Doing solo travel is something everyone must try once in their life.
If you think about it, it can be difficult to get outside your comfort when you continue to do the same things you’ve always done and on a daily basis.
But other than just getting outside your day-to-day life, what are the other benefits of traveling alone and why would you want risk leaving the known?
Here I’d like to share 7 benefits of traveling alone that I have identified.
Benefits of Traveling Alone
In this guide I am going to share some valuable insights with you that could help you see some of the benefits of traveing alone in the 21st century.
This is not a definitive guide on how to travel to travel alone but by the end, I can assure you that you’ll see some of the key benefits of traveling alone.
By reading this guide, you’ll recieve some practical advice on how you can build up the confidence to be able to leave your comfort zone. These are in fact tangible ideas that you can apply, even before you travel solo.
When I travel abroad, the first trip is usually the hardest. Then, if the idea seems scary, it means I’m about to embark on what I call a trip of growth.
A trip of growth is a term that I coined which refers to traveling to a new place for the first time with a purpose to learn about yourself.
Traveling by yourself, you must be crazy!
There are so many perks in traveling alone.
Believe it or not, solo travel can be seen as life changing travel if you do it right. This is one reason why sometimes I like to put myself in a position where I have no choice but to engage with local people and their culture.
If you are used to traveling in larger groups or with friend, it can often be difficult to see any benefit to traveling by yourself.
Some of my friends have asked: why on earth do you travel by yourself?
They just can’t fathom the idea that I could receive any kind of joy from packing up my backpack and my everyday life and hitting the road.
During my solo travel adventures, I took the initiative to learn Spanish and this is one of my produest acheivements. Then, when I’m not in Latin America, I continue to learn Spanish, no matter where I am in the world.
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Benefits of Traveling Alone
Below are six benefits I’ve had from backpacking Latin America alone. I’m sharing these tips to give you the cutting edge on solo travel in different countries – not just in Latin America.
So whether you’re thinking of traveling alone or with a friend or a mix of both; you’ll learn six benefits of traveling alone.
1. You learn more about yourself
Solo travel gives you direct access to yourself. After the honeymoon period has worn off, you can become very knowledgeable about yourself.
Here are some tips for first-time solo travel, which I call a trip of growth.
There are signs, messages, and hunches you’ll receive daily that inspire you to delve deeper, but you’ll only see them if you’re in an open mode.
2. Losing your way, then finding it again
Losing your way in foreign lands can lead to unforgettable experiences. I learned this when I traveled to Havana in Cuba for the first time.
Growth doesn’t happen by staying in your comfort bubble where everything is familiar. One of the main advantages of traveling alone is personal growth. Traveling for personal growth is what I am all about.
Losing your way is the key to learning something about yourself, something that you would never have known otherwise, no matter how big or small.
Worried about safety? Don’t let that hinder you. I’ve even listed some of the safest countries in South America for backpacking or traveling to.
3. There is no itinerary
With solo travel, you’re free to make travel plans on the fly – without the pressure of anybody or anybody else’s schedule.
As a person who likes to plan things and know exaclty what I’m doing on a day to day basis, I’ve learned to live with more uncertainty.
This crazy, unplanned way of travel becomes like a way of life. The key is being able to use this thinking in the right place at the right time.
You may not see this as one of your traveling alone benefits, but to me, it is. Why because it has allowed me to learn how to trust my instincts.
4. People you meet during solo travel
You do realize that you’re never alone, right? Solo travel does not have to be lonley. This is one of my favorite benefits of traveling alone.
For some reason, people who travel together, like to hang out together and they don’t tend to be as open to meeting other people as much.
Solo travel gives allows you to interact with more people. The key is that it forces you to interact. It offers more opportunities to connect with locals.
Or, any fellow travelers you encounter. Why is this though? Well, I think it’s because you have the time as well as the space to dedicate to new people.
The best thing is that this new space comes without the objections and fears of missing out. The people I have met, that I would not have met otherwise, are definitely one of the solo travel benefits that I have enjoyed.
5. Keeping a Travel Journal
This is one of my most personal tips for backpacking alone. This is a tool to be able to learn more about who you are and why you do what you do.
If you’re new to this blog check out my travel gear page to see what I like to carry with me when I go on these type of solo travel adventures.
Whether you write analog or digital, keeping a journal while solo traveling or any other type of travel is crucial, especially if you’re learning Spanish.
I never travel without carrying a travel journal or my Uni-pin pen set.
My journal covers details from – place, date, time, people, costs, etc.
Use your journal any way you choose. For me, it’s my private conversation with myself. Some of the insights on this page are from my travel journal.
6. Reflection
This is one of the last and most important ideas from my solo travel tips.
The epitome of my traveling essays is to return home and look back on everything I’ve done; this is one of the most rewarding experiences ever.
If I don’t do this, it’s a disservice to my personal growth, hence why I like to carry a travel journal with me at all times.
You’ll laugh at yourself, smirk, hit yourself, and maybe even shed a tear. But in the end, you’ll be certain it was all worth it. I’ve never looked back on a trip and thought, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that.’ That is the beauty of solo travel.
7. Doing it all over again
When I return to my home base after completing a solo trip, one of the things that keep me excited about solo travel is doing it all again. 🙂
I believe trip planning is an integral part of your growth cycle when traveling. To keep growing as a person via travel, the cycle must continue.
By this point, you may consider whether or not you’ll revisit the same country or place. At times, it can be wise to revisit the same locations.
However, I don’t recommend it if you want to challenge yourself, especially if you want to re-live the same experiences you had the first time. That can be contradictory to your growth.
I’ve seen many people do this when they go on holiday. They revisit the same places, the same hotels, eat the same foods, etc. It is worth saying here that in my mind, this is the opposite of what a trip of growth is.
Benefits of Traveling Alone
I’ve found that solo travel has helped me in many other areas of my life, and I hope that the benefit of solo travel has the same effect on you.
At the prime age of 26 I set myself the challenge of learning how to become fluent in Spanish. Learning a language is a true comfort zone challenge. If you can open your mind to the possibility then you only have to get started.
It won’t be easy, but you now have a boost of confidence that can take you far because you’ve read the benefits of traveling solo from this page.
I’ve found that solo travel has helped me in many other areas of my life, and I hope that the benefit of solo travel has the same effect on you.
To learn more, see these solo travel mistakes to avoid before you go.
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