Travelling Jezebel

xo

  • About
  • Countries
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Malaysia
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Bosnia & Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Kosovo
      • Malta
      • Moldova
      • Montenegro
      • North Macedonia
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Serbia
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • UK
      • Ukraine
  • Etc.
    • Advice
    • Anti-MLM
    • Blogging
    • Food
    • Human Rights
    • Monthly Roundup
    • Wine Tasting
    • Women’s Issues
  • Work With Me

Advice, Opinion · February 9, 2017

5 Reasons Why Everybody Should Travel Alone

When I first told people I was going to travel through South-East Asia alone, they were shocked.

A lot of people told me that while they thought that it was great that I was doing it, solo travel was something that they could never see themselves doing.

Now, while I’ll be the first to admit that it does take guts to embark on your first solo adventure, I firmly believe that everybody should travel alone at least once in their lifetimes, and here’s why:

1. You Will Meet More People

This may sound strange in an article about why you should travel alone but hear me out. When you travel with people, whether it be a partner or group of friends, you won’t tend to befriend as many people as you do when you travel alone. It can be tempting, when you’re travelling with a group, to choose more private accommodation (such as a bungalow over a dorm in a backpacker hostel) and do everything together, as a group, but by isolating yourselves in this way, you miss out on making great connections with some incredible people.

As a solo traveller, it is so easy to meet people, and every hostel has a whole new group of interesting people just waiting to get to know you.

everybody should travel alone, solo travel
Nothing beats a good hostel – Pai, Thailand, April 2015

 

2. The World Will Not Seem as Scary

When you’re used to travelling with groups of people, it can be easy to depend on them, and to panic at the thought of having to do anything by yourself. However, as soon as you begin to travel alone, you realise that the world isn’t as difficult or intimidating as you first imagined! It’s actually very easy to get from A to B, and there are always people along the way who are willing to help you out if you get stuck!

The world really isn’t as dangerous as you think, and whenever I travel alone, I’m always surrounded by people who are trying to help me out! In fact, I always seem to be on the receiving end of random acts of kindness, from the woman who gave me her spare coat when I was freezing in Ukraine, to the hostel receptionist who gave me a free lift to the airport when my taxi didn’t turn up in Bali!

READ   7 Ways That Travel Makes You Grow as a Person
everybody should travel alone, solo travel
Jumping off a boat will always be scary – Koh Rong, Cambodia, December 2015

 

3. You Can Travel the Way YOU Want to Travel

Perhaps the biggest reason why you should travel alone is that you can travel exactly the way you want to. You can wake up as early (or late!) as you want, you get to choose exactly how long you stay in each place, you have complete say over which accommodation you opt for and there is nobody around to force you to hike up a volcano when all you want to do is go and get a full-body massage!

While it’s certainly important to try new things when you travel, you should be trying them for YOU and nobody else. If you’re taking the time (and money!) to travel, then you should be able to do it exactly the way you want.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNYEjyegN6M/?taken-by=travellingjezebel
Drinking alone on minibuses? Don’t mind if I do – Phnom Penh, Cambodia, December 2016

 

4. Your Confidence Will Grow

Whether it’s getting used to approaching strangers, having to be responsible for all your valuables (because nobody else is there to nag you) or becoming accustomed to eating in restaurants alone, you will find that your confidence will sky-rocket when you travel alone.

It’s all too easy when travelling in a group to rely on other people. You get lost somewhere, in the middle of nowhere, where none of you speak the language, and everybody is arguing over who has to be the one to approach the scary looking woman to ask for directions.

‘You ask her!’

‘No, you ask her!!’

I’m guilty of it myself. We all are. But when you travel alone, you have no choice but to depend on yourself, and think for yourself, and so you quickly learn to trust in your ability to fend for yourself.

READ   Under Hitler's Spell - Using Harry Potter to Teach the Holocaust
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNYEjyegN6M/?taken-by=travellingjezebel
Still not brave enough to ride a moto – Kampot, Cambodia, October 2015

 

5. You Begin to Figure Yourself Out

Now I don’t want to say that travelling alone makes you ‘find yourself’ because honestly, most people aren’t lost to begin with, and also, it’s so cliche. However, for a lot of people, solo travel can really help them to enjoy their own company and figure out what it is they actually enjoy doing.

For example, before I travelled, I used to think that all I wanted was a huge friendship group who would never leave me alone. I envied people like my ex boyfriend, who always had about six of his mates in his living room playing Fifa, or whatever it is that twenty-something guys do when they’re alone together. I thought that it was a bad reflection on me if I didn’t constantly have an army of people around me.

However, when I was on the island of Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, I actually found that I didn’t like that way of living after all! For the 10 days that I was there, I stayed in a super sociable hostel, and while I loved everyone to bits, I often found myself sneaking off to a different beach to have some alone time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNYEjyegN6M/?taken-by=travellingjezebel
I don’t take a good picture – something I learnt long before I travelled – Bali, September 2015

 

So there we have it – 5 reasons that I think that everybody should travel alone at least once!

What are your thoughts? Do you like to travel alone, or do you hate it? Do you think that solo travel is okay but that travelling with friends is more fun? Why? Let me know in the comments below!

Posted In: Advice, Opinion · Tagged: Lists, solo travel, travel advice, travel alone

You’ll Also Love

travel vs relationshipI Want to Go Travelling but My Boyfriend Doesn’t
Solo Female Travel is Not as Scary as You Think
travel fatigueTravel Fatigue – 14 Ways to Deal With Travel Burnout

Trackbacks

  1. What Do You Have to Show for Your Life? – Travelling Jezebel says:
    March 24, 2017 at 7:48 pm

    […] 5 Reasons Why Everybody Should Travel Alone […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Next Post >

My Island Paradise in Cambodia

Welcome to Travelling Jezebel!

I'm Dani, a twenty-something from the North of England. On this site you'll find lesser-known European travel, foodie goodness and information about modern day slavery and other human rights issues. Read More…

Instagram

dumb but cute (and the cat too) dumb but cute (and the cat too)
Writing an article about a recent wine tasting exp Writing an article about a recent wine tasting experience in Sicily, at the base of Mount Etna. Life is hard 😉 
.
Ad/gifted from @tenutemannino_hospitality #tenutadelgelso #tenutemannino
Wishing I had the confidence of the guys who messa Wishing I had the confidence of the guys who message you "hey xx" every couple of months for YEARS, despite never getting a reply or even a follow back. 💖
Who needs supermarkets when you have a 7 hectare b Who needs supermarkets when you have a 7 hectare back garden? 🍇🍉🍊🍏🍐🍅🥕🌶
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Trending Now

  • dubai porta potty Dubai Porta Potties – Rich Men in Dubai are Shitting on Instagram Models
  • monat Is Monat a Pyramid Scheme or a Legit Business Opportunity?
  • is arbonne a pyramid scheme Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme or a Legit Business Opportunity? A Deep Dive Into Arbonne
  • worst mlm companies 6 Reasons Why MLM Companies Are The Absolute Worst

Most Popular

  • dubai porta potty Dubai Porta Potties – Rich Men in Du...
  • monat Is Monat a Pyramid Scheme or a Legit Busin...
  • slavery in dubai What is Modern Slavery in Dubai and How Do...
  • is arbonne a pyramid scheme Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme or a Legit Bus...

While you're here...

I love connecting with my readers and the best way to do that is via social media. Please be sure to like my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram and Twitter so that you can stay up to date with all my latest posts and news!

Links

  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shop My Favourites
  • Work With Me

xoxo

Copyright © 2020 Travelling Jezebel · Theme by 17th Avenue

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.