You’re ready to get planning and get out there. Amazing! Maybe you’re still on the fence about whether you’re ready to take that first (or even second or third) solo trip.
No matter where you’re hoping to go, there’s going to be some positives and negatives and whatever side of the list you decide will be longer is absolutely up to your own personal choices, desires, and comfort level.
The Pros
- You’re on your own schedule with no one to answer to, adjust for, or amend your plans. If you want to suddenly change your entire itinerary because of how you’re feeling that moment? You can. You can take as long as you like in museums, you can beg off and go back to the hotel if you’re feeling tired, or if you’ve got more energy, you can even extend your day and go find something new to discover. You’re in control and the only person you need to worry about is yourself.
- It’s a great opportunity to make new friends! Since you’re on your own, there’s incentive to branch out and meet new people
- You might be able to blend in with the locals taking public transit as not speaking aloud in English won’t flag you as a tourist immediately (though your fashion still might).
- This pro is a bit more of a feeling, but when you’re travelling solo, you don’t have to play a role. You’re not the friend everyone expects or the daughter or son or brother or sister. You are whoever you want to be. Feeling like you want to reinvent yourself for a week or two? Go for it. No one’s around to point out that you’re acting a bit strange. It’s a burden off your shoulders sometimes to simply just be and not have to play into what anyone expects of you
The Cons
- It’s been said before and it’ll be said again – the single tax is no joke. Travelling by yourself means paying for everything yourself, including not being able to split costs of food, hotels, rental cars, and more.
- It can get lonely. As much as the freedom to do whatever you want at any point is fantastic, there will inevitably be some experiences that you just won’t be able to share and pictures can only do so much
- There are some dining experiences or other experiences that require more than one person to operate, so you might be at the mercy of scheduling conflicts that take activities out of your planning for no reason other than being a solo traveller.
- If you’re in a foreign place where you don’t speak the language, travelling on your own can be a little intense (especially if you’re like me and introverted, which adds a layer of anxiety to asking for help). To address this, consider joining group tours where you can break off when you are feeling more confident, but have some security to fall back on.
For more tips on how to face your fears when it comes to solo travel (especially solo travel for women), check out Five Ways To Face Your Fears When Travelling Solo.
Got more pros or cons? Leave a comment about some of the reasons for or against solo travelling in your own experience!
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