Why You Shouldn’t Be Scared Of Solo Travel

Solo Travel

I’m not going to lie – being on your own in a foreign country with little more than the belongings on your back can be terrifying. You don’t speak the language, your friends and family are hundreds of miles away and you have no clue how to get to your hostel…it’s fair to say that one of these things alone would give you a case of the heeby-jeebies, let alone all of them.

So why do we do it? Why do thousands of people year after year travel on their own – whether it be a weekend or a gap year – when it can seem so daunting? Why do we not go with friends or tour groups but instead brave it all alone?

Quite simply, because it’s a complete rush. The feeling you get when you realise you just navigated your way through a foreign metropolis or survived a hellish train journey makes you feel invincible. And it’s also completely addictive, for as soon as you feel content in one place you often move swiftly onto the next, yanking yourself from the comfort zone that you’ve just managed to build around yourself to do it all over again.

Anyone who’s ever travelled on their own will know the immense pride that comes from being completely independent and a master of their own travel-destiny. I know so many people who say they would love to do a trip on their own but they have a multitude of excuses as to why they would rather wait… they want more money/a new partner/more confidence – but what they really need is to just believe in themselves a little more, and be comfortable with the fear. It’s normal to be scared of going it alone, but don’t let this fear dictate your life, because you’ll miss out on some pretty amazing stuff if you do.

So what do you do if you’d really love to set off on your own but not sure you could do it? My advice is to get inspired – there’s so many wonderful boooks and blogs out there written by ordinary people who despite their fear of the unknown took the leap and did it anyway, and had the time of their lives. So get reading – use their experience as your motivation and don’t stop until you are so filled with confidence you’re about to explode.

I remember back to about two years before I upped and moved to London and I’d borrowed a book from the library about moving and living there. It completely freaked me out. At that point the idea was little more than a distant dream and after reading that book I remember feeling like I’d never be in a place where I could actually go ahead and do it. So I continued to read more, spoke to people who’d done it and loved it, and low and behold, fast forward a couple of years and I was a Londoner!  I must admit that there had been no less uncertainty at this point, but my confidence had grown so much – I had a lot more belief in myself and a lot more knowledge of how to go about moving there. I’d also ‘tested’ myself with a week long trip around Fiji a few months before and I’d had such a blast and coped brilliantly that my dominant thoughts were no longer ‘I cant do this’ but rather ‘I have to do this, or I’ll regret it forever’.

So get out there and challenge that fear, educate yourself and remember all the times you thought you couldn’t cope, but ended up flourishing. Take a few test drives like I did – even if that’s a day trip on your own to prove to yourself you can do it. There’s always going to be things that get in the way of course, but Armageddon seems extremely unlikely so stop making excuses and start thinking about where you want to go!

Even when things go wrong (and they will!) – it’s raining on your beach holiday or you missed your flight – just smile. You’re travelling the world and there’s no one to answer to and no one to convince that an afternoon of attaching yourself to a giant rubber band and launching yourself off a bridge really isn’t the best idea you’ve ever had. It’s like a choose your own adventure novel, but for grown ups. You decide where you stay, if you’re a social butterfly in one place and a recluse in another and what to eat for dinner each night – it’s all up to you.

When you realise you can completely rely on yourself and be self-sufficient anywhere in the world it’s a pretty amazing feeling – Just give yourself that chance to shine!

Previous Post Photo Of The Week – London Design By Sir Giles Gilbert Scott

Next Post48 Hours In Marrakech

Comments

  1. Wonderful!

    Unintentionally, I had a taste of this about a year ago in Costa Rica. Language was not a problem because I’m a native Spanish speaker but my two friends couldn’t make it there (we traveled separately) so I was all by myself. This forced me to be much more open than I’m used to, about talking to random people!

    Since then, I’ve been planning to travel again but I had not considered going solo on purpose as an option.

    You’re right that reading about this does encourage you. Your post just did it for me 🙂

  2. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Thanks Victor, I’m glad you enjoyed it! : )
    It’s so strange how you deal with things like being alone in another country when you weren’t expecting to be isnt it? And as you said you are more open and it’s never as bad as you fear it to be!

  3. Sarah @ OneLoveSarah says

    I just found your blog and love it! My dream is to be a travel blogger/writer. I look forward to reading more about your journey!

  4. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Thanks so much Sarah! You should totally go for it – I always wanted to do this and am loving it so far. All the best : )

  5. Your site is cool.. don’t you want to visit egypt? egypt now is beautiful. I found thousand of tourists with Thomson Cruise Line in red sea. it was very cool, lady 🙂

  6. great article – heading out in the big bad world the first time is terrifying, even the fifth or sixth time is terrifying! But you’re right, it gives you so much extra confidence for any thing that life throws at ya!

  7. WomanSeeksWorld says

    It’s so true – I sometimes feel slightly nervous before a trip now, even after travelling for years! But I guess thats what makes us human, and as long as we go for it thats all that matters!

    Thanks for stopping by!

  8. 10 days til my solo travel starts, and I’m sh*t-scared. I feel like I’ve underplanned 😮
    Added you on all the social sites, looking forward to updates.

  9. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Fantastic – So exciting! It’s good to feel scared, and I’m sure everything will fall into place once you’re on the road…I look forward to following your adventure!

  10. Great post, and ‘must’ reading for women who are hesitating – thanks for being so upbeat and positive! And I agree, it is a total rush to realize you’ve made it halfway around the world on your own, and so liberating to know you can continue! The scariest part about traveling solo is the bit before you start. Once you’re on the road, the fears seem to disappear – to busy traveling! I’ll be sure to share this around 🙂 thank you!

  11. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Hi Leyla, thank you! You’re so right – the bit before you leave is totally the worst, but once you’re past that it’s the best! Thanks again for stopping by!

  12. Dominique says

    I’m getting ready to head out on my own in a few months and I’ve been completely nervous. Glad I stumbled across this post. I’m feeling a bit better already. 🙂

  13. WomanSeeksWorld says

    How exciting – best of luck, you will have an absolute BLAST! : )

  14. Kerrie Blazek says

    I love that I’m reading ur blog from my phone while camping with my dog on day 51 of my Great Goddess Adventure! I love traveling solo. All the best to you…

  15. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Hi Kerrie, that’s so amazing! Thanks for your support, glad to hear you like the site! How many more days do you have to go on your adventure?

  16. Have been to Ibiza a couple of times now alone and found it quite liberating. Usually when travelling in a group or with family I am limited to what activities I can do, as everyone wants to do different things (and I’m not one for laying on the beach all day). But when going it alone I have found that I can get up when I want and I seem to end up doing a lot more exploring rather than the usual sitting in hotels or on beaches all day when travelling with others. So I feel it makes for a totalling different experience if you travel alone.

  17. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Completely agree Gary! I find it hard travelling with a group sometimes simply because you get used to being on your own and doing what you like! Thanks for stopping by : )

  18. Total Travel Bug says

    Great post. I was too freaked out to travel alone and do regret the decision. I’ve recently moved to London alone though and I’ve finally managed to navigate the underground! It’s exciting and scary but pushes you to get out there and do whatever it is you want to do.

  19. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Hi Monica – good for you, the tube is crazy sometimes but sounds like you’ve mastered it! How are you liking London so far? If you need any advice or help with anything give me a shout! Thanks for stopping by : )

  20. Well, 6 months later, and everything hasn’t “fallen into place”… I’m trying to catch up on the stories now.

  21. This post was just an awesome read. It brought back the memories when I was travelling alone in North East India. Although language was no problem at all, there were issues with connectivity (phone and internet). This pretty much jolted me way out of my comfort zone than I had previously imagined.

    I guess the experience managed to implant a travel bug in my brain and I have been meaning to take another ‘lonely’ journey soon. This post has just provided me with sufficient motivation to do all that and more again! 🙂

    thanks!

  22. WomanSeeksWorld says

    Thanks Ali! Good luck on your next solo adventure!

  23. Hey Ian, sorry that things arent going as planned but you are definitely brave for taking the plunge! Would you like to share what didnt go so well? So that others can maybe learn and benefit from your experience?

  24. Samuel Jones says

    Hi,

    This is going to sound really stupid but I’m really nervous about going away to Barcelona for 3 nights, arriving Monday afternoon and leaving Thursday morning.

    I am nervous about getting food (dinner) and feeling lonely. I am scared of feeling lonely.

    I am also thinking about what other people think I should do. I keep thinking that I should go out to bars/clubs but I just don’t feel comfortable about going there (I don’t really go at home). I just think I would prefer to go out to dinner and then chill in the bar of the Hotel afterwards.

    Is there anything you can suggest to help me through all of these thoughts.

    P.S. I have chosen to do this but I am starting to overthink everything and starting to worry a lot, which might ruin my holiday.

  25. Woman Seeks World says

    Hi Samuel, hope the 3 nights in Barcelona went well.
    I think feeling nervous about all those thongs is quite natural and not silly at all. I imagine even people that travel solo a lot still get a little nervous in new city’s.
    Eating out is always a tough one because unless you meet a fellow traveller you are often sitting alone. You could always buy something at a shop and eat it in your room or take a book to read at the restaurant so you don’t feel quite as alone.
    With going out to bars and clubs I would do what you feel most comfortable doing. I’m not into bars and clubs (un less I have close friends with me) so tend not to go out to any when I’m traveling and ok sometimes you feel a little antisocial but when your in an unfamiliar city my policy is to stick to what makes you feel most comfortable.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Why You Shouldn't Be Scared Of Solo Travel Blog Archive […]

  2. […] Post – Why You Shouldn’t Be Scared Of Solo Travel ShareDelicious Filed Under: Photo Archive Tagged With: London, Photo of the […]

  3. Scared of solo travel? This is a must read. | Israel Vasquez says:

    […] Quite simply, because it’s a complete rush. The feeling you get when you realize you just navigated your way through a foreign metropolis or survived a hellish train journey makes you feel invincible. And it’s also completely addictive, for as soon as you feel content in one place you often move swiftly onto the next, yanking yourself from the comfort zone that you’ve just managed to build around yourself to do it all over again.” READ MORE […]

  4. […] you’ll fall in love with it! If you’re concerned, Nicole also has a great post about why you shouldn’t be scared of solo travel, so check it […]

  5. […] Quite simply, because it’s a complete rush. The feeling you get when you realize you just navigated your way through a foreign metropolis or survived a hellish train journey makes you feel invincible. And it’s also completely addictive, for as soon as you feel content in one place you often move swiftly onto the next, yanking yourself from the comfort zone that you’ve just managed to build around yourself to do it all over again.” READ MORE […]

Speak Your Mind

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