Top 4: Reasons to travel solo (at least once in your life)

Have you ever had an obsession with a country, where you just knew that you needed to travel there? You ask all your friends to come with you and they just don’t seem interested in that destination. Or maybe you need a break from your everyday life and you want to travel somewhere but you can’t find the right person to go with you. It’s time to face it; you’re going to have to do it alone. But don’t worry, you are gonna LOVE it. I’ve done two solo trips so far and they have been amazing. Don’t get me wrong, the first time you plan it, you will be terrified to leave (to the point of crying during your 6 hour plane ride…) but once you are there, you will never want to leave. Here are the top 4 reasons why you need to travel solo at least once in your life.

1- You will make a bunch of new friends.

If you think you’re a shy person and that you will have a hard time making friends on your own, that’s a lie. You might be shy back home, but when you travel solo, your survival instincts kick in and all of the sudden you find yourself being a completely different person. You start talking to people all around you, about subjects you will probably never talk about at home and you will end up making great connections with people. I’m not saying that it will be easy, but your mindset changes when you are in another country and all you have are your social skills to rely on. Trust me, you will surprise yourself by your openness and you will meet amazing people that might even change your life.

Making new friends in Huacachina

2- It’s great to have some time alone.

Even though will make a bunch of new friends, you’re also gonna be spending a lot of time alone, with your thoughts. It’s scary at first, especially if you are use to being around a lot of people back home, but you will see, the time you will spend alone will be rewarding. If you are feeling always so busy and you can never catch a break, travelling alone is almost therapeutic. I will be able to make your own decisions; what to do, where to eat, where to go… You will feel in complete control of your life even if there's a million things you are still so lost about at home.

3- You will learn so much about yourself

Now this point goes hand in hand with #2, but I want to be more specific about what kind of things you will learn. You will learn how to rely on yourself like never before. We all know that travelling comes with unexpected surprises (ex: missing a flight or two, forgetting to download maps apps and not knowing where you’re going, forgetting to take out money and getting stuck at immigration for two hours…), but let’s be honest, that’s why we love to travel right? But when unexpected things happen, you won’t have anybody to fix them for you, so you will just have to pick yourself up and deal with it. You will learn how not to sweat the small stuff and just go with the flow of your trip, actually you won’t have a choice. Finally, one of the most important things you will learn is how to trust yourself; listen to what your heart/gut is telling you, and trust your feelings when you think something is right or wrong.

Spice girls. New friends in Colombia

4- No fighting/drama

I’m sure you’ve heard about friends travelling together for the first time and then coming back and never speaking to each other ever again. It’s a commun thing; people’s personality and vibes changes when they are travelling, and it’s completely normal, but sometimes it makes it difficult to get along during the trip. Keep in mind, you will be with this person 24h a day, and depending on how long you leave for, the trip can get pretty harsh at times. I’ve seen friendships being ruined because of simple travel decisions. Travelling solo; there’s never any problem because you never have to do things you don’t want to do. I’m not saying that you can’t travel with your friends, but shit does happen and you are completely safe from the drama when you travel alone. Just trust me, you will love it.