Solo Travel: You Will Probably Cry at Some Point But it’s Worth It
When you think of “solo travel,” what comes to mind? Do you picture a peaceful moment of inner reflection while sipping tea on the wild Cornish coast of England? Or do you imagine yourself lost in Shanghai, panicking because you have no idea how to say "bathroom" in Mandarin?
Let’s face it: solo travel is a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute you’re riding high, impressed with yourself for having the courage to embark on this adventure alone. The next moment, you're lost on the subway and wishing someone else could take charge while you have a meltdown. Love it or hate it, traveling solo is essentially a crash course in personal development.
Solo travel facilitates an expansive mindset which opens our eyes to new possibilities, perspectives, and insights
Traveling solo is like getting a backstage pass to your own brain. By traveling alone, you can tap into new perspectives and ideas that are impossible when you're tethered to your regular social network and routine. Suddenly, all your assumptions, old beliefs, and behaviors are up for review. Is there a better time to rethink your entire existence than while wandering the streets of a foreign city or ambling among ancient ruins? Absolutely not.
One of the best parts of going solo is that you actually talk to more people than you might when you’re with someone else. Now that you’re grown, I am suggesting that you do in fact talk to strangers. Accept candy even. When you’re traveling by yourself strangers are more likely to approach you and you, otherwise starved for social interaction, are more likely to approach strangers. And, not unlike a magic wardrobe to Narnia, strangers are like portals to new worlds.
Every person you meet offers a potential lesson, a new perspective, or maybe at the very least just a good story to tell later. You might simply chat with someone about their favorite local cafes or you might hear intimate details about their life, an opportunity that may challenge your own assumptions about the world and your place in it. Sometimes it's only through the contrast of how another person thinks and feels that we may come to recognize our own previously unexamined thoughts and feelings as uniquely personal values, meaning, and purpose. Which brings me to my next point…
Solo travel help one reconnect to themself and their values, meaning, and purpose
Okay, we’ve all seen the “Instagram influencer” pictures of people staring pensively into the horizon at sunset (looking 5x more fashionable than we ever could). Whether they’re truly contemplating their life’s path or thinking about how they’ll spend their brand sponsorship money, I don’t know. But let’s be real—solo travel does offer opportunities for self reflection, albeit often less elegantly.
When there’s no one around to distract you, no constant chatter from companions, there is a lot of time to think. You have the space to be truly present, both with your environment and your inner world. And, quite magically, the novelty of your environment lends itself to novel connections in your mind. It’s like a personal retreat, but with fewer spa treatments and more awkward interactions with local street vendors. This kind of self-reflection allows you to reconnect with or redefine your core values, your mission, and your purpose.
In a world where we’re constantly juggling obligations and expectations, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly makes us happy. When you travel alone you get to be the main character of your own story; you have the freedom to do whatever you want. Burnout recovery requires reclaiming a sense of self, centering your own happiness, and unraveling tendencies like the pleasing people (which I wrote about last month). Solo travel allows one to detach from the pressures of our work and others’ expectations and tune into what truly nourishes our soul.
Solo travel offers empowerment through enhanced confidence and courage
When you’re by yourself, you face everything head-on: navigating new environments, making decisions on the fly, and solving problems without relying on anyone else. Every decision–where to go, what to do, how to get there, and whether or not to eat that suspicious street meat–falls on your shoulders. The responsibility might sound daunting, but relying on your own instincts and judgement strengthens and builds confidence in your decision-making skills you can bring back to your daily life.
If you’re introverted, solo travel helps you push beyond your comfort zone—learning how to start conversations, make friends, and face awkward social situations alone. If you’re an extrovert, solo travel is a crash course in the art of reflection and offers the space to be alone with your thoughts. And regardless of whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, travel will inevitably go off the rails. Whether you take the wrong bus, find a bedbug in your sheets, or get caught in the rain without an umbrella, you’ll undoubtedly encounter situations that test your patience and adaptability. Solo travel helps us learn that challenges aren’t the end of the world—they’re just part of the adventure.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: solo travel can be scary. I’ve traveled to dozens of countries by myself and I’m still not totally looking forward to going on a solo trip next month. I’ve been known to cry on the way to the airport. Whether I’m worried about my safety, or sanity, or my ability to remember how to navigate in a foreign land, there’s always that little voice in my head that says, “What am I doing? I could be cuddling with my cat at home right now. Should I do this?” And the answer is always undoubtedly yes. Should you choose to dig deep for courage and embark on a solo journey in spite of fear, you will be rewarded with new appreciation and awareness of your innate capacity and resilience, things you may not have discovered if you were constantly depending on a travel buddy or watching Netflix at home with your cat.
Reflection Time: What are your thoughts on going solo?
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of solo travel, it’s time to reflect.
What’s your experience with solo travel? Has it made you feel like a self-discovery superhero, or has it been more of a comedy of errors?
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Does it change how you approach travel?
How do you feel about traveling with others? Have you ever had a bad travel buddy you may have been better off without? Are you able to embody Main Character Energy and prioritize your own wants and needs or do you find yourself making a lot of compromises?
And the big question: If you’re traveling with someone, how will you maintain Main Character Energy? How will you keep that focus on your own joy and give yourself time for reflection (without avoiding them like you do when you’re alone)?
If you decide to follow my lead and solo travel alone, take a deep breath (and maybe a selfie), and remember that the world is waiting for you to become the hero of your own journey. Happy travels—and don’t forget to talk to a few strangers along the way.