5 Things to Consider Before Deciding If a Solo Trip Is Right for You
Why travel solo?
My first real solo trip was in 2014. It started as a challenge to myself, also due to practical reasons: getting the dates aligned with friends and family was a challenge, especially with all of us living in different cities and countries.
The first trip was so rewarding, that I have made it my goal to do it at least once every year, even if it is just a long weekend trip. In this post, we will cover 5 top things you must consider to help you decide if you are ready for a solo trip.
A note from the writer (me): This post is written with an overseas solo trip in mind, meaning different countries, currencies, languages, etc. because this is based on my experience.
But I believe the stuff in this post will apply to any solo trip.
The essence is to travel alone, to a place you are not familiar with, and learn to be in your own company.
Why travel solo? 5 Ways solo travel is good for the soul.
Seriously though, I honestly do not think solo travel (or even travel in general) is for everybody. But, done right and with the right amount of research, and preparation, to suit different personalities and emotional needs, a solo trip can benefit most of us.
And if you are reading this, you are probably already thinking about doing a solo trip but just looking to find either confirmation to go for it or reasons not to do it.
For some, this can be a daunting decision. It was quite scary for me, I deliberated a lot before deciding to plan one and follow through. But once you made up your mind, then the planning steps become more fun and exciting.
1: What kind of traveler are you and are you happy with your travel experiences so far?
Before my first solo trip, I had always only traveled in groups, where I just needed to show up, wake up on time, and vote when voting was needed to make a decision. I also tend to end my day after dinner, meaning I will not join any after-dinner activities unless I am interested in it, such as watching a meteor shower in the desert. So I was a passenger and a semi-active participant. This WAS my travel style.
But I was never truly satisfied with my trips. And when I look back on them, there are always things that I missed or got skipped for some reason. So if you similar complaints from your past travels, then you are probably long due for your first solo trip!
2: Are you ready to tackle your travel bucket list without waiting for other people or the right timing?
Your travel bucket list is growing every year with not much progress because you spent most of the year trying to set dates with your families or friends. Or you spent the year waiting to hear back from people when they are not as committed to the destination as you are. Or you end up traveling to destinations that are not even on your list because spending time with loved ones is more important, so you yield to the majority vote.
I can list more scenarios, but I shall stop because it brings back too many memories of wasted time/years. If you can relate to any of the above then maybe a solo trip is the solution for you.
Perhaps that is also why you are even reading this post. Your dream destination might be too much for your first solo trip, but it might be your next or third trip, done when you are more or less comfortable with traveling solo.
3: Are you ready to take full responsibility for your own well-being, safety, and decisions?
This step takes a bit of honesty and a bit of self-reflection. Why is this important? Because solo travel forces you to be more independent.
In the context of traveling, this means being fully responsible for the trip planning, whatever happens during the trip, and the outcome of the trip, including your health and safety (and sanity, of course). You don’t want to feel like you need a break after your vacation, do you?
When you travel solo, the only person affecting the trip will be yourself, the rest is up to nature (you can’t predict the weather 100%). How fun, memorable, tiring, expensive, or safe the trip is will depend on you, and only you.
Even when things don’t go your way, it is up to you to make the best out of the situation, to adapt and turn the negative experience into a positive one.
Part of the beauty of a solo trip is being able to change your plan on your whim. On the other hand, when things don’t go according to plan, part of the challenge is to overcome it yourself.
And trust me, this will almost always happen. So if you think you are ready for these challenges, or if these thoughts excite you then a solo trip is definitely for you.
4: Are you ready for self-discovery and to get out of your comfort zone?
If you have never traveled alone, your travel style or personality would most likely be an adjusted version of yourself depending on the people you travel with. Solo travel will bring out more of your personality, partly due to being forced to be more independent and responsible for yourselves (see item 3 above).
Another great thing about solo travel is how it can improve your self-awareness and encourage self-discovery. Things like: how you adapt to unexpected situations, how you make decisions when planning your trip, how you budget your trip, and how you interact with strangers you meet during your trip are all informed by your personality.
We all have different priorities but not all of us are aware of what they are, but in reality, these priorities inform our decisions day-to-day.
Solo travel, when done with the right mindset and preparation, can be a great confidence booster. It forces you to deal with unfamiliar situations, in unfamiliar places, under potentially unfamiliar circumstances.
It forces you to adapt and make quick decisions and to know that you can overcome all these is a confidence booster, not just to take on more solo travel, but to also take on more challenges in your work and life.
5: Are you ready to learn to enjoy your own company?
This is a very important one.
Personally, this was the most important factor when I was deliberating my first solo trip. Will I be ok alone? Eating alone? Going to parks alone? Will I be bored? Will I go crazy? What if I need to talk to strangers but I don’t speak their language? The list goes on.
Humans are social creatures by nature, we all need some level of in-person social interaction. There is just something about being in the presence of other humans that cannot be replaced by our mobile devices and social media. I do believe that different personalities need different levels of this interaction or things will not feel normal for the person.
I am no expert in personality traits but if you are interested you can read more about them here.
This is important to consider because solo travel will put people in situations where in-person social interaction might be limited. Even if your itinerary includes being outside in a crowded place, or a group tour with strangers, the unexpected might happen during the trip.
For instance, a heavy snowstorm might happen one day and you are stuck in your hotel room, or in my case, an earthquake warning led me to be stuck in my small hotel room in Japan for a good 24 hours.
So you need to recognize how much social interaction you need daily at this point. Or ask yourself this question: if you are to travel alone for some time, how long is a comfortable period for you? If unsure, I suggest you start with a short trip, 3 days and 2 nights then go from there.
Please remember that not everyone enjoys their own company naturally. So it is ok to be uncertain or nervous. For some, this is a learned habit, a discovery that becomes a joy, and one of the best ways to achieve this is to travel solo.
On the other hand, if you already enjoy being on your own, and are totally ok with phone conversations with loved ones to make up for the lack of in-person interaction then you are good to go!
Next step: plan your trip!!
If you are ok with all of the above, then the next step: plan your first-ever solo trip.
At this point, it is perfectly normal to still be nervous and worried, but you should at least feel some kind of excitement. Otherwise, I suggest you sleep on this for now, because then maybe you are not ready yet and it is ok to not feel ready. Being realistic about yourself is part of the charm of solo travel and planning.
A gentle reminder: It is totally understandable to be nervous. You can read as much as you can but nothing beats experience. And if you have never experienced certain things, then you won’t know 100%. And being honest about how you feel and your fears is much better than overconfidence.
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