Why travel alone?
Whenever I tell people I’m going somewhere vacation they always ask the same question. “That’s cool, are you going with someone?”
My usual answer is simply, “No. It’s a solo trip.”
More often than not people have a negative perception of traveling alone. I never fully understood that. Why is traveling alone so bad?
Some of my greatest experiences on this wonderful planet have been traveling alone. For some people traveling alone is something unheard of…or at least something they would never consider.
But for me, traveling alone has always come natural. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been sort of a loner and an introvert.
But, it’s just something I enjoy. I think everyone should travel alone at least once in their life. It is a wonderful experience…
My first time travelling alone
The first time I really traveled alone was in November of 2017. I went to Aruba and it was a magical experience.
But let’s back up a bit. Let’s talk about what prompted this trip.
For that we’ll have to go back to October of 2017. I had just gone to Taiwan with my mom to visit family there.
The second day after I got back, my boss pulled me into the office and discretely told me my performance at work had been “sub-par” and I would be fired in 2 months if I didn’t improve.
That caught me by surprise as I had always been a high performer (not to toot my own horn). Anyways, it was kind of a wake up call for me.
I did feel a little betrayed because I had dedicated five years of my life helping build that business. Regardless, I negotiated an exit shortly after that and decided I needed to go somewhere to decompress.
The only place I could think of was a beautiful beach somewhere in the Caribbean. I knew someone who had just gone there recently and the pictures looked incredible, so I decided to book a ticket just like that.
I left for Aruba shortly after Thanksgiving and had a blast.
It was an amazing experience. I had so much time relaxing on the beach, eating some damn good dutch pancakes, drank a ton of booze, and had a blast exploring Arikok National Park on an ATV.
In many regards, this trip spawned my interest in traveling alone. Since then, I have taken a lot of amazing solo trips.
In fact, here are 5 reasons why I think you should travel alone too 🙂
1. The freedom is incredible
The freedom of traveling alone is incredible. You don’t have to answer to anyone.
You don’t have to take phone calls, you don’t have to answer emails, and you don’t have a stress in the world. All you have to do is enjoy yourself.
I LOVE the freedom of traveling alone. It’s such a big high. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want.
It’s an awesome feeling. If I want pancakes for breakfast, I just have to get up and roll right into the restaurant.
If I want to go to the beach, I just have to walk down there.
The freedom to do whatever you want is incredible.
2. Build self confidence and self reliance
When you travel alone the only person you can really rely on is yourself.
For some people, that’s a big fear. But for me (and other solo travelers) it’s a blessing. Solo traveling helps build confidence.
You learn to listen to your instincts. And you’ll learn to do things you’ve never even done before.
Personally, I find that I’m a bit more extroverted when I travel. I say hi to random people and even try to strike up a conversation even if I don’t fully grasp the language.
When you get to a city for the first time, the language may look funny and you might not know how to even use the public transport.
I find that challenges to be kind of fun actually. I might just be weird, but it feels like a big accomplishment to be able to figure out how the bus/metro system works in a foreign country.
And all of this builds self confidence. In fact, I actually have a lot more confidence in myself when I’m traveling alone.
3. Some places are best traveled alone
I think some places are best traveled alone if you truly want to get the best experience. Many of these places are national parks.
I think nature is best observed alone in solitude. You can truly appreciate the beauty of it with your five sense. You can see the beautiful trees and the mountains and the rivers without anything distracting you.
This past summer I visited Banff for the first time and had an amazing time. It was fun to just decompress in nature and not have to worry about anything.
And many of the hiking trails give you incredible views so you can really reflect on your life. It is kind of therapeutic in many ways 🙂
4. It makes planning easier
So last weekend I had plans to get some pho with a few friends. We decided to get there at 8 PM.
I shared an uber ride with one guy and we waited for everyone else to come. It turns out, the other people were watching a college football game that had gone into overtime.
And they never told us they were going to come late. They ended up showing up at around 8:45 PM like nothing had happened.
That’s one of the big reasons why I like traveling alone.
It makes it so much easier on your schedule. I’ve traveled with other people before and it can honestly be a nightmare sometimes.
It’s hard to coordinate schedules and it’s hard when some people don’t show up on time.
Travel can be stressful, but when you travel alone, you are in control of your destiny. You can make your own schedule and not have to worry about waiting up for someone.
5. The memories are more profound
Do you ever go on an amazing trip and have a blast? But then after a few years, the memories become hazy and blurry?
I usually experience that with group trips/vacations.
When you’re traveling alone, the experience is so much more vivid even 5 or 10 years after you’ve gone. I’m not sure if there’s a scientific reason for this.
But I think it’s because you remember stuff so much better when you alone. You have to depend on yourself to get to the right places.
And there’s less distractions when you’re traveling alone. You can truly appreciate the little things and that plays a factor too.
I always remember little details about my trips like the name of some waitress or how the flight attendant greeted me with a smile.
It’s the little things that matter.
Best places to travel alone
Hopefully this post has inspired you to travel alone. And if you’re ready to make the journey, here are some places I think you should travel to first.
These are all countries that speak very good English, so you won’t have much of a language problem. As a result, these are good places to travel alone for the first time.
1. Canada
Ah, America’s northern neighbors! Canada is an excellent place to visit. There’s so many places to go! You can go to big metro cities like Vancouver and Toronto (both are incredibly fun).
Or you can check out the natural beauty of Canada and head on over to Banff National Park in Alberta.
And if you want something a little bit more “European”, head on over to French Canada in Quebec. Quebec City or Montreal are the cities you want to visit.
Don’t worry, everyone is bilingual there. So even if you hear people speaking French, they know how to speak English.
And while you’re in Canada, don’t forget to consider visiting the Grand Railway Hotels!
2. The Scandinavian Countries
The Scandinavian countries are a great place to start your journey in Europe. They include:
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Iceland
- Finland
- Norway
They have some of the best English speaking people in the world.
And the culture is really unique over there as well. The cities are beautiful, clean, and they have awesome public transportation.
And if you’re ever in Copenhagen (Denmark), be sure to check out these amazing fairy tale medieval castles!
3. Aruba
Aruba is a beautiful Caribbean island owned by the Dutch. The locals of the island speak their own language (Papiamento), but pretty much everyone speaks English.
If you’re looking for a great beach to sit back and relax on, head on over to Aruba!
While Aruba is often looked at as a “couples” destination, I also saw my fair share of solo travelers while I was there.
4. London
If you’re looking for a big international city to solo travel, London should be at the top of your list.
The city is ripe with history, culture, and some good fish and chips! And I hear everyone there speaks English as well 🙂