Solo Travel

At some point a few years ago I decided that if I wanted to do something, I should just do it.

I know that sounds like a no brainer, but when it comes to going to movies, attending concerts, eating or traveling alone, it's a bigger step than it sounds like. These things tend to be more enjoyable when you have company (family, friends), since they're able to share the experience, discuss what you saw and did, etc, but I found myself missing out on opportunities when I couldn't find someone to go with me. I passed on seeing movies in theater or attending concerts because I didn't want to go alone...and eating out by yourself is boring and sad, right? (Pro tip: not if you bring a book! 😊) And traveling solo is scary and expensive. 

Well, that last thing is definitely true, since you can't split the cost of anything with a traveling companion, but other than that, I've gotten used to doing most things unaccompanied. A few exceptions would be haunted houses, prix fixe/tasting menus, amusement parks and ice skating. There's no point to doing those things alone...you really need someone with you to enjoy them. 

With the growing number of solo travelers, companies have slowly started catering to this demographic, creating trips and packages designed specifically for those traveling alone. A lot of these things you could book or do before, but there was a hefty supplemental fee. Some companies seem to be doing a better job at catering to single travelers than others - Norwegian Cruises has solo suites, which is a good idea, except it's not a very user friendly set up. The rooms are small, just containing a bed and bathroom, and open up into a shared lounge area. Great that they don't charge the extra fee, but it's very limiting. 

I ran across a couple articles about traveling alone that I've included below. One includes different travel companies that are catering to solo travelers and the other is a list of 10 reasons to travel alone. I added some commentary to the latter in blue. 

8 Travel Companies that Celebrate Solo Travelers

By Christine Ajudua

04.20.16

From the March/April 2016 issue

How to ditch the single supplement

SAFARIS

In Tanzania, the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti recently introduced a Lone Ranger package that includes walking safaris and game drives with other solo travelers. At their lodges all over Africa, Singita waives supplements
for single travelers.

OUTFITTERS
With 50 no-supplement tours and perks like roommate matching, Overseas Adventure Travel is so good at solo travel that 40 percent of guests come alone. Meanwhile, the UK outfitter Solos Holidays just launched Solos Vacations in the U.S. (check out their 120-day around-the-world tour).

CRUISES
Norwegian was the first line in the industry to offer studios and social lounges designed for solo guests without charging extra fees. Now, small-ship river-cruise lines such as Uniworld, Viking, and AmaWaterways have also joined the club.

10 Reasons Why You Should Travel Solo

By Anna Mazurek 11.20.15

Many people find the idea of traveling solo terrifying, but it might just be the best thing you ever do.

After traveling nonstop for over eight years, I prefer traveling solo, an idea that frightens many people. When the economy tanked in 2008, I quit my jobs and spent a year globetrotting. (Recessions aren’t good for freelance photographers.) It was my first long-term solo adventure—eight countries in 13 months. I booked the flight and never looked back.

If you have never tried it, here are ten reasons why you should travel solo:

1. Expand your comfort zone: The only way to overcome fear is to do the things you fear. Almost everything I do scares me. I hate heights, so I went bungee jumping in New Zealand. I find the idea of being alone in a foreign city where I don’t speak the language to be exhilarating. The courage and confidence gained from traveling alone can transform every aspect of your life, including your career.

No bungee jumping for me, but traveling without the comfort of having another person there to go through the good and bad with you was a little daunting at first. While managing without that "security blanket" takes a bit of getting used to, it does make you aware of how self sufficient you can be on your own and can be a good confidence builder. 

2. Be master of your own schedule: Traveling solo is the ultimate freedom. Eat pancakes for breakfast everyday. Get up at sunrise to go hiking, or spend your afternoons reading in a hammock. No dragging your night-owl friends out of bed to catch an early flight. And, most importantly, no fighting over what to eat for dinner! You do what you want when you want. No waiting. No silly fights. No questions.

This is very nice, and makes the time feel more like a vacation than a trip. I've traveled with friends who are detailed planners and tend to be early risers, whereas I like sleeping in and winging things to a certain extent. Being on my own means I don't have to accommodate other people's traveling styles. 

3. Learn about yourself: I consider travel to be an education—an in-depth look at world history and yourself. I had a master’s degree by age 25 and lived on four continents by the time I was 27. There is a clarity that comes from being 5,000 miles away from everything familiar and all of the things that influence your decisions. It cleared my head of society’s expectations and allowed me to simplify my goals and priorities to build the life I wanted, which involved traveling for a living.

Traveling offers you different perspectives on people and life in places other than where you live. It helps expand your world and keep you from being myopic, looking at the world from the narrow lens of how it compares to just you, your home or circumstance. 

4. Make new friends: The easiest way to meet people is to travel alone. It forces you to be more outgoing than normal, and it makes you more approachable. Conversations with strangers are easier and more natural because they revolve around simple questions like “Where are you going?” and “Where are you from?” Plus, other travelers are the best resource for recommendations on food, transport, and accommodation.

I met the majority of my closest friends while traveling. Each one started as a chance meeting in an unlikely place—a pub in chilly Northern England, the humid streets of Luang Prabang. I couldn’t imagine my life without these people.

Haha...this one definitely does not pertain to me. One of the benefits of traveling solo is detoxing from other humans, so the last thing I want is to put energy into meeting new ones. I'm very nice and personable to the ones I do interact with, but the less that happens, the better. 

5. It's easier to plan: The stress of planning is significantly reduced when you only have to plan for one. It’s easier to find a single spare seat on a last-minute flight or a sold-out bus. Plus, you don’t have to coordinate multiple work and vacation schedules. I usually leave my options open by booking a one-way flight. 

I have found I like mostly winging it. I get a couple things planned - a concert, a reservation at a favorite restaurant - and then just do what I feel like for the rest of it. Don't want to leave my hotel room until 3pm? Cool. Go see a movie at the spur of the moment? Sure. Wander over to a mall to browse and maybe spend too much money? Why not. 

6. Save money: It’s easier to stay within your budget when you are traveling solo. Everyone has different comfort levels, which can lead to drastic price differences for accommodation, food, and transport. I usually prefer to walk or take public transport, both for the experience and to save money. I’ve traveled with friends who insist on taking taxis everywhere because they can’t take the crowds and heat.

Sadly this also doesn't pertain to me. I prefer staying in nice, safe locations - no hostels for me! And I like good food, which can be a little pricey, depending on where you're traveling. For example - in NYC, I'm not eating just from street vendors, taking the subway or staying in New Jersey to save money. I'm on board with walking and then taking Uber/Lyft when something is too far to walk. I like staying in Midtown East because you're close to so many things and you can walk around NYC late at night. That's part of the experience, the reason I'm there, that would be lost if being too thrifty is part of the equation. 

7. No regrets: The best way to live the life you daydream about is to travel alone. If I want to do something, I find a way to make it happen. Sometimes it can take weeks, months, or years. I refuse to spend my life waiting on other people. If friends can join me for an adventure, then great. If not, then I go alone. When I’m 80 years old, I will never say, “Man, I regret that year I spent living in Australia and those two months I spent hiking in Patagonia.

While I think the saying "no regrets" is REALLY stupid, when it comes to traveling, I get it. That's what got me planning things solo in the first place. Time is spinning by ever more quickly and I was missing out on things I wanted to do, and I decided that was foolish. 

8. Minimalism: I was THAT girl. The one dragging two suitcases twice her size through the airport. Thankfully, that girl has learned to carry on her luggage. Nothing teaches you about minimalism better than a long-term solo trip. When you are alone, there’s no one to watch your luggage while you run to the bathroom or grab a coffee. An overload of luggage makes any traveler an easy target for thieves and unwanted attention. Plus, giant bags will kill your back, energy level, and mood.

Yeah, I'm still THAT girl. I always prefer bringing my giant duffel bag and do whenever I can check a bag for free (me gusta Southwest Airlines), but I can manage to keep it to a carry-on for a short solo trip. 

9. Singing in the car: The best part of road trips is singing horribly loud to your favorite ‘90s mix with no one to judge you or roll their eyes. Nothing makes the miles pass as quickly as singing and dancing in the car!

I sing in the car anyway, so this isn't particularly exciting. Also, I'm not road tripping alone because I haaaaate road trips. Give me a plane any day! 

10. Inspire others: My courage to travel solo across five continents has inspired my friends to take advantage of gaps of time to join me for a small part of a trip or to take their own journey. I am the excuse people use to travel and face their fears. Be the inspiration for your friends to take that trip to Cuba or hike Kilimanjaro!

I'm more of a cautionary tale, but if someone else decides to travel solo because I've survived and enjoy it, then cool. 😎

✈ ✈ ✈

The next item on my travel bucket list is going to Iceland. I'm determined to get there in 2020 (or before October 2021 at the absolute latest). It's an arbitrary deadline - I just want to do it as a "35th birthday present to myself"...preferably before I turn 35, lol. I asked a couple friends about going and haven't found any takers, so it will likely be my biggest solo venture yet. Great Value Vacations, the travel company I used to book the trip to Ireland with my folks, recently created a solo package to Iceland. It includes a full-day Golden Circle tour and a Northern Lights evening tour, which is what I'd be most excited about. The biggest trick will be deciding when to go...well, and saving up for it. Iceland ain't cheap, man! 


Any exciting travel plans in your future, unaccompanied or otherwise? 


~ Katie Q. 🐧