Traveling Solo: Why Not?

A lot is written about solo travel. There are websites, books, you name it. I just want to share my own experience and why I think traveling alone is great. I feel like my experience was a relevant one because I took a 6-week trip and 3 weeks of it were with someone else and the second 3 weeks were on my own.

Lots of people seem averse to traveling alone. I can completely understand why. You're going to a place that might be far away, where you don't speak the language. Lots can go wrong and if you're with no one, there's no one to help.

All of this is true. I think those of us who travel alone must take some extra precautions that we might have to worry about as much if we are with others. And it does cost more - you can't split meals or hotel costs (and a single room or double for one is not half the price of a regular double or twin room) or taxis.

But I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Don't get me wrong, traveling with my friend was great. We pretty much wanted to do the same things, had similar budgets, etc. But at the end of the day, it's still 2 or more people who have to agree, be on the same schedule, pretty much do the same things, etc.

For me, the biggest thing that traveling alone offered was somehow, a deeper connection with the places I went. Instead of talking to my friend, I had to talk to locals, I had to keep myself entertained by watching the locals more closely. Instead of sitting down and talking to her, I sat down and looked around at what was going on. I absorbed more. In Italy especially, I found myself starting conversations with people next to me at restaurants. Many of them were American, but I still learned a great deal. I found waitstaff in restaurants particularly attentive as well. Perhaps it was coincidence, but people were so nice, everywhere I went, that I can't help but think that people paid extra attention to me because I was alone. Maybe not, but it's a feeling I got.

I think, at least some places in America, people are apprehensive to do things alone. You don't see that many hotel rooms for one - especially not in touristy areas. However, in Europe, almost all hotels have single rooms available. These cities are safe, much safer than the big cities in the US and other places. I never felt unsafe anywhere I was in Europe, even after dark. Traveling is easy, because of train travel, just buy 2nd class tickets and meet other people traveling alone.

Ultimately, I'm not saying people shouldn't travel together. If a group of friends want to travel together, they should. But if the choice is going alone or not going, I think there's nothing that should keep anyone from going alone as long as they can afford it. Take the extra precautions, do the research, etc. But go, see the world, and you might even get a better experience out of it in the end anyway :)