Solo travel can be intimidating at first, but here are five great perks to encourage you to give it a try!
1. Make your own schedule.
Are you an early bird? A night owl? When you’re travelling by yourself, you can keep to whatever schedule you want.
Personally, I like to get up early and visit places before they get too busy…but by the time the sun sets, I’m pretty much ready to head in for the night! Which makes travelling with people that like to sleep in and stay up late difficult and frustrating for all of us!
2. Cater to your own tastes
Want to spend hours in an art museum? Or fill you day lounging in a park? Eager to try an exotic cuisine you’ve never even heard of until now? Or want to stick to your usual favorite treats? Whether it’s activities, attractions, or food…when you’re travelling alone you only have yourself to please.
3. Change you mind whenever you want
Weather forcing a change of plans? Tired from a long day of sightseeing and fancy a nap instead of the next museum on your list? See something advertised that looks more interesting than what you’d intended? When you’re travelling solo, there’s no need to consult with anyone else about a change of plans.
I got to experience this in London a couple years ago. I’d heard about the opening of a ballet that I really wanted to see, but was unable to secure tickets. When I was visiting the National Gallery, there was a frenzy of activity where a large screen was being erected in Trafalgar Square. I asked one of the museum employees what was going on…and she told me there was to be a live, free broadcast that evening of the exact ballet I wanted to see! In an instant I scrapped my dinner plans, picked up something to go, and returned to watch the ballet on the big screen. Unfortunately, the weather was less than cooperative. It started to rain. A ton. If I’d been travelling with a group, I probably would have caved to the majority opinion and gone back to the hotel. Instead, I opted to take one of the free ponchos that the event coordinators were handing out and enjoy my picnic and ballet in the rain with several hundred other Londoners. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my trip!
4. Meet new people
When you travel as a group, it’s easy to fall into a trap of socializing with the people you already know. At least for me, when I travel alone, I find I’m much more open to talking to those around me. You never know who you’ll meet.
One of my favorite meals in Paris is an excellent example. I brought my book as always, perfectly content to eat by myself and read my book (If you haven’t tried it, you certainly should!). I’d been talking to two lovely ladies while we were all waiting for our tables…and they insisted that we all sit together. They were in town for Paris Fashion Week and it was incredible to learn about their lives (which were so much different than my own!).
5. Gain confidence in yourself
It’s inevitable that challenges will arise when you travel. From getting lost…to misplacing your ticket…to losing luggage….something (big or small) will come up. It may seem scary that when something like this happens, you only have yourself to rely on when you’re travelling alone. BUT…you’ll figure it out…and the next challenge won’t be quite as intimidating.
Like that time in Paris where my metro pass stopped working and the only attendant available at the time only spoke French. Certainly put my poor French language skills to the test (and may have involved a fair amount of mime and drawn diagrams between the two of us as well!). But soon I was headed off with a new (working!) metro pass and I didn’t worry quite as much about ordering lunch at the cafe any more.
