5 Ways Solo Travel is Good for the Soul
Traveling has many benefits and solo travel provides benefits that are more personal.
My first solo trip left a very strong impression that I made it a goal to do a solo trip once a year. Over the years, my reasons for doing these solo trips have also evolved.
Now these solo trips have become my way to pause before I move forward, more energized and ready for more life progressions.
In this post, we will cover the 5 ways that a solo trip can be good for the soul. This is not a medical or spiritual post in any way, as I have no expertise in either field.
I can only speak from my experience. Good for the soul here means good for your well-being, mindset, and outlook, which are important factors, at least for me, in defining one’s happiness.
Builds empathy and openness for diverse experiences and people.
Most travelers would travel to a destination with a checklist of famous cultural highlights. This is especially common in group travels.
However, focusing only on these checklists, one would easily miss the nuances of each culture and the stories of the locals.
Experiencing major festivals is not the same as experiencing the daily rituals of each culture and the reasons behind these rituals.
Solo travel opens you up to interact with the locals making these experiences richer.
Think of visiting the old famous temples in Bali once versus preparing morning flowers (offerings) with the locals for the morning prayer every day during your stay.
In more conservative countries like Japan, the locals are more likely to open up to answer your questions, if you are traveling solo.
They would even ask you questions in return about you and where you are from. In reality, most of them are also curious about other countries and cultures.
When you are traveling solo, the locals might assume you live there, as a foreigner and they are more likely to strike up conversations.
For example, a sweet lady at the Konbini began small conversations with me after seeing me for 3rd consecutive morning. From then on, my morning starts with simple conversations, in my broken Japanese, with her about what my plans for the day, etc.
And, yes, that’s how I typically start my morning in my Tokyo trips, try not to judge.
Overcome any shyness, one trip at a time, with caution, of course!
I am a very shy person, especially with strangers. One of the perks of traveling in groups for me was that I did not have to interact with strangers as much. I can stick to people I know and am comfortable with.
Traveling alone forces me to interact with strangers, sometimes because I need to (for example, asking for direction when lost) and other times just by chance (for example, strangers to other solo travelers striking up conversations on the plane or train or even at a cafe).
In the beginning, I would walk away when approached by strangers. Rude, I know. This was just an instinctual reaction out of discomfort and, sometimes, fear. So during my first few solo travels, I decided to keep an open mind and to at least be polite when I needed to decline conversation. But I would always help with direction if I can.
I have had my share of good small conversations with strangers during my solo trips, and I do enjoy their stories. A nice conversation can turn a long, boring train or bus journey into an enjoyable experience, you might even get a new friend on your social media.
If you are super shy, like myself, being able to manage these social situations is a learned skill and takes practice. After a few days, I got used to it, and sometimes, depending on my energy level, I was one of those travelers who would start a conversation with a stranger. The table has turned!
Please do remember to always have your guard up. Speaking to strangers in a foreign country when traveling alone is still not the safest situation to be in, especially for a female… not to sound sexist, but in some parts of the world this is still the case. I, for one, live in a country where it is not safe even for a local female to be out and about alone at night.
Learn to be alone without being lonely.
Being alone is different from being lonely. Being alone is just that, you are on your own, alone in a room, alone at a table, etc. But being lonely is a feeling. You can be surrounded by a lot of people and still feel very lonely.
Loneliness is something that you will definitely feel during your first solo travel. How lonely you feel depends on your personality, surroundings, and energy level.
Not to be confused with boredom, loneliness runs a bit deeper, and more personal (at least it was for me).
Loneliness was also more distracting. I’d rather be bored than lonely as boredom is easier to mitigate: find something to do and there is a lot you can do just with a mobile phone these days: read up about the next destinations, play games, be on social media, etc.
To be able to enjoy your solo trip, learning to embrace this feeling of loneliness, and what this looks like or feels like for you, is important. How to do this?
To know when the feeling of loneliness kicks in is the first step. Then you can ask yourself some basic questions, like:
When do I feel lonely? Sometimes loneliness is triggered by your environment, think of eating alone in a restaurant and being seated next to a lovey-dovey couple or taking the wrong train and getting lost in a neighborhood you have not read about.
How is loneliness manifested in my emotions and behaviors? For example: does it make me feel more sensitive, unreasonably emotional, or jealous of others around me who happen to have company?
When I feel this way, what and/or who would make me feel better? is it a phone or video conversation with a loved one, instead of messaging? Does it have to be a specific person or activity or even food?
Personally, writing a short journal at the end of each solo trip day was the most helpful thing for me. I used to call home when I felt lonely, but if no one picks up (which can happen if you are traveling to a different timezone) I get more lonely, which does not help.
I realized it would be best if I could help myself first, which led me to my next solo trip learning: to be present and be in the moment.
Learn what it truly means to be present and find mental clarity
What am I doing now and where I am now? These are the questions I would ask myself when I find loneliness kicking in during my solo trip.
These questions helped me refocus on what’s going on, what I am seeing, hearing, and doing. This is important because, I consider loneliness a distraction, as it can lead to other feelings depending on why I felt lonely.
For example, I could feel lonely when looking at a group of people or a couple at another table because somehow, unconsciously, I compared their situation to mine. This can lead to other negative thoughts which can then lead me to not appreciating and remembering my meal.
Being able to refocus and return to the present, means being able to refocus on what you are immediately experiencing. If you are in a museum, then be aware of the artwork, the architecture, the smell, etc. Being aware of these mundane things takes effort. If you are hiking on a mountain, then be aware of the uneven ground that you are hiking on so that you don’t fall, in combination with all the nature, the winds, the scent, and the sounds around you.
Ever gone on a group hike, only to remember the group photos you took at the peak and how tiring it was? when you are on a solo trip, there is a good chance that you will remember much more than these. Being able to focus or refocus on the present is important in daily life, outside of solo trips as well.
After all, the future depends on how you spend the present, is it not? And if you spend most of your present dwelling on the past….what would the future look like then?
And how best to practice being present than by traveling and experiencing unique experiences!
Be accepting of your potential and limitations.
In other words, discover your potential, while being very kind and forgiving of yourself.
This can apply to a lot of things, but mostly to practical things: organizational preferences, being able to think on one’s feet, being able to adapt to last-minute changes or things not going as planned.
First thing first, you will need to plan your solo trip. Since this is a solo trip, you will most probably be planning this yourself. You may gather insights, input, and suggestions from others, but at the end of the day, the final itinerary is up to you.
If you have never planned a trip before, this process can be overwhelming and you might find yourself second-guessing your choices. Some personalities are more designed for planning than others, so don’t be so hard on yourself.
Solo trips can also make any unexpected changes in plans feel like they are a bigger deal than they are, simply because you have to fix the situation yourself. What you should do next, and so on, is all up to you. And there are times, you have to make decisions quickly due to weather, transportation schedules, or budget.
It is very common to look back on these experiences with a bit of regret, wishing you had made a different decision, etc. Instead of regret, look at these experiences positively. Firstly, congratulate yourself for making it through the trip and all the hiccups you faced along the way.
Also, take this chance as a way to understand yourself better.
Are you a very organized person by nature? Or do you prefer a loose itinerary, but do not dwell well with last-minute changes? Then maybe you don’t need a detailed itinerary but need to have backup plans ready for your key activities.
These are things that you might not realize about yourself before your trip. And this new self-discovery is part of growing as a person overall.
5 Things to Consider Before Deciding If a Solo Trip Is Right for You
If you have been debating on going on your first solo trip, and still feel uncertain, check out this post to help you decide if you are indeed ready for this adventure.
Otherwise, it is time to get planning!
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