong
Less chance of delays
In Summary
At the end of the day, travelling with friends and travelling solo are two entirely different experiences.
Consider all the pros and cons we have covered in this blog before planning your next trip.
If your only reason for going abroad is to have a pleasant, carefree vacation from work then solo travelling might not be for you.
But if personal growth and cultural experience are the sort of things that get you excited, it is at your detriment to miss out.
I know of no experience that presents more challenges to help you build confidence and global awareness whilst simultaneously providing amazing, joyful experiences that last a lifetime.
If you’re a female traveller, certain countries may present more of these than for others – but more than likely not so many as you may think. As long as you do your research before you go anywhere, you should be fine.
Certainly, solo travel is not without its own unique challenges.
But it is through the overcoming of adversity, the confrontation of challenges and the pursuit of discomfort, in which humanity thrives.
