Jody C.
A common misconception of travelling alone is that it’s scary, lonely, and alienating.
As someone who has travelled alone to over 10 countries in the course of a year, I cannot disagree more.
I understand that for some of us, the idea of travelling alone is hard to swallow. We are used to having company when eating in a restaurant, watching a movie, or even sitting in a park. The idea of doing these ordinary things alone in our own country could even be something that’s unheard of.
Being brought up in a country where the accompaniment of others is a societal norm, I can understand why many people have qualms about stepping out of their comfort zones and travelling on their own. After all, why travel alone when you can do it with friends? Well, this is true, but no matter how closely-knit you are with your friends, the truth is that sometimes the best of friends are simply not compatible travel partners. But this is another story for another time.
If you haven’t tried travelling alone at least once in your lifetime or if you’re thinking about doing it but have been held back by many reasons, I’ll say this: No time is better than now.
Travelling alone teaches you so many lessons in life. These are just some of them:
You’ll learn more about yourself and enjoy your own company
I’ve always believed that a genuinely happy person is one who very much enjoys their own company and has a set of beliefs/value system which they stick to.
When you travel alone, you will get to spend a healthy dose of time alone. During much of this time, all that matters is yourself; you no longer need to please anyone other than you. You’ll also have the chance to figure out what you truly like and dislike, with no one around to influence those decisions.
This, in turn, allows you to learn more about yourself and cultivate you towards becoming a more self-assured and confident person.
It’s easy to make friends along the way when you travel alone
While you’ll learn to enjoy your own company, you’ll also find days when things get a little bit lonely. Achieving balance is always good, and after spending time alone, it’s only natural to crave for some companionship. So, here comes the next part where you’ll crave someone to talk to, learn about, and explore the city’s sights with.
Travelling alone makes it easier for you to meet people and befriend them. The logic is simple: when you are alone, it’s easier to be approached and to reach out to people.
To maximise this possibility, stay in a hostel as they foster a more sociable environment as compared to a hotel. The moment you check in, friendship opportunities abound. You could make friends with the hostel staff, or step into your room where there will be travellers who can potentially turn into your friends or even BFFs (trust me, this could happen).
Keep an open mind and remind yourself that these travellers are in many ways just like you; some are solo travellers, and most of them choose hostels so they can meet like-minded travellers.
As you can see, you are far from alone.
Gradually, the friends you made, you’ll also keep
The lovely thing about travelling is meeting people from across the globe and finding so many things in common with them. Once in awhile, you’ll come across individuals that you can click with so well, and you’ll decide to stay closely in touch despite the distance. You might even travel to their country to visit them, or vice versa. In fact, there might even be trips where the only part of the journey you are alone is the plane ride itself!
Taking the first step towards travelling alone, or anything for that matter, is always the hardest. After which, you will find out for yourself if travelling alone is something that excites you, or if you’d prefer to go back to travelling with your friends or family in future.
This is worth finding out.
And you never truly know until you get yourself out there and figure things out at your own pace, at your own conditions! If anything – this would be the most liberating journeys of your life, truly out of your comfort zone and filled with new experiences.
If anything, that’s what life is about, isn’t it?
