3 Excellent Reasons to Travel Solo (when we can!)

Everyone loves traveling. Whether it’s a two-week beach vacation, a cross-country road trip with friends, or an epic adventure around the world, travel brings so many benefits to people’s lives. It opens you up to new experiences and ways of living, takes you out of your comfort zone, and makes you more curious and interested in the world around you. It also provides unforgettable memories that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Traveling with friends and family is one thing, but many people get uncomfortable with the idea of traveling alone. They worry they will get bored or lonely, or are concerned that there’ll be a risk to their safety. They might fret that people will judge or ridicule them for being alone, or that they won’t have the confidence to eat at restaurants, go on tours, or meet new people without the safety net of a trusted friend.

But all this anxiety about solo travel is completely unfounded. Whether you’re in Maleny, Australia, or Delhi, India, there are so many reasons to travel solo. And once you try it, you will never want to travel in company ever again. If you’re still not convinced, here are three great reasons that might change your mind.

You will meet more people

When you go on vacation with a group of friends, you tend to stick in this close-knit bubble for the duration of the trip. You are happy in each other’s company, so why put yourself out there and make new friends? But when you travel solo, you will have extra motivation to introduce yourself to strangers. Humans are social creatures after all, so it’s only natural that you’ll want to spend time with others. And instead of spending the whole time with your school friends, you will meet people from completely different backgrounds coming from all over the globe. Traveling solo doesn’t mean you have to be lonely.

It builds character

Traveling the world by yourself might be scary at first, but it’s always good to escape your comfort zone. After a few days of solo travel, you will start to realize it’s not as terrifying as you feared. You’ll soon lose your self-consciousness when dining alone in restaurants and have no fear going for a hike in the mountains without anyone else. You will become more independent and confident as a result and will come home a completely different, and improved, person.

Do whatever you want

When you travel in a group, you generally spend a lot of time debating where to go that day or what to eat for dinner. You inevitably end up having to compromise to keep the majority of people happy. But when you travel solo, you have the complete freedom to do exactly what you like, whenever you like. Want to stay in bed until noon today? Absolutely fine. Feel like splashing out on a twelve-course tasting menu at a world-renowned Michelin-starred restaurant? Who’s going to stop you? With this newfound freedom, the world is truly your oyster.